Domain Three Reflection: Instruction
When reflecting on the instructional process, I can’t help but feel that it goes hand in hand with planning and preparation. In an effort to organize instruction, I plan meticulously so that I am fully prepared on a daily basis. I take the time to not only create original graphic organizers as a learning and assessment tool, but I also complete a key for each assignment that I create in order to ensure that they are as clear as possible to avoid student confusion. I annotate the text that we are studying at the time in order to be prepared to enlighten students who may have questions about it. By doing this I focus on any potential difficulties that students may face while studying the material.
I aim to make instruction as student centered as possible. In order to do that, I generally start class with a Do Now that serves as a review of previously learned information and tie it somehow to the objective for the day. I often have students write personal reflections regarding the material in order to hear their thoughts on the topics that we cover in class and to ensure learning. Once the students have been given ample time to complete the Do Now, I ask them to share their responses as a way to introduce the aim for the day. Once the day’s objective has been set, I conduct brief but necessary direct instruction about the topic that is being covered. This year I have chosen to create and use online Prezi’s as a teaching tool. My students love how interactive and visually stimulating Prezis are. From there, students will usually work with their group, or complete a partner activity. I have found that pairing students or putting them in groups not only highlights individual potential, but also helps students to formulate conclusions that they may not necessarily have come to if they were working independently. With the increased rigor of the texts and work students are expected to complete, it is even more beneficial now to have students work together. Once the activity for the day has begun, I walk around the room and listen to student conversations to assess learning and make sure that they are all on task. Due to the complexity of the new Common Core Standards, I am mindful of wording my prompts in a way that requires students to think on their own. At the end of class I assess student learning by bringing the students’ attention to a key component of the lesson and have them share their findings.
After each lesson throughout the year, I reflect on how the lesson went, what I could have done differently or expanded on, and what my students walked away understanding as a result of the lesson. I am constantly looking to improve my practice in ways that will enhance student learning and make learning instructive but exciting at the same time. I feel that because of this, my instruction has successfully evolved over the three years I have been at West Hollow Middle School.
Looking forward, I plan to refine my professional practice by searching for more interactive ways for students to learn the material that we cover in class. One way that I plan to do this is by researching ways to get students more involved in the learning process within the classroom. For example, during quarter 4, when teaching a dense play such as Romeo and Juliet, it would be more authentic and hands on for students to act the play out instead of getting lost in the language. This year I had students re-write a scene of their choice from Romeo and Juliet in the form of a parody. The students performed their final re-written scenes, using cue cards and props. When students are able to get involved on a higher level they walk away with a better understanding as well as a more personalized outlook on the material presented.
I aim to make instruction as student centered as possible. In order to do that, I generally start class with a Do Now that serves as a review of previously learned information and tie it somehow to the objective for the day. I often have students write personal reflections regarding the material in order to hear their thoughts on the topics that we cover in class and to ensure learning. Once the students have been given ample time to complete the Do Now, I ask them to share their responses as a way to introduce the aim for the day. Once the day’s objective has been set, I conduct brief but necessary direct instruction about the topic that is being covered. This year I have chosen to create and use online Prezi’s as a teaching tool. My students love how interactive and visually stimulating Prezis are. From there, students will usually work with their group, or complete a partner activity. I have found that pairing students or putting them in groups not only highlights individual potential, but also helps students to formulate conclusions that they may not necessarily have come to if they were working independently. With the increased rigor of the texts and work students are expected to complete, it is even more beneficial now to have students work together. Once the activity for the day has begun, I walk around the room and listen to student conversations to assess learning and make sure that they are all on task. Due to the complexity of the new Common Core Standards, I am mindful of wording my prompts in a way that requires students to think on their own. At the end of class I assess student learning by bringing the students’ attention to a key component of the lesson and have them share their findings.
After each lesson throughout the year, I reflect on how the lesson went, what I could have done differently or expanded on, and what my students walked away understanding as a result of the lesson. I am constantly looking to improve my practice in ways that will enhance student learning and make learning instructive but exciting at the same time. I feel that because of this, my instruction has successfully evolved over the three years I have been at West Hollow Middle School.
Looking forward, I plan to refine my professional practice by searching for more interactive ways for students to learn the material that we cover in class. One way that I plan to do this is by researching ways to get students more involved in the learning process within the classroom. For example, during quarter 4, when teaching a dense play such as Romeo and Juliet, it would be more authentic and hands on for students to act the play out instead of getting lost in the language. This year I had students re-write a scene of their choice from Romeo and Juliet in the form of a parody. The students performed their final re-written scenes, using cue cards and props. When students are able to get involved on a higher level they walk away with a better understanding as well as a more personalized outlook on the material presented.
Domain Three Artifacts
During 4th quarter, my students worked collaboratively to modify a scene from Romeo and Juliet. I chose to take my students through the route of writing a parody in order to add humor to the original text, which they thoroughly enjoyed. With their assigned groups, students drafted dialogue, stage directions, and gestures that reflected, but amended the original text. After students completed writing their parodies, they performed their acts for the class. I purchased stage props for students to use as well.
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Cue cards written by students who chose to re-write and parody the famous balcony scene.
Students acting out their parodies with chosen backgrounds to set the scene.