Ms. Yorke's
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
The teacher draws upon knowledge of content areas, cross-disciplinary skills, learners, the community, and pedagogy to plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals.
Summary: This standard describes the range of factors I must use to inform my instructional decision making. There are multiple facets that must be embedded in lessons in order to create richer learning experiences for the students. These considerations are critical for the content to be relevant and engage students on a level that allows them to reach the learning goals.
Artifact 1: Teacher Work Sample
Performance: 7 (a) Individually and collaboratively selects and creates learning experiences that are appropriate for curriculum goals and content standards, and are relevant to learners.
Description: The teacher work sample is a deeply involved unit which requires thorough planning. The rubric suggests the implementation of backward design by selecting the learning goals, implementing assessment, and carefully designing each lesson to reach the end goal. My unit had four learning goals and was comprised of a pre-assessment, five lessons, a summative project, and summative assessment.
Rationale: My teacher work sample exemplifies this standard more than any other artifact could. The design for my unit required intricate planning from each activity, to each set of notes, to each assessment. The unit was designed around four learning goals that targeted previous understandings and focused on meeting necessary standards. They challenged the students and involved them in rigorous learning opportunities.
Artifact 2: Math Journals
Essential Knowledge: 7 (l) Knows when and how to adjust plans based on assessment information and learner responses.
Description: Students created an on-going Google document in which they responded to prompts regarding that day's lesson. These served as a journal for the students to document their learning. Students shared their journals with me and I was able to respond directly in the journals with feedback and praise. Students also used the journals to give me feedback on my lessons, ask questions, or express any concerns.
Rationale: The journals became my main form of offering feedback and checking for understanding. I could easily pinpoint what the students understood from the lesson in a private format, allowing me to adjust my instruction as we went along. I would also directly address students' questions that they had asked in their journal and respond to them in class. If I noticed that several students were struggling with the same concepts, I would begin the next class by reviewing or explaining the topic in a different way. It was a very honest and eye-opening way to check for understanding and adjust my planning throughout the semester.