Solved by verified expert:Use the template provided to type your self-evaluation of the lesson that you taught. Expectations for this assignment include true reflective thought and the ability to generate ideas for future growth in the areas of planning and instruction. All sections must be addressed with thorough responses, complete sentences, in-depth analysis, and support from the readings in the course. Your reflection must incorporate at least 3 resources (no older than 5 years), and be written in current APA format. SN: Attached I have the instructions, the template and an example of the assignment.
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EDUC 675
CLASS REFLECTION AND FUTURE GOALS INSTRUCTIONS
The Class Reflection and Future Goals must be completed using the provided template. It must
be comprised of 3 sections:
Section 1: Lesson Reflection
Use the template provided to type your self-evaluation of the lesson that you taught.
Expectations for this assignment include true reflective thought and the ability to generate ideas
for future growth in the areas of planning and instruction. All sections must be addressed with
thorough responses, complete sentences, in-depth analysis, and support from the readings in the
course. Your reflection must incorporate at least 3 resources (no older than 5 years), and be
written in current APA format. Some examples of questions to reflect upon include:
•
•
•
What went well?
Upon what could you improve?
How did you feel students responded and interacted?
Section 2: Class Reflection
Answer the questions provided in the template.
Section 3: Future Goals
In this section, you will restate your Personal Professional Development Plan in simplistic terms.
And, after completing the course, you will reflect on whether this is still a goal of yours to
pursue, and what you have learned regarding how to fulfill this goal and plan.
This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of Module/Week 8.
EDUC 675
CLASS REFLECTION AND FUTURE GOALS TEMPLATE
Section 1: Lesson Reflection
All sections below must be addressed with thorough responses; phrases and incomplete sentences are not
acceptable. Key words such as “since,” “because,” “through,” “using,” etc., must be seen throughout the
document explaining the way that various competencies were met. Be sure to include things you would
change in your lesson in order to improve your effectiveness as a teacher. The table expands as you type, so
be specific and take as much room as you need to answer the questions thoroughly!
TOPIC
Preparation
Your Reaction to your Performance about the Topic
What did you do before class to
make sure your lesson would be
effective and run smoothly?
Set
Describe your “set” (the way you
opened your lesson). How did you
begin your lesson in order to gain
student interest? Was it effective?
Why or why not?
Instructional Strategies
How did the strategies you chose
affect the learning and
involvement of students?
Diversity/Differentiation
How did you differentiate
instruction to meet the needs of
diverse learners?
Closure
How did you close your lesson and
summarize/solidify important
concepts for your students?
Student Involvement
Were you able to involve all
students in the learning process?
How? Why or why not?
Teacher/Student
Interaction
How was your rapport among
students? Were you able to
interact? Why or why not?
Student Achievement
How can you prove that students
met the objective of your lesson?
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Classroom Management
What strategies did you use to
make sure students stayed on task
and achieved the objective?
Professionalism
Dress? Disposition? Interactions?
My Areas of Strength
My Areas Which Will Require Future Growth
Type a paragraph about what you will do differently to improve your effectiveness as a teacher.
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Section 2: Class Reflection
What have you learned by taking this class and corresponding with your classmates through the discussion
board? What are some further topics and issues that you would like to continue to study in depth as a result
of taking this class? If you could change some aspect of the class, what would it be and why?
Type Your Response Here:
Section 3: Future Goals
In Module/Week 3, you created a Personal Professional Development Plan. Restate this again in short,
simplistic terms. If you have not yet begun to work on some of the minor goals that would lead to your major
goals, discuss when you will do this and how. Also, include some strategies or resources that you have
learned through this course that might help you achieve these goals faster.
Type Your Response Here:
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Class Reflection and Future Goals
Amanda Westbrook
Liberty University
Dr. Grania G. Holman
EDUC675
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TOPIC
Preparation
What did you do before class to
make sure your lesson would be
effective and run smoothly?
Your Reaction to your Performance about the Topic
Organization is one of the most important components of the effective
classroom. In order for the students to get the most out of each lesson, it is
important that I research effective lessons, and that those lessons are
differentiated for students and their various learning styles. One place
where I find interactive, hand-on lessons is through Picasso. Since the
lessons found on Picasso are standards-based, this is a great way to locate
lessons for my students. Because each learner is unique, it is important that
when planning my lessons I allow for opportunities for students to work
independently, with partners, and in small groups. Many times I find my
students can learn a great deal by partnering up or by working in small
groups. Peer-tutoring is something that I highly stress in my classroom, and
I often pair my students up with a lower level learner and a more capable
peer. Through these peer-tutoring groups, the lower level students are able
to work within their Zone of Proximal Development. Tasks within the zone
of proximal development are endeavors that a child cannot yet accomplish
alone but could accomplish with the assistance of more competent peers or
adults (Slavin, 2012). Throughout my integrated unit, the students were
given opportunities to work on activities individually, with a partner, or in
small groups.
Since many of my students benefit from seeing and/or hearing content
material, it is important that I search for and find flipcharts that can be used
during mini-lesson on our Promethean Board. I use this daily in my
classroom, and many of the flipcharts that I find are interactive and allow
the students to physically come up to the board and manipulate objects,
words, or symbols. For the mapping activity with my 13 Colonies unit, the
students were able to come to the Promethean and move each colony to
their appropriate location. This is very helpful for my ESOL students, as
well as students who are on RTI. I also used the Promethean and LCD
projector to model for the students how to correctly complete their triple
Venn diagrams, show the rubric of a friendly letter and for closing activities
for various lessons.
When research and planning lessons, it is equally important that our
classroom communities run as smoothly as possible, therefore we need to
have policies and procedures put into place. By engaging the students in
creating the classroom rules, we as educators are establishing a learning
community in our classrooms. A learning community should be a positive
atmosphere where teachers are the models for character education, as well
as a model for goals and values that have been instilled in us as Christians.
In a learning community, the teacher holds the responsibility of being
supportive, encouraging, trustworthy, and responsible (Van Brummelen,
2009). Because we are in transition for a lot of our day, classroom
management is critical. My students have been taught how to work in
groups and how to work with partners since we do that for many of the
lessons activities.
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As an educator, I feel that there is always room to grow, and that is true for
planning effective lessons as well. Planning and researching for effective
lessons takes time and energy, and my goal is dedicate more time to
research and plan for even better lessons in the future. Teaching can be
exhausting, but the rewards and end results are well worth it!
Set
Describe your “set” (the way you
opened your lesson). How did you
begin your lesson in order to gain
student interest? Was it effective?
Why or why not?
In order for a lesson to be effective it is important that we grasp our
students’ attention from the very beginning, and this starts with the minilesson. To begin my lessons we meet at the carpet and the essential
question is introduced. I find it extremely important for my students to
know exactly what it is that they will be learning. Since many of my
students are visual learners I used flipcharts from Promethean Planet during
many of my mini-lessons throughout my integrated unit on The 13
Colonies. Using these flipcharts allows the students to see real photographs
of people during the colonial times. It allows us to have an open discussion
about what life must have been like back in the colonial times, and we use
the photos and information in the flipcharts to compare and contrast our
lives and times now to life and times in the colonial days.
In order for my students to really understand life during the colonial times, I
used Discovery Education to show documentaries. Through viewing these
documentaries, my students were able to almost put themselves back in time
to the colonial times. Because we were comparing and contrasting
indentured servants and slaves in one of our lessons, I used a video from
Discovery Education that gave them information about each, then they used
this information to assist them in writing their friendly letter to either an
indentured servant or a slave. They had to show evidence from the video to
support their opinion.
I found that using flipcharts from Promethean Planet and by showing
informational videos about The 13 Colonies and indentured servants and
slaves, my students were able to get a real idea of how life was so much
different during the colonial times. They were also able to understand the
difference between an indentured servant and a slave.
Instructional Strategies
How did the strategies you chose
affect the learning and
involvement of students?
Diversity / Differentiation
How did you differentiate
instruction to meet the needs of
diverse learners?
Throughout my unit I incorporated many strategies for learning. These
strategies include partner and group assignments, interactive Promethean
Flipcharts, and creative visual displays to show knowledge of content. I
think that when we involve our students in the learning process and when
we give them the opportunity to choose activities we are giving them
ownership over their learning.
A component of education today that is critical for understanding is the
importance in differentiating instruction for various learning styles within
the classroom. Since my classroom consists of ESOL students,
gifted/talented students, on-grade level students, students receiving speech
services, and students who are on RTI (Response to Intervention), it is up to
me to ensure that my lessons and the activities that accompany them are
done so with their individual needs and learning styles taken into
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consideration.
Through the use of guided reading, I was able to differentiate that guided
reading instruction for each group, which are grouped based on their reading
level and their most recent DRA. Since we are integrating The 13 Colonies,
I was able to incorporate that in each guided reading group, with various
books/informational pieces on various levels. The instruction that each
group received in guided reading was tailored to meet the needs of that
particular group. Because I have one entire group who is reading well
above grade level, I was able to differentiate for them by allowing them to
conduct Literature Circles. The students in that group were each given job
and were to complete their assigned reading for the day, complete the job
that they were given, then report back to their guided reading group. In
order for this to be effective, the students needed to display many life skills,
including responsibility, trustworthiness, and giving their personal best.
Throughout this unit the students were given the opportunity to work
independently, with a partner, or in small groups. I believe that allowing
students a choice in how they complete their activities allows them to learn
and grow from one another and allowing them to choose from various
activities helps to keep their interest because they have selected what they
want to do. Using small groups for instruction, including the cooperative
learning group (CLG), enhances the opportunities for students to assume
greater control over their own learning, sometimes referred to as
empowerment (Kellough & Jarolimek, 2008). By grouping our students we
are able to differentiate and accommodate for their individual learning styles
and preferences.
Through conducting writing conferences, various students, including those
in ESOL and who have been placed on RTI were able to meet with me in a
writing conference. Together we read their piece and I helped guide their
writing by completing their graphic organizers with them, and by walking
them through the friendly letter rubric when writing their letters to an
indentured servant or slave. My level of assistance varied from one child to
next, based on their individual needs and support with writing.
ESOL students, and students who are on RTI, were able to use Kidspiration
to write their letters. This is a software program that allows them to simply
plug in the components of their letter into a template online. It can then be
printed out. The students have used this program in our Technology Lab
and were instructed by our certified Technology Specialist.
Closure
How did you close your lesson
and summarize / solidify
important concept(s) for your
students?
When closing lessons, I begin by restating the essential question, the
purpose of the lesson, and the objective for their learning. I have students
answer the essential question and defend it with evidence from the minilesson or activity that they completed. It is important for the students to see
that the closure of the lesson comes back around full circle to the essential
question that we began the lesson with.
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Since many of my students learn from others, I try to incorporate student
participation and interaction when closing a lesson. Throughout my
integrated unit on Colonial America we used an interactive Promethean
flipchart to wrap up the lesson, and the students facilitated the closure by
explaining the why and the how that answers our essential question.
Through the use of our Author’s Chair in Writer’s Workshop, my students
are given the opportunity to read aloud, and to hear their classmates letters
to indentured servants or slaves, as well as provide a glow and a grow for
them, based on the information within their letters. This is done on a daily
basis in Writer’s Workshop, and after they share in the Author’s Chair they
are able to sign their name on the chair with a Sharpie. My Author’s Chair
was my great-great grandmother’s and is over 100 years old, so they know
they are special if they get to add their name to it. I have 15 years’ worth of
student’s names on my Author’s Chair, so it will always be dear to me.
When looking back at closing activities, I would like to branch out and
research other ways to provide closure to activities. Perhaps students in
response groups could act out their piece of writing? Or, maybe instead of
writing a friendly letter, students could be given an option to write a song
and perform that song for us during Author’s Chair? I am open to new
ideas!
Student Involvement
Were you able to involve all
students in the learning process?
How? Why or why not?
Teacher / Student
Interaction
How was your rapport among
students? Were you able to
interact? Why or why not?
Through various measures of differentiation, I was able to involve each of
my students in the learning process. Throughout my unit I incorporated
various types of material to present during mini-lessons, gave the students
opportunities to work independently, with a partner, or in small groups,
based on their preference, and modified activities for students in ESOL and
for students who are currently on RTI. Since each of us learns differently
and at various speeds, it was important during my unit that I considered and
accommodated every learner in my classroom, and I believe I did that
successfully throughout my unit.
I take pride in the rapport I establish with my students and their families,
and think that establishing that rapport from day one is a vital part in the
success of the student. Throughout my lessons in this integrated unit, my
rapport with my students was positive and constructive, as seen in my
writing conferences conducting during the letter-writing lesson. During the
conferences, after the students shared their piece, I use the “Grow and
Glow” commentary method. Together we discuss an area where they can
grow as a writer, and an area where they glow.
Because I consider myself to be a “mobile” teacher, I am interacting with
my students constantly. In the mornings I like to stand at my door in the
hallway and greet each of my students. I feel like this is a great way to start
our day!
I also like to work on the carpet, and often when my students are working in
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groups they do so on the carpet, so many times I’ll sit down with them and
involve myself in their discussion. This is a great way for them to see that I
am involved in their daily activities.
Since many of our mini-lessons and closing activities are interactive I was
able to interact with my students. Many times they were given the reigns to
facilitate the closing activity based on what they had learned from the
lesson.
Student Achievement
How can you prove that students
met the objective of your lesson?
When we plan lessons it is important that we also plan how we are going to
prove that our students are meeting the objectives of our lessons. To begin
each lesson I state the essential question(s). By doing this the students
know what they are expected to learn. Throughout the work time, whether
it is independent, with partners, or in small groups, I am observing what the
students are doing. Are they on task? Are they actively engaged in the
activity? For some lessons I called students back to conduct conferences,
when they were writing their letters for example. This allows me to see if
they are following the essential question and objective for the lesson. I also
relied on teacher observation for many of the tasks, especially the 13
Colonies Scavenger Hunt. As students were locating the fact cards I was
walking around to ensure that they are on task and on track. I also called
random students back to check that their answers were correct.
To conclude each lesson we reviewed the essential question and the
objective of the task or activity. Regardless of which lesson I had student
volunteers to come share with the group what they completed during the
assigned work time. They also shared if they worked independently, with a
partner, or in a small group. In order for them to get a cheer they were
required to answer the essential question.
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Classroom Management
What strategies did you use to
make sure students stayed on task
and achieved the objective?
Classroom management is a key to success in any classroom, regardless of
whether it’s elementary school, middle school, or high school. Classroom
rules, procedures, and policies are set at the beginning of the year, and
several mini-lessons were conducted on how to work in groups or with
partners. I find it important that the students practice, and that the teacher
models what is expected for the students.
Throughout my integrated unit plan I used several strategies to ensure that
students stayed on task and achieved the overall goals and objectives. One
strategy is our behavior management plan. Each student has a chip with a
yellow and a red side. For each segment of the day, they will color their
square either yellow or red, depending on which side their chip is on.
Yellow …
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