ALVERNO COLLEGE

TEACHER CANDIDATES SELF-ASSESSMENT

Candidate: Vanessa Matusin

Check One: 1st Observation ___

2nd Observation _X__

Supervisor: Carol Dixon

Date: 11.15.16

Cooperating Teacher: Matthew Courchane

Number of Students: 25

School: Prince of Peace Elementary

Grade: 7

Subject(s): ELA Diverse Student Needs Represented:

Planning and Preparation (AEA: Conceptualization/Diagnosis

WTS: 1, 7 DISP: Respect, Responsibility - CEC: 1, 4, 5, 9, 10)

Evidence (Candidate)
 Uses teaching resources and curriculum materials that are appropriate in representing the ideas and concepts.

Plans instruction appropriate to students stages of development and learning styles.

Provides opportunities for active engagement, manipulation and testing of ideas and materials.

Chooses appropriate teaching strategies, learning experiences, and materials to achieve different instructional purposes and to meet
student needs.

Plans motivational instruction by relating lessons to students personal interest.

____Inadequate ____Emerging __X__Proficient ____Distinctive

Respond to:

How did you determine the appropriate standards and objectives?

I first thought about the students prior knowledge while determining the objectives. I wanted to incorporate a standard that would build off of things they already
know, but also address things that would encourage development for them. I narrowed down a few standards that I thought would be relevant to the students, and
chose the one that I thought best fit their needs and abilities in relevance to the material we were reading.

How did this lesson fit into the curriculum?

The students were reading The Outsiders, a book where the difference of perspectives is one of the main driving points of the plot. I chose the standard Analyze
how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text because this is a very important skill in order to analyze the
text in the most meaningful way. The different centers were designed to explore the many ways characters actions and points of view were developed within the
plot.

Why did you choose the materials? How effective were they?

I chose a more discussion based model for the class because it is important to involve and explore the other students perspectives to further ones own
understanding of this story. I had the students read aloud in class to engage them in the current material, and then break off into their centers to focus in on
developmental techniques. I had students create a timeline individually to provoke their own conclusions to a characters actions, but I also asked them to engage
in group discussion to brainstorm themes of differing perspectives within the story. I believe these methods were both effective in keeping the students engaged,
and also helped them continue to develop their analytical skills while interpreting a story.

Classroom Environment (AEA: Coordination/Integrative Interaction WTS: 2, 3, 5 - DISP: Respect, Responsibility CEC: 2, 3, 5)

Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Shows respect for the diverse talents of all learners.

Is committed to the expression and use of democratic values in the classroom.

Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, activities and attention to engage students in productive tasks.

Respects students as individuals with differing personal and family background and various skills, talents and interests.

____Inadequate ____Emerging ____Proficient _X___Distinctive

Respond to:

How did you create a positive learning environment?

I wanted to create an environment that was open and inviting for students to share their own ideas. Because a lot of this class was about sharing thoughts and
opinions, I wanted to make sure the students felt welcomed and appreciated. I differentiated toward multiple learning styles, and gave the students control over
how they would go about completing their tasks. I also let the students create a dialogue with each other instead of working silently, to encourage their different
ideas about the story.

How do you feel students felt during the lesson? What is your evidence?
I wanted to address the fact that a perspective can neither be correct or incorrect, it is simply the way we respond to our experiences. I allowed students to share
in ways they felt comfortable, some offered their opinions to the class, others wrote their thoughts down and let me stop by to read them. Some read aloud to the
class, and some spent a lot of time constructing their timeline of events.

I think the students felt safe and appreciated as they discussed their thoughts, and they were also respectful of the differing opinions of their classmates.

How did you demonstrate respect for, and rapport with the learners?

I thanked the students for participating, and also let them know that there is no single perspective that is correct or incorrect. I wanted to show them their input is
valuable to the classroom. I used names when possible, and always kept a pleasant attitude, even when some of the students needed a behavior correction. I also
noticed some of the individual styles of learning and tried to incorporate that into my individual attention to them, so they could feel a stronger connection to myself
and the story.

How did you actively engage students? Who responded? Who did not? Why?

I gave the students different opportunities to participate and be engaged. I immediately asked a question that they were to answer in their notebooks, and then
prompted to answer aloud in a class discussion. I tried to keep the discussion relevant to their own lives and experiences, to keep them interested in what we were
talking about. I asked them to raise their hands at times, to engage students who maybe werent comfortable with speaking to the entire class. In their centers, I
kept them working on a number of different activities, rather than focusing on one task for an extended period of time. I think especially at their grade level, they
appreciate the break in tasks, and work better when the lesson is broken down into different components. I felt that most of the students responded and were
engaged at different times, there were some students that were most engaged while writing in their notebooks or creating their timelines, and there were other
students that were most engaged while they were read aloud to the class, or sharing their own opinions in group discussion. I think they reason they are most
engaged during certain times are related to their individual styles and preferences of learning.

What kinds of responses did you give to students responses?

I wanted to acknowledge responses by providing meaningful feedback. I asked questions that stimulated further thought into a particular area of analysis, or
questions of ideas that they had not though of yet. I wanted to provide feedback that was relevant to the individual learner and their development by scaffolding
questions when appropriate. I wanted to show the class that all of their participation was essential to learning as a class together, and group discussion is a great
way to build upon ideas.

Evidence Code Definitions:

Instruction (AEA: Communication, Coordination, Diagnosis,

Integrative Interaction WTS 4, 6, 7 - DISP: Respect, Responsibility, Communication CEC: 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Encourages discussion.

Modifies explanations when necessary to assist students understanding.

Recognizes the importance of verbal and nonverbal communication.

Is a thoughtful and responsive listener.

Communicates in ways that demonstrate a sensitivity to cultural and gender differences.

Models appropriate communication strategies in conveying ideas and information.

____Inadequate ____Emerging __X__Proficient ____Distinctive

Respond to:
How well did your strategies support meeting the lesson objectives/learning targets?

I think they supported the objective very well. Each center was designed to address a different way of thinking about the text, and a different learning style to aid
the students in their thought process. My differentiation and scaffolding techniques were necessary to keep everyone engaged and thinking towards the objective.
The response from the students was positive.

What went well? What would you change? Why?

I liked that the students were engaged and offering their own opinions and ideas on many different characters. I thought the timeline and the group discussion
questions worked very well together, as this stimulated higher order thought processes. If i ran this lesson design again, I would have taken out the predictive
paragraph center, because although that skill is very important, I think the students would have benefitted from additional time working on their timelines or group
discussions. They seemed very engaged and active in those two centers and I would have liked to give them more time to support their progress in those areas. I
would have given the predicative paragraphs its due time in another lesson the next day, to allow students the time needed to complete.

How effective were the leveled questions you used?

I think these questions were very effective. I could tell the students were stimulated by the order of the questions I asked, and responded well to them. The leveled
questions aided the students who needed more help in analyzing implicit text, by stimulating their prior knowledge, and prompting further development.

How did you use the academic language? How well do you think the students know and understand the academic language? ELL?SPE? Cite evidence.

The academic language was used at different times thought the centers. We used the vocabulary words, compare, theme, and analyze, during our group
discussion to prompt thought provoking comments about the next. We talked about the vocabulary word plot a lot during the timeline center, because we analyzed
the way the characters actions helped drive the plot. The students were able to discuss and explain their analysis in a variety of ways throughout the lesson. I
think the students knew the academic language because we explored them in differing ways in their center work. Although all of the students speak another
language, they were able to accurately explain the characters actions and plot themes through a variety of classwork within their centers.
Assessment (AEA: Diagnosis/Integrative Interaction WTS: 8, 9

DISP: Collaboration, Communication CEC: 1, 5, 8, 9, 10)

Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Evaluates the effect of class activities on both individuals and the class as a whole, collecting information through observation of
classroom interactions, questioning, and analysis of student work.

Uses classroom observation and information about students as sources for evaluating the outcomes of teaching and as a basis for
reflecting on and revising practice.

____Inadequate ____Emerging __X__Proficient ____Distinctive

Respond to:

How well did your assessment measure students meeting the objectives?

The assessment measured the objective well. I was able to tell what the students know about the characters progression of actions based on their timeline, and
also what they had learned about the implications of the text based on the questions they answered about the chapter they read.

What were your assessment results during and/or after the lesson? How does this inform you of next learning steps?

I felt that lesson was effecting in stimulating discussion and development within the ideas of the students. At the beginning of the lesson, not many students
seemed to be able to answer implicit details about the text. During the group discussion I had more participation of students that were willing to discuss their own
opinions. I would have hoped this was because their time at the other centers provided them with leveled questioning to be able to get to the ideas/opinions they
had formed. I noticed that although most students did really well with reading and answering the questions, there were one or two students that would do well with
further discussion before they answered the question. These are the students that are still working on discovering context clues. I would take this into account for
the next lesson, and perhaps create an center were the students could either choose to create a sentence with their own context clues, or underline context clues
within a preassigned paragraph and explain.

What would you change about your teaching and/or assessment to better support or extend students performance?
I had mentioned that in the future I would get rid of the predictive paragraph center and use it on a different day. I would use that extra time for the students to
further the development of their timelines, and to create a timeline for another character on the same sheet of paper. This would allow the students a visual of the
different characters actions and their correlations to each other as the plot continues. This would show a deeper understanding of characters actions and
interactions with each other. This may also help students in discovering implicit clues the author leaves to help the reader analyze the story in a more meaningful
way.

Professional Responsibilities (AEA: Communication/Integrative Interaction WTS: 10 DISP: Responsibility, Collaboration, Communication CEC: 2,
5, 10)

Evidence (Candidate)

Relates professionally and effectively with the cooperating teacher and faculty.

Dresses professionally and consistently portrays a professional demeanor.

Is enthusiastic about teaching.

Seeks out the cooperating teacher to support his/her development as a learner and a teacher.

____Inadequate ____Emerging ____Proficient __X__Distinctive

Respond to:

Describe your contact with the CT in planning this lesson. (e.g. How far ahead did you contact her/him? Did you suggest a lesson or use one already
in place? If in place, did you discuss or make any modifications?)

I let Mr. Courchane know about 2 weeks in advance that I would be planning the lesson for this day. We stayed in very close contact over the next couple lessons
so I would know exactly where the students would be in their development, and also where they would be in the book. I developed the lesson myself, based on
what I knew about their previous lessons. I tried to ask questions that would call upon their prior knowledge, and extend it further to keep the lesson relevant to the
current material. Mr. Courchane let me have total control over this lesson, and I felt that was helpful because I got to carry out my own ideas and questions,
without being influenced by someone elses lesson. This allowed me to see where I would make any changes or my strengths in planning lessons.
How did you present yourself as a professional to the students?

Overall Performance: ____Inadequate ____Emerging __X__Proficient ____Distinctive

See below.

SUMMARY REFLECTION: Rationale

DESCRIBE AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING in a short narrative:

background information about the lesson, (e.g. urban, 3rd grade, social studies lesson on )

how in the design or implementation of the lesson you demonstrate two of the Wisconsin Teacher Standards for
Licensure and Development;

(SPE only) how in the design or implementation of the lesson you demonstrate two of the Council for Exceptional
Children Initial Content Standards and Knowledge and Skill Sets;

how in the design or implementation of the lesson you demonstrate two of the Alverno Graduate Advanced Education
Abilities;

how the lesson demonstrates the Common Core Standards or academic standards;

(SPE only) how did you accommodate students IEP goals?

at least one educational framework that is reflected in the design and/or implementation of the lesson plan.
 My lesson was taught in a 7th grade English Language Arts classroom, to students that speak primarily Spanish at home. They had been
reading The Outsiders for the past few weeks and were nearing the end of the story. The objective of the lesson was to analyze how the author
develops and contrasts perspectives within the story.

The learning objective was important at this point in "The Outsiders" because we were reaching the climax, where all the differing
perspectives and actions were coming to a head. It is important to be able to understand the actions of the characters, and the reasoning for it, in order
to develop a meaningful understanding of the story. Therefore, the learning standard for this lesson was Analyze how an author develops and
contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. I had the students create a timeline, to explain the characters actions and
write a sentence about why they thought the character acted in the way that s/he did. I also had the students respond to questions I developed to
promote higher order thinking, in a group discussion to call upon their own ideas of the progression of perspectives in the story.

Two Wisconsin State Educators' Standards that I feel are very important to my lesson design are "Teachers understand that children learn
differently", and "Teachers communicate well". I felt that knowing about my students' different learning styles affected the way I designed my lesson.
I wanted to acknowledge and welcome the differences in my students, and make them feel like they are a part of their own learning process. I
acknowledged these differences by creating specific changes to their center work. This is demonstrated with some of the classwork engaging them
visually, some requiring the use of language and interpersonal discussion, some involving individual work, and some calling upon higher order
thinking skills. I believe that each student has a right to have their learning style acknowledged and developed by the teacher, and students should
also be exposed to other types of learning to develop those skills as well.

The next state standard I feel is important to this lesson is the emphasis on teacher communication. I realize that standing in front of a group
of students I am communicating in many different ways. I am communicating on both a verbal and nonverbal level. I communicate about the direct
material they are studying, while I am hoping to be communicating on a personal level as well. I also communicate with them the behaviors I expect
to encounter in the classroom. This is done by me both on conscious and subconscious levels, even though I try to be as thoughtful as I can be in my
communication. I also want to set a good example for others to be thoughtful and meaningful in their communication process as well.

I implemented the Advanced Education Abilities by working with the framework of Diagnoses and Conceptualization. Because my students
have varying levels of English proficiency, I need to know who is understand what from the book. It is important for me to distinguish which
students need what type of help in order for me to be the most effective. My diagnosis was based on what I knew they had already been
learning in class, and also based on the assessments I was doing throughout the lesson. I was able to ask leveled questions to keep all learners
engaged, while addressing their individual necessities. This let me know which students understood the implicit actions of the characters, while
others were mastering explaining the explicit actions of characters. My questions acknowledged the development of the learners, and let me know
what else I needed to ask.

After I had determined the individual needs of the students, I was able to come up with strategies appropriate to their specific learning
styles. I planned my lesson with the different learning styles in mind, but throughout the lesson I found I needed to improvise different prompts and
questions to keep the students thinking and activating their prior knowledge. I developed questions in their discussion center, knowing that many of
them would have differing perspectives on the questions I asked. I noticed one question in particular seemed to be causing some though provoking
discussion. Do you think Johnnys mother had a right to see him at the hospital, why or why not? I noticed some of the students had said that
Johnnys mother did have a right to see him in the hospital because she raised him, but other students argued back saying that just because she is his
mother does not mean she raised him, and that it takes a lot more than giving birth to someone to make you a mom. I was happy to see these students
participating in a respectful disagreement, and they were articulating their points very well by providing valid reasoning. It thought this was
beneficial to students on each side of the argument as their strengthened their own arguments by acknowledging the opposing view points.

I developed a lesson plan that was very interactive and involved a lot of group discussion. This was based on the educational
framework of the Zone of Proximal Development by Vygotsky. The Zone of Proximal Development states that the student is very active in their
own learning process. There is also a connection between the child, social interaction, and learning. I designed my lesson knowing that students
need to play an active role in their development, and each student has their own individual style of learning. I needed to create an environment that
engaged all learning types while adhering to a common objective. This called for me to provide as may various ways of talking and discussing the
material as possible, while keeping in mind some students develop at different rates than others. I believe a created a classroom that acknowledged
and prompted the differences from students, to engaged in a collective learning atmosphere. The students had guidance from me in their centers, but
were actively developing their own work as they discussed and demonstrated their knowledge.

I have learned a lot from these students this semester, and was very pleasantly surprised at how respectful and active they are in their
own learning environments. I feel I had a lot of support from my professors and cooperating teachers to create a successful lesson plan, and to
instruct a classroom in a meaningful way. I valued the feedback I received from my first observation, and tried to implement it in my second lesson
as much as possible. I found great results based on that feedback, and it has inspired me to create more ways in which I can continue to develop as a
teacher. This semester of teaching went better than I imagined, and I know it was because of the successful environment that was created for me by
my instructors and peers. I look forward to continuing this journey next semester.