Introductory Field Experience (IFX) Final Assessment

Field Experience Information:

Student Teacher:
Last Name: ______Neufeld______ First Name ______Abbie______
ID Number: _____1527388 Course Number: _EDFX 325
Mentor Teacher:
Last Name: _____Rawlinson First Name: _____Kassia
Placement Information:
Start Date (dd/mm/yyyy): ___14/11/2017 End Date (dd/mm/yyyy): ____19/12/2017
Subject(s) and/or Grade Level(s): _____Grade 7 Science_____

School Information:
School Name: __Ecole Fox Run School School District: __Chinook’s Edge School Division
School Address: __2 Falcon Ridge Drive Postal Code: _____T4S 2H1
School Phone #: ___403-887-0491 City: _____Sylvan Lake

Process:
1. Student and Mentor Teacher will meet on or before day 23 of the IFX to review the Student
Teacher’s Growth Plan.
2. Mentor Teacher will identify the Student Teacher’s areas of strength and areas for growth at the
end of the Introductory Field Experience and complete the required sections.
3. Student and Mentor Teacher will collaboratively write goals and strategies for ongoing
development.
4. Mentor Teacher will email the unofficial document to the Zone Field Experience Associate
(FEA). FEA will process the document and upload to eClass for student access.

Distribution:
Students should retain a copy of the Assessment form for their own records. Please note that potential
employers may ask for a copy of this Assessment.
A copy of this form will be retained by the office of Undergraduate Student Services for a period of time
according to the faculty’s retention schedule; no other copies will be retained by Mentor Teachers or
employees of the University of Alberta without written permission of the Student Teacher.

It is recommended that the Student Teacher receive a grade of:

Final Grade (Credit or No Credit): Credit Date (dd/mm/yyyy): __18/12/2017

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PLEASE NOTE: Assessment of Student Teachers will be based on expectations for “pre- service
teachers” rather than those for practicing teachers holding a permanent teaching certificate.

The Assessment Continuum

Student Teachers are on a complex journey of growth towards becoming a professional teacher. In the
Introductory Field Experience, students are beginning to address the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
(KSAs) expected of interim teachers by the Teaching Quality Standard. It is common for Student
Teachers to be at different points on the continuum for different areas of their growth.

Student Teacher Skill Categories (based on the KSAs from the Teaching Quality Standard)
Preparation, Planning and Organization Teaching Skills and Strategies
 Curriculum and content knowledge  Learning strategies
 Diverse learning needs  Flexibility
 Time management  Student interest
 Organization  Cultural sensitivity
 Lesson plans for individual lessons  Differentiation of instruction
 Relevant learning resources  Pacing

Communication Assessment Strategies

 Oral and written language  Questioning and feedback
 Listening skills  Variety of assessments: formative and
 Voice and language summative assessment
 Teaching/learning technologies  Adapted assessment

Management and Classroom Climate Understanding Students’ Needs

 Tone and rapport  Planning for all students and learning
 Engagement styles
 Transitions and routines  Alignment of strategies to student
 Low key responses needs
 Bumps  Varied resources to differentiate
 Conflict resolution  Understand contextual variables
 Leadership

Professional Qualities and Attributes Reflection and Self Evaluation

 Work ethic and initiative  Assess own teaching & use this to
 Attitude, energy and commitment improve
 Interpersonal skills, collegiality and  Guide actions with a vision of the
teamwork purpose of the teacher, adjust with
 Appearance new learning
 Accept and implement feedback

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MENTOR TEACHER TO COMPLETE: Be reflective and use concrete examples where applicable.
Comments may be in paragraph or point form. For each section, please address 2-4 of the categories
listed on page 2. Student Teacher Growth Plan can be used as a foundation for this assessment.
Areas of Strength:
Ecole Fox Run Middle School has a population of over 400 students in grades 7 and 8. As of September
this year, the grade 6 students have been divided between the elementary schools in Sylvan and no
longer attend Fox Run. Therefore, our school is going through a transition phase with having one less
grade. Abbie is working with 2, grade 7 classes teaching Science. Within these classrooms, there is a
variety of learning abilities. Fox Run School has no special programs, but through the continual use of
our Educational Assistants, all students are integrated into the regular classroom. Within these 2 groups
of students, Abbie works with 4 students with behavior plans, 11 students who receive adaptations and a
variety of ability levels.

Management and Classroom Climate

 Tone and Rapport
 Engagement
Abbie was an effective communicator with the staff and students at our school. She had a friendly
personality, which has been an asset in developing positive relationships with students and staff.
Abbie created a climate conducive to learning, and was able to develop a warm, comfortable classroom
environment. The students responded positively to Abbie and she earned their respect. Abbie took
initiative to make connections with the students in our classroom. When the students arrived each
morning Abbie would always greet them with a smile and ask them about their personal well-being. She
was genuinely interested in getting to know the students, which allowed Abbie to build strong
relationships with each student.
Abbie worked hard throughout her practicum to create lessons that were engaging and challenged the
students within our classroom. Abbie was able to articulate her expectations through her use of tone.
Abbie used her tone of voice as a management strategy to reinforce her expectations within the
classroom. When she wanted the students to be excited, she modeled it naturally through the use of her
tone. Abbie was also effective with using the tone of her voice to redirect students to appropriate
behaviors.

Professional Qualities and Attributes

 Work ethic and initiative

Abbie had a great work ethic and took initiative to get involved around the school, as well as the
classroom. She was always looking for ways to help and actively contributed around the classroom
during her practicum partner’s lessons. Abbie got involved in our lunchtime intramurals program and
lunch leaders team, which helped her to strengthen her relationships with her students.

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Reflection and Self Evaluation
 Assess own teaching and use this to improve
 Accept and implement feedback

Abbie responded professionally to feedback and was able to consistently implement these suggestions
into future lessons. Her desire and willingness to improve upon the goals stated in her professional
growth plan was illustrated through the use of continual feedback. This showed that she assumed
responsibility for continuous improvement and professional growth. Through Abbie’s weekly
reflections, it was obvious that she was able to identify areas of strength and areas of growth in her own
lessons and seek guidance to help her improve. She often sought out ways to improve by asking for
feedback on her teaching and planning.

Areas for Growth:

Preparation, Planning and Organization
 Curriculum and content knowledge
 Diverse learning needs
 Time management

Abbie has experienced substantial improvement since the beginning of her practicum concerning her
planning and preparation of lessons. Initially, Abbie found it challenging to help students make
connections between her teaching and real life situations. Once Abbie recognized this, she spent more
time improving her own understanding of the subject material to ensure she could provide students with
relevant examples to improve their understanding of the taught concepts. However, this is an area that
Abbie can continue to focus on in the future. Abbie has done a great job taking feedback and working
through the content area given to ensure she is fully prepared for each lesson. Through continued
attention to detail, Abbie will improve upon her lesson development taking into account the diverse
needs within the classroom.

Through the experience gained during her IFX practicum, Abbie has improved in the area of time
management. Abbie experienced the need to be over planned during her practicum first hand. At times,
students would be done all of the work expected of them sooner than expected. Therefore, Abbie
realized the importance of having extension activities to differentiate the students’ learning. When
planning for lessons in the future, Abbie needs to continue to intentionally plan purposeful extension
activities for when students have completed the required work to help deepen their understanding of the
concept and keep them on task during class.
Management and Classroom Climate
 Transitions and routines

Abbie has continued to grow in the area of classroom management. Throughout the later part of her IFX
practicum Abbie has worked to intentionally set up her transitions and routines to be more proactive
than reactive with her classroom management. Abbie did a great job after feedback, setting up her
expectations and used an effective quiet signal to focus or gain the students’ attention. An area that
Abbie could continue to develop would be her consistency and follow through with her expectations. An
example of this would be with her quiet signal. She does a great job getting them settled initially, but can
find it difficult to maintain full control during the lesson because she does not ensure students are fully
settled before moving on. If she continues to focus on this area, she will continue to see increased
success and engagement during her teaching.

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STUDENT AND MENTOR TEACHERS COMPLETE COLLABORATIVELY:
Please set 2-4 goals and possible strategies as a focus for further coursework and the Advanced Field
Experience (AFX). The Student Teacher and AFX Mentor Teacher will engage in discussion based on
these goals at the beginning of the AFX.
Goals and Strategies for Ongoing Development:
Goals Strategies
Management/Climate: Abbie would benefit from Strategies for success:
a continued focus on purposeful and intentional  Continue to establish herself as a leader
planning of transitions between activities and within the classroom by following through
classes to improve flow and reduce distracted with clear expectations and consequences.
behavior. Also, Abbie would benefit from  Clearly outline quiet signals and the use of
establishing clear and concise expectations that she wait time to ensure students are fully
can consistently follow through with. settled before continuing with the lesson.
 Being transparent and explicit with
expectations when providing instructions
so that students know what is clearly
expected of them. For example, indicate
clearly if students are working individually
or collaboratively. Once the guidelines
have been expressed, holding students
accountable to the expectations.

Content Knowledge: Abbie needs to continue to  Researching relevant examples to help

focus on gaining full clarity of each topic prior to students connect abstract concepts to
teaching it to ensure she can help students fully concrete examples that they may find in
connect to each topic. everyday life will help solidify
 Example: Using a variety of learning understanding.
styles during lessons to ensure that all  Taking the time to find useful resources
students needs are being met; visuals, that students can use to help verify their
videos, kinesthetic activities, etc. understanding that is in kid friendly
language. For example, using the textbook
rather than the internet to gain additional
understanding.
 Continue to search for ways to challenge
students’ higher level thinking skills

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