PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN - PSIII

Name: Kenady Layton

Goal #1:
Developing positive relationships with students, colleagues, and parents.
Related TQS(s):
TQS #1: Fostering effective relationships
-acting consistently with fairness, respect, and integrity
-demonstrating empathy and a genuine caring for others
Indicator(s) of Success:
 Positive feedback from students, TM, UC, admin, and others
 Reaching out to parents to discuss their child’s learning
 Reaching out to students who are absent with missed items
Strategies: Resources(s): Timeline:
Call/email/visit with parents to TM, if needed Throughout the practicum-
get to know them and their Contact information calling 5 students’ parents each
children. Discuss their child’s Parent- teacher interview week to check-in.
learning.
Prepare student evidence for Parent- teacher interview Throughout the practicum-
parent- teacher interviews. Constant observational notes recording observations of
students in lessons
Use Google Classroom and Google Classroom (already set Throughout the practicum- as
email to contact students with up) needed
missing items when absent.
Reflection(s):
By the end of this practicum, I learned how to be open and honest in my communication with
students, colleagues and parents. Honesty helps strengthen relationships. The indicator of success for
this goal includes reaching out to parents to discuss their child’s learning. I decided not to email 5
parents each week, as was determined in my timeline; instead, I emailed parents when we began a
new unit, that way the parents knew what their child would be learning about. I had prepared myself
for Parent/Teacher interviews, however, due to the situation the school decided to have parents contact
teachers if they felt it was needed. I did not receive notice from parents about meeting during that
time. The staff organized who would be contacting families of students who needed parent
involvement and the grade 6 homeroom teacher announced they already phoned home about the
necessary issues and addressed the concerns I had spoken with them about. This proved how
important honesty and open communication is with others as I was able to be open and honest with
my colleague about the student learning and behavior in that classroom. The strategy of using Google
Classroom and emailing students proved useful for the students in grade 6, however, I decided to not
set up the grade 3 students on Google Classroom. If those students were absent, I would catch them up
at the beginning of class and send home the worksheet to practice. The indicators of success for this
goal also included positive feedback from students, TM, UC, admin, and others. During the practicum
I received constructive feedback that helped to further develop my teaching practice. The feedback I
received, although different than I anticipated in my indicator of success, proved to be more beneficial
in my development as a teacher. Other lessons I learned that was not part of my inquiry question (how
can I develop effective relationships?), include assessing student knowledge during lessons, focusing
assessments on learning outcomes, asking deeper level questions and scaffolding understanding to
strengthen student knowledge.

Goal #2:
Effective Reflection
Related TQS(s):
TQS #2: Engaging in Career-Long Learning
-actively seeking out feedback to enhance teaching practice
-seeking, critically reviewing and applying educational research to improve practice
Indicator(s) of Success:
-Beginning with reflection of action, moving to reflection in action
Strategies: Resources(s): Timeline:
Recording each lesson reflection in Reflection Journal Throughout the practicum
a Reflection Journal
-Notes about what happened in the
lesson…
-What I did in response…
-My overall impression is…
-In my lesson, I liked…
-Next time, I will…
-What students learned…
-What I learned…
Discuss lessons and strategies with TM, UC, admin and other teachers Throughout the practicum
colleagues if needed
Researching effective reflections Academic studies End of September- beginning of
October
Reflection(s):
I began this goal with research about how to effectively reflect. I wanted to constantly improve my
teaching practice through active reflection. I used my TM, UC, admin, and other teachers who taught
the same subject/grade to actively reflect on lessons and strategies. I would seek support from those
who observed my lessons, as well as those who may not have observed but had good ideas to help me
improve. Within the division there were many teachers who taught the same subject/grade that I
would ask various questions to help me constantly improve. I was able to seek support from an
English Education professor at the University to further develop my unit/lessons. The reflective
journal that I began proved useful as I was able to gather all of my reflections into one document for
easier reference. This document quickly expanded to be nearly 30 pages and often included the advice
given to me by my TM, UC, and administrator. I would like to continue to actively reflect in my
teaching practice in future years as this strategy proved to be beneficial. The indicator of success for
this goal involves reflecting in action, rather than reflection of action. I feel near the end of my
practicum I began to truly move into reflecting in action, meaning during lessons, rather than
afterwards. This concept of reflection in action will be further developed in my future teaching years
through experience and practice.

Goal #3:
Classroom Management
Related TQS(s):
TQS #4: Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments
-employing classroom management strategies that promote positive, engaging learning environments

Indicator(s) of Success:
-Controlling the Grade 6 classroom, particularly during work periods. Have the students work quietly, or get
their attention after a practiced signal
-Implementing effective management tools
Strategies: Resources(s): Timeline:
Research and gather a list of various TM, UC, colleagues, and academic End of September
classroom management tools resources
Implement various management Reflection Journal Throughout the practicum
tools. Record what tools were
effective and what was not. Practice
the signals that are effective.
Reflection(s):
I have to be honest, this goal was a difficult one to accomplish. I feel I am still working on managing
the classroom and improving my classroom management. The indicator of success for this goal
included controlling the grade 6 classroom, particularly during work periods by getting the students’
attention with a practiced signal and implementing effective management tools. A struggle in my
practicum involved managing the grade 6 classroom. Just as I thought our practiced signals that I had
researched and developed was working, such as the Hunger Games symbol of respect, I quickly
realized that a signal was not the answer. I developed a stern, authoritative voice to use for classroom
management. I tried preventative measures such as providing tools to appropriately fidget, rather than
misusing materials that become distractions. I had to resort to private conversations outside of the
classroom, both individually with me and with the principal. A lesson I learned is that it is easier to
start the year strict and with clear expectations than to try to progressively develop those. I used the
strategy of researching and gathering lists of various classroom management tools through academic
resources, and the knowledge and experiences of my colleagues. I tried to implement the various
management tools and recorded what tools were/were not effective in my reflection journal. Overall, I
worked hard to accomplish this goal; I put time and effort into trying different techniques, but I did
not accomplish the goal as successfully as I would have liked. I think I improved in my classroom
management, but I cannot say I successfully accomplished this goal the way I desired it to be
accomplished. This goal will continue to be in my mind as I move forward in my teaching career, with
the hope of one day perfecting classroom management.