FEAP 1:

Instructional Design and Lesson Planning. Applying concepts from human development and learning theories, the effective educator consistently:

 

1A: Aligns instruction with state-adopted standards at the appropriate level of rigor;

Every lesson I have taught throughout my internship has been aligned with the CPALMS standards for Florida education.  I have effectively used this website to help guide me through the lesson planning process of choosing a standard and then building a lesson around that particular standard.  This website has been very helpful in teaching me the process of planning and what it takes to plan a successful lesson.  

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1B: Sequences lessons and concepts to ensure coherence and required prior knowledge;

Not only did I learn throughout my internship how to build a lesson but I learned how to intertwine them and use them to build upon more knowledge.  For example, through the inquiry process I was able to collect data for each lesson to better understand my students mastery skills and then build upon that particular lesson for the next day while still accomodating every student's needs.  Each lesson was aimed at activating their priod knowledge and building upon that.  

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1C: Designs instruction for students to achieve mastery;

While planning every lesson, my goal was for each student to be accomodated for their particular needs.  I realize that every student doesn't learn the same and it is ultimately up to me to accomodate them and help them through the learning process while still giving them what they need.  With every lesson I have included differentiated worksheets and groups to help achieve this goal of mine.  

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1D: Selects appropriate formative assessments to monitor learning;

Through collecting observational data through antecdotal notes and physical data through things such as worksheets and exit tickets, I felt that I was able to achieve this particular feap and better understand where misconceptions were and were not.  By selecting appropriate formative assessments, I was able to gather raw data on what my students' understood and where they needed more instruction.  

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1E: uses variety of data, independently and in collaboration with colleagues, to evaluate student learning outcomes, adjust planning and continuously improve the effectiveness of lessons.

Throughout my internship, I was given the opportunity to gather many different forms of data.  From observational notes to DRA data, it seems like I collected it all and found them all useful in different ways.  I found that the inquiry process provided to be a huge help in learning how to collect data and what was useful.  Becasue I was required to show evidence of the data I collected, it taught me how a teacher in a classroom collects data every day.  Below is a picture of some of the examples of data I collected.  

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1F: Develops learning experiences that require students to demonstrate a variety of applicable skills and competencies

With every lesson, my CT and I try to require students to demonstrate a veriety of different skills.  I have noticed with reading we try to have students show the mastery of a skill in writing, speaking, small group and whole group.  By showing us they know these skills in multiple different ways, it helps us understand if a student actually understands and increases their understanding.  

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FEAP 2:

The  Learning  Environment. To maintain a student-centered learning environment that is safe, organized, equitable, flexible, inclusive, and collaborative, the effective educator consistently:

(Pictures included in document only to protect privacy)

 

2A: Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention;

This is our daily schedule which we go by every single day.  This helps us as teachers be able to plan out our lessons accordingly and as students always be prepared to know the routine.  This schedule is displayed in the classroom so that both the students and teacher can see.  A lot of the time a timer is also used in the classroom to keep the flow of learning moving and progressing throughout the day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2B: Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system;

The behavior chart is used in my classroom as a way to keep the student accountable of his or her actions and for the teacher to change when necessary.  The chart ranges from purple to red, red being the worst behavior and purple being the best.  Every student has a chance to start out on green every day and is being taught through this chart that they are responsible for their own behavior. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2C: Conveys high expectations to all students;

We have a classroom norms anchor chart that is displayed for both the teacher and student to refer to in the classroom.  This shows the “rules” or the behaviors that are accepted in the classroom.  I had the opportunity earlier in the year to come up with these good behaviors alongside my students.  They had the chance to provide input so that not only were they thinking of acceptable classroom behaviors but also able to provide input to hold themselves responsible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2D:Respects students’ cultural linguistic and family background;

We also have a classroom library that is located in our reading section of the classroom.  This classroom library contains all kinds of books that contain different languages, and stories about people from different backgrounds and cultures.  Students in our classroom are encouraged to branch out from books that seem super familiar in order to broaden their perspectives and increase their knowledge of the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2E: Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills;

We always aim to give clear directions to our students.  Not only is clear, explicit directions given orally in my classroom but like this anchor chart, they are also written down.  This is an example of a non-negotiable anchor chart that I made recently in my classroom that students can refer to when writing anything down. These ideas have be reiterated orally but I have found that it is important to place reminders in the classroom for students to look back to.  This specific anchor chart contains written examples and picture examples of the different elements of our non-negotiables. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2F: Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support;

This is our reference wall where we post reminders to help all students work, including our non-negotiable chart from the last section.  We post different anchor charts of the most important information on this wall so that students are able to activate prior knowledge to help them with what they are currently learning about.  I believe that this provides fairness and support to every student in our classroom, no matter the ability.  I work really hard to also provide a sense of openness to my students so that they can feel comfortable to develop a relationship with me as their teacher. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2G: Integrates current information and communication technologies;

Every day, the elmo and projector is used in our classroom to help facilitate learning.  This is used to project the same worksheets and handouts that are given to the students and is also able to project videos and websites that can help engage the students in different lessons.  I work hard to incorporate technology in every lesson that I take part in because I feel like it has some really awesome benefits to my student’s classroom experience and learning environment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2H: Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students;

Differentiation has always been a very important aspect to any classroom that I am in.  While the first picture does not seem like it shows much this is a way of providing group options to our students that are most accommodating for them, specific to each lesson.  We are able to quickly change the groups around to maximize the learning time and increase the learning environment.  The second picture is the motivated movers section of our classroom that is used as extra enrichment for students that are moving more quickly in different lessons.  It is so important that every child is always facilitated, regardless of ability. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2I: Utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals.

Throughout my time in the education program, I have had the opportunity to see many different types of assistive technologies.  Whether it is a pencil grip to help a student with fine motor skills or the example in this picture, a hearing aid to help a student who cannot hear, these assistive technologies can be detrimental to the classroom environment. Just like we work hard as teachers to provide equal opportunities and education to students of all abilities, assistive technologies is used in the classroom to help us provide that equality to those students who struggle with different disabilities. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEAP 3:

Instructional Delivery and Facilitation. The effective educator consistently utilizes a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the subject taught to:

 

3A: Deliver engaging and challenging lessons;

With every lesson I planned I always tried to think out of the box to deliver instruction in an engaging, fun way.  For example, the lesson I gave in February about contractions my calss and I played like we were doctors and were "fixing" words into contractions.  with doctor masks and all, students were able to fully engage the lesson because they loved the idea of "playing" as if they were doctors.  Because I directed the lesson at somehting they were interested in, they cared about it and thus were able to fully give their attention to learning about contractions.  

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3B: Deepen and enrich students’ understanding through content area literacy strategies, verbalization of thought, and application of the subject matter;

Through every reading lesson done in my classroom, we work on thinking aloud and working through reading together.  When reading onthe carpet, my CT and I will ask HOT questions to have students think aloud about what we are learning about and then apply their thoughts in writing.  By doing this in such a modeled way, I believe it helps out students to think about the story or content in such a way that it allows them to be guided through the thinking process until they are able to do it on their own.  

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3C: Identify gaps in students’ subject matter knowledge;

When teaching any lesson, it is easy to understand when a student is not succeeded due to lack of prior knowledge that is needed to understand a certain concept.  It can be hard for them to move on, if they have not been given the chance to fully master the prior skill.  Often times, I notice when there might be gaps in my students' matter knowledge, particularly with math.  Many of my students do not have very much number sense, which tells me that I have to work extra hard and review those concepts with them in order for them to be successful in math.  

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3D: Modify instruction to respond to preconceptions or misconceptions;

I modify instruction through pre-assessments and post-assessments.  It is so helpful for my to begin my lesson with a question to understand where my students are in understanding a certain concept and if they are ready to move on.  If they are not, then I know that I need to review any misconceptions with them.  By giving a post-assessment, I am able to see if students have mastered that content for the day and if not, I know I will need to review the next day in order for them to be successful.  I believe that by understanding where my students are in their learning and knowing if I need to modify instruction to fit their needs can be very valuable to their learning experience.  

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3E: Relate and integrate the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences;

Just like with the lesson I described in 3A, I believe that t fits in with 3E as well.  Before doing that lesson, we did an activity where students had to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Many of my students said teachers and doctors, so I thought that by integrating the subject matter with "contraction surgery", I would be able to make it more valuable to the students and what they care about.  Because all of my students have been to the doctor at least once, this lesson also connected to their life experiences.  

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3F: Employ higher-order questioning techniques;

Especially during our math lessons, we make it a point to always include higher order questions to make students challenge their thinking a little more.  With every math worksheet we do, because it is developed by GoMath for Florida, it includes at least one HOT question and sometimes more than one.  Our students know that this is a very special question and that it challenges their thinking.  They are always so excited to see these questions and want to push themselves.  

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3G: Apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate technology, to teach for student understanding;

Because it is available, I have began to use the smartboard in our classroom with every lesson.  Whether we are watching Brainpop Jr., playing an interactive game, or using the ladybug to display a worksheet on the smartbaord, we always try to integrate technology in our lessons.  This works to engage many of our students because they love technology.  

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3H: Differentiate instruction based on an assessment of student learning needs and recognition of individual differences in students;

Differentiation is included in every single lesson we teach.  Because we have such a range of differences in student ability and learning preference, we usually have differentiated worksheets and groups to accomodate every students' learning.  Below is a picture of the different groups that we have for each different level of ability.  You can tell that it differs with each content area because some students are stronger in certain areas where they are weaker in others.  

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3I: Support, encourage, and provide immediate and specific feedback to students to promote student achievement;

Immediate feedback is something that we always make an effort to provide in our classroom.  Whether it is a math worksheet, homework or even a reading response we are constantly having students check in with us and giving feedback on different areas in hopes to provide clear answers to any misconceptions the student might have.  Below is a picture of a writers workshops paper where you can see that we have made adjustments through conferencing with that particular student and they have made those adjustments right there.  

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3J: Utilize student feedback to monitor instructional needs and to adjust instruction.

This semester we have hit hard on confidence levels and what it takes to be confident in a certain area.  I have conferenced with multiple students who face anxiety in the classroom and need something else to provide them more confidence.  Through these conferences, I had them explain to me why they think they don't feel confident and what they believe might help them to feel more confident.  It was interesting to see their feedback as it was so honest.  Sometimes I think we overlook asking that individual student what they think they might need but it can provide so much insight.  

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FEAP 4:

Assessment. The effective educator consistently:

 

4A: Analyzes and applies data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students’ learning needs, informs instruction based on those needs, and drives the learning process;

Easy CBM is a great way to look at the many different types of data that we collect in the classroom.  By engagin students in passage reading and word reading, we are able to place students in intervention groups to challenge and push their reading levels.  It has proved to be so beneficial to each students' needs because they are getting the direct instruction on specific skills that they need.  

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4B: Designs and aligns formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery;

With every lesson, my CT and I make sure that there are both types of assessments that lead to mastery and show us where students are.  This is an example of a lesson plan where both the pre and post assessment where included in the write-up of the lesson.  Throughout the lesson, we also collected antecdotal notes that we used to push students further and increase their knowledge.  

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4C: Uses a variety of assessment tools to monitor student progress, achievement and learning gains;

There are a few different examples of assessment tools that I use to monitor my students in the classroom.  Through exit tickets, pre-assessments, post-assessments and observational notes I am able to better understand where my students are at, where I need to help with misconceptions and where I can push them further.  

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4D: Modifies assessments and testing conditions to accommodate learning styles and varying levels of knowledge;

Through a picture of our seating arrangement, you can see that we have put a lot of thought into how seating affects our students.  In our particular classroom, there are students who having hearing impairment that need to sit closer to us and students that need help with attention who need to sit further away from all the other students to focus.  To accomodate these needs, we make it a constant priority to change desks around when needed, especially during tests.  We constantly are making adjustments to groups, assessments and testing conditions to make sure we are doing everything we can to push our students and provide with the best learning environment.  

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4E: Shares the importance and outcomes of student assessment data with the student and the student’s parent/caregiver(s); and

I have found through this year jsut how important conferencing with the student and parents are to the students' progress.  My CT has shown me through conferences and phone calls how she can reinforce what she is teaching in the classroom, at home.  It can be very frustrating when we cannot get in contact with a parent because we have seen how good parent contact can improve a students' ability to learn greatly.  

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4F: Applies technology to organize and integrate assessment information.

When organizing assessments, it can be very difficult to keep up wiht all of out and then organize it in such a way that it is useful.  My CT and I ahve found microsoft excel to be very useful to the organization of our assessments, so we can see the student data all in one place and across months.  

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FEAP 5:

Continuous Professional Improvement. The effective educator consistently:

 

5A: Designs purposeful professional goals to strengthen the effectiveness of instruction based on students’ needs;

Through the inquiry process this semester, I have been able to design professional goals that have pushed me through the inquiry process and professional process of becoming an "every day teacher".  It has provided so many valuable learning experiences and I ahve seen just how important it is to establish constant professional goals for myself and how it benefits my students.  

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5B: Examines and uses data-informed research to improve instruction and student achievement;

This semester has taught me so much about the importance of research and how to actually apply the reasearch in a meaningful way in the classroom.  By establishing goals for my students, I have taken those goals and turned them into reseach to better understand what my students' need.  By doing this, I have been able to improve my students' learning environment, experience and challenge their learning in such a way that they have grown tremendously.  Below is a section included in my inquiry paper that shows this evidence:

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5C: Uses a variety of data, independently, and in collaboration with colleagues, to evaluate learning outcomes, adjust planning and continuously improve the effectiveness of the lessons;

The collection of data has played a large role in the success of this semester.  I have held a consistent data notebook that I would add to every week to further my inquiry process which was centered around a specific topic.  This has helped me organize not only my students' needs but also organize our progress throughout the semester.  I ahve also observed as my CT kept a collection of data in the classroom to help push her students and further their learning.  

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5D: Collaborates with the home, school and larger communities to foster communication and to support student learning and continuous improvement;

My CT and I pursue constant parent communication in the classroom.  Of course, many times we find it hard to get responses from the parents but with those that do respond, it can prove to be very beneficial to a students' success.  Below is an example of the type of communication we have with our students and their parents throughout the year:

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5E: Engages in targeted professional growth opportunities and reflective practices; and

Through observations with both my CT and my supervisor, I have actively pursued professional growth opportunities to further my success as a teacher.  I have had many conversations with my CT to better understand areas that I need to improve in as well as things that I am doing well in the classroom.  Other than my communication with my supervisor and CT, I have participated in C2 groups, faculty meetings, proctor meetings, the administration of testing and team planning meetings.  

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5F: Implements knowledge and skills learned in professional development in the teaching and learning process.

Each time I have an observation with my CT or supervisor, I make sure to reflect on what we talked about to increase my awareness of what I shoudl improve on or what I really thought I did well on.  By increasing my awareness of these things, I believe it pushes me to be a better educator and challenge myself in the classroom.  Below is an example of a reflection from one of my observations:

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FEAP 6:

Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct. Understanding that educators are held to a high moral standard in a community, the effective educator adheres to the Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida, pursuant to State Board of Education Rules 6B-1.001 and 6B-1.006, F.A.C, and fulfills the expected obligations to students, the public and the education profession.

I believe that the purpose of the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida is to establish a common ground of ethical expectations that apply to each individual teacher.I believe that these codes and principles are made to protect the rights of each student and teacher and to make the classroom a valuable and safe learning place for anyone that steps inside.

I believe that throughout this level 3 internship I have demonstrated many acts of an ethical educator but one that particularly sticks out to me would be based upon Principle 3g Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.

Being in a classroom that contains so many diverse children including but not limited to different races, intellectual abilities, IEPS, ADHD, ESE and different home lives, it can be challenging to make sure that every student is receiving the same treatment and opportunities.  I have observed first hand, discrimination in the classroom and have felt how uncomfortable it makes myself and my students feel so it was something that I wanted to stand against doing.  A specific example would be based on a child with autism, Asperger’s, and ADHD that is in my current classroom.  While this child has many different diagnoses and a rough home life, she still deserves the same treatment as every other student no matter how challenging that can be.  While I cannot say the same for other adults, I made an honest effort to make sure that this child was still given the same education and support that was needed no matter how challenging she was.  I also did not participate in the taunting of this child that I observed.

I believe that this is connected to the Code of ethics because it directly correlates to 3g.  I think that this specific example shows my efforts to deliver equal opportunity and treatment to all students, despite the challenges and struggles that arisen.