Within my teaching practice, I utilize many pedagogical resources that I have read throughout my graduate studies. As an educator, I believe that there is much room for growth in my teaching in that I can obtain new knowledge and discover new ways to approach content based on my students' interests, needs, and backgrounds. Listed below are many of the books I have used as resources during my teaching practice thus far.
1B: DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS
Child Development- Learning Process- Special Needs- Student Skills, Knowledge, and Proficiency- Interests and Cultural Heritage
To successfully cater to my students’ educational experience, I find it significant to understand my students’ individual needs and interests. In preparation for my lessons (either in the virtual or in- person classroom platform), I take into consideration what skills my students are still developing, as well as what content they are interested in. In order to achieve these goals in my planning, I rely heavily upon communication between the students and myself. By doing so, I believe that I am able to approach lessons more effectively in a way that benefits students individually and as a whole. My knowledge of students is displayed below within a Context for Learning document and sample Google form from my recent clinical experience. Within the Google form, it is noted that the four categories students were asked to choose from were derived from a list of their interests that was created in the beginning of the school year.
1D: DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES
For Classroom- To Extend Knowledge- For Students
During my clinical experiences, I worked to integrate concepts and ideas from books I have read in my graduate studies, such as Larry Lavender’s Dancers Talking Dance: Critical Evaluation in the Choreography Class, The Intimate Act of Choreography by Blom & Chaplin, and Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World by Nyama McCarthy- Brown. In addition, becoming a member of the National Dance Education Organization and Dance New Jersey has granted me access to resources such as workshops, dissertations, scholarly essays, and more that are beneficial to my teaching. Listed below are some of the books I have used in past classes, as well as the names of organizations that I currently belong to.
1E: DESIGNING COHERENT INSTRUCTION
Learning Activities- Instructional Materials and Resources- Instructional Groups
I firmly believe that experiential learning allows students to have hands- on experience in their individual processes of learning while also promoting consistent engagement. That being said, I like to plan lessons that scaffold and maintain a balance between teacher and student led activities. By allowing the students to take on a significant role in their learning experiences (ie, making their own choices), each student has the opportunity to make their own discoveries. The lessons I develop build upon prior knowledge while also providing students with the opportunity to challenge themselves. In planning my lessons, I also work to integrate other subjects to provide students with a more enriched learning experience. Attached below is a lesson plan I developed on dancing with water bottles, in which students used water bottles to explore the physics of movement through improvisational and choreographed movement.
1F: DESIGNING STUDENT ASSESSMENTS
Congruence With Outcomes- Criteria and Standards- Formative Assessments- Use for Planning
In designing student assessments, I work to integrate national and state standards in correlation to lesson objectives to determine outcomes that best assess students' progression of knowledge. Given that students have varied learning needs, I work to honor that and assess students fairly through differentiation techniques and accommodations. Not only do assessments help me to determine students' progression of knowledge, but they also assist in discovering new knowledge about my students and how I can move forward with instruction effectively. That being said, I maintain a balance between reflection and appropriate challenges within my designed assessments to both assess their progression and discover more about the students as learners. Attached below is a formative assessment and rubric I designed for students in my student teaching experience that utilized reflection to display knowledge of vocabulary and new evaluation skills.
