Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact Rationale/Reflection

InTASC Standard #7: Planning for Instruction The Teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context. Brief Description of Evidence: The first artifact is a literacy lesson plan I created in 2011 for my Early Childhood Curriculum class. This lesson plan utilizes checking for understanding, modeling, practice, and assessment in providing instruction towards meeting two Indiana literacy standards. The second artifact is a thematic unit I created about penguins for my EDUC 255 course during spring semester of 2014. I was instructed to create a thematic unit that utilized the Indiana State Standards. The unit provided learning across multiple content areas, included content the students already knew, and scaffolds their learning towards new knowledge and skills. Analysis of What I Learned: I learned to best help children learn and grow, the teacher needs to build upon what they already know. This will enable them to keep moving forward to meet set curriculum goals. I also learned that lesson plans and thematic units need to be created in such a way that all children can complete the activities and learn from them. I learned that by utilizing cross-disciplinary skills in instruction the teacher engages learners purposefully in applying the knowledge they are gaining. I learned that I need to plan instruction that is responsive to the needs and strengths of my students. I also learned that I need to adjust my plans and assessments based on my learners responses. How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the InTASC Standard: These artifacts demonstrate my competence in InTasc Standard 7, planning for Instruction, in a multitude of ways. The lesson plans show understanding of learning theory. They also show an understanding of curriculum and student development around specific themes. The artifacts demonstrate planning that creates a bridge between curriculum goals and student experiences. The lesson plans also demonstrate the creation of a learning experience that is appropriate for curriculum goals and that reaches all learners. They demonstrate integration of technology to support learning.