Robyn Volek

PSII Spring 2015

Professional Growth Plan
Professional Development Goal #1: Assessment for growth
Rationale: My first goal is to use more assessment in the classroom
that will guide my teaching. I believe that this is important for me to
have as a goal because I want to improve the effectiveness of my
teaching. By assessing formatively and assessing for my benefit, I will
be able to see where students are at and what I need to do to improve
their learning. This will ultimately improve my skills as a teacher and
help me teach topics more effectively.
Strategies & Resources: To accomplish this goal, I will use
backwards design to create my unit plan. By doing this, I will have
assessment pieces built into my unit. The assessment pieces I use for
growth will be formative assessment. To find formative assessment
pieces that work, I will consult with other student teachers, my TA, and
resources within the library. After I use an assessment, I will record the
results in a planner and assess where I need to take my teaching next.
Indicators of Achievement: During my practicum, I will keep track of
how the students are doing after each assessment. After each lesson, I
will write a short reflection and indicate the direction I need to go for
my next lesson. I will ask my TA and my UC how I am doing throughout
the semester with assessing.
Professional Development Goal #2: Classroom management
Rationale: Within this goal, I want to implement my own classroom
management strategies along with the strategies that my TA already
has in place. I want to try simple tricks to get the attention of the class
and find ways to get high levels of engagement.
Strategies & Resources: For this goal, I will talk with my TA and find
strategies that work for her within the classroom. Using their
strategies and strategies Ive found, I will see what works for me in the
classroom. I will use strategies Ive learned in my education courses,
as well as ones from previous practicums.
Indicators of Achievement: I will write in my journal how each
strategy I try does, and figure out what my next plan of action is for
classroom management. I will use the observation notes from my TA
and my UC gives me to guide further action.
Professional Development Goal #3: Creating engaging introduction
to topics
Rationale: This is a goal I set at the middle of my PSI. I realized that
my introductions to new topics or my introductions at the beginning of
class were lacking and student engagement wasnt very high. I want to
be able to grab student attention at the beginning of class so they stay
engaged in the content for longer.

Robyn Volek
PSII Spring 2015
Strategies & Resources: For this goal, I will find out what students in
the classroom are interested in and try to relate the content to their
lives. I will find interesting ways to begin the class by finding resources
online, in the library, or from fellow teachers. This could be in the form
of videos, mini-labs, learning centers, or a demonstration.
Indicators of Achievement: I will gage how interested students are
in my introductions and keep a journal about what worked and what
didnt work. I will ask my TA and UC to give me feedback on how the
introductions were and if they are good to use in future classes.