Jaime Hummel

Coalhurst High School

Palliser Regional School Division
jaime.hummel@pallisersd.ab.ca

2017-2018

Teacher Professional Growth

Plan
Goal One: Integrate Fictional Reading Into the Social Studies Classroom
Rationale:
It has been a goal by the Palliser School District to increase literacy and I believe that students are
not reading enough outside of school so a way to combat this is to introduce fictional in the
classroom. I hope to move away from relying on the textbook and news articles to spark discussions
on world issues. Including more fictional texts will increase my knowledge of events as well as
present the information to students in a different format. I know that I do not read enough and by
having to choose books for my students, I will be required to read more fictional text and spend
time critically reading material. Through reading, I hope to build and develop a positive connection
between my students and myself. I believe that spending fifteen to twenty minutes reading together
as a class, the students will become more comfortable in the classroom and be focused on class once
the reading is complete.

Ways to Achieve this Goal

A strategy that I will use to achieve this goal is to create a reading list of books that I am interested in
and that relate to the curriculum. I have already obtained some books from other teachers, but I
hope to find a few on my own. I will be asking both English and Social Studies teacher in the school
to see if they have any recommendations regarding what books they believe will be appropriate.
In the timetable, there is a one hundred and forty minute social class for the grad tens and this is
when I hope to incorporate time for reading. This is a long class and through reading as a class, I
hope to break up the time and keep students engaged and focused. For grade seven, I have plans to
read experts from Touching Spirit Bear over the course of the whole year. This introduces FNMI
content and can start discussions on the richness of FNMI culture and practice.

Indicators of Achievement
I will know that I have achieved my goal of integrating books into the classroom if I am able to
finish Copper Sunrise with the grade sevens and have them understand why I chose to read
them that particular book. They will not be required to do a project or report on the book, but it
is important for them to understand that I did not read just to waste class time.
Regarding the grade tens, I will know that I have achieved my goal if I am able to get all the
students to settle during reading time and appreciate the book that I am reading. The class will
choose the book so I am hoping that this will help them buy-into the idea of reading in a high
school social class. I am not expecting students to suddenly develop a love of reading, but I want
to see them understand that there is a world that books can open them up to if they simple take
the time to read them.
2
Goal Two: Accommodation and Differentiation
Rationale:

I want to focus on accommodation and differentiation because of the vast diverse learning abilities in
my classroom. I hope to develop more confidence in this area because I have not been able to
effectively plan for students who required specific differentiation strategies in my past practicum. I
want to increase my consistency regarding accommodation and differentiation. I have been able to
develop some specialized worksheets or assignments in the past, but as past practicums continued and
my teaching load increased, I was unable to maintain the same consistency and quality in my
differentiated assignments. Teaching a class that has 10-1, 10-2 and 10-4, as well as a grade seven class
with a variety of physical, emotional and learning needs will force me to find a way to include all
learning needs very quickly and I will have to always have assignments that cater towards the students
who need extra support to facilitate their learning.

Ways to Achieve this Goal

I plan to work closely with the Learning Support Teacher and Educational Assistants to develop
programming and classwork that specific students need in order to complete an assignment. I will
need to develop positive working relationships with the Educational Assistants so that there is no
confusing on what students are required to do. It is important that the students are still able to learn
and all those who will be assisting in that learning are on the same page regarding workload, due
dates and expectations. I also will maintain an open-line of communication with administration and
parents in order to ensure that curricular outcomes are being met and that the family understands the
steps being taken to facilitate that students education.

Indicators of Achievement
I will know that I have successfully attempted differentiation if I am able to create an alternate
assignment for every assignment. This could be a small accommodation such as making a worksheet
larger so that a student has more room to write their answer to creating an entirely different
assessment based on their abilities.

I know that this goal will be one that I will continually work towards throughout my career. I am
hoping to start developing the necessary skills required to effectively plan and execute differentiated
assignments. Through conversation with my teacher associate, university consultant, educational
assistants and the Learning Support teacher, I hope to receive positive feedback regarding
accommodation and differentiation in the classroom.

3
Reflection On Goals:
I have been able to integrate literature into my grade seven classroom. Everyday I start
class by reading a chapter from the book. The students love it and are engaged in the
book. I can pull events and ideas from the book and apply it to what the students are
learning. I am glad I choose a book that linked directly to the curriculum, I find this has
more value for the students because it makes concrete connections between the material
and the story that they can relate too.

I have a diverse classroom with many needs and behaviours. Regarding my grade ten
class, I have found curriculum that is at the level of the 10-4 student and he is working
independently with an educational assistant to complete this. While pull-out is not the
best strategy, in this context it is what is best for the student and the rest of the class.

The grade tens have been split into two classes which has enabled me to focus more on
the individual needs of the students who are in my class. Through this, I have also
realized that there are some students who have fallen through the cracks because the class
was so large before and there was so many diverse needs. I am hoping to incorporate
more differentiation and accommodation into my lessons now that I have a smaller
group and am able to focus more on particular students.