Running Head: Telling My Story

Telling my story using my PDQP

National University
Monique Lide
Running Head: Telling My Story

Abstract

This paper will discuss my progress within Domain A of the California Teaching

Performance Expectations (TPEs) for the purpose of completing my Professional Development

Quest Portfolio (PDQP). In considering my progress in mastering Domain A, I will address my

strengths and weaknesses with Domain A. I will explore specific standards to focus on in my

PDQP, and I provide a support for selecting and completing the standards I identified as

my professional strengths and weaknesses with goals within Domain A. References are made to

my PDQP which can be found at mlide.weebly.com

Running Head: Telling My Story

In evaluating my progress in achieving competencies in your chosen Domain A. “Making

Subject Matter comprehensible to students” (California Teaching Performance Expectations,
2013, p. 2). The competencies I am responsible for include,TPE 1A: Subject-Specific
Pedagogical Skills for Multiple Subject Teaching Assignments. Teaching English-Language Arts
in a Multiple Subject Assignment, Teaching Mathematics in a Multiple Subject Assignment,
Teaching Science in a Multiple Subject Assignment, and Teaching History-Social Science in a
Multiple Subject Assignment.

My strength associated with this domain is I have learned to incorporate several subjects
into one lesson. I incorporate math, science, reading, writing together a lot. I also incorporate
Social studies, Writing, Reading, and Math together and this sometimes includes Science also
depending on the topic. The other strength I have learned is to observe other teachers, see how
they are teaching lessons in their classrooms and pick up additional ideas.

I need to be able to cover multiple standards at a profenciey if I am going to continue to

merge subjects. This is sometimes difficult with the population of ELL learners in my class and
myself not being an ELL learner. I also need to figure out different ways to teach certain topics.
Science isn't my strong side, attending professional developments and using Foss kits have
helped me get better at these standards, but I need to continue to grow in this area.

I have found that incorporating realia, lots of assemblies, field trips, and speakers and
movies helps my classroom achieve the goals of mastering the standards. You will see pictures
of field trips, science experiments, realia, activities and a different type of writing called
sketchnotes.

My rationale for selecting and completing areas of professional needs and goals is the
difference I see in summative assessments with the different techniques I use in my classroom.
Students tend to be successful when I have a lesson filled with realia, short films from discovery
health and if we have had a speaker or a field trip, they can dissect the information at a higher
level than simply textbook work.