Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.

I recognized during my second practicum the importance of social connections. I asked a daily question that inquired into the students’ interests and allowed them to get to know each other better in class. I built many table talk discussions into the class to allow the students to reflect and grow together through discourse. I used formative feedback reports twice to help the students to grow their writing. I created a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment for the students by greeting every student at the door and creating many different kinds of learning environments for the students. I built grammar lessons around specifically the problems that every single student in the class was having with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. I began with a formative grammar sheet, reviewed it the next day, and then later in the week I did another grammar sheet to review this material. I made the students correct the mistakes to maximize the use of the sheet and their learning. I noticed a marked improvement of student usage of conjunctions in this class. If I had been able to have them for longer, I would have reviewed and tested them again on this for comprehension later, in addition to the Kahoot editing games I did twice to cement and check their learning.

In my last practicum, I used a portfolio system to collect all completed materials from the students in order to more effectively move forward in my lessons (specifically to note-reading and rhythm). Not only will this allow for a more holistic assessment of students, but it allows me to go through each portfolio and see how each student is growing and developing across the gambit of assignments or reflexive practice (depending on the class). My coaching teacher was so keen on this way of portfolio assessment that she has decided to keep it going after I am gone. I am very pleased that I have been able to make this new way of assessment more accessible and easy for her. I also think this makes it easier to look at the students’ overall growth rather than focusing on a student’s performance on one single day. In addition, this portfolio allows for us to continue pre-assessing and re-assessing where the class needs are on a continuing basis in a very time-efficient manner.