Portfolio of Jan Abernethy
Communicating with Students
3a
Clear explanations of what is expected are provided in my classroom on rubrics, on the goal sheet, and sometimes even on a checklist. Given a choice and given the information to meet the goal most students will strive for an "A," so I believe in giving them the information they need to go for it. Click below to see some examples of rubrics, a goal sheet and blog comment directions I provided for my students as ways of communicating expectations.
DOMAIN THREE: INSTRUCTION
Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
3e
Of course there is a curriculum and standards to meet. Of course there is a test that I want my students to be prepared to take. However, that doesn't mean that I can't be flexible and responsive when a situation occurs that can be both a wonderful teaching opportunity and a worthwhile experience for the students that could actually change their lives and perhaps the lives of others. This year we were lucky enough to have two such opportunities. The first was a Cyberbullying project that went national and conveniently met a laundry list of common core standards. The second was The Alex and Hayden Show. It started near the end of the school year and is likely to go on for years to come and possibly change the lives of thousands of children with autism. I have provided a few pictures of the projects and links to the websites that hold all of the information about them.
Using Assessment in Instruction
3d
By providing students with all of the information they needed to prepare for the PSSA test, students created their own interactive tests using PowerPoint, Smart Notebook and other game creating software. By the time students presented their games and played their classmates games, they owned their learning. The games, songs they wrote and presentations are all on a wikispace and shared so other students can learn from what my students have to teach.
Engaging Students in Learning
3c
Using topics/events like Pie Day or Colonial Day helps to engage students in learning. Students learn more about the number "pi" on Pie Day. They learn about circumference of a circle, area of a circle, radius, diameter, and more geometry vocabulary. They learn about scientists like Archimedes and Albert Einstein. On both Colonial Day and Pie Day, unexpected learning and creativity occurs in the form of song writing, art, cooking and even sewing. I am using pictures and teaching artifacts from these two units to demonstrate student engagement in learning.
Questioning and Discussion Techniques
3b
I have included a walkthrough lesson observation. The lesson I taught was on the Distributive Property. I chose to use the discovery method of introducing the concept. I provided the students with some questions and allowed students time to explore and find the answers. We then came back together to discuss the results. Another wonderful resource for novel questioning techniques comes from Discovery Education's S.O.S. Strategies. I have provided a link to this resource that I use quite frequently.
