• Your goal/challenge why this is an area on which to work, referring to the appropriate Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAP)

My goal for this semester is focused on differentiation. My inquiry actually has a lot to do with what I am focusing on this semester, because there is a lot that is involved with differentiating in the classroom. It’s not a simple task and I am learning about the various ways and strategies that can be implemented to increase the engagement in the classroom. Last semester I would make a lesson and think that it was really engaging, however, I would find that the students weren’t very engaged during the lesson. I wanted to focus on how to differentiate because it is so crucial in being an effective teacher and also because it is the focus of my inquiry. There are FEAPs that involve differentiation and engagement such as 3h, 3a, and 2h. More of a personal goal that I have this semester would be building my teacher voice and force. I’m not sure why, but I am having difficulty with being forceful with my students. It could be from the lack of comfort that I have with my collaborating teacher, or it could be that internally I don’t want any of the students to hate me. As the semester goes on, I have been seeing myself grow in this goal and I plan on continuing my growth.

  • Decisions you made related to your goal/challenge and why you made them. What was the role of your CT? supervisor? 

My first goal of understanding how to really differentiate lessons is because in many of my classes, we are learning and focusing on differentiation in the classroom. I never realized how much work it does take, how essential it actually is, and how to properly differentiate. Additionally, since my inquiry is focused on differentiation for engagement, I thought that it would be wise for me to actually fully comprehend how to effectively differentiate a lesson. In my collaborating teacher’s classroom, I don’t see much differentiation. For example, during a math lesson she actually mentioned that the students won’t be able to use the manipulatives when they take their standardized test so they might as well learn how to do it without them. I think that not only will I grow as an educator with this goal, but it will also assist the students’ learning during my lessons. The role of my CT this semester would be an observer. I listen to my CT’s criticism and advice with humility and I reflect upon it. The role of my supervisor is definitely a guider, mentor, and an observer. When I talk to my supervisor I have a great appreciation for her guiding words. I appreciate when she gives me criticism because she understands my goals and my inquiry fully so I feel as though her unbiased eye in the classroom is very beneficial for not only myself, but also my inquiry.

  • Examples of how you took feedback into account

One piece of advice that I received last semester was to use a technique when calling on students. The technique was to call on one student from each corner of the room, and rotate so that the same students aren’t continually being called on. This semester I have been working on that strategy and I find it really helpful! This semester I have also been working on my teacher voice and my CT has been giving me opportunities in the classroom to use it. Although I don’t really like being the bad guy all the time, the students might actually listen to me instead of hearing it over and over from my CT.

  • Evidence of learning (your own learning or students’ academic or behavioral learning); post 2 artifacts of this learning.

3g. Apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate technology, to provide comprehensible instruction, and to teach for student understanding;
FEAP 3g.png
In my science lesson on the skin I incorporated a multimodal representation to display the notes and questions for the students. This allowed for some of the visual learners to actually see images about what I’m saying that would reinforce their learning based on their learning style. Additionally, after going over the functions of the skin on the Powerpoint, I had the students watch a Bill Nye video. I allowed the students to come and sit on the carpet if they wanted too to watch the video.

3a. Deliver engaging and challenging lessons;
FEAP 3a.png
During a math review lesson, I thought that instead of having the students just practice independently, doing different tasks to review at four centers would be much more enjoyable and engaging. Each center’s task was turned into a game that the students were engaged in throughout the time restraint. One of the centers had riddles (word problems) that I made to relate to the students interest (sports, sponge bob, food, etc.) that were similar to what they were going to see on the test. The centers were enjoyable for the students and challenging as well. One of the students even wrote on their exit ticket that the pictionary station actually helped him understand how to visually represent fractions being multiplied.

2h. Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students; and
FEAP 2a and 2h
There are a variety of different kinds of workers in the classroom, therefore it can be difficult to do centers effectively. However, I decided that in order to appropriately differentiate for some students would be to give a variety of different options to undertake the tasks at each center. The games were adjusted so that they could be played with partners, groups, and some of the centers could actually be done individually. Additionally, one of the unmotivated students in the classroom, is much more engaged and participates when grouped with a specific selection of students. So I decided that in order to have him fully understand the review, I would place those students together. The unmotivated student also is very kind and helpful with the ELL students, so accommodating him and the ELLs in the preselected groups was necessary.

  • Plans for your future work related to this goal

As I gain information and knowledge about differentiation and how to apply it in a classroom, I will incorporate various strategies into my lessons. This will assist me when I am obtaining data that correlates with my inquiry as well. I am currently planning on teaching a lesson every week so that I am able to implement and practice differentiation. Personally, I learn best with practice, so although this may seem overwhelming, I know it is the most beneficial for me in the long run as a teacher.