Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment

1A.4:          Well-Structured Lessons: Throughout the year I have made great improvements in the structuring of my lessons. This area was always an area of strength of mine, I tend to plan lessons down to the minute, and I really try to not only challenge students, but to balance spontaneity and routine. My lessons tend to have several activities and follow a pattern. I have a bell-ringer, that is either a review of the day before or a way of introducing a new concept, followed by an activity, and then a form of exit slip, whether it is a meta-cognitive journal, or simply questions or exercises to be answered in their classroom notebooks.

Evidence: RoundIILAP      LAP Round      RoundIIILAP

As you will see in these LAP’s, on a daily basis I planned my lessons down to the minute, and the lessons built upon each other.

1B.2:          Adjustment to Practice (explanation and evidence)

While I naturally plan lessons in detail, that does not mean my lessons are “set in stone.” One of the central tenants of my teaching philosophy, is to tap into areas of student interest. While I may have plans for the week and it may be simplest to stick to those plans, if students show passion for a subject, are not internalizing a concept in a meaningful way, I am willing to scrap my plans and change course. My goal is not to deliver lessons, but to actually develop competence and self-confidence in my students.

Evidence:

An example of adjustment to practice is that I designed a unit around sports, a subject I was initially opposed to, solely based on the interest of my students. This was a great experience in that it forced me to think critically about sports, and helped develop a unit that was meaningful and I believe engaging.