Standard 4: Student Learning

Teacher leaders facilitate student learning through evidence-based practice informed by research. They understand and apply research in child and adolescent development, cognitive development, and general and specialized pedagogy. They encourage critical reading, writing and thinking in the learning process. They foster instructional and evaluation methods that embrace variety and authenticity. They promote student reflection and self-assessment. They encourage colleagues and students to take on leadership roles and work in teams. Indicators are:

Artifact #1 - RE 5533 Class Website Update

Context

In RE 5533 (Literature and Language Arts Integration), I was asked to create a website that would tell visitors to my virtual classroom about my classroom and the instruction that takes place there.  Since I already had a classroom website, I chose to update the website, instead of starting completely from scratch.

Rationale

The update of my classroom website addresses this standard for a couple of different reasons.  First of all, the updated website has a section entitled "What Does Research Say?" that explains to parents and other visitors to the website why i do certain things the way I do in my classroom, such as why I sit with the students at lunch and converse with them.  Secondly, a section was added that included links to websites we use in the classroom and/or the school so that parents and students could have access to these instructional games and other information in an effort to support student learning. Thirdly, the updated website informs parents of our assessment practices in the pre-kindergarten environment and how these practices inform instruction as it relates to student learning.

More than anything, the updating of my classroom website represents an effort to provide parents with more information at their fingertips than they would have otherwise.  Before this update, the website had very little information on it.  Its initial creation several years ago was due to a requirement for each teacher to at least have a website.  The update added more useful information.


Artifact #2 - RE 5715 Final Exam

Context

This artifact contains my responses to the final exam questions for RE 5715 (Reading Assessment and Correction).  Responses to questions #1 and #3 are especially relevant to this standard.  For the first question, I had to examine assessment information given for two students and determine instructional and frustration levels for both students in reading and spelling.  I then had to suggest what should be done to improve each child's scores.  For the third question, I had to look at a child's responses on spelling tests at a couple of different grade levels.  I then had to justify, both qualitatively and quantitatively, where the child would be in terms of frustration and instructional level.

Rationale

This standard is addressed through this artifact because it shows that I am able to analyze student data from a variety of assessments in order to determine at what level a particular child is frustrated and at what level the child should be receiving instruction.  It shows that I can evaluate this information and come up with a plan to take the child at his/her current level and work to improve his/her performance.

Becoming familiar with the various assessments (flash word recognition, IRI, spelling test, etc.) used in RE 5715 has been helpful to me in that it provided a piece of information that I was missing when I was feeling frustrated as I tutored the second-grader before my entry into the reading program.  I believe having had such information at that time from these assessments and knowing what to do with the information would have provided a boost to my confidence and to that student's learning.