Teacher Improvement

"Reflective teachers collect information about student performance and then use this information to think about what they do in class, why they do it, and how their methods affect student performance" (Snowman & McCown, 17).

As a teacher in the 21st century, I recognize that assessment of my own work is just as important as assessing my students'.  

I recently completed a data driven project that required me create class objectives from the state educational standards and analyze a set of grade data and identify accompanying patterns.  You can see my work (charts/graphs/analysis) by clicking on the link below.

Data Driven Project 

One of the most recent educational advancements I have begun to us is the program Turning Point.  It is a Power Point linked program that works with individual 'clickers' the students use to input their answers in response to a question posed on the slide.  It is similar to the technology one might see on a talk show, where the audience gets to 'weigh in' on an issue or question.  The students are enthralled with it, and they enjoy the opportunity to see how their answer compares with the class.  Turning Point has a variety of tools a teacher can use, such as a counter, various graphs to measure the student input, and marks to indicate the correct answer.

You may view a tutorial of the program by clicking below.

Turning Point Tutorial

Below, you will find an example of  Turning Point presentation I created for my 9th and 10th grade students (slides only, no interaction).

Turning Point - 9th and 10th Grade Subject Verb Agreement

There are a variety of tools to assess student data and knowledge, but a good teacher recognizes he or she must keep pace with the changing needs of the classroom dynamic.  Classroom observations are a fantastic way to see what other teachers are doing.  I believe observations can be an excellent catalyst to new ideas for my own lesson planning.  However, once you have observed teachers in-house, it is important to connect globally to teachers in other areas of the country and the world!  I have found online recorded teaching observations to be a large wave of the successful teaching future for this country, if more teachers are willing to subscribe to the idea of looking beyond the walls of their own classroom and school.  Below you will find a link to Ms. Hutchinson's classroom, a classroom I have studied at some length.

Yvonne Divans Hutchinson 

A teacher who strives to teach beyond boundaries does not accept the status quo at his or her school.  Fresh perspectives are key, and an outside opinion might be a resource for plan improvement.  I collaborated with several class members in looking at a local high school's plan for college-bound students.  Together, we identified the strengths and areas that could be improved under the current plan. 

Lastly, although public school workshops are excellent in many ways, I believe that a teacher who teaches beyond boundaries needs to look outside of his or her county in looking for ways to improve teaching methods and expand professional and pedagogical knowledge.  Last year, I found merit in the Lindamood Bell system of learning.  I chose to attend one of the Visualizing and Verbalizing conferences (in Pittsburgh, PA), and I have become certified in the philosophies and methods of this learning process.  This certification has been instrumental in my work with autistic students, and has helped me teach beyond the boundaries of a traditional curriculum.  You can read more about this process by clicking on the link below.

Lindamood Bell