Dialogue with My Department: Teaching Lab
I noticed that some members of my PLC seemed resistant and/ or uninterested in the Second Language best practice research that I brought to our meetings. I thought of the idea of a Teaching Lab -- a place in which we could teach a lesson or share an instructional strategy for immediate application in the classroom.
I looked to the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Teaching (TELL) Project for feedback tools. The one below concentrates on Teacher Target Language Use. We first practiced using the tool with two You Tube videos of teachers that we did not personally know. This allowed the group to feel comfortable using the tool and to gain confidence in the discussion process. I took the lead and taught a lesson on geography completely in the target language. Here is the feedback that I received from my PLC:
My Principles of Second Language Teaching & Learning?
How Do I Provide Comprehensible Input?
System for Teaching & Planning
I started out the year using planbook.com. After giving it a chance for several weeks, I determined that it was not the best tool for me. I need to be able to outline my lessons, adjust according to students' needs and write notes. A paper plan book is more appropriate for me. My problem with commercially-made plan books is that they never have enough periods - or the blocks are too small. As a result, I created my own template:
Being an introvert, I am reflective both in my personal life and in my teaching practice. I have been known to make notes in my plan book as well as in my electronic files. I chose to reflect a bit differently this year. I operationalized the reflection of my Teaching Lab lesson by using a feedback tool from a well-respected project. I also formalized my beliefs about Second Language Teaching and Learning based on best practice research. I had never taken the time to "write it down", to make myself accountable for what I know to be true.
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Email Folders
Evidence of Students' Learning
Notebook for "evidence of learning" contains anecdotal information as well as assessment results (formal and informal) about each student. I also note trends and put my evaluation criteria for various assessments.
Attendance
Spanish Club Attendance
I keep my Spanish Club roster, attendance and accounting on a Google Spreadsheet. This allows me to share the information with Amy Allen since she helps me with the club. Students are responsible for checking themselves in during each meeting. The roster allowed for easier creation of email lists for parents and students.
I haven't moved to a completely electronic seating chart system. It's helpful in emergencies to have a paper copy of the seating chart available. I also like having anecdotal records in my evidence of learning notebook. I feel that when I notice trends, I can really focus my instruction to students' needs. Keeping track of student data can be a daunting task, but I feel that I manage well by keeping on top of paperwork and having a common sense system in place.
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Grade Book
A short description of each assignment (or the learning goal) is provided. Grading criteria are also included (or attached) for both formative and summative assessments. When appropriate, a link to the task is included. Web Sites and Apps and emails, Oh My!
I have a link from my DTSD teacher page to the site pictured below. I wanted to have my sites and resources organized by grade level. As I moved toward using Canvas in Spanish 2 this year and still had 6th and 7th graders using Edmodo, I wanted to have a clear explanation of each tool, how to enroll and easily access them.
I tried using Remind this year. In previous years, I have utilized the text notifications on Edmodo but found that many students and parents did not take advantage of it (or even knew about it). My hope was to send out more regular reminders to students and parents. The reality was that email was the fastest, most readily accessible means of communication to accomplish this. Last year I started to better communicate students' progress using Home Access Center. As you can see, I am very transparent with the assignment, connection to learning goals and the assessment criteria. A HUGE goal this year was to communicate more regularly with parents. I started during the first week of school and continue to email regularly -- every few weeks. I have found my positive relationships with parents to be especially helpful when dealing with missed work or with discipline issues.
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Subscriptions and Online PLN
More Effective Communication with my Department/ PLC
In years past, I focused more on myself in this domain. Given the changes in my PLC, I thought it to be more appropriate to focus on the needs of the group. How could I make their lives easier? How could what I learned on social media help me to accomplish this? How could I get support from other teachers of Comprehensible Input using these tools? Selfishly, if my department members' school lives are easier, my life is easier. Keeping everyone informed has been KEY to this! I need to keep in mind that everyone in the department is passionate.
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Social Media to Develop a PLN
Participation at Conferences
Professional Reading & Learning
Over the summer, I felt that the Coaching for Coaches workshop, my reading of The Art of Coaching (Aguilar) and attending two EdCamps all focused on working with colleagues. This was EXACTLY what I needed knowing that I would be working with new colleagues and having a different dynamic in our department.
I love to learn! Reading books and articles with practical classroom applications and listening to a weekly podcast help to keep me fresh, curious and innovative. |
Participating in School Events
Virtual Cooperating Teacher
Through a friend (and former colleague) I was connected with Dr. Samantha Fecich, a professor of Instructional Technology at Grove City College. During spring semester I mentored Katie Blum, a freshman Spanish Ed major from Dallastown. Here are some of the projects that Katie completed and were implemented in my classes:
Teacher Mentor to Amy Allen
Co-Presenter at October 12 Inservice
Middle School World Language Department Coordinator
Mentoring a Virtual Student Teacher challenged me to try new (or different) technology tools. I found myself using some of the tools with other classes first while Katie was working on her projects. I hadn't had that kind of push since I shared a classroom with Lisa Butler. I found the #dtsdchat and Twitter challenges to be very motivating to me as well. That served as a great opportunity to connect with people that I didn't know in our district but to also feel more connected as to what others were doing in our building.
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