Matthew Wilder 14.1

(14.1) Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.

For the purposes of this reflection, I will be assuming the role of a High school Government teacher. I will present a 3 day lesson concerning the anti-Establishment and Free Exercise clauses from the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

Major changes are coming to High school Social Sciences next year, which will move US Government from a Sophomore class to a Senior class. I think this is an excellent opportunity to give students a chance to truly experience how the government works first hand, by creating a simulation scenario. Near the beginning of the year, I will have assigned each student a position within the US Government (e.g. President, VP, Senator, Representative, or Justice) representing each of the three branches. Throughout the semester, including the lesson being discussed currently, students will actively act out various government functions. 

Given this, in the last 20 minutes of a Friday (Day I) class, I will have the students watch a news story featuring a controversial display of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. I will then ask them to write a journal entry reacting to the story. At the close of class, I will collect the journal entries. This activity will allow me to assess the individual and collective understanding of the issue. I will then be able to construct Monday's lecture to reflect their current knowledge.

On Monday (Day II) I will present a lecture on the history and current interpretations of the two clauses. I will also facilitate a directed discussion by asking the class questions about various implications of anti-Establishment clause, and the extent to which they believe individuals had the right to exercise their religion. I will end the class by handing out a summary of Lemon v Kurtzman, a landmark court case dealing with school prayer. I will ask them to come to class tomorrow having read the summary and having prepared short statement in response.

On Tuesday (Day III) students will break out into their pre-assigned groups and share their thoughts on school prayer, with each student presenting their statement. After that I will facilitate a classroom debate on the subject, which will provide me with an opportunity to qualitatively assess their knowledge We would end the debate by having a "vote" in each group, reconnecting the idea of Checks & Balances and Separation of Powers from an earlier unit. 

A formal and quantitative assessment will take place a week later, when students will take a test on the entire First Amendment, including speech, press, and assembly.

In following this lesson plan I will have four ways of assessing students knowledge of the objective. A pre-lecture journal entry to assess prior knowledge; a typed response to lecture topic and court case; an entire classroom discussion to assess their mastery in a qualitative fashion; and finally a formal exam, which determines if the lesson has had lasting impact.  

13.2 Discipline

Inevitably teachers will have to deal with a variety of disciplinary problems, ranging from passing notes to an all out brawl in the classroom. It seems only logical that these two infractions are of wildly different degrees and should therefore be treated differently. It is important for the teacher to develop consistent strategies for dealing with different types of classroom problems, and to do so incrementally. I think it is also important that the teacher effectively communicate his or her expectations when it comes to behavior and the result if a student fails to meet up to those standards.

Students, like the teachers that teach them, are not perfect and will occasionally have an off day. Take for example, Student A, who is never tardy nor absent, turns in their homework on time, and is always very polite and raises their hand when called upon. But today you notice that Student A looks lethargic and perhaps even a bit ill, and in group activity Student A is not contributing as they usually do. This behavior should perhaps be ignored today. This is a one time behavior that should not require an interruption to class to correct. The proper course is to make note of this, and make sure this does not become a trend.

An increment above ignoring the problem, is what is known as cueing. Cueing is used when a behavior is noticeable to the teacher, is a clear violation of classroom procedures, but does not interfere with the overall lesson being taught. Note passing is an obvious example of such a behavior. A teacher cues by subtly making a point to look at the students passing the note, indicating that you have seen this behavior. Or another possible cue would be to remind the class at large of the task currently underway (e.g. listening to lecture, watching the video, or working quietly).

If cueing does not work, but no significant interference with the classroom is taking place, it may be appropriate to talk privately with the student. Frequent note passers, silent text messengers, or the chronically tardy student are all examples of when the behavior is in need rectifying, if only for the benefit of the student(s) that are taking part. While talking it is important not to appear angry (even if you are) and try to be as empathetic as possible to the situation. In this same light, the teacher should also be firm that this behavior is not to be tolerated any more, and then begin to take actions to help the student rectify it.

When disciplinary problems begin effecting other students or the overall classroom environment, it is then the proper time to make the student causing the problem more responsible for the infraction. A good place to begin is with a meeting after school to discuss self-regulation strategies. The chronic talker, interrupter, or distractor are perfect candidates for such a strategy. Self-regulation requires students to take ownership for their behavior. This would work well if the student then has a rewards system implemented for positive gains, and a punishment system developed for further misbehavior, all to be carried out by the teacher.

Sometimes students will misbehave, for whatever reason, and there is no strategy above that will fix this problem. Bringing in the influence of a parent or guardian may be the best hope for dealing with these issues. By having the knowledge from and support of another influential adult in the student's life, positive change may be brought about.

When all else fails, however, a systematic intervention must take place to rectify behaviors that are severely disrupting or puts the physical and psychological safety of the classroom in jeopardy. This usually manifests itself in direct and sudden correction of the behavior as well as long term consequences, which usually involves the principal or other member of senior administration. It is the hope of every teacher that discipline will never have to reach this critical stage, but preparations must be made nevertheless in order for proper implementation should the situation arise.

13.1 Creating a Learning Environment

I could develop a perfect lesson plan for each lesson throughout my day. I could meet all the state requirements, I could appeal to all learning types, and present the class with meaningful homework. All of these exemplary qualities and the hard work required to bring it to life, could all be in vain if I have not created the proper learning environment. As I look forward to designing my lesson plans and establishing my own classroom, I can think of five areas that I will focus on to do so effectively. 

Physical Environment: 

I should make every effort to create a classroom that is physically conducive to learning. Desks should be arranged in such a way that students can safely maneuver. I should try to eliminate all areas in the class in which students could potentially use to get off task. During lecture I should place desks in neat even rows, while during class discussion I could arrange them in a semi-circle to better facilitate, and during group work I could allow the students to move desks. I also think it is important to maintain a neat and orderly class in order to demonstrate that I take pride in my class. 

Good Relationships

It is important to develop good and proper relationships with your students. I can do that by demonstrating that I respect my students opinions and their diverse situations in life. Establishing a good relationship with each student will not only make class time more productive, but I will also be in a better position to meet certain needs of my students that I ordinarily would not be able to address. 

Classroom Community

I want to develop a sense of classroom community within each of my classes. It is important to allow students to have self-autonomy and self-competency. One way for me as a teacher to do that is to ensure each student as a role in the class and can contribute to the overall classroom activities. I can also give my students the ability to make some decisions for themselves. For example, I can ask my students which date they would like the end of the semester project to be due. 

Setting Proper Limits

Teachers also need to dictate a few simple limits to their students, and they need to do so early. It will be important for me to make these limits to eliminate the possibility of major disruption to student learning, in addition to removing the likelihood of physical or psychological threats, such as bullying. These limits should be applied consistently and incrementally depending on the severity of the transgression. 

Taking Differences into Account

Students come from a wide variety of ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds. While these demographic differences often enhances the learning environment better, it can present unique challenges for teachers. For example, students from different cultures often require different interactions with their teachers. It is important to understand these differences and use that knowledge to make each student feel comfortable and welcome.