Standard 4: Instructional strategies
Teachers know how to teach.
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Artifact Reflection
Title of Artifact: 4th Grade Science Lessons
Date Completed: Fall 2013
Description: During my time as an intern in a fourth grade class at Darlington Elementary School, I prepared and instructed a wide variety of lessons for all of the different subjects. Four days a week, I led science lessons. I used a wide range of instructional tools while teaching this subject. My instructional strategies differed from lesson to lesson.
Alignment Reflection
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment
This artifact aligns with standard four of the Wisconsin Teacher Development and Licensure Standard. This standard states “The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.” These lessons all align with standard four because each lesson uses different instructional strategies. Throughout the lessons, I use venn diagrams, hands-on activities, drawing activities, and technology. For example, in the lesson called “Compare Plant and Animal Cells”, I have the students create venn diagrams so that they have a visual of the similarities and differences. In the lesson named “How Living Things Are Grouped”, I begin the lesson with a hands-on activity. The students are to organize their supplies in their pencil boxes by the characteristics of the supplies. This gets the students engaged right away, and then I can explain that living things are grouped by characteristics as well. Throughout these lessons, I also utilize technology. I use videos, such as, a video about how living things are grouped. I use the SmartBoard for activities to get the students actively participating. I included a PowerPoint named “How to Classify Plants” with my artifacts. In this PowerPoint I give the students information, and I also have the students coming up to the board to label or write things. All of these lessons and activities show that I use a variety of instructional strategies to reach out to the different learning styles. By varying my instruction, students are able to think critically, problem solve, and be engaged throughout the lesson.
UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment
This artifact best aligns with KSD1.d of the UWP School of Education, Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition statements which states, “The candidate actively seeks materials and resources to enhance instruction by utilizing school and district resources as well as other resources available outside the school district.” These artifacts align with KSD1.d because I am seeking and using resources outside of the school district, as well as utilizing materials from the school. In these lessons, I use the textbooks provided by the school. I also use materials that the school already has, such as, when I used construction paper provided by the school to make the venn diagrams in the lesson called “Compare Plants and Animals”. I then seek materials and use resources outside of the school’s textbooks to further enhance the learning of my students. In one lesson, I create my own PowerPoint with pictures and graphics from online to engage the students beyond the textbook. In another lesson, I went out and found a video to coincide with the lesson taught in the science curriculum. As a teacher, I need to have a mixture of resources, both from the school and from outside sources to engage and teach the variety of learning styles in my classroom.
Secondary Alignment
KSD3.b
KSD1.b
Personal Reflection
What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience:
I learned that in order for teacher’s to engage their students, they need to use an assortment of instructional strategies. These strategies need to vary so that different learning styles are engaged. This means there needs to be visual, kinesthetic, and auditory activities in the lessons. What the student gets out of a lesson comes from how it is prepared and presented by the teacher. As the teacher, you need to instruct in a variety of ways to reach out to the diverse students in the class.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this experience/artifact:
I learned about myself as a future teacher, that you can’t just use the textbook to teach the students. I have to go outside of the textbook and come up with activities that engage the learners in my class. This means seeking out resources that compliment a lesson from the curriculum. It will take extra time to find these materials, but it will be worth seeing the students activity engaged in the lesson.
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Artifact Reflection
Title of Artifact: 4th Grade Science Lessons
Date Completed: Fall 2013
Description: During my time as an intern in a fourth grade class at Darlington Elementary School, I prepared and instructed a wide variety of lessons for all of the different subjects. Four days a week, I led science lessons. I used a wide range of instructional tools while teaching this subject. My instructional strategies differed from lesson to lesson.
Alignment Reflection
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment
This artifact aligns with standard four of the Wisconsin Teacher Development and Licensure Standard. This standard states “The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.” These lessons all align with standard four because each lesson uses different instructional strategies. Throughout the lessons, I use venn diagrams, hands-on activities, drawing activities, and technology. For example, in the lesson called “Compare Plant and Animal Cells”, I have the students create venn diagrams so that they have a visual of the similarities and differences. In the lesson named “How Living Things Are Grouped”, I begin the lesson with a hands-on activity. The students are to organize their supplies in their pencil boxes by the characteristics of the supplies. This gets the students engaged right away, and then I can explain that living things are grouped by characteristics as well. Throughout these lessons, I also utilize technology. I use videos, such as, a video about how living things are grouped. I use the SmartBoard for activities to get the students actively participating. I included a PowerPoint named “How to Classify Plants” with my artifacts. In this PowerPoint I give the students information, and I also have the students coming up to the board to label or write things. All of these lessons and activities show that I use a variety of instructional strategies to reach out to the different learning styles. By varying my instruction, students are able to think critically, problem solve, and be engaged throughout the lesson.
UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment
This artifact best aligns with KSD1.d of the UWP School of Education, Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition statements which states, “The candidate actively seeks materials and resources to enhance instruction by utilizing school and district resources as well as other resources available outside the school district.” These artifacts align with KSD1.d because I am seeking and using resources outside of the school district, as well as utilizing materials from the school. In these lessons, I use the textbooks provided by the school. I also use materials that the school already has, such as, when I used construction paper provided by the school to make the venn diagrams in the lesson called “Compare Plants and Animals”. I then seek materials and use resources outside of the school’s textbooks to further enhance the learning of my students. In one lesson, I create my own PowerPoint with pictures and graphics from online to engage the students beyond the textbook. In another lesson, I went out and found a video to coincide with the lesson taught in the science curriculum. As a teacher, I need to have a mixture of resources, both from the school and from outside sources to engage and teach the variety of learning styles in my classroom.
Secondary Alignment
KSD3.b
KSD1.b
Personal Reflection
What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience:
I learned that in order for teacher’s to engage their students, they need to use an assortment of instructional strategies. These strategies need to vary so that different learning styles are engaged. This means there needs to be visual, kinesthetic, and auditory activities in the lessons. What the student gets out of a lesson comes from how it is prepared and presented by the teacher. As the teacher, you need to instruct in a variety of ways to reach out to the diverse students in the class.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this experience/artifact:
I learned about myself as a future teacher, that you can’t just use the textbook to teach the students. I have to go outside of the textbook and come up with activities that engage the learners in my class. This means seeking out resources that compliment a lesson from the curriculum. It will take extra time to find these materials, but it will be worth seeing the students activity engaged in the lesson.
Compare and Contrast Plant and Animal Cells | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
How Living Things Are Grouped | |
File Size: | 23 kb |
File Type: | docx |
How Plants Are Classified | |
File Size: | 21 kb |
File Type: | docx |
How To Classify Plants | |
File Size: | 432 kb |
File Type: | pptx |