PS2- Professional Growth Plan/Goals
Name: Mark Tessmann Practicum Dates:
Teacher Associate:
School Administrator:
University Consultant:
A. Professional Goals:
Goal #1: I want to continue to develop my “teacher sense,” becoming more and more aware of the happenings in my class, by all students, at all times.
Rationale: The biggest thing I struggled with in PS1 was not being aware of what my students were doing. While I came a long way in terms of not being solely focused on what I was doing while lecturing, or solely focused on the one or two students I was working directly with, there is still much work to be done. It happened all too often that when I was lecturing or helping individual students, other students were fidgeting with things at their tables, talking, or taking part in any number of other activities that don’t fall under the categories of ‘appropriate’ and ‘productive,’ and that I was completely oblivious to. Obviously, I want to curve that. I want to sharpen my level of awareness, and to be conscious of what my students are up to, whether I’m up front, grading, working with an individual student or group of students, or circulating through the room. It is my belief that when students understand the teacher is consistently mindful of what they’re doing, behaviour issues and unproductivity will be far less common, and learning will prevail.
Goal #2: My second goal complements the first in that if you’re going to be aware of issues with behaviour and productivity, you have to know how to deal with them. I want to become more proficient in addressing problem behaviour, and getting students back on track quickly and effectively, without argument, without a scene, and without any further testing of the waters.
Rationale: During my PS1 practicum, I taught in a classroom with extremely successful classroom management techniques. I saw a lot of what works, was introduced to proven strategies, and I feel like in terms of proactive classroom management, rather than reactive, I’ve got a strong grasp on the concept and a lot of ideas for my own classroom one day. However, because the classroom that I taught in was managed so effectively, there weren’t many flare-ups of problem behaviour to speak of. When there was an occurrence, I found myself lacking in know-how. I didn’t drop the ball completely, and I always got the result I wanted, I just want to learn how to do it more effectively. I don’t want a scene. I don’t want arguments. And I don’t want students to sit there, seeing what they can get away with. That happened a lot. Basically, I want to get to the point where I can still have the relationships with students that I did, but also be seen as more of an authority figure. I’m the teacher, what I say goes. I know it, and I need my students to understand that as well.
B. Strategies:
(for) Addressing Goal #1: I’m going to press myself to keep on developing and improving on my level of awareness. However, I tried that all practicum, and only got so far. That’s not to say there’s not a lot of improvement that could be yielded from concentrating on being more aware, but I’d like to say more than, “I will try harder.” What I would like to do is ask my next teacher associate to look for specific things that happen when I’m lecturing, and then ask me about them after the lesson. It doesn’t necessarily have to be behavioural problems, it could be anything that occurs, so long as it’s something I could, and should, be noticing. Conversations like that, that occur regularly, will help keep it in my memory, and will have me looking for things. I will also be asking this teacher associate to let things slide. Not to point fingers, or criticize, but the last teacher associate I had stepped in when he noticed things. A lot of the time, things were addressed when I was giving a lesson before I even knew something needed to be addressed. I want things to escalate, so I do notice. The more that happens, the more it will always be in the back of my head.
(for) Addressing Goal #2: I don’t want a class that is riddled with misbehaviour and in need of constant correction, but at the same time, I kind of do, because then I can get better at dealing with problem behaviours and improve on being an authority figure and addressing students as one who will not be disregarded. With this sort of thing, it’s just like every aspect of being a teacher- the theory is nice, but realistically, you learn how to do it by practicing, by being in those types of situations and trying new things. That’s exactly what I’ll do. I won’t shy away from any of it. I will find myself in these situations, I will get the desired result, and I will reflect very deeply afterwards. Alongside this, I will have an assortment of strategies prepared (that’s where the theory comes in) so that I can try different ways of dealing with misbehaviour and other problems, ultimately finding what works for me and what allows me to be the authority figure I discussed above: still having positive relationships with students, but not receiving any arguments, scenes, or testing of the water when I’m addressing something they’re doing wrong and asking them to please abide by the rules and expectations I’ve set for the class. In short, the strategy involves a lot of practice, and a lot of trial and error with a variety of strategies. I want to find what works best for me as an authority figure.
C. Indicators of Progress Towards Goals:
(for) Goal #1: In terms of being more aware, feedback from the teacher associate is an essential indicator. If I get to the point where they’re not able to point out things I missed during a lesson, because I was already on top of all of it, I will consider myself successful. Perhaps I’ll reach a stage where I hardly miss anything, perhaps not. Regardless, I will be happy as long as I continue to progress through PS2, showing improvement with each assessment. The more I pick out and the less I miss during a lesson will be an excellent indicator of improvement in regards to my overall level of awareness. I imagine I’ll have a strong grasp on whether or not I’m getting better, and my teacher associate will certainly be able to tell me not only what I’m missing, but also if I’m starting to pick out more of the things that we as teachers look for.
(for) Goal #2: In terms of developing strategies for being an effective authority figure and dealing with any concerns or problems that I have with what my students are doing, a large indicator would be an in-depth knowledge of a variety of strategies, as well as personal preferences. It is important to remember that I’m after strategies which will complement my unique instructional style, as well as allow me to be an authority figure while still maintaining the positive relationships I have with students. I would say I will have progressed quite a bit when I have a number of strategies at my disposal, preferred methods, and an idea of which of them will work best for the situation at hand. When I get to the point where I know what will work well in a given situation and what won’t, I would say I’ll have progressed quite nicely. Confidence will also be a large indicator. I’m not going to shy away from anything, but in my mind these situations will be just like getting up in front of the class. At first, it’s quite nerve racking, but you get to the point where it’s like second nature. You know exactly what you want to do and what you want to happen, and you just get up and do it, dealing with other concerns as they pop up. Preparation is important, but it will never make a lesson, or disciplinary action, fool proof. Because of this, teachers need to get to the point where they can just get up and do it, without worrying. I will have progressed when I’m comfortable enough as an authority figure to know what I want to happen and what to do, and am no longer nervous about being that authority figure when I need to be. That’s not to say I’ll be careless. Teachers should always be mindful of fairness and how harsh they’re being. I will continue to do so, I just want to be more comfortable, where I don’t worry about it so much.
D. Timeline for Completion
My hope is certainly to have achieved incredible improvement in both of these areas by the end of the practicum, but as my usefulness and ability to succeed in the classroom is largely affected by both goals, I would like to have seen considerable progress in both areas sooner, rather than later. I’m not going to set a specific week, I would just like to actually see, to be able to pinpoint, improvement on a week-by-week basis. For example, perhaps I’ll notice things one week, address those concerns, and then will see improvement in the weeks to come because those problems will be absent, allowing me to pick out other things that need to be addressed.
PS1- Professional Growth Plan/Goals
Name: Mark Tessmann Practicum Dates: November 6 – December 10
Teacher Associate: Mr. Royce Hopkins
School Administrator: Mr. Wes King-Hunter
University Consultant: Mrs. Cory Beres
A. Professional Goals:
Goal #1: I would like to learn how to create high quality lesson plans in a much more timely fashion than I have been able to demonstrate up to this point. I’m always pleased with my final products, but I’m very unsure of myself when I’m creating them, and so far, they have taken an awfully long time to complete.
Rationale: Throughout a teacher’s career, they design countless lesson plans. On any given day, they could easily teach upwards of four or five lessons, all of which require plans. As I stated above, in the few lesson plans I have been able to construct this far, I was happy with the final product, but quite concerned with the amount of time they took. It’s not that I mind investing time into doing a good job. That’s not it at all. What I mean to say is that I would literally be unable to keep up with daily lesson plans at my current pace, and that would cause me a great deal of stress and likely burn-out during my practicum. I know teachers don’t spend entire afternoons on a single lesson plan, and I don’t want to either.
Goal #2: While we already have access to information regarding a wide variety of different assessment strategies and how to use them, I would like to, over the course of my practicum placement, become familiar and comfortable with at least five. I would like them to be my “go-to” formative assessments, so to speak, and at the end, I would like in-depth knowledge on when and how to deploy them effectively. This isn’t to say I only want five, but as far as formative assessment strategies that I’m entirely comfortable using without hesitation go, that’s the number I’m setting for myself. Perhaps I’m low balling it. The point is, I want to perfect as many formative assessment strategies that I find are appropriate for my style as I can.
Rationale: First and foremost, one of the things that have been stressed and solidified time and time again during PS1 is the importance of formative assessment. As teachers, we need to ensure our students’ understanding and to be engaged in helping them succeed in the classrooms we operate. I want to incorporate formative assessment in general because I see the value, as well as the necessity of it. Still, I’m new to it, and although we have been introduced to a seemingly unlimited number of formative assessment strategies, I’m not sure which ones I prefer yet, nor am I clear on which ones complement my instructional style.
B. Strategies:
(for) Addressing Goal #1: Honestly, the more lesson plans I create and actual classroom experience I acquire, the more my level of confidence in creating lesson plans and the rate at which I’m able to produce them will improve. My plan is to take it one day at a time and to absorb every instructional, formative assessment, and sequential strategy that I’m exposed to. The more I see actually taking place in a classroom successfully, the more I’ll have at my disposal to incorporate into a lesson plan with confidence. My problem at the moment is uncertainty as to what the ideas I’m putting onto a lesson plan would actually look like in a classroom, and so the more I actually see taking place, the easier it will be for me to create lesson plans that I know are plausible.
(for) Addressing Goal #2: Put simply, I want to tinker with as many different formative assessment strategies as I can so that I can find which ones suit me the best, as well as which ones I’m able to become comfortable with and hopefully perfect. This will ultimately help me create a stage presence that is smooth, comfortable, and natural. I will use the resources I have on hand from my time spent in the PS1 modules to browse through and select strategies that I think would be appropriate for me, and I will be sure to ask my teacher associate what his preferred methods are, or if (after we’ve spent some time together) he has any formative assessment strategies that he believes I would benefit from trying out.
C. Indicators of Progress Towards Goals:
(for) Goal #1: In terms of quality of lesson plans, feedback from the Teacher Associate is an essential indicator. I believe he will be able to point out strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide direction for improvement. Also, how the lesson itself plays out in the classroom will be an excellent indicator of effective lesson planning, or perhaps lesson planning that needs to be adjusted in one or more of the sections. Ultimately, though, the largest indicator of progress would be a constant decrease in time spent designing lesson plans (as long as the quality remains the same).
(for) Goal #2: The largest indicator of progress would be my own awareness that I am using a few different strategies regularly, and am comfortable doing so. More importantly, though, is whether those strategies work well alongside my instructional style in the classroom. The answer to that question involves paying attention to student feedback, improvement, questions being asked, and involvement/active engagement with the strategy itself. If all of these criteria are met, I believe that indicates I am learning how to effectively incorporate a set of formative assessment strategies that work for my students and that I am comfortable with.
D. Timeline for Completion
My hope is certainly to have achieved these goals by the end of the fifth week, but as my usefulness and ability to succeed in the classroom is largely affected by both goals, I would like to have seen considerable progress in both areas by the end of the second week. I would like to improve sooner, rather than later.
Name: Mark Tessmann Practicum Dates:
Teacher Associate:
School Administrator:
University Consultant:
A. Professional Goals:
Goal #1: I want to continue to develop my “teacher sense,” becoming more and more aware of the happenings in my class, by all students, at all times.
Rationale: The biggest thing I struggled with in PS1 was not being aware of what my students were doing. While I came a long way in terms of not being solely focused on what I was doing while lecturing, or solely focused on the one or two students I was working directly with, there is still much work to be done. It happened all too often that when I was lecturing or helping individual students, other students were fidgeting with things at their tables, talking, or taking part in any number of other activities that don’t fall under the categories of ‘appropriate’ and ‘productive,’ and that I was completely oblivious to. Obviously, I want to curve that. I want to sharpen my level of awareness, and to be conscious of what my students are up to, whether I’m up front, grading, working with an individual student or group of students, or circulating through the room. It is my belief that when students understand the teacher is consistently mindful of what they’re doing, behaviour issues and unproductivity will be far less common, and learning will prevail.
Goal #2: My second goal complements the first in that if you’re going to be aware of issues with behaviour and productivity, you have to know how to deal with them. I want to become more proficient in addressing problem behaviour, and getting students back on track quickly and effectively, without argument, without a scene, and without any further testing of the waters.
Rationale: During my PS1 practicum, I taught in a classroom with extremely successful classroom management techniques. I saw a lot of what works, was introduced to proven strategies, and I feel like in terms of proactive classroom management, rather than reactive, I’ve got a strong grasp on the concept and a lot of ideas for my own classroom one day. However, because the classroom that I taught in was managed so effectively, there weren’t many flare-ups of problem behaviour to speak of. When there was an occurrence, I found myself lacking in know-how. I didn’t drop the ball completely, and I always got the result I wanted, I just want to learn how to do it more effectively. I don’t want a scene. I don’t want arguments. And I don’t want students to sit there, seeing what they can get away with. That happened a lot. Basically, I want to get to the point where I can still have the relationships with students that I did, but also be seen as more of an authority figure. I’m the teacher, what I say goes. I know it, and I need my students to understand that as well.
B. Strategies:
(for) Addressing Goal #1: I’m going to press myself to keep on developing and improving on my level of awareness. However, I tried that all practicum, and only got so far. That’s not to say there’s not a lot of improvement that could be yielded from concentrating on being more aware, but I’d like to say more than, “I will try harder.” What I would like to do is ask my next teacher associate to look for specific things that happen when I’m lecturing, and then ask me about them after the lesson. It doesn’t necessarily have to be behavioural problems, it could be anything that occurs, so long as it’s something I could, and should, be noticing. Conversations like that, that occur regularly, will help keep it in my memory, and will have me looking for things. I will also be asking this teacher associate to let things slide. Not to point fingers, or criticize, but the last teacher associate I had stepped in when he noticed things. A lot of the time, things were addressed when I was giving a lesson before I even knew something needed to be addressed. I want things to escalate, so I do notice. The more that happens, the more it will always be in the back of my head.
(for) Addressing Goal #2: I don’t want a class that is riddled with misbehaviour and in need of constant correction, but at the same time, I kind of do, because then I can get better at dealing with problem behaviours and improve on being an authority figure and addressing students as one who will not be disregarded. With this sort of thing, it’s just like every aspect of being a teacher- the theory is nice, but realistically, you learn how to do it by practicing, by being in those types of situations and trying new things. That’s exactly what I’ll do. I won’t shy away from any of it. I will find myself in these situations, I will get the desired result, and I will reflect very deeply afterwards. Alongside this, I will have an assortment of strategies prepared (that’s where the theory comes in) so that I can try different ways of dealing with misbehaviour and other problems, ultimately finding what works for me and what allows me to be the authority figure I discussed above: still having positive relationships with students, but not receiving any arguments, scenes, or testing of the water when I’m addressing something they’re doing wrong and asking them to please abide by the rules and expectations I’ve set for the class. In short, the strategy involves a lot of practice, and a lot of trial and error with a variety of strategies. I want to find what works best for me as an authority figure.
C. Indicators of Progress Towards Goals:
(for) Goal #1: In terms of being more aware, feedback from the teacher associate is an essential indicator. If I get to the point where they’re not able to point out things I missed during a lesson, because I was already on top of all of it, I will consider myself successful. Perhaps I’ll reach a stage where I hardly miss anything, perhaps not. Regardless, I will be happy as long as I continue to progress through PS2, showing improvement with each assessment. The more I pick out and the less I miss during a lesson will be an excellent indicator of improvement in regards to my overall level of awareness. I imagine I’ll have a strong grasp on whether or not I’m getting better, and my teacher associate will certainly be able to tell me not only what I’m missing, but also if I’m starting to pick out more of the things that we as teachers look for.
(for) Goal #2: In terms of developing strategies for being an effective authority figure and dealing with any concerns or problems that I have with what my students are doing, a large indicator would be an in-depth knowledge of a variety of strategies, as well as personal preferences. It is important to remember that I’m after strategies which will complement my unique instructional style, as well as allow me to be an authority figure while still maintaining the positive relationships I have with students. I would say I will have progressed quite a bit when I have a number of strategies at my disposal, preferred methods, and an idea of which of them will work best for the situation at hand. When I get to the point where I know what will work well in a given situation and what won’t, I would say I’ll have progressed quite nicely. Confidence will also be a large indicator. I’m not going to shy away from anything, but in my mind these situations will be just like getting up in front of the class. At first, it’s quite nerve racking, but you get to the point where it’s like second nature. You know exactly what you want to do and what you want to happen, and you just get up and do it, dealing with other concerns as they pop up. Preparation is important, but it will never make a lesson, or disciplinary action, fool proof. Because of this, teachers need to get to the point where they can just get up and do it, without worrying. I will have progressed when I’m comfortable enough as an authority figure to know what I want to happen and what to do, and am no longer nervous about being that authority figure when I need to be. That’s not to say I’ll be careless. Teachers should always be mindful of fairness and how harsh they’re being. I will continue to do so, I just want to be more comfortable, where I don’t worry about it so much.
D. Timeline for Completion
My hope is certainly to have achieved incredible improvement in both of these areas by the end of the practicum, but as my usefulness and ability to succeed in the classroom is largely affected by both goals, I would like to have seen considerable progress in both areas sooner, rather than later. I’m not going to set a specific week, I would just like to actually see, to be able to pinpoint, improvement on a week-by-week basis. For example, perhaps I’ll notice things one week, address those concerns, and then will see improvement in the weeks to come because those problems will be absent, allowing me to pick out other things that need to be addressed.
PS1- Professional Growth Plan/Goals
Name: Mark Tessmann Practicum Dates: November 6 – December 10
Teacher Associate: Mr. Royce Hopkins
School Administrator: Mr. Wes King-Hunter
University Consultant: Mrs. Cory Beres
A. Professional Goals:
Goal #1: I would like to learn how to create high quality lesson plans in a much more timely fashion than I have been able to demonstrate up to this point. I’m always pleased with my final products, but I’m very unsure of myself when I’m creating them, and so far, they have taken an awfully long time to complete.
Rationale: Throughout a teacher’s career, they design countless lesson plans. On any given day, they could easily teach upwards of four or five lessons, all of which require plans. As I stated above, in the few lesson plans I have been able to construct this far, I was happy with the final product, but quite concerned with the amount of time they took. It’s not that I mind investing time into doing a good job. That’s not it at all. What I mean to say is that I would literally be unable to keep up with daily lesson plans at my current pace, and that would cause me a great deal of stress and likely burn-out during my practicum. I know teachers don’t spend entire afternoons on a single lesson plan, and I don’t want to either.
Goal #2: While we already have access to information regarding a wide variety of different assessment strategies and how to use them, I would like to, over the course of my practicum placement, become familiar and comfortable with at least five. I would like them to be my “go-to” formative assessments, so to speak, and at the end, I would like in-depth knowledge on when and how to deploy them effectively. This isn’t to say I only want five, but as far as formative assessment strategies that I’m entirely comfortable using without hesitation go, that’s the number I’m setting for myself. Perhaps I’m low balling it. The point is, I want to perfect as many formative assessment strategies that I find are appropriate for my style as I can.
Rationale: First and foremost, one of the things that have been stressed and solidified time and time again during PS1 is the importance of formative assessment. As teachers, we need to ensure our students’ understanding and to be engaged in helping them succeed in the classrooms we operate. I want to incorporate formative assessment in general because I see the value, as well as the necessity of it. Still, I’m new to it, and although we have been introduced to a seemingly unlimited number of formative assessment strategies, I’m not sure which ones I prefer yet, nor am I clear on which ones complement my instructional style.
B. Strategies:
(for) Addressing Goal #1: Honestly, the more lesson plans I create and actual classroom experience I acquire, the more my level of confidence in creating lesson plans and the rate at which I’m able to produce them will improve. My plan is to take it one day at a time and to absorb every instructional, formative assessment, and sequential strategy that I’m exposed to. The more I see actually taking place in a classroom successfully, the more I’ll have at my disposal to incorporate into a lesson plan with confidence. My problem at the moment is uncertainty as to what the ideas I’m putting onto a lesson plan would actually look like in a classroom, and so the more I actually see taking place, the easier it will be for me to create lesson plans that I know are plausible.
(for) Addressing Goal #2: Put simply, I want to tinker with as many different formative assessment strategies as I can so that I can find which ones suit me the best, as well as which ones I’m able to become comfortable with and hopefully perfect. This will ultimately help me create a stage presence that is smooth, comfortable, and natural. I will use the resources I have on hand from my time spent in the PS1 modules to browse through and select strategies that I think would be appropriate for me, and I will be sure to ask my teacher associate what his preferred methods are, or if (after we’ve spent some time together) he has any formative assessment strategies that he believes I would benefit from trying out.
C. Indicators of Progress Towards Goals:
(for) Goal #1: In terms of quality of lesson plans, feedback from the Teacher Associate is an essential indicator. I believe he will be able to point out strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide direction for improvement. Also, how the lesson itself plays out in the classroom will be an excellent indicator of effective lesson planning, or perhaps lesson planning that needs to be adjusted in one or more of the sections. Ultimately, though, the largest indicator of progress would be a constant decrease in time spent designing lesson plans (as long as the quality remains the same).
(for) Goal #2: The largest indicator of progress would be my own awareness that I am using a few different strategies regularly, and am comfortable doing so. More importantly, though, is whether those strategies work well alongside my instructional style in the classroom. The answer to that question involves paying attention to student feedback, improvement, questions being asked, and involvement/active engagement with the strategy itself. If all of these criteria are met, I believe that indicates I am learning how to effectively incorporate a set of formative assessment strategies that work for my students and that I am comfortable with.
D. Timeline for Completion
My hope is certainly to have achieved these goals by the end of the fifth week, but as my usefulness and ability to succeed in the classroom is largely affected by both goals, I would like to have seen considerable progress in both areas by the end of the second week. I would like to improve sooner, rather than later.