Elizabeth Lingen

Alverno College
AC 636 External Assessment
December 19, 2013
A Vision of Teaching: Reflective Narrative
Planning
etting to !no" st#$ents on a %ersonal level has become one o& the greatest %ro&essional
o%%ort#nities that ' have (et to &ace) *( "or! to"ar$ achieving m( teaching license is a career
s"itch, b#t ' have "or!e$ in e$#cation in a $i&&erent ca%acit( &or 1+ (ears %rior to this %oint) '
ha$ al"a(s &o#n$ it eas( to $evelo% a ra%%ort "ith st#$ents, b#t $oing so in the context o&
%lanning &or instr#ction has been a com%letel( ne" ex%erience) ,o", it is not -#st abo#t &in$ing a
%ersonal connection, b#t it is abo#t &in$ing a connection to a st#$ent.s motivations an$ interests
connecte$ to their o"n learning an$ &#t#re goals) 't remin$s me o& an ol$ Peace Cor%s
a$vertising slogan/ 01he to#ghest -ob (o#.ll ever love)2 ' have &o#n$ that ' tr#l( $o love the
challenge an$ o%%ort#nit( o& getting to !no" m( st#$ents "ell eno#gh to allo" me to %lan
learning that "ill be the most bene&icial &or them)
'n the &iel$ "or! that ' have $one so &ar, ' have seen man( e&&ective "a(s to 3#ic!l( learn
abo#t st#$ent !no"le$ge on a given to%ic) ' have $one several lessons that have #se$ the 45L
chart at the start o& the lesson to 3#ic!l( $iagnose the level o& %rior !no"le$ge that a classroom
o& st#$ents have abo#t a to%ic) 6ince &iel$ "or! is a 0$ro% in2 !in$ o& ex%erience, this metho$
has hel%e$ me to 3#ic!l( ma!e $ecisions abo#t the %ace an$ timing o& the lesson that ' am abo#t
to embar! #%on "ith st#$ents) 7o"ever, this t(%e o& strateg( is ver( s%eci&ic to content area an$
to%ic o& the $a() 6everal o& m( coo%erating teachers an$ %ro&essors have share$ "ith me some
"riting %rom%ts that the( #se at the beginning o& a semester to get a more com%lete
#n$erstan$ing o& st#$ent abilit() ' have ha$ a chance to rea$ thro#gh some o& those an$ have
&o#n$ them to be insight&#l in hel%ing me to learn more abo#t the "hole st#$ent) 'n m( L1* 621
class this last semester, "e $i$ some "or! "ith bio8%oems that st#$ents ha$ "ritten) ' ha$ never
%revio#sl( been a"are o& this strateg(, b#t "as amaze$ at ho" m#ch better ' #n$erstoo$ the
st#$ents a&ter rea$ing those &e" short lines) 't ma$e me realize that i& (o# give st#$ents a chance
to $e&ine themselves, the( reall( $o an o#tstan$ing -ob o& #n$erstan$ing "ho the( are)
9nce ' have g#i$e$ st#$ents in $e&ining "ho the( are as learners, ' then have a $irection
in "hich to ta!e m( %lanning) '& ' give st#$ents an o%%ort#nit( to share "ho the( are, ' have to
act on that in&ormation b( $esigning learning that "ill be a match &or their li&e ex%eriences) 'n
m( content area o& social st#$ies, there is great %ossibilit( &or the material to either resonate "ell
"ith st#$ents or to be com%letel( $isconnecte$ &rom their realit( an$ &eel li!e 0that ol$ st#&&)2
Even "hen ' %lanne$ m( &irst &iel$ "or! lesson, ' int#itivel( &elt that ' ha$ to incor%orate c#rrent
event conce%ts that "ere analogo#s to the historical conce%ts that "e "ere $isc#ssing) 7aving
this com%arison ma$e the conce%ts more realistic an$ tangible &or st#$ents to %rocess) 'n m(
earlier L1* co#rse"or!, ' "as %artic#larl( intereste$ in Lev :(gots!(.s theor( regar$ing the
zone o& %roximal $evelo%ment) ' realize$ that this theor( resonate$ so "ell "ith m( teaching
%ractice beca#se it "as closel( aligne$ "ith m( int#itive belie& that st#$ents learn better "hen
the i$ea can be #n$erstoo$ in the &rame"or! o& their o"n realit() 'n m( most recent L1* co#rse
; A$olescent Literac( ; "e $isc#sse$ the im%ortance o& teaching to the match) 1his strateg(
re3#ires that teachers $iagnose st#$ents. existing !no"le$ge, com%are that to in&ormation
%resente$ in the text an$ other co#rse materials, an$ %lan lessons that hel% to bri$ge the ga%
bet"een those t"o) <or me, all o& these elements "or! "ell together/ the best lesson %lanning
starts "ith an #n$erstan$ing o& st#$ent !no"le$ge an$ then sca&&ol$s on that !no"le$ge to hel%
st#$ents #n$erstan$ ne" conce%ts an$ i$eas to reach the learning targets that have been set)
'nstr#cting an$ Engaging 6t#$ents in Learning
6o, i& ' have an #n$erstan$ing o& "hat m( st#$ents. learning nee$s are an$ ' have a
theor(8base$ %lan &or ho" to instr#ct them, ' then have to carr( o#t that %lan e&&ectivel() <or me,
that is the 0moving target2 that ' am still learning ho" to hit) 9ne o& the great -o(s o& "or!ing
"ith a$olescents is their $evelo%ing %ersonalities) 1he( are at an age "hen their $e&inition o& sel&
is still evolving, so it changes &or them as the( gain ne" li&e ex%eriences) As an e$#cator, ' ma(
have a goo$ i$ea o& "hat m( st#$ents nee$ in theor(, b#t their realit( on a given $a( ma( be ver(
$i&&erent) ' c#rrentl( "or! in a school that serves a $iverse, #rban %o%#lation an$ ' %lan to
contin#e to "or! "ith that same %o%#lation o& st#$ents most o& m( career i& %ossible) <or these
st#$ents, ho"ever, their $ail( realities can sometimes o&&er a great $eal o& challenge an$ stress
that changes ho" the( react to incoming in&ormation an$ ne" learning) As an e$#cator, ' have to
be a$a%table to these changing realities an$ ma!e s#re that m( lesson %lanning allo"s me to
easil( ma!e a$-#stments 3#ic!l( as nee$e$)
' believe strongl( in the im%ortance o& $evelo%ing a "elcoming learning environment &or
st#$ents) 5illiam P#r!e(.s theor( o& 'nvitational Learning has been constantl( %resent in m(
re&lections "hen ' thin! abo#t the best "a( to create a classroom environment no" as a &iel$
st#$ent an$ event#all( in m( o"n classroom) '& st#$ents &eel that the( are res%ecte$ b( a
teacher, the( can then tr#st themselves to challenge their o"n belie&s an$ learn ne" conce%ts in
that sa&e environment) *an( teenagers are embarrasse$ to be %#t on the s%ot, so ' ten$ to create
learning activities that are gro#% or %air8base$ in or$er &or st#$ents to share !no"le$ge) ,ot onl(
$o these t(%es o& activities create a more interactive environment, b#t the( can also a$$ress the
nee$s o#tline$ in 7o"ar$ ar$ner.s *#lti%le 'ntelligences theor() '& $i&&erent st#$ents "ithin a
class have the o%%ort#nit( to a%%roach material &rom several $i&&erent "a(s, the( can then &in$
the "a( that ma!es the most sense to them) 1heir o"n #n$erstan$ing "ill li!el( be enhance$ b(
the sharing o& that ex%erience "ith a classmate "ho has "or!e$ thro#gh the conce%t in a
$i&&erent, b#t e3#all( e&&ective, "a()
1he #nit that ' $esigne$ &or m( &inal %ro-ect in L1* 622 "as a =)6) 7istor( #nit on earl(
ex%lorers to the American continent) 1he ca%stone %ro-ect &or the #nit "as a 0Col#mb#s on
1rial2 activit( in "hich st#$ents create$ a moc! trial ex%erience to $etermine i& Christo%her
Col#mb#s. actions ha$ been heroic or villaino#s base$ on his interactions "ith the native %eo%le)
6t#$ents ha$ a variet( o& roles that ' ha$ assigne$ #sing m( !no"le$ge o& their s!ills as learners
>ex) some st#$ents "ere attorne(s?"itnesses, some "rote the co#rt $oc#ments an$ some create$
the vis#al evi$ence@) 1he( s%ent several class %erio$s %re%aring their vario#s roles #sing research
s!ills, comm#nication s!ills an$ integration o& theor( "ith a 0real li&e2 scenario in the &orm o&
the moc! trial) Altho#gh the &acts o& Col#mb#s. time "ere ol$er in&ormation, the context o& the
trial is one that is c#rrent an$ "ith "hich st#$ents have some &amiliar #n$erstan$ing) =sing this
t(%e o& activit( in a classroom setting is a goo$ "a( to hel% st#$ents $emonstrate their
!no"le$ge #sing their o"n %ersonal areas o& strength re&lecte$ in ar$ner.s m#lti%le
intelligences) 't also allo"s me as an instr#ctor to assess not onl( their #n$erstan$ing o& the
conce%ts, b#t the level to "hich the( engage$ "ith the material an$ "ill retain it &or the &#t#re)
Assessing 6t#$ent Learning
5hen ' consi$er "a(s to assess st#$ent learning, ' str#ggle to $e&ine one correct metho$
&or $oing so) Es%eciall( in "or! "ith a$olescents, ' believe &ee$bac! has to be &re3#ent
thro#gho#t each lesson an$ nee$s to come in man( "a(s) 'n m( teaching ex%eriences so &ar, '
have trie$ to be $eliberate abo#t giving imme$iate, %ositive verbal &ee$bac! thro#gh classroom
$isc#ssion) 9& co#rse, "ritten &ee$bac! is essential on home"or! an$ other %ro-ects so that
st#$ents have a chance to rea$ an$ re&lect on "hat the( $i$ "ell an$ "hat the( co#l$ contin#e to
"or! on) *( belie& is that i& ' establish a classroom environment "here &ee$bac! comes in man(
&orms, it "ill &eel li!e a nat#ral %art o& the learning %rocess &or st#$ents instea$ o& a 0correction2
on some misbehavior or mis#n$erstan$ing)
*ore &ormal assessment is im%ortant in the %rocess both &or st#$ent gro"th an$ &or m(
o"n #n$erstan$ing o& ho" "ell ' have hel%e$ them to learn the material) At the high school
level, ' thin! it is im%ortant &or st#$ents to have ex%erience "ith &ormal testing as it %re%ares
them "ell &or college an$ other &#t#re li&e ex%eriences) 1his is also another "a( &or me as a
teacher to ga#ge their !no"le$ge o& &acts, $ates, theories an$ general aca$emic vocab#lar()
7o"ever, ' believe that &ormal, s#mmative assessments reall( belong a&ter ' have "itnesse$ a
s#bstantial amo#nt o& evi$ence o& #n$erstan$ing thro#gh the smaller, &ormative assessments that
hel% me to !no" st#$ent learning an$ #n$erstan$ing on a %ersonalize$ basis)