Goal 1:

In my practicum, I desire to strengthen my class management skills with regards to those with learning and emotional
disabilities.
KSA - 6. Teachers create and maintain environments that are conducive to student learning.
Rationale:
I understand that this was my goal in my PS2 practicum, but with the change in group I feel it necessary to develop a
different, yet unique, style that would be appropriate for the age and grade level of those who I am teaching. Many
students in my class suffer from severe learning and emotional disabilities, which causes them to act out quite often.
Seeing this to be one of my greatest learning opportunities of the semester, I desire to develop management strategies to
limit these events and their severity.
How will I Achieve this Goal:
1. I will practice and use my preparation time to gauge my students triggers and cool down requirements.
2. I will document each event along with what was happening previous to the event and what occurred after.
3. Using my classroom management textbook and notes, I will determine what I can do to limit the exposure to particular
triggers and maximize alternative outlets for emotions.
4. Finally, I will build a relationship with the students and use this rapport to maximize my efficiency of management.
Resources:
1. I have a wide array of resources available on the Alberta education and other affiliated websites.
2. I have multiple counsellors at the school and teachers who personally know about these students that can give me
specific and detailed information about their needs and requirements.
3. I have contact information of the parents of the student, which can help and assist me to develop appropriate IPPs for
their students.
Indicators:
1. Since I will initially document these events along with all relevant details, I will be able to determine the overall
frequency and severity of these outbursts. If they occur less and less and are less severe, then I can safely assume I am
becoming more effective and achieving my goal.
Outcome:
Throughout the course of my PS3 experience, I had a few opportunities to work towards the achievement of this particular
goal. I quickly learnt that contextual variables are a huge factor when approaching situations including students with
emotional and learning disabilities. I frequently conversed with previous teachers, parents, educational assistants, and
counsellors to develop strategies that would prove most effective toward the management of these students. Reflecting
upon a particular individual, since the start of the year both her EA and myself documented the number and causes of
outbursts and conflicts on a weekly basis. As I used different strategies when dealing with the behaviour and academic
shortcomings of this student, the amount of incidences began to steadily decrease. It has even got to the point where this
student will randomly give me hugs and actually strive to impress me. These results have been similar to those
experienced with other students. The notes and incident counts will not be added to this document since it is sensitive
material, but can be produced upon demand in the correct situation.

Goal 2:
Throughout my PS3 placement, I am desirous to develop my ability to effectively assess and document the progress of
each of my students.
KSA -9. Teachers gather and use information about students learning needs and progress.
Rationale:
I feel that though this was a focus of mine in both previous practicum experiences, I feel it is something that I need to
further develop if I am going to become an effective teacher.
How will I Achieve this Goal:
1. I will practice and use my preparation time to document the study habits, patterns, and needs of my students and
anything else notable about my students.
2. I will remain conscientious that everything I observe and receive from my students can be used as a form of assessment
and base of documentation.
3. I will reflect at the end of each day on the progress and needs of all my students.
Resources:
1. I have designed a wide array of formative and summative assessments that allow me to observe my students and their
personal progress. Some examples would include the 4 students 1 paper strategy and Keeping it Cool performance
task assessment.
2. I have a T.M. who has agreed to give me feedback on what he observed during his observations of my lessons. This
enables me to learn things I couldnt see and allows me to broaden my scope of understanding of each student.
Indicators:
1. I will create both a hard copy and digital form of records and observations.
2. Once a month, I will set a class aside for teacher-student conferences. In these one on one meetings, we will discuss
grades, lessons, concerns, and questions the students may have on the material being taught in class. I will document these
discussions and use them to plan to incorporate the needs of my students in future lessons and activities.
Outcome:
I feel that I have indeed reached this goal and have truly grown as a teacher. I understand that creating both a hard and
digital copy of the progress of my students is a requirement set by the Albertan Government, but I still felt it necessary to
work on these skills before I enter a classroom of my own. There are many who feel that this is already a skill set I should
have, but practicums are for the development of these skills and thus I have chosen this as my focus. Not only did I do
this, but I participated in many events that required such information such as parent-teacher interviews and report cards.
The second part of my goal that I focused upon was the conducting of teacher-student conferences. Every month I set a
single class aside to conduct these one-on-one meetings. During these meetings, I would show the students their marks
and discuss their feelings and suggestions they have for future lessons and activities. I truly appreciated the candid
honestly the students shared with me and used this information whilst planning future lessons. I feel that the students as
well greatly benefited from these meetings. For example, a student had recently done poorly on her quiz and she had
identified the cause as simply forgetting to study. She suggested that I contact her mother before every quiz to allow her to
be reminded at home as well of impending tests. Since then, I have contacted her mom on a weekly basis to give her a
heads up on all assignments and quizzes. This students marks have steadily increased and both she and her mom have
expressed their appreciation for doing this. This information, along with others from various students, not only allowed
me to maximize my effectiveness as a teacher, but allowed me to connect with the students on a more personal level. On a
whole, I feel that I have sufficiently achieved my goal and have definitely grown as a teacher and as a person.