Running

head: PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT #3

EDUC 540 S12: Field Experience III

Personal Professional Assessment #3
Houston LJ Doig (UCID: 10085931)
Due: Sunday, December 13, 2015
University of Calgary

Personal Professional Assessment #3

I was successful in achieving most of the goals I set for myself in PPA #1 and

2. Throughout this field experience I have worked on classroom management, yet I

know that I will continue to grow in this area and learn new strategies. The students
at my school are generally well behaved and do not require a great deal of discipline
but still need to be managed. My time management goal relates to the KSA 2f, which
involves short, medium, and long term planning. With the guidance of my partner
teacher I made sure that my planning was sufficient and that tasks were done on
time and well prepared. For instance, in my Grade 9 math class I made a composite
surface area quiz which I made sure to have completed and photocopied prior to
test day, in case something went awry (such as the photocopier).
I have learned from my partner teacher that I have to get on the students
level in order to explain concepts in such a way that they are then able to
understand the material. Without doing so my words will sail right over their
heads. He also noted that everything I say or write shouldnt be taken as understood,
even the most basic things (to me) sometimes need an explanation (KSA 2i). For
example, while doing a lesson we had the equation 3! + ! = 5! . After dealing with
the exponentials I simply moved the 9 over to the right side with the 25. Mr.
Tesarski (Mr. T) said that explaining the little steps is always important so students
dont miss something (tell students that we subtract 9 from both sides; make sure to
write it as well as explain why it is done).
From watching Mr. T I have also learned that having a good relationship with
your students is key. You have to give respect in order to receive it. Additionally it is
evident that my job as a teacher wont consist solely of teaching mathematics. On

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top of taking on other jobs around the school (for Mr. T that would be being the
schools technology person) I also have the responsibility of looking after the
students and essentially raising young adults. A teacher also has to have a sense of
humor and take a sincere interest in the students lives. Knowing their interests and
who they are may help to engage with them.
He also has taught me a great amount about assessment. Personally Ive
never been in a school system that uses the five different strands and 1, 2, 3, and 4
(level of the student) for assessment but Mr. T has helped introduce it to me and
how it works. Furthermore, he taught me how to submit assessments into
TeacherLogic (student management system), which is very important for keeping
student records (KSA 2j). I now realize how much time is involved in creating an
assessment as well as grading it.
My perspectives continue to change in this practicum as I encounter new
areas of teaching and learning. When teaching a topic for the first time to students,
Im not going to always be able to predict what they will have a tough time with.
Some of the topics I think they may struggle with they may actually excel in. It takes
experience to really know what the troublesome areas for students will be. Once I
know what these troublesome areas are I can better plan to meet the needs of the
diverse students in the classroom. Similarly, I know that there are a range of
instructional methods (KSA 2i), however in my TLC classes youre expected to give
direct instruction and the students seem to be accustomed to that. Plus in a 45-
minute class you dont have the freedom to take the time that some instructional
methods require. I have also come to learn that no matter how much planning you

Personal Professional Assessment #3

do, sometimes you need to improvise on the fly. For one of my Grade 9 math classes
I had prepared to move onto the next lesson but ended up reviewing the previous
one because students were having difficulty with the content (granted it was a
harder topic: composite surface area). Similarly, students will always pose questions
to you such as: what if this happened? that you cant plan for.
To me, being a professional means that I act accordingly in front of students
and staff, giving them the type of respect that I would expect to receive from them.
And of course it involves keeping in mind the ATAs Code of Professional Conduct.
Additionally it means that I am able to work as part of a team with the other
teachers in my school and help out where I can. I also strongly believe that it is
important to remain current as a teacher. If this involves learning new instructional
methods, technologies, or assessment, I could accomplish this through reading
teacher resources or attending Professional Development sessions.