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Teacher Education Program

Teacher Candidates Name: Jessalyn Rowlee


Task 1 should be completed immediately after writing the lesson plan.
Tasks 2 and 3 should be completed immediately after teaching the lesson.
Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment
Planning Commentary
Referring to the corresponding lesson plan , respond to the prompts below.
1. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
Based upon the position of the lesson within its unit, identify students prior learning,
prerequisite skills, and understanding of the subject or content area related to the
central focus of the lesson being taught. What do students know, what can they do,
and what are they learning to do?
Previously to this advisory lesson, students will have learned what social media is
and how it is often used. They will have had time to make decisions on what social
media site is best for them (or choose not to use social media if that is the case).
They will have learned the ways that information can be shared by using various
types of social media.
Identify the personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focus of the
lesson. What do you know about your students everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?
Many of these students will likely have some kind of social media site that they use
often which will give them a personal connection to this lesson. The culture they
are growing up in (a culture where technology is constantly growing and changing)
is one that they will need to learn how to use safely. The community that can be
created through social media is great for students, or anyone, to have access to, as
long as it is used correctly.
These students are growing up in a time where using social media, smart phones,
and internet is the norm. They can look up the answer to any question they may
have or share pictures and videos using the phone or iPod in their pocket if they
choose to. They live in a world of instant gratification, no longer having to question things because looking up the answers takes but a minute. Every student attending this lesson has at least a cell phone, and all but one have a social media
account of some sort. They are all well aware of what they can do with social media and most use it daily. They enjoy being able to be in contact with one another
at all times. Most middle school students, have social media, use social media, and
love social media, but are unaware of how their digital footprint may affect them.

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

2. Supporting Students Learning


Explain how your understanding of your students prior learning and personal/cultural/
community assets guided your choice or adaptation of learning tasks and materials.
The students prior learning gave them a chance to explore social media and get a
feel for what can be done using social media. Many of these students use social
media, but may not be aware of how the things they are posting could hurt them
now or in the future. They are part of an online community, but many dont realize
the ways that this online community could be used to either help them, or could
hurt them. This is why I chose to create a lesson about the digital footprint. It is
important for students to know what should and should not be posted on social
media. It is important for students to realize that what they post could get back to
them both negatively and positively.
Justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports are appropriate for the
students with whom you are working. Use principles from research and/or theory to
support/defend the instructional decisions you made during the planning stage of your
lesson. Use APA to format references.
I am using small groups to get students talking more within a group rather than
feeling that they are talking in front of a whole group. Having a very small group of
only three students requires the students to share opinions. It makes it so that
each member of the group is more likely given a chance to talk than with a group
of five or six students. When students are split into groups of three at any given
time one-third of the class is sharing their opinion! If you add more students to
each group, that amount of students sharing decreases. By having three students in
each group the students will be able to generate and share ideas with one another.
I chose to use cooperative learning in general because it motivates students to
help one another, gives students responsibility for their own learning, gives students a chance to talk at a student level rather than listen to their teacher talk in
words they may or may not understand, gives students a chance to have fun, allows students to see situations from multiple views, and encourages students to
work toward a common goal (Success for All Foundation).
Success for All Foundation (2012). Cooperative Learning. Retrieved from http://
www.successforall.org/Elementary/Powerful-Instruction/Our-Instructional-Design/
Cooperative-Learning/

Describe common preconceptions (based on prior learning and experiences) within


your content focus that your students may have and how you will identify and address
them.
I think that many students dont realize that what they share online can basically
be viewed by anyone. This is why I am going to use the Secret Diary activity. This
activity will allow students to think about the difference between something they
write in a diary and something they post online (publicly or privately). It will give
students a chance to see that even if they post something and only share it with
one person (or keep it to themselves, even), it can get out for the world to see.

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

3. Supporting Development through Language


Language Demand: Language Function. Identify one language function essential for
student learning within your central focus. Examples include, but are not limited to,
analyze, explain, interpret, justify with evidence, compare/contrast, construct, describe, evaluate, examine, identify, and locate. The edTPA handbook provides elaboration on language function.
During this lesson, students will be able to justify with evidence. This will allow
them to see and give reasoning for their answers.

Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides students with opportunities
to practice using the language function you identified. For example, if you selected
examine, identify the key task when students will learn how to examine or will be expected to examine.

During this lesson, the students will be given two key learning tasks to justify answers with evidence. This tasks will be (1) the large group discussion about the
video, and (2) the small group discussion about the diary. Through these two tasks
the students will be able to take what they have learned from the video and the
short story of the small group discussion to apply to answers that they are sharing
with the group and within their small groups.

4. Monitoring Student Learning


Refer to the assessments you propose to align with this lessons learning objectives.
Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct evidence of students understanding of the concepts taught throughout the learning segment. Use principles from research and/or theory to support/defend the assessment
decisions you made during the planning stage of your lesson. Use APA to format references.
As informal assessment, I will begin with asking students to share what social
media they use and what they have seen posted on social media that they
didnt think should be there. If the class is small enough, I will wait to record
this on a list until after the lesson because it is a short enough lesson that I will
remember. However, if 10 or more students are taking part in the lesson I will
use a chart similar to the chart below during the lesson. Either way, I will make
a record of the students informal assessments.
For formal assessment, I will use an exit ticket. This exit ticket will contain
three questions: (1) What are the risks of being able to share information and
thoughts online? (2) What are the benefits of being able to share information
and thoughts online? (3) How could sharing information or thoughts online
cause you harm or trouble? The students will complete the exit ticket at the
end of the lesson and will show me what they have learned from the lesson and
how they have met the student objectives. This will be turned in, graded,
recorded, and returned to the students the next day (or next advisory
TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

meeting). Students will receive a point for each problem they have answered
correctly and two points for completing the exit ticket for a total of five
points. This exit ticket is a formal assessment; however, if students are taking
part in the lesson I believe that each student will easily be able to get full
credit on this exit ticket.
Uses social media?
(check if student shares)

Something that has been


posted that shoulnt be. +
if student shares
something, - if student is
unable to share a specific
idea.

Student A
Student B
Student C

Task 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning


Instruction Commentary
Referring to the corresponding lesson plan and the instruction provided , respond to the
prompts below. This section must be written AFTER the lesson has been taught. If the lesson
was recorded, references to specific clip times should be referenced as appropriate.
1. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the teaching event where you provided a positive learning environment. How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness
to students with varied needs and backgrounds, and challenge students to engage in
learning?
I feel that I have promoted a positive learning environment from the very beginning of the lesson (1:15) when I began to ask each student what social media sites
they use and what social media posts they have seen that they didnt feel was appropriate. The first student I called on (R) was a student that I knew would be
comfortable talking in front of everyone and comfortable sharing his answer first.
The second student (T) is also a student who is comfortable talking in front of others and wouldn't sharing his answer towards the beginning. I knew that once a couple students had answered, it would be okay to continue by simply going from one
student to the next. This gives students a little bit of time to come up with an answer and didnt make them feel rushed to come up with the second part of their
answer. I chose to ask the first question because I knew it was something that each
student would be able to answer simply without getting worried about what they
had to say. By calling each of the students by name and asking the students to start
by simply stating what social media they used, I think some of the students nerves
were calmed a bit. I knew that the last student (J) didnt really enjoy talking in
front of others and would want to go last, so I made sure we went around in a way
that should would have time to come up with her answer. By asking students what
TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

posts they had seen on social media that may not have been appropriate I was able
to engage the students in the lesson and get them to start thinking about what the
lesson would be about. It made an easy transition into the video.

2. Engaging Students in Learning


Refer to examples from the teaching event in your explanations. Explain how your instruction engaged students in meeting the objectives of the lesson.
In order to meet the objectives of the lesson, students needed to be able to
know the risks and benefits of sharing things online and how sharing online
could cause them harm or trouble. By completing the large group discussion
activity after the video (6:10) and the small group discussion (11:15) students
were able to get their minds on the right path and thinking abut the ways that
Brittney (girl in the video) and Phil (small group diary activity) used social media or posting online in ways that had hurt them.
Describe how your instruction linked students prior learning and personal, cultural,
and community assets with new learning.
The instruction through the large (6:10) and small (11:15) group activities connected students to the ways that they use social media or have seen it used in
a negative way, which is a little bit what we talked about at the beginning
(1:15) with the introductions. These discussions encouraged students to think
about the ways that social media was used in the scenarios and recognize what
they did that was inappropriate or should have been done differently.

3. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction


Refer to examples from the teaching event in your explanations. Explain how you
elicited student responses to promote thinking.
Rather than simply asking the students a simple question about what they
thought about the video or even what they thought about the diary situation, I
gave students specific questions to respond to. For example, at 6:08 I asked
students what reasons Brittney posted the videos online and why she regrets
posting what she did. The students responded with some good answers, but I
thought it would be appropriate to continue that discussion question by asking
what would happen if her Grandma saw the video; how would Brittney feel
then? While there was some snickering in the background, I think this question
really got the students to think. Kaylas answer, she would be ashamed (7:27)
was exactly the kind of response I was looking for.
4. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clip/teaching event in your explanations. How did
your instruction support learning for the whole class as well as for students who needed greater support or challenge?

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

I feel that the small group discussion was the best way to get the whole class
involved. The students were broken into small groups of three, so that they
each had a chance to talk and share within the small groups. During this time, I
floated around the tables to make sure each student was taking part. At 13:00
one of the students (N) was having a hard time imagining having a diary. By
simply asking him a couple more questions I was able to get him on track with
the question ad keep the group moving along.
What changes would you make to your instruction to better support student learning of
the central focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?
Thinking back to the lesson, if I were to change something I think I would have
shared the social media I used and an inappropriate post I had seen before I
asked any of the students to give an answer at 1:10. This way, they would have
had a better idea of what I was looking for.
Also, I wish I would have had a little bit more time for the lesson, or would
have cut some other parts down a little. I wish I would have had more time to
allow the groups to share what they had written for each of the questions. I
also wish I would have been able to get each student to share part of what
their group had agreed upon.
Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation with evidence of student learning and principles from theory and/or research as
appropriate. Format your sources with APA citations.
I believe that the change of sharing my example first would have been better
to give students a model. This way, they would have been more comfortable in
sharing their responses with the class because they would know kind of answer
I was expecting of them through task and performance modeling (Coffey).
I really wish I would have had four or five more minutes to complete this lesson. If I had a little bit more time, I would have encouraged the students to
discuss the final small group answers a little bit more. Luckily, I was able to
float between groups and see that they were all on the right track and that the
students were all contributing to the groups.
Coffey. Modeling. Learn NC: K-12 teaching and learning from the UNC school of
education. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4697.

Task 3: Assessing Student Learning


Assessment Commentary
Referring to the corresponding lesson plan and the assessment conducted , respond to the
prompts below. This section must be written AFTER the lesson has been taught. If the lesson
was recorded, references to specific clip times should be referenced as appropriate. Documentation may be attached or included as part of the response itself.
1. Analyzing Student Learning

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

Identify the specific objectives from the lesson plans measured by the assessment
chosen for analysis. This was also provided in the planning section of the lesson plan.
The students will be able to list risks and benefits of sharing information online.
The students will be able to give examples of what could cause them trouble or
harm if posted online.
Provide the evaluation criteria used to analyze the student learning. Dont merely describe. If you used a rubric, include the rubric here in its entirety. This may or may
not have been provided in the planning section of the lesson plan.
Informal Assessment - Beginning Intros with Social Media Used and an Example
Students will receive a (check) if they share what social media sites they use
Students will receive a (-) if they are unable to share an example of a time
they have seen social media used inappropriately. Students will receive a (+) if
they are able to share an example of a time they have seen social media used inappropriately.
Formal Assessment - Summative Assessment - Exit Ticket
The exit ticket will be the formal and summative assessment for this lesson.
Because it is an advisory lesson, I feel it is most important that students participate and are taking part in the activities; Therefore, students who participated
will receive 2 points if they were participating in class. They will also receive one
point per question they got correct. There will be a total of five points.
Students must share at least two examples per question on exit ticket in order to
get full credit. If a student only shares one example for a question they will receive half a point for that quesiton.
Exceeds Expectations: Students are well aware of the risks and benefits of sharing online.
They are sure to check what they are sharing. They are well aware of how sharing online
could affect their future. They know that they should be very careful with the privacy settings for their online accounts.
Meets Expectations: Students prove that they understand the risks and benefits of sharing information in an online community. They also show that they know what could cause them
harm or trouble when sharing online.
Below Expectations: Students are confused about the risks and benefits of sharing information
in an online community. They are unable to communicate how sharing in an online community
could hurt them.
Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative summary of student learning for the
whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for all evaluation criteria described above. In other words, assess each student and provide the results here.
Identify students by pseudonym or you may refer to them as Student A, Student B, etc.
Student Social Media Used

Example Exit Ticket

check

4.5

check

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

Student Social Media Used

Example Exit Ticket

check

check

check

check

check

4.5

check

check

Use evidence found in the whole class summary to analyze the patterns of learning for
the whole class and differences for groups or individual learners relative to conceptual
understanding. Hint: Consider what students understand and do well, and where they
continue to struggle (e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater challenge).
I would say that the class as a whole had a great understanding of the topics.
Points off on the exit ticket were because students did not write at least two
examples. I did ask the students to write at least two, but I didnt write it on
the board anywhere, so students that were not listening could have left some
examples off for this reason. Students actually had a harder time with listing
the benefits of posting online, so maybe this is something that we should have
covered more in depth as a class. With the variety of ages I had in students I
know that some could have been given something much more difficult to learn.
I do believe that this lesson was perfect for the age group it was meant for
(four of the students were in that grouping).

2. Feedback to Guide Further Learning


In what form was feedback actually provided your students? Was this similar or different from your original lesson plan? Explain.
I provided feedback through discussion with the students as I mentioned in my lesson plan. If we had more time there could have been more feedback. During the
small group discussion, as I mentioned in the lesson plan, I was able to provide the
most feedback to students. We were able to take a little time to discuss the problems on a more individual level so that students were able to gain a better understanding.
Explain how feedback provided to your students addresses their individual strengths
and needs relative to the objectives measured.
The feedback I provided to the students gave them a better understanding of
whether or not they were on track for the small group questions. When the students were off track (and since it was such a small class) I was able to catch them
just by listening to their conversations. With a larger group this may have been
TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

more difficult, but I still could have had short conversations to make sure each
group was on track to meet the objectives.

3. Evidence of Language Understanding and Use

Explain the extent to which your students were able to use language (selected function, vocabulary, symbols, academic language, and additional identified demands) to
develop content understandings.
The students were able to use the vocabulary that some of them are already fairly
comfortable with. The students didnt use the vocabulary word digital footprint
much, but I did hear some students use it and I was pleased with that. Other vocabulary, such as social media, sharing, risks, benefits, consequences, and privacy, were all
words that the students were able to use. I noticed them using some of these words
when they were discussing in small groups. And at the end when they had handed their
exit tickets in, some students talked a little about the questions on the exit ticket.
Had this been a subject specific lesson, for example math, I would have tried to really
encourage them to use the vocabulary words. In this case, I feel that the students already had a good grasp on the words and I dont think it was extremely necessary to
use these words in order to develop content understandings.

TED Critical Commentary Last Updated: 2014-05-09 (Churchill) edTPA aligned

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