Professional Self-Assessment Form

Teacher Candidates Name: Tyrone Aiken Jr. Date: 10/4/16

Mentor Teachers Name: Mrs. D. Hailey School: THE William J. Clark Middle School
Grade Level (s)/Subject Area(s) 8Th Grade ELA
Instructions to the teacher candidate: Please reflect on your professional performance, and respond to each
of the following prompts.
1.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional strengths? How have
you built on these strengths so far, and how do you plan to do so in the future?
So far in my student teaching experience, I have noticed that I have strengths in short range
planning, establishing and maintaining high expectations; and monitoring, assessing, and
enhancing learning. When it is time to prepare a lesson for students to be engaged in learning new
material, I have captured students attention with a series of PowerPoints and activities that require
them to move (which middle school students want to do). For example, when it is time for
students to be introduced to their new vocabulary, they are able to come to the smart board a play a
matching game with the word and definition on a PowerPoint like screen. With the new Microsoft
Office, it is easier to make PowerPoints that allow students and me to interact with the content in
an innovative way. Students often say they want learning to be fun, so I make it so. This leads me
to set and maintain high expectations for the students. Since I am making the content more fun, I
expect, which I clearly state to them, that I want them to perform at their highest capability with
no exceptions. While students work I am constantly monitoring, assessing, and enhancing their
learning. For example, when students are completing a writing assignment, I cruse around the
room and read over their shoulders and ask them to reread and make grammatical and/or spelling
corrections. To do this I ask questions like, Does this sound correct to you? Is that how this is
spelled? To enhance their learning, I give students similar assignments which encourage them to
pay closer attention to areas in which they make their mistakes. To do better in these areas in the
future, I plan to assess myself on video and continue to practice upon them.

2.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional challenges? How do you
plan to meet these challenges?
Areas as to where I can use more improvement include professional responsibilities and being
more equal with students are far as treatment. I have noticed that writing anticipatory sets, guided
practices, independent practices, and standards on the board are things that I have not been doing.
My mentor teacher has reminded me of it for the most part, which I am thankful for, but I need to
remember to do this myself. This information will help students and/or visitors and evaluators to
understand what is going on in the classroom.
I have noticed that when students become defiant, I have shied away from those students which is
not a positive thing at all. I noticed that I am letting the way these students behave control my
attitude toward them and how I maneuver around the classroom. I know I am not in a position the
discipline a defiant student, so I do my best to minimize the reasons students have to be defiant by
keeping them busy. To help myself in these areas I plan to write the necessary information on the
white board before I leave the classroom in the afternoon and begin to develop relationships with
my students on a more personal level.

3.

Describe your students overall progress and achievement. What insights have you gained into ways
to improve student progress and achievement?
Since I have been pushing really hard on vocabulary, I have noticed that many students vocabulary
have grown in written language and verbal language. Students find it fun to use their vocabulary
words when you allow them to speak and write about things they are interested in. Things such as
sports, popular TV series, and even fictional stories. I have gain insight the fact that technology
has really shortened the attention span of students today. So I now understand that instruction time
for students has to really be engaging and not very long because it is like almost guaranteed that
you will lose the attention of about 50% of your class if the instruction is clich.

4.

How will you use the knowledge you have gained through this professional self-assessment to
promote your continuous professional growth and collaboration?
With my experience through my self assessment, I will continue to practice the things I do well
in order to master those while I monitor and adjust the areas where I need improvement. Once I
have mastered one thing, this affords me the opportunity to focus on areas that needs
improvement. Once I am able to improve upon myself, it will be easier for colleagues to
collaborate with me.