Teacher's Professional Growth Plan (TPGP)

Name: Breanne Beatty

School:
Practicum Dates: Aug 27, 2020 – Dec 18, 2020
Teacher Mentor:
School Administrator:
Faculty Mentor:
Goal: Build a better student understanding of subject specific words within the classroom, lessons, and
assignments.
Rationale: Literacy is an area of focus in the School Development Plan (SDP). Literacy can be a
challenging area for many students, but one that is incredibly important to develop in hopes of
giving students the necessary tools to succeed within the classroom. Incorporating subject
specific vocabulary in the lesson or during task design allows students to encounter those words
in a variety of situations, and allows students to hear, read, write, and speak those words to
better their understanding.
Strategies:
1. Building vocabulary into lessons in an explicit manner to familiarize students with the
meaning.
 Allows students to hear the definition of vocabulary words, and hear them
situationally in sentences.
2. Incorporate subject specific vocabulary in task design either explicitly or implicitly.
 Build up understanding to encourage students to use subject specific words when
completing assignments
 Include criteria of use or definition of subject specific words within the task
 This encourages writing and possibly speaking subject specific vocabulary
3. Direct discussion questions to the class where subject specific vocabulary is needed to
answer the question, or needed within the general discussion.
 This can be stated explicitly when giving instructions to encourage students to
verbally use subject specific vocabulary to supplement understanding.
4. Include vocabulary centered activities during class to reinforce the importance and meaning
of subject specific words.
 Can be done as a word wall, vocabulary worksheet, vocabulary test…etc. to give
students the opportunity to read, write, speak, and hear subject specific words,
building their understanding and academic ability regarding subject specific
vocabulary.
Indicators of Progress Towards Goal:
1. Increased appearance of subject specific words within student work.
 This shows an increased awareness of subject specific vocabulary and comfort in
using those words in their writing.
2. Increase in correct usage of subject specific vocabulary words within student work and
discussion in class.
 Showing an increase in awareness, comfort, and understanding of subject specific
vocabulary.
 3. Increase in performance on vocabulary based assessment.
Timeline for Completion: September – December
Summary of Growth:
I have been very cognisant of where I am incorporating vocabulary within the course, how I am
approaching vocabulary, and what vocabulary-based assignments or questions I have assigned or tasked
students with completing to ensure that the student learning supports this goal. Across the classes, we
are beginning to fill in a checklist of vocabulary. This checklist has allowed me to record who has
demonstrated an understanding of that word, and keep record of the amount of time students have had
the chance to demonstrate their knowledge, and also how many times they have demonstrated this
targeted knowledge. Within my task and rubric design, I have always incorporated a section that details
how students should use subject specific vocabulary to aid in their communication of their knowledge.
Reflections of Professional Growth:
Throughout PLC meetings, discussion with my TM and other teaching community members, I have
grown my understanding of task design, rubric design, assessment, and record of learning that better
informs my practices. These additions to my teaching practices have better prepared me for teaching
after this internship, and have informed my practices while completing this goal. An insight gained
through the growth I have made towards this goal would be the importance of allowing students to
share their knowledge in a variety of ways, and circling back to previously learned knowledge to help
consolidate the information learned in classes to memory.
Goal: Work towards building a sense of community among the students and staff, focusing on positive
reinforcement of actions and accomplishments.
Rationale: Distance learning, and staying with a set cohort during the day has been difficult on
students. Extracurricular activities are limiting, as are social gatherings and other forms of peer
interactions. These factors all influence students’ abilities to create and build new or existing
relationships among peers or other school community members. Finding Covid-19 friendly ways
of building these relationships, welcoming new or existing students, and building a sense of
appreciation and pride within their school community will help students continue to thrive
through these difficult times.
Strategies:
1. Be a source of positive affirmations and feelings towards students and their work.
 Thank students for their effort, participation, or thoughts when it is provided.
 Compliment students on positive behaviours or accomplishments within their lives.
 Encourage students to share their accomplishments with teachers or peers.
2. Create and maintain a compliments and achievements board in the school to showcase
student or teacher work, achievements, and positive attitudes.
 Encourage students to take pride in their work.
 Build up a sense of belonging within the school community by showcasing and
recognizing students for various things.
 Introduce students to others in the school through displaying and recognizing
students from all grades in one place.
 Incorporate option and core teachers/classes through highlighting teacher
achievements, or work submitted to a variety of classes.
3. Build a classroom community that promotes understanding, empathy, and positive virtues.
 Be flexible and understanding to various factors that influence a students’ day
(school, extracurriculars, home life… etc.)
 Allow for ample time for completion of work, and a variety of modes to submit
or work on the assignment (in class, D2L, email).
 Allow students time to share stories or personal matters with you and the class
if the student is comfortable and it is appropriate to do so.
 Encourage students to discuss other course work with you or their other
teachers to ensure they student has a manageable work and stress level.
Indicators of Progress Towards Goal:
1. Engagement with the compliment board (student and teacher participation)
2. Students demeanor will improve.
3. Feedback given by students or teachers who have either nominated others or been
nominated to have their name and achievement on the board.
Summary of Growth:
This goal built directly off of one of my goals from PSII, building positive relationships and rapport within
the classroom. While this new goal was not the exact same as the last. The strategies are very similar.
Throughout the course of the past four months, I have spent my time incorporating a flexible and
approachable demeanor throughout my time spend with the students. I have also built in time
throughout the day to allow for inquiry questions to be discussed in a safe classroom setting, and have
given students time in many of my classes for discussion of topics from their personal life. The
engagement with the compliment board has also been highlighted in my classes by getting various
works of art handed to me, and by having my classes both write and receive a variety of compliments.
The positive values, actions, and citizenship that was brought to light by the board, has made a
noticeable impact within the classroom and my teaching through the integration within my teaching,
but also the positive impact it has had on the students and their outlook on science, school, and our
school community.
Reflections of Professional Growth:
Feedback from students and staff members has been a driving force in my professional growth over
these last four months. I have received both constructive and positive feedback from a variety of
sources that have been used to inform my teaching, as to how and when I should implement certain
community building and relationship building activities within the classroom. These insights include not
just what to include, but also how to do so in a way that does not take away from a students’ learning or
school experience but aids in the enjoyment and growth of that student daily. I have also learned and
seen the impact of building these positive relationships, and inclusion within a community firsthand.
Students enjoy participating and engaging in large group activities, especially when a sense of belonging
is included. Knowing this, inclusion and belonging have been a large focus when teaching.