12/7/2020 Summative Evaluation

Summative Evaluation of Practicum

Master of Teaching
 
Teacher Candidate: Carmen Szeto
Year: 1  Practicum Session: 2
Dates: February 18, 2020 to March 13, 2020
 
Associate Teacher: Kathleen Craigie
Grade level and/or subjects: IS Bio/Sci
School: Bloor Collegiate Institute
Board: TDSB
 
  Given the work action in Ontario schools during the Winter 2020 practicum, for this summative
evaluation, Associate Teachers are asked to indicate the practicum’s final status (Pass or Fail) in
consideration of Professionalism, Diversity and Equity, Involvement in School/Community Life,
Understanding Curriculum and the Learner, and Classroom Management, as applicable to the Winter
2020 practicum context. Optional general comments may be included below.
 
COMMENTS (OPTIONAL)
Planning, Instruction, and Evaluation
Ms. Szeto was always prepared for her lessons. She followed the Ontario Ministry of Education expectations for
the unit that she taught and planned the lesson sequence for the unit that she was teaching. Ms. Szeto carefully
chose the lessons and activities to support the expectations and she utilized a variety of resources. She used
power point, online simulations/videos, conventional labs, and large group modeling of fundamental concepts
with concrete manipulatives. Her power points and board work followed a logical developmental style that was
easy to follow in the development of complex material such as the formation of images in curved mirrors and
refraction.

She prepared and ran lab activities (refraction of light, finding the critical angle of substances, image formation
in curved lenses) successfully. She was cognizant of lab safety, reviewed relevant safety and clean up
considerations for the labs. In addition, she was comfortable enforcing safety rules in the classes.

During the delivery of the lesson she used a variety of teaching methods such as Socratic, peer teaching,
cooperative small group learning activities, and labs. Ms. Szeto used diverse teaching strategies that were well
planned with respect to reaching different types of learners as she sought to maintain interest and engagement.
The planning and preparation that she put into her lessons were evident by how smoothly the classes and labs
went and by how engaged the students were.

As Ms. Szeto did many labs with the classes to reinforce content, she also did much evaluation with respect to
the two chapters of the geometric optics unit for the academic grade 10’s that she taught. She was careful to
balance the questions and the weighting of her evaluations with respect to the learning strands (knowledge,
inquiry, application and communication). Her lab evaluations had clear directions, followed a logical format, and
clearly showed how their marks were earned. She gave thoughtful and descriptive feedback to students that
helped to inform them as to how to improve their learning.

Ms. Szeto utilized sound communication skills in her lessons. She was able to engage all students through her
methods of communication, developmental questioning and she utilized various strategies for ensuring
engagement such as having relevant topics/examples and peer discussions. Ms. Szeto also was very good at
anticipating student questions to complex topics and had researched relevant videos clips to answer student
questions like “how was the speed of light first measured experimentally?”

Her voice is calm, and authoritative and her demeanour was very effective as the students were attentive in her
lessons. She polished her questioning strategies so that key concepts were developed in a logical sequence. It
was apparent by the number of students who came in for extra help prior to the test, that she had developed a
great rapport and they very comfortable asking questions both during the lesson and in extra help sessions at
lunch and afterschool.

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Curriculum and the Learner

During this placement, Ms. Szeto spent several periods in the resource room. In conversation with the assistant
curriculum leader and educational assistant who worked closely with her during these periods, she made
excellent connections with the students who were in the GLE periods. During this time she was able to work
with students with a range of special needs (behavioral, autistic, ADHD, OCD, and multi-disabilities). Ms. Szeto
was reported to have handled their needs with care and positive reinforcement.

Ms. Szeto was very professional in her review and preparation of the content in the grade 10 enriched optics
unit. She is aware of the need for ongoing learning of the curriculum material while teaching and through her
diligence in preparation for her classes she was able to answer many of the questions that the enriched classes
had. Ms. Szeto worked to develop teaching materials (power points) for the classes to companion the concepts
and lesson that were being taught. These teaching resources were well produced, demonstrated relevant
examples of the concepts being taught and enhanced the students understanding of the course content.

Diversity and Equity

Ms. Szeto was cognizant of individual student needs and learning abilities. She examined the class lists and
together we noted students who had IEP’s so that she could better accommodate them while she was
teaching. Ms. Szeto is very insightful with respect to the personalities and dynamics of the classes and she
made great observations regarding their learning styles, strengths and weakness. In order to become more
familiar with the large number of students in the classes, she diligently learned the student’s names and used
them to engage them in the learning environment.

During her placement she often offered students extended learning opportunities at lunch and afterschool for
students who were absent, had been out on field trips, or due to their IEP’s needed additional time and
assistance to be successful. She recognized the need for the flexibility of a teacher to accommodate all
students thus maximizing their learning thorough these extended opportunities.

Involvement and Community Life

At her own initiative, Ms. Szeto volunteered to assist with extra help tutoring sessions during lunch hour once a
week during her placement at Bloor CI. She was also very interested in the various clubs and activities that go
on with our students. In the first week of her placement, she connected with the supervising teachers of the
Ecoteam and attended lunch time meetings for this club.

Additionally, she came out on the grade 12 trip to the Ontario Science Centre (OSC). She participated and
observed science enrichment opportunities for the grade 12 biology students at the OSC where they did a
bacterial cloning lab. Ms. Szeto was able to learn about the process of preparing for a field trip. She observed
the planning process and understands the need for accurate and complete paperwork required for field trips.
Ms. Szeto understands the need for enrichment and experiential learning for adolescents and the increase in
student commitment to school that results from the experiences they receive outside of the classroom. Ms.
Szeto also enthusiastically volunteered to attend and supervise a group of grade 9 students on the Royal
Ontario Museam trip and minerology lab.

Professionalism
Ms. Szeto was enthusiastic in her teaching. She was respectful and cognizant of the student’s needs and
diversity. She always acted in a professional manner, and was receptive to suggestions made and modified
lessons accordingly. Ms. Szeto valued the feedback that was provided. She was very collegial with other staff
and demonstrated flexibility in moving classes when other teachers needed the lab for their classes. During the
course of this placement, Ms. Szeto collaborated with teachers and a fellow teacher candidate to plan for the
use of shared resources, field trips and assisting with extra help during lunch hour.

Ms. Szeto participated in the parent/guardian interviews that occurred after the second reporting cycle in the
school which coincided with middle of her practicum. As part of the interviews with the grade 10
parents/guardians, she observed the interviews and was able to provide a few comments regarding their child’s
progress in class during the optics unit. The insights that she provided to parents were apt, insightful and well
delivered. She was very professional in her comments and her demeanor with parent/guardians was exemplary.

At the end of the third week, Ms. Szeto was in the classroom for three days with a retired former staff member
and current supply teacher who described her as ‘progressing well and having a great rapport with students’.
The staff in the resource room was very impressed with her easy nature and ability to connect with students and
she was welcomed by both the educational assistant and the ACL of Special Education.

Classroom Management
Ms. Szeto’s level of preparedness for her lessons served as clear indicators to the students that she was in
charge of the class. She made her behaviour expectations clear at the beginning of the placement and treated
the students equitably as a result, the students accepted their responsibilities and were prepared to engage in
learning. During the lessons she clearly articulated her expectations for behaviour and safety in the lab situation
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as needed. She wrote a daily lesson agenda on the board so that the students knew of their responsibilities for
the class and were able to complete the work expected of them in that class. Ms. Szeto’s organizational abilities
were an asset in the intermediate science classroom as she was diligent in setting up the labs and her
directions for the students were very clear. As her planning for the complex labs was very thorough, this allowed
the lab periods to flow smoothly and the expectations for these classes were met.

Additional Comments
Ms. Szeto is a very resilient teacher candidate. During this placement, she had many challenges in lesson
planning and continuity due to labour disruptions. Additionally, at the end of the placement the announcement
to have a two week province wide shutdown of schools caused much anxiety and confusion amongst students
and staff. Throughout this challenging placement, Ms. Szeto handled the student’s many questions calmly and
with poise. She is a very capable, articulate and serene individual.

Throughout her placement Ms. Szeto proved herself to be a dynamic teacher candidate who enjoys trying out a
variety of different teaching methods with her classes. She also made a point of observing many other senior
teachers in our school so that she could watch their teaching and learn from them as well. This practice will
serve her well in teaching a wide variety of students with many learning styles. While at Bloor C.I., she had the
opportunity to teach students in an enriched science program, T.O.P.S. on Bloor. She demonstrated flexibility in
her teaching and adapted her teaching style under different sets of circumstances that included assisting in the
resource room.

During this placement, Ms. Szeto worked with many different teachers and the feedback from them was all
extremely positive with respect to her professionality and rapport with students. Her resilience, flexibility,
personable nature and ability to read her students will serve her well in her teaching career. Ms. Szeto would
make an excellent addition to any teaching staff.
 

Overall appraisal:  Pass    Fail

 
Authenticity check: An original copy of this document can be downloaded directly from OISE’s servers at:
https://pepper.oise.utoronto.ca/willow/source/client/OISEPracticumReportArchive.php?code=gr5zfw28xzaxv6vgt3i4mjkb

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