Ashlee Miller

Professor Suk
EDUC 230-03 Education Field Experience
Spring Semester 2023
Rationale Statement-Standard #8. Standard Eight: Instructional Strategies

Standard # and Title: 8. Standard Eight: Instructional Strategies

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to
develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to
apply knowledge in meaningful ways (“New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers
Alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p. 10).

Artifact: Observation Report 6: Instruction Pt. 2

Date of Completion: April 27th, 2023 Spring Semester

Course Completed in: EDUC 230-03 Education Field Experience

Rationale Statement:

In observation six, I sat in on a reading and writing lesson in my second grade field
experience placement. I had a conversation with my cooperating teacher, Mr. R, where I
asked him how he gets ready for his lessons. This conversation included aspects such as if he
collaborates with the other second grade teachers or not, if he has to submit his lesson plans
for approval, etc. I then watched him teach his reading a writing lesson while typing in the
data. After this, I analyzed the data I collected from his lesson. I also made research backed
recommendations as to how I would have done this lesson if I was teaching it. I felt that
observation six lined up with standard eight the most because this lesson was embedded with
techniques which strengthened the learner’s knowledge. I believe specifically, within
standard eight, that i. Performances (2) is best connected to this lesson. This indicator states,
“The teacher continuously monitors student learning, engages learners in assessing their
progress, and adjusts instruction in response to student learning needs” (“New Jersey
Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p. 10). During the
writing activity, Mr. R was very involved with making sure his students were aware of the
progress they were making. In addition to this, he also made sure to clarify the story
periodically which shows that he adjusts his instruction as needed.
As a prospective educator, I have learned the value of patience. As I was observing
this lesson, I saw how frequently Mr. R had stopped to clarify plot points and also answer his
students' questions. I could tell that this paid off during their writing activity, because they all
had something to write. After seeing how beneficial this was to their comprehension, I came
to the realization that patience is so important to have as an educator. An impatient teacher
wouldn’t have taken the time to clarify or answer their students' questions. They would have
just rushed through the story and given their students their writing activity.
I hope to remember this artifact and rationale statement as a reminder to have patience
with my students. I think it's easy for people to not have a lot of patience with young
children. Oftentimes children can ask questions which we think have obvious or simple
answers. But I think it’s important to take a moment to realize that they do not know
everything adults know yet. It’s important that educators also show their students that no
question is a “dumb” question to ask. I remember when I was in elementary school, I always
felt this way. I can tell Mr. R’s students do not feel this way though and I think this is because
he is patient and takes the time to answer their questions.
 Miller 2

Reference

New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC. (2014, August 4).
Retrieved from New Jersey State Department of Education:
https://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/ProfStandardsforTeachersAlignm
entwithInTASC.pdf