Developmental Professional

The evidence that I have chosen to show my strength in the area of Developmental Professional is a two day Alabama History lesson that was taught concerning the different battles in the Civil War. First, I assisted the students in completing a KWL about the Civil War. Students then were to complete the reading of the lesson out of the book and also complete a graphic organizer. After this was complete I lead the class in completing the KWL. The next day, I reviewed the students on the ideas we had discussed the day before and I lead a discussion about the different battles we had talked about and whether or not the Confederacy or the Union won the battles. After this, the students were given one of three assignments based on their learning levels and needs. The first was a T-Chart in which the students had to name the battles and tell who won each, the second assignment was to write a paragraph about a significant battle from the Civil War, and the third was to write a couple of paragraphs about a specific battle from the view of either a Union or a Confederate Commander.  I believe that this lesson conveys my strength as a Developmental Professional because of my use of differentiated instruction. I was able to see each individual student's physical, cognitive, and emotional development and give them an assignment that was just right for their specific levels. Through this I believe that each child was motivated because either they were not intimidated by their work, they felt their work was just the right level, or they were challenged and excited about their work. This was the idea behind the three groups and three activities I created. I feel that this lesson shows my ability in the area of Reflective Practitioner.

Reflection:

After teaching this lesson, I felt as if I had really given the students an opportunity to learn to their best abilities and also to feel comfortabe while learning. Accomodating each and every student and their needs is very important, and I believe that this lesson did exactly that job.

Link to Battles of the Civil War Lesson Plan

Link to Differentiated Group Work 

The evidence I chose from my second placement to show my growth in the area of Develpmental Professional was a Math lesson I taught concerning ordinal numbers. I first explained to the students about ordinal numbers and then I made a cross-curricular, as well as, real world connection about ordinal numbers and reminded them that when we say the date in calendar time (ex. March 30th) that this is an ordinal number. The students were then given posters with ordinal numbers from first to eighteenth written on one side and on the other side just the number was written. The students had to find the correct order and get into that order. After they were in line and in the correct order we said each of the ordinal numbers. After this, I asked the students questions such as, "Who is third?," "Who is eighth?," etc. I feel that this lesson was  a good conveyer of my ability to be a Developmental Professional because I was able to use my knowledge of each student's physical, cognitive, and emotional development while maintaining and activity that was challenging for each student in his or her own way. I was able to manipulate which numbers I gave each student, so I was careful to make sure that the lower level students got the lower numbers that I knew they would be able to read and communicate and the upper level students got the number that would challenge them.

Reflection:

When I look back on this lesson and how well it worked, I am pleased to say that I feel as though it shows my ability to be a Developmental Professional. I will always strive to create the best learning opportunities for all levels of students in my classroom. I feel like this lesson is just a start, just the beginning of the many lessons that I will create to show my abilties and strengths in being a Developmental Professional.