Teacher Quality Standard II Establishes a safe, inclusive and respectable learning environment for a diverse population of students. Element A: Teachers foster a predictable learning environment characterized by acceptable student behavior and efficient use of time in which each student has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults and peers. Element B: Teachers demonstrate an awareness of, a commitment to, and a respect for multiple aspects of diversity, while working toward common goals as a community of learners. Element C: Teachers engage students as individuals, including those with diverse needs and interests, across a range of ability levels by adapting their teaching for the benefit of all students. Element D: Teachers work collaboratively with the families and/or significant adults for the benefit of students.
Artifact 1:
One of the most important roles of a teacher is to foster an environment where students feel welcome and in which they feel comfortable to learn. The second teacher quality standard highlights the role of the teacher as the facilitator of a classroom environment which meets the needs of all students. The Interdisciplinary Assessment project, for which I collaborated with my professional learning community, specifically demonstrates how I have learned to put this standard into action. The summative assessment that we created through an interdisciplinary lesson plan is inclusive of diverse learning styles through its broad guidelines and exploration of cultures. This assignment reaches a diverse population of students because it allows student choice and lets them explore a different cultures from the Renaissance period. It supports a sense of community by crossing disciplines and allowing collaboration, both between teacher and student and fellow teachers. As an educator, collaborating with other teachers can build community and bring more perspective to lesson planning.
Artifact 2:
The second artifact that shows evidence of how I have exhibited proficiency of Teacher Quality Standard II is the Classroom Narrative: Setting a Context info graph, which I developed through observation of Thompson Valley High School and Mr. Crawford's 2D Design class. By evaluating and understanding the demographic and culture of the classroom, teachers can work toward creating safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments for the population of students in their classrooms. Reflecting on the culture of Thompson Valley High School and my match-up class encouraged me to evaluate the diversity of the students and consider their specific needs. Within my Classroom Narrative paper is an excerpt about the diversity in this specific classroom: “The classroom is quite diverse, compared to other classrooms I have observed in Thompson Valley School District. At least five out of 16 students are of hispanic/latino heritage and the remainder are seemingly caucasian. The class is a mixture of students from 9th grade through 12th grade. Considering grade level and the varying skill level, the students’ skill and knowledge base in this class varies greatly, from beginner to advanced.” The observations made here were crucial to my interactions with students and instruction during the two lesson plans I facilitated. Writing about the setting and context of my placement class allowed me to exhibit the elements of this quality standard, specifically the awareness and respect of student diversity and development of student relationships.
I feel that I am developing in this standard. Although I strive to create a classroom environment that is inclusive and respectful, I sometimes get carried away with the casual nature of an art classroom. I have gotten feedback from students that I am sometimes not strict enough and while I believe a level of freedom is essential to an art classroom, I know that some students benefit from more structure and leadership from a teacher. I also think that my students would benefit from clear communication of my expectations early in the class so we all know the requirements for behavior in the classroom. In the future I will give my students their rubric and explain in the beginning what my expectations are.