Standard 3

"The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation."

My Interpretation: The teacher partners with students to create a learning environment that supports individual and group learning, which develops their social interaction.

Artifact 1: Teacher Work Sample Lesson

Indicator: 3 (j) Knows how to help learners work productively and cooperatively with each other to achieve learning goals.

Introduction to Artifact: This is one of the lessons from my teacher work sample. This lesson, in particular, reviewed simplification and finding a least common denominator. While completing the previous lesson in module 4, I noticed the students struggled with simplifying fractions and finding a common denominator between fractions. I decided that the next day we would do a review, which resulted in this lesson.

Rationale: In the resource section of this lesson plan, you can see that I am providing two worksheets. These different worksheets are in lesson 3 of my teacher work sample. The simplification worksheet is a color-by-number sheet with different colors associated with other fractions. The least common denominator worksheet had a couple of practice problems on the front, then a bunch on the back. I completed examples of both with the class, then allowed them to work independently or with a partner, which was the last step in my learning sequence. I encourage students to work in pairs because I feel that students can learn a lot from one another. I also allow them to pick their partners for the most part. If students pick peers they are already comfortable with, it will encourage that academic math talk. While they are completing the worksheets together, I monitor the students' progress and ensure they are working appropriately together and staying on task. Stopping and reviewing helps the students work and meet the learning goals and content standards they need to meet. These are examples of how I help my students work cooperatively with each other.

Artifact 2: Classroom Setup, Rules of Classroom + Reward System

Indicator: 3 (e) Uses various methods to engage learners in evaluating the learning environment and collaborates with learners to make appropriate adjustments.

Introduction to Artifact: The pdf on the left is a list of the reward system I have implemented in my classroom. This list is hung up on the smartboard in my classroom. The reward system is inspired by Harry Potter and is house point style. Each of my core classes is assigned a house and a "gem" color. Each "gem" is worth 5 points. They can be taken away for misbehavior. The image on the right below depicts this reward system. Once they fill the jar, they each get to pick an individual reward. The image in the middle below is an image of all the flexible seating rules that students and my mentor came up with, as well as a list of class rules. The final image is that of the setup of my classroom.

Rationale: The class reward system that I implemented is a great way to involve the students in how they act and behave in the classroom. They are rewarded for good behavior and deducted points for bad behavior. The idea of a reward they can choose and the thought of gaining gems to get those rewards helps them decide to behave in the classroom. My mentor is all about flexible seating, and I agree. If there were no guidelines for flexible seating, the classroom would become a place of havoc. Together, my mentor and the kids devised rules allowing them to use flexible seating responsibly. It shows the students that flexible seating is a privilege. Finally, when I first entered the classroom, the students' desks were in a horseshoe formation. I decided to change the classroom setup because I often have them working in partners or small groups. The desks allow the students to sit next to one another and work productively and efficiently. All of these examples are examples of how the students are included in the environment as well as the setup of the classroom.