Artifact 1: Meeting Individual Needs: A Teacher Narrative

Goral_Teacher_Narrative_TE_802

G: 2

S: 1, 2, 4

This artifact is a teacher narrative describing how my first unit I planned and taught independently unfolded in a real classroom setting. It describes the challenges of teaching a sixth grade class with a diverse set of educational needs and how I met these challenges by providing differentiated opportunities at various instructional levels. By incorporating book clubs in my instruction, I was able to differentiate more effectively while still teaching to the curriculum and standards. I was also able to learn the importance of structuring activities in my teaching including assessments.

The teacher narrative is an example of accomplished teaching. I was able to strengthen my ability to effectively teach reading while also learning to accommodate several diverse students from high achievers to students with autism spectrum disorder (Goal 2). Designing effective instruction and assessment while differentiating was a delicate task that required significant thought and reflection while planning and teaching the unit (Standard 1). The narrative also documents my improved understanding of assessments to monitor student learning (Standard 2). Using the narrative as a final reflection allowed me to recognize areas for growth and identify what went well (Standard 4).

Reflecting on the narrative, I recognize that it does not accurately describe how frantic I felt some days during the teaching of that unit. Many of the revisions I made were suggestions from my collaborating teacher. Her guidance gave me an excellent framework for using book clubs in the future as a form of reading instruction with embedded differentiation. After struggling through the unit, I now appreciate how important it is to consider all aspects of a unit, including what you want students to learn, not just how they will learn it. I also can recognize the importance of collaboration as I continue to develop as a teacher.