Standard #9
Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of every learner.
What the Standard Means?
As a teacher it is important to be dedicated to being a life-long longer who seeks out and participates in professional development opportunities to stay relevant and up-to-date with current educational best practices. Then, it is the teacher's responsibility to reflect upon their current teaching practices to see how the knowledge they gained can be implemented into the classroom to meet the needs of their students. The implementation of these best practices, as a result, will help teachers provide students with an appropriate and relevant education.
Artifacts
What the Standard Means?
As a teacher it is important to be dedicated to being a life-long longer who seeks out and participates in professional development opportunities to stay relevant and up-to-date with current educational best practices. Then, it is the teacher's responsibility to reflect upon their current teaching practices to see how the knowledge they gained can be implemented into the classroom to meet the needs of their students. The implementation of these best practices, as a result, will help teachers provide students with an appropriate and relevant education.
Artifacts
Artifact 1:
Artifact 2:
My name tag from the ATE conference.
Why the artifact was chosen and how it is an appropriate representation of the standard?
The first artifact is the product of participating in a dyslexia training through the Iowa Reading and Research Center. This professional learning opportunity allowed me to engage in a training that improved my understanding of dyslexia, including the warning signs and ways to accommodate students with a diagnoses. In particular, I learned about the 3 main types of dyslexia: phonological, auditory, and visual. This professional learning experience allowed me to gain knowledge in an area that needed development. Since this type of training was not something I received during my undergraduate classes, it was fitting to participate in a training during my student teaching placement.
In addition to participating in the dyslexia training, I drafted a plan of action to implement the knowledge I gained during the program. This implementation plan contained 4 steps to identify and accommodate students with dyslexia. The first step was looking for warning signs, which was done by observing students' reading and listening. Luckily, my students did not display multiple warning signs, however, if one had, the next step would have been determining the type of dyslexia he or she had and explaining the diagnosis to him or her. Lastly, I would have implemented interventions to accommodate the student.
My participation in the dyslexia training and my implementation plan corresponded with substandard 9(b), "The teacher engages in meaningful and appropriate professional learning experiences aligned with his/her own needs and the needs of the learners, school, and system." As stated earlier, learning about dyslexia was an area of growth for me as an educator, so to participate in a professional learning that aligned with my own needs shows my ability and desire to be an active learner during my career.
My second artifact is from the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) conference I attended in Chicago, Illinois. The mission of ATE is to "promote quality teacher education through both exemplary clinical practice and research." Thus, attending the conference was an opportunity to learn about effective teaching practices from well-known practitioners, as well as listen to distinguished researchers in the field of education present their findings and the implications they have on education. My perspective was expanded as I listened to the keynote speaker, Dr. Steve Athanases, present on cultural and linguistic diversity in teaching. It was an opportunity to reflect upon my teaching practice, evaluate my biases, and learn from notable practitioners and researchers.
Attending the ATE conference aligns with disposition 9(n), "The teacher sees him/herself as a learner, continuously seeking opportunities to draw upon current education policy and research as sources of analysis and reflection to improve practice," which displays my willingness and dedication to staying current with best practices and research in the field of education.
How the artifact represents growth and development as a teacher.
Although I didn't need to implement any dyslexia interventions during in my student teaching placement, the knowledge I gained through the professional development opportunity is still beneficial. It is likely that sometime in my career I will encounter a student with dyslexia, so this training provides me with the background knowledge to accommodate these students. The opportunity to attend the ATE conference allowed me to expand my repertoire of educational best practices through listening to effective practitioners, as well as acknowledge the important role that research plays in the field of education. It helped me realize that I can conduct research in my own classroom through gathering data and observing. As a result, I can use my research findings to guide and adapt my instruction.
Why the artifact was chosen and how it is an appropriate representation of the standard?
The first artifact is the product of participating in a dyslexia training through the Iowa Reading and Research Center. This professional learning opportunity allowed me to engage in a training that improved my understanding of dyslexia, including the warning signs and ways to accommodate students with a diagnoses. In particular, I learned about the 3 main types of dyslexia: phonological, auditory, and visual. This professional learning experience allowed me to gain knowledge in an area that needed development. Since this type of training was not something I received during my undergraduate classes, it was fitting to participate in a training during my student teaching placement.
In addition to participating in the dyslexia training, I drafted a plan of action to implement the knowledge I gained during the program. This implementation plan contained 4 steps to identify and accommodate students with dyslexia. The first step was looking for warning signs, which was done by observing students' reading and listening. Luckily, my students did not display multiple warning signs, however, if one had, the next step would have been determining the type of dyslexia he or she had and explaining the diagnosis to him or her. Lastly, I would have implemented interventions to accommodate the student.
My participation in the dyslexia training and my implementation plan corresponded with substandard 9(b), "The teacher engages in meaningful and appropriate professional learning experiences aligned with his/her own needs and the needs of the learners, school, and system." As stated earlier, learning about dyslexia was an area of growth for me as an educator, so to participate in a professional learning that aligned with my own needs shows my ability and desire to be an active learner during my career.
My second artifact is from the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) conference I attended in Chicago, Illinois. The mission of ATE is to "promote quality teacher education through both exemplary clinical practice and research." Thus, attending the conference was an opportunity to learn about effective teaching practices from well-known practitioners, as well as listen to distinguished researchers in the field of education present their findings and the implications they have on education. My perspective was expanded as I listened to the keynote speaker, Dr. Steve Athanases, present on cultural and linguistic diversity in teaching. It was an opportunity to reflect upon my teaching practice, evaluate my biases, and learn from notable practitioners and researchers.
Attending the ATE conference aligns with disposition 9(n), "The teacher sees him/herself as a learner, continuously seeking opportunities to draw upon current education policy and research as sources of analysis and reflection to improve practice," which displays my willingness and dedication to staying current with best practices and research in the field of education.
How the artifact represents growth and development as a teacher.
Although I didn't need to implement any dyslexia interventions during in my student teaching placement, the knowledge I gained through the professional development opportunity is still beneficial. It is likely that sometime in my career I will encounter a student with dyslexia, so this training provides me with the background knowledge to accommodate these students. The opportunity to attend the ATE conference allowed me to expand my repertoire of educational best practices through listening to effective practitioners, as well as acknowledge the important role that research plays in the field of education. It helped me realize that I can conduct research in my own classroom through gathering data and observing. As a result, I can use my research findings to guide and adapt my instruction.