InTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments
- The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
To best show my competence in InTASC standard #3 (learning environments) I will use a PowerPoint slide I made that introduces a self-study to the students. Standard #3 asks the teacher to create an environment that results in collaborative learning, positive social interaction, engagement, and self-motivation. I chose this artifact because I feel it challenges the students to all of the above requirements, while supporting their own individual learning. This artifact is an appropriate representation of standard #3 because it allows the students to work together to produce a product. During the unit of taxonomy students are required to learn about the different kingdoms that make up the animal world. My activity puts the students into small collaborative groups and tasks them to study one assigned kingdom out of the six. They are able to use any resource available to them (active engagement), whether that be their book, phone, or other electronic device. They are working to come up with: 1. how their kingdom is connected to the domains we’ve previously studied, and 2. 3-5 things that make their kingdom unique from the rest of the kingdoms. The students must work together (social interaction) to explore the topic and to weed out the things that are mere facts about their kingdom and not unique specificities. They must create a comprehensive list of the important differences, and present them to the class as the new notes for the day. Each person will have a role to play in their group (self-motivation).
This artifact helped me to grow as a teacher because it was my first real challenge in the classroom. The first few times I attempted this activity, it did not work. The wording and expectations I put forth in the first draft of this artifact confused the students and led to unconstructed and uncooperative learning. After this I had to reflect on my teaching to evaluate what worked and what did not. I was able to salvage the activity and put it into its current form; which, after seeing in practice, really connected with the students.
This artifact helped me to grow as a teacher because it was my first real challenge in the classroom. The first few times I attempted this activity, it did not work. The wording and expectations I put forth in the first draft of this artifact confused the students and led to unconstructed and uncooperative learning. After this I had to reflect on my teaching to evaluate what worked and what did not. I was able to salvage the activity and put it into its current form; which, after seeing in practice, really connected with the students.