InTASC 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 each learner.
To best show my competence in InTASC standard #9 (Professional Learning and Ethical Practice) I will use a reflection paper that I wrote in one of my preparation classes at Loras; and an example of professional learning based on student data that I did during my student teaching. Standard #9 asks the teacher to use evidence to continually evaluate his practice. This is exemplified by my first artifact.
My first artifact is a reflection paper that I wrote during my professional development class at Loras. It shows deep self-evaluation on my own work as a teacher. I was able to look at the profession from an outside perspective and could evaluate my own weaknesses and how I could best remedy them. By using my experiences in the professional development course in which I wrote the paper, I reached standard #9’s goal to get teachers to evaluate one’s self.
The second artifact shows a professional development activity done during my student teaching experience. Using data, we were able to look at trends in the student population in a variety of aspects from test scores to racial proficiency. This particular artifact shows the overall testing proficiency of the students at Senior High School in multiple topics. The teachers had to predict what the data would show about the testing. I then had to observe the data and infer some things about what that data means. This artifact shows that I have continued my learning and that I am able to evaluate myself and use data to do so.
The first artifact helped me grow as a teacher because it gifted me with a lens with which I can analyze my effectiveness as a teacher. By stepping back and looking at the evidence I gathered during the professional development class, I gained the tools that helped me as a student teacher to assess my own ability and each lesson to best fit the needs of each student. The second artifact helped me grow as a teacher by teaching me an extremely important lesson; my learning is never done. Through use of professional development I can work to better my class and the school I work in as a whole. By bettering the situations at school, I meet the needs of each learner.
My first artifact is a reflection paper that I wrote during my professional development class at Loras. It shows deep self-evaluation on my own work as a teacher. I was able to look at the profession from an outside perspective and could evaluate my own weaknesses and how I could best remedy them. By using my experiences in the professional development course in which I wrote the paper, I reached standard #9’s goal to get teachers to evaluate one’s self.
The second artifact shows a professional development activity done during my student teaching experience. Using data, we were able to look at trends in the student population in a variety of aspects from test scores to racial proficiency. This particular artifact shows the overall testing proficiency of the students at Senior High School in multiple topics. The teachers had to predict what the data would show about the testing. I then had to observe the data and infer some things about what that data means. This artifact shows that I have continued my learning and that I am able to evaluate myself and use data to do so.
The first artifact helped me grow as a teacher because it gifted me with a lens with which I can analyze my effectiveness as a teacher. By stepping back and looking at the evidence I gathered during the professional development class, I gained the tools that helped me as a student teacher to assess my own ability and each lesson to best fit the needs of each student. The second artifact helped me grow as a teacher by teaching me an extremely important lesson; my learning is never done. Through use of professional development I can work to better my class and the school I work in as a whole. By bettering the situations at school, I meet the needs of each learner.