Competency 004

The teacher understands learning processes and factors that impact student learning and demonstrates this knowledge by planning effective, engaging instruction and appropriate assessments.

Secondary Methods Assignment Cover Sheet

Title of Assignment: Assessment Plan

Name: Katy Wood Date: October 28, 2011

q Competency 003 – The teacher understands procedures for designing effective and coherent instruction and assessment based on appropriate learning goals and objectives.

q Competency 004 – The teacher understands learning processes and factors that impact student learning and demonstrates this knowledge by planning effective, engaging instruction and appropriate assessments.

Justification Statement:

This artifact was created October 28^th of 2011 for an advanced theatre classroom in the high school level. I have had the opportunity to use the different assessments in this artifact during my field experience in an advanced theatre classroom, so I understand how effective each one is. The various assessments I have listed in this artifact will be used in my future classroom, should I be teaching the high school level. However, some of these assessments can be used for younger levels as well. This will be effective in my classroom because I know these assessments work. I have personally used these assessments in my lesson plans and teaching and know they work.

Learning Objectives	Assessment	Format of Assessment	Adaptations
Learning Objective #1: Students will become aware of their bodies as they warm up and employ stage movement.	Pre-Assessment Formative Assessment Post-Assessment	The pre-assessment will include a picture drawn on the board with a journal warm-up stating to label the different parts of the stage/theatre using what they already know about the stage. Using tape to mark different areas of the stage, the students will be asked to stand in the various areas of the stage using what they just learned to do this correctly. Students will complete a worksheet individually with the same picture after the parts of the stage have been labeled correctly by the instructor, and the activity has been completed.	For ELL, a word bank would be provided on the board to assist in writing down the information with the picture in their journal. They will be placed in groups of 3-4, and every student will be required to participate in at least one round of this activity. If the student was absent the day the initial lesson was taught, other students could assist in teaching them the information, as well as the instructor giving them a handout to help them understand.
Learning Objective #2: Students will be able to demonstrate effective voice and diction techniques to create believable characters.	Pre-Assessment Formative Assessment Post-Assessment	In their journals, they would be required to write about a voice they’ve heard in movies or real life that was interesting and unique and then share what that voice sounded like to the class. An improvisational activity called left-right-switch would be played to give the students an opportunity to utilize different character voices The students will perform a scene where they have to play two characters with two very different character voices.	None will be made for the pre-assessment. This game is played in a large group of 7-8 students, but can be played in even larger groups or smaller. The students will be assessed more on their character voices than their body movement.
Learning Objective #3 : Students will be able to analyze, develop, and create believable characters through improvisation and written scripts	Pre-Assessment Formative Assessment Post-Assessment	The students will write in their journals discussing a person in their life that has an interesting walk The activity is called “Walk-the-walk”, where the students have to pretend to walk in different scenarios An improvised performance of a scenario given by the instructor, with emphasis on character walks.	None will be made for the pre-assessment. All of the students will perform at one time, so they will be able to focus on their own walks without worrying about other students’ criticisms. Students will be paired up and given an index card with a scenario written on it.

Summary of Pre and Post Assessment:

The pre-assessment for learning objectives one, two, and three are all warm-up questions written on the board for the students’ journal entries. Objective one has a picture to go along with the warm-up question. The picture is an aerial view of the stage with the audience section labeled, with nine boxes on the stage section with lines as fill in the blanks. The nine areas of the stage to be labeled include: center stage, upstage, downstage, right stage, left stage, up right stage, up left stage, down right stage, and down left stage. The students will work individually on all journal entries. These are counted as a 10 point daily completion grade. The warm-ups for objectives two and three are based on personal reflection and act as a reference for the upcoming activities.

The post assessment for objective one will be quiz over the areas of the stage, with a similar aerial view of the stage with the different blank boxes to be filled in. This quiz will test the students and their understanding of the stage areas and the perspective needed to figure out which way is stage right or stage left. This quiz will not have a word bank. The terms are very simple and easily recognizable. The post assessments for objectives two and three will be major grades based on the students’ performances and their commitment to their character’s movement and/or voices. The students will be paired together for their performances. The instructor will give each group an index card with a written scenario, and the students will have the rest of the class time to discuss with their partner their characters and their movement and/or character voices. The performances would occur the next day. The students would be graded on commitment to character, believability, composure (not laughing during the middle of the performance), as well as interaction with the other characters. The grade will be based on a 100 point scale, with each category listed above worth 25 points. The total number of points would be the final grade for that assignment for the individual student. This assignment will not be a group grade.

Summary of Formative Assessments:

Learning objective one’s formative assessment is a participation grade and is used to assess the individual student’s ability to physically stand in the correct stage area. The floor of the classroom would be taped off into nine boxes, or a tic-tac-toe pattern. The audience would be addressed as the location of the students chairs in relation to the boxes on the floor. The students would get into groups of three or four and stand on the taped off stage. The instructor would tell the students the stand in center stage, and then move to different areas of the stage. By doing this, the instructor will be able to tell who understands the information and who does not. After everyone in the class has gone at least once, the instructor will call on those students who were struggling before, though it will seem like they were picked at random from their perspective. Without the stronger students to lean on, they will have to use their brain and figure out the different areas of the stage. The activity will be played until every student understands. If many of the students are struggling, a review of the information will be given as further support. This activity will address the tactile learners, as well as the visual and auditory learners. The students will be given a daily participation grade of ten points if they actively participate in the activity. Learning objective two’s formative assessment is a game called “left-right-switch”. The students, in a group of eight or more, will stand in a circle facing outwards. Every two students will be given a job title or scenario of some sort to act out between those two students. When the wheel is turned to the right or the left, the students must then start acting out the scene that was given to them with the person standing on the other side of them, thus requiring a commitment to a change in character voices. This game is a daily grade based on active participation. It is merely a fun way of getting the students to participate in class without feeling the pressure of a major grade or other students’ criticism. Learning objective three’s formative assessment is a game called “walk-the-walk”. The entire class participates in this activity together, so the students can focus easier on what they’re doing, rather than worrying about the criticisms of other students watching them. The students are asked to walk around the room in their normal walk, but then the teacher gives them different scenarios to walk in, such as walking on the moon, in a room filled with bubble gum, or through a dark alley. The students are graded based on how much they participate in this activity. This activity addresses tactile learners, visual learners, as well as auditory learners.

Competency 003

The teacher understands procedures for designing effective and coherent instruction and assessment based on appropriate learning goals and objectives.

Title of Assignment: Learning Objectives

Name: Katy Wood Date: October 21^st, 2011

q Competency 003 – The teacher understands procedures for designing effective and coherent instruction and assessment based on appropriate learning goals and objectives.

Justification Statement:

I understand procedures for designing effective and coherent instruction and assessment based on appropriate learning goals and objectives because I have written out learning objectives for a unit in my classroom. I have thought out effective instruction through contemplating the various learning styles and adapting my instruction to meet the needs of many, if not all, of the different learning styles. The learning goals I have written are appropriate for theatre II, and I have taken the time to brainstorm various forms of assessment to allow for the learning goals to be met.

Learning Objectives

Learning Objective 1: Students will be able to analyze, develop, and create believable characters through improvisation and written scripts.

Justification: This objective is based on all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. In order for students to create believable characters, they must first be able to analyze and develop a character before creating it. But before that, they must understand what a character is. This objective will go through all levels of the taxonomy, keeping auditory learners engaged through teacher explanation and lecture. The visual learners will grasp their understanding through watching the teacher and other students give physical examples of how different characters might move and act. The students will also be placed in small groups to accommodate the kinesthetic learners, where the students will be working together to perform a scene. Working in groups will also help the interpersonal learners who learn best through interaction with other students. This objective is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Theatre, Level II (2) Creative expression/performance. The student interprets characters, using the voice and body expressively, and creates dramatizations. The student is expected to: (B) analyze characters from various genres and (C) create and sustain believable characters.

Learning Objective 2: Students will become aware of their bodies and voices as they warm up and employ stage movement.

Justification: This objective is based on the first three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy; remembering, understanding and applying. This objective should be taught and practiced well before any other type of creative expression can occur. This objective will engage all types of learners. The auditory learners will learn the information regarding the areas of the stage, how to project their voice…etc. by teacher lecture. The visual learners will understand through pictures on the board, as well as watching other students stand on the proper places of the stage. The physical learners will learn the best by actually going onto a stage and moving throughout the stage, as well as speaking on stage. By learning these basic skills, the students will be able to continue in their creativity. This objective is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Theatre, Level II (1) Perception. The student develops concepts about self, human relationships, and the environment. The student is expected to: (B) employ stage movement and pantomime consistently; (C) demonstrate effective voice and diction.

Competency 002

The teacher understands student diversity and knows how to plan learning experiences and design assessments that are responsive to differences among students and that promote all students' learning.

Developmental Brochure

Justification for brochure:

I created this artifact on February 12^th, 2010. This brochure was written for high school art teachers to inform them of their students’ developmental characteristics and how to apply that understanding in the classroom. I will definitely apply what I have learned about high school students’ emotional and social development to the classroom. I believe this artifact will help me in the classroom because I feel that understanding emotionally how my students are affected will help me become more aware of their behavior and responses to my teaching, thereby providing me more opportunities to reflect on my teaching and how to better improve it.

Click here to view the brochure.

Competency 001

The teacher understands human developmental processes and applies this knowledge to plan instruction and ongoing assessment that motivate students and are responsive to their developmental characteristics and needs.

Justification for My Life Paper

I composed this essay on April 12^th, 2010. This paper was written for educators who teach all age levels to inform them of the different techniques addressed by Vygotsky in his theories, especially the scaffolding technique. I will definitely use the scaffolding technique in my future teaching because I believe students appreciate their teachers more and have a greater sense of achievement when this technique is used. I believe this will help me in the future because by recognizing how important it is for teachers to support and encourage their students, I can assist more effectively when they are learning new and challenging ideas.

My Life

The theory I chose to summarize is the work of Lev Vygotsky and his ideas about cognitive development, as well as the major forces that shape thinking and learning. I chose this theorist because I can relate much of his work to my own personal life. I find the information useful when it comes to my future individual teaching style.

Vygotsky’s work includes three major themes. The first major theme includes how one’s culture affects their cognitive development. He states that the parents, as well as schools shape the students’ thought processes to reflect their particular culture and its values. Even when the individuals are alone, how they think and act is a result of cultural values and practices. He uses the term “psychological tools” to describe the procedures and cognitive devices with which we communicate and explore our surrounding world. A few examples of these tools include speech, writing, gestures, and numbers. These both change and aid our mental functioning (Snowman et al., 2009).

A second major theme is how social interaction affects cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that social interaction was the primary cause of cognitive development. He believed that children gained significantly from those that are more intellectually advanced, such as peers, older children, or adults. In order for these social interactions to advance a child’s cognitive development, they have to contain a process called mediation. Mediation occurs when a more knowledgeable person interprets the behavior of a child and helps to transform it into a symbolic gesture or representation that means the same thing (Snowman et al., 2009).

The third major theme is how instruction affects cognitive development. He draws a distinction between the types of information pre-school aged children learn and children who attend school learn. The first type, spontaneous concepts, is where children learn various facts and concepts and rules. The second type, called scientific concepts, are the psychological tools that allow us to manipulate our environment consciously and systematically. The only way children can use these tools properly is if instruction in the classroom is appropriately designed. This is where the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is involved. Vygotsky referred to this as “the difference between what a child can do on his own and what can be accomplished with some assistance (50).” When the teacher assists students in answering difficult questions by giving hints or asking leading questions, it is a technique called scaffolding. This is used to help students acquire knowledge and skills they would not have learned on their own (Snowman et al., 2009).

This theory relates to my life in various ways. In regards to the first major theme, how culture affects development, I began to understand the differences in culture when I moved off to college. I moved from a small town, under 6,000 people, to the middle of Houston. The values that were prevalent in my hometown were not appreciated in the big city. For example, in a smaller town, it would be considered the norm to act friendly towards everyone, yet in Houston, the attitude is much different. People are not quite as friendly, especially at night. Being friendly towards strangers is handled with caution, since the crime rate is higher in larger cities. This was just one example of a transition that altered and molded my way of thinking.

In regards to the second major theme, about social interaction, I found myself connecting and learning more from adults, such as my parents. Before my sister was born, I was the only child, so it was only natural for me to interact with just adults. Even to this day, I try to surround myself with friends and colleagues who are more advanced at a particular subject than I am.

In regards to the third major theme, instruction, the experiences I have had are mainly negative. For example, my voice teacher my freshman year of college had a negative impact on me with her teaching. I came to college a beginner in the voice department, yet she would teach me as if I were a graduate student. She would teach me concepts and ideas that were way over my head. It was not as though I did not like a challenge; it was the fact that I never received any confirmation from her whatsoever. She would teach me something and never tell me if I was performing it correctly. Any feedback I did receive from her was mostly negative and not constructive. The whole experience was detrimental for me. Recently, I have only experienced one professor who has challenged me in my Zone of Proximal Development. This professor teaches classes that require building or creating different things. She was my costume construction professor, and she is currently my stage makeup professor. These topics involve activities I could not have done on my own, but with her assistance, I performed very well in these classes.

Vygotsky’s theory has helped me understand development by realizing how important my roles, not only as a teacher, but as a more intellectual individual impacts students’ growth while they are in school maturing and developing into adults. As a teacher, my students will be looking up to me, and it is my responsibility to foster and support their learning. I believe that I can become a better teacher just by recognizing how important it is for educators to support and encourage their students while they are learning new and challenging ideas. My biggest philosophy of education has always been that educators need to have at least three ways of teaching the same topic, but after studying Vygotsky and his theories, I have come to the conclusion that it is more important for the students to gain a sense of accomplishment than to just learn the material itself. When using the scaffolding technique, I believe students appreciate their teachers more because they have a greater sense of achievement. Being a part of the overall success of my students is one of the sole reasons I have chosen to become a teacher.

References

Snowman J. and Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching, 12^th ed. New York:

Houghton Mifflin Company, 47-49