Domain 3: Instruction
3a: Communicating with Students
In a junior English class, reading the play Julius Caesar, I developed a curriculum where the students examined the similarities and differences of ancient Rome to modern America, and formed their own opinion as to what should be most important to a society. While doing so, I worried that the complexity of this assignment may be difficult to communicate to a group of squirrely seventeen-year-olds. So, in response, I developed a series of assignments with very clearly communicated instructions and expectations. I was very pleased with the results, and found that my communicated expectations required very minimal elaboration for students to be successful on the assignment.
When I first saw the end of course exam for my freshman English class, I was a little bit nervous. Many of the questions on the exam seemed to cover content that I couldn't find evidence of having been taught in the class previous to my entry. After some minimal investigation, my fears proved legitimate. One subject of particular student befuddlement was SOAPStone Analysis, a catchy way of examining peripheral concepts and inferences from a text. To bring this idea down a notch or two, I decided to do a couple of facetious SOAPStone Analyses on annoying pop songs. The kids loved it, and were instantly engaged. The artifact I have included is one of these SOAPSTone song analyses written by a student.
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
At our middle school jazz festival at NNU, tragedy struck. Our drummer was no longer able to perform. I don't know if you've ever heard an energetic jazz chart with no drum set, but it's not a pretty thing. In our attempts to mop up the mess, my lead teacher and I found a former Vallivue student who was willing to play with us. He was, however, unwilling to play the song at the pace we were used to playing it. This video of me conducting this song shows my ability to respond to the unexpected, and adjust my conducting routine, even in the middle of a high-stakes performance. Throughout the video I am constantly adjusting my position on stage, responding to and anticipating weaker student entrances. I believe it exemplifies the flexibility I always take with me into any teaching environment.