This blog post is specifically geared for those who are currently, or aspiring to be, professional educators, in effort to remind us all that the learning phase of life, is never-ending. Through the recently developed edTPA standards and guidelines for effective teaching, we are clearly able to see that there is always opportunity to grow in knowledge and quality practice.
edTPA has been developed over a twenty-five year assessment of quality and effective teaching, essentially broken down into three simple processes. Detailed outlines and updated clarifications of edTPA are available here.
The first step in effective teaching, begins with planning. There is so much planning. I think back to my days in elementary school, where every moment was filled with excitement, and my teachers always seemed to be ready to handle anything out of the ordinary, and always with a smile. Until I began to develop my own lesson plans, I had little understanding of how intensive creating quality learning experiences truly is. Planning an effective lesson, however, is much more complex than putting pen to paper, with the intent of doing activity X. Quality planning for effective teaching requires, not only consideration of curriculum, theme, and timeline, but requires consideration of the abilities of students, as well as the goals we want students to strive for. Thorough understanding of North Carolina's Standard Course of Study enables a teacher to be better prepared to develop lesson plans with students in mind. Though the NCSCOS prepares teachers for meeting curriculum standards, another important focus is the ability of students before teaching begins. This may seem daunting for educators, especially at the start of a new year, when we have little to go on, in terms of being familiar with our students. Effective teachers are able to adapt to this quickly, and moreso than ever with the edTPA process.
Before teaching itself is addressed, assessment must be discussed. Teachers who have been in the classrooms, and those who have yet to be, quickly learn that assessment happens at all times, in all ways. Everything from written records of behavior, to portfolios, to noticing "little Johnny" is unusually quiet today are forms of assessment. While I will not yet delve into formal and informal types of assessments, it is so very important to note that it is happening at all times. During the planning phase, teachers are assessing the level of difficulty and necessary adaptations for groups of students who may need extra practice and those who may have mastered the skill identified in the goal. Developmentally appropriate student learning goals for all ages, birth-kindergarten, are available in the NC FELD (North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development).
Teaching, is the third process of edTPA I will discuss, and is the reason we do what we do. I can't think of a single educator who chose to join this field to make lesson plans and running anecdotal logs. We want to teach, and by following the outlines of edTPA, we will be most effective at doing just that. Teaching must come after the planning phase, but in a way, is from then on accompanied by the assessment phase. Assessments can certainly be carried out as teaching takes place, giving the teacher cues about who is catching on to the lesson, and who is struggling to follow along. Teachers must adapt, as necessary, even while teaching so they many effectively meet the needs of students. Assessment occurs again after completion of teaching, and the teacher can then analyze assessment results, then determine if the lesson should be revisited or if students are ready to move on.
This image illustrates that these processes are not limited to any specific order, but rather, interconnect the processes, so they may work together to significantly improve both the effectiveness of teaching, but the effectiveness of learning. This does not surprise me, however, though I am thoroughly pleased with the mindfulness of this method and its conveyance of learning at all stages, as perpetual and entirely interconnected.
This is a brief summary of the edTPA process, and will develop over time as more about the process is understood and shared among the education community. Research on edTPA and its connection to all of the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards, most specifically standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students, and standard V: Teachers reflect on their practice, demonstrates that quality and effective learning, come from quality and effective teaching practices. Taking this knowledge and interpretations of the connectivity of quality practice into classrooms of the future can only lead to more effective teaching practice and better prepared learners.
Before taking these courses I never before realized how much assessment was done in the classroom. In the past I also thought of assessment as a final test or project. Now that I know better I realize not only how important the smaller assessments are but how often they are performed throughout a lesson. Essentially, nearly every aspect of a lesson plan has some form of assessment in it to guide teachers on how their students are performing. Before taking these classes I often wondered how teachers were able to understand whether or not students understood the material before the final test was administered. By planning on what and where to assess students as you plan the lesson teachers have the ability to check throughout the lesson to ensure that everyone is on the same page and if they are not where additional information needs to be given.
ReplyDelete