O – Offer an organized and challenging curriculum.
To demonstrate a positive impact on student learning, teacher-candidates…
O2 – Offer appropriate challenge in the content area.
Teacher-candidates plan and/or adapt curricula that are standards driven so students develop understanding and problem-solving expertise in the content area(s) using reading, written and oral communication, and technology.
My Interpretations of O:
O2 – Teachers should design curriculum that assists students’ academic growth and understanding in specific content areas. These areas include reading, writing, verbal communication, and technology. Also, students should be challenged appropriately to meet and increase their academic levels of learning.
Presentation of Evidence with Description:
My evidence is a lesson plan called Working Together in Our Classroom Community. It focuses on the civics part of the Social Studies learning standards. Students will learn about what it means to be a community and they will go over the classroom community rules through class discussion, partner sharing, and coloring booklets. Based on the NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies), the purpose of teaching social studies is to help prepare the students to become well-informed and civic-minded citizens of this U.S. democracy. Through meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active teaching and learning of social studies, students will be ready to carry on the U.S.’s democratic traditions.
Justification:
I believe that teaching and learning social studies can become powerful when they are meaningful, active, value-based, integrative,and challenging. Meaningful social studies focus on developing in-depth understanding, and this can be done by active participation (sharing and listening to students’ personal experiences and learning). I will most likely develop my personal values as I implement basic human values to the students through class discussions and reasoning (i.e. talking about why rules are important to our classroom community). I also encourage students to integrate their social studies learning with other content areas; therefore, I have applied art to help students develop a more concrete understanding of the civic rules of a classroom community. Additionally, students will also face appropriate challenges, and this can seen through the development of motor skills; the majority of Kindergartners are still in the process of developing their motor skills, so drawing/writing can be challenging. In the end, students will produce their personal booklet that has images representing the given eight rules. When the pictures match the rule, then it is evident of student comprehension.
Summary of What was Learned:
I have learned that my students need explicit instruction every step of the way. Also, it is critical for the teacher to work side by side with the student.
Comment on the Implications for Student Learning:
Students will see and comprehend the importance of a working classroom community using the booklet. They can always go back for reference.
Next Step:
In order to increase the effectiveness of my evidence, my next step will be to give out more explicit direction because students need to understand clearly and feel comfortable with what they are supposed to do during their individual work time.
Reference
“A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy.” A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.
Rebecca Chung Portfolio 