TPE 3: Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning
Understanding and organizing subject matter for student learning includes: demonstrating knowledge of subject matter, using student interests and learning goals to organize curriculum, plan and monitor instruction, plan for effective subject matter instruction, differentiate instruction, and use a wide range of resources and technology (CTC, 2016).
Artifact 1: Student Interests
To meet the needs of my students, I have to learn about my students’ interest, readiness, and learning profile. In the start of the year, I have students create a “quilt” of their interests. Students share their quilts to one another and then we combine the individual quilts to make one large classroom quilt. Learning about my students’ interests allows me to differentiate instruction to meet my students’ individual needs. Students also get to learn about each other’s interests creating a strong classroom community. I got the “quilt” idea from a 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Weill, whom I used to aide for at Montecito Union School.
According to Tomlinson (2001), “among goals of interest-based instruction are (1) helping students realize that there is a match between school and their own desires to learn, (2) demonstrating the connectedness between all learning, (3) using skills or ideas familiar to students as a bridge to ideas or skills less familiar to them, and (4) enhancing student motivation to learn” (p. 53). When students view topics through the lens of their own interests, then all four above goals can be reached helping students link and engage to curriculum.
References:
CTC. (2016, June). California Teaching Performance Expectations. CTC website: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2016.pdf
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. (2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Artifact 2: Using Technology to Create Proactive Learners that can Self-Assess
I believe the best skill I can give my students is the ability to be proactive learners that can assess themselves. I provide opportunities throughout the school year to help teach my students how to be proactive. The artifact below is a Symbaloo webpage that I made as an example. Symbaloo is an organizational system where students can organize web links in a personalized virtual desktop. Through the year, I have my students save important sites that I provide or they find. They must organize the site as they best see fit to meet their own learning goals. By providing Symbaloo, I am showing my students one way to organize and self-assess their own learning.
Artifact 3: Summer Reading List
In the Summer, once I have received my new classroom for the upcoming year, I like to send out a Summer Reading List to parents and students. This helps connect me with parents and students early, allowing me to open early communication and begin organization of my students. In the below artifact, I provide my 5/6th grade students with many reading options with visual representations. This artifacts gives the parents and students an impression of my commitment to them and exemplifies my pedological knowledge. To view my Summer Reading List, please click the button below which will download it. (It is a safe download.)
