Intro

Table of Contents

Previous Standard

Next Standard

Standard Nine - Professional Commitment and Responsibility

          Individuals should never stop learning, and teachers continue to grow through their own reflective practices.  By monitoring their own practices, educators will be able to assess the effectiveness of their own teaching as well as be able to point out the flaws that can be fixed.  By keeping a reflective log, teachers can read over their experiences to observe their own thinking from a different perspective.  Also, we cannot reflect alone; thus by communicating with other educators, we can learn from one another what is working and what needs adjustment. This allows us to grow as a professional and to learn from our mistakes as we would like our own students to do.

            As educators, we can also reflect on our students’ behaviors and activities by using effective “Kidwatching” strategies.  By taking observation notes on our students, we are able to reflect on their practices to learn what strategies would be most effective when teaching them.  This knowledge also comes from a firm grasp of INTASC Standard Two.  Through the knowledge of human development and learning, an educator can learn from their own reflection.  This knowledge will help an educator to know their students and know what is best to help their development.

Rationale of Artifact One

Artifact One

            During this past semester, I have truly learned the importance of being a reflective practitioner while I was performing my internship.  During my past year, I have kept a daily log of what happened during my day in class, and what I could learn from those events to make tomorrow better.  I continued this log throughout the year and, to show my competency in this INTASC stand, I have placed a portion of my reflective journal on my Literature Circle unit as my artifact.

            When I reflected on that day’s lesson, I would usually state what happened and why. Then, I would reflect on what I did in the lesson and how I could make the lesson for the next day more effective from what I had learned.  Some days after I had written in my journal, I would come to the conclusion that I needed to teach the lesson over again because I did not feel that the class effectively mastered the skill. 

            Through this daily journal writing, I was able to reflect on my choices so as to allow myself the opportunity to grow as a individual as well as a professional. 

Rationale of Artifact Two

Artifact Two

            On the first day of our seminar class, Dr. Carnes said that we cannot reflect on our own, and I have taken this advice to heart.  During this past year, I have constantly been asking for assistance from my friends in the cohort, coaching teachers, and my university supervisor.  I have communicated with them through e-mails, and I have chosen an e-mail that I received from with my university supervisor as my artifact to show that I do actively reflect with help from others.

            The e-mail is a reply to a reflection log that I created for my university supervisor.  The reflection log shows that I do actively reflect on my practices, and my supervisor helped me in this reflection process by commenting on what she believed was effective.  She also has given me advice on how to handle other situations with parents, students and other professionals by ways of our e-mail conversations.

            This evidence shows that I am conscious of the effect of my actions on others.  By seeking assistance of another professional, I am growing in my knowledge and my professionalism.