Skyhawk Squawks

 Gardner (1983) Multiple Intelligence Theory Multiple Intelligences Theory (MI) contends that different people have different ways of thinking and processing. As a teacher, I recognize that there is not a single way for students to learn and need to provide a wide variety of visual, auditory, and tactile learning materials.  

 Research by Marzano (2011) suggests that teachers carefully plan and execute instructional strategies that engage students in cognitively complex tasks to stimulate a connection of real-world applications to help students make a link between instructional goals and personal goals. With this in mind, when designing this lesson, I incorporated Marzano’s strategies to appropriately use learning tasks that fit the needs of my students. My decision to begin the lesson with this activity was informed by Constructivist theory, which suggests that students should be given time to explore materials and make discoveries on their own.  The student groups were purposefully organized to have a variety of learning levels within each group. Research says that cooperative learning works better than many other types of learning (Pressley & McCormick, 2007). 

Accommodations provide different ways for students to take in information (the lesson) or communicate their knowledge back to you (the assessment). The changes basically don’t alter or lower the standards or expectations for a subject or test. Preferred seating in the front of the class for a child with attention issues is an example of an accommodation. Through the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, classroom accommodations may be formally developed. Here is the part where we struggle, "what if they don't have an IEP/504?".  You can make accommodations for students in your classes that you know need them. Accommodations also  offer a way for students with Learning Disabilities to demonstrate what they’ve learned . For example, a child with poor writing and spelling skills may use  assistive technology  – a tape recorder or computer – rather than struggle with pencil and paper to do her report about a famous person in history. ...

Create a time each day to work on edTPA.  The worst thing you can do for your sanity and your edTPA score is to wait until the last minute. 

This week's theorist is Benjamin Bloom.  You would recognize him for Bloom's Taxonomy. The authors of the revised taxonomy underscore this dynamism, using verbs and gerunds to label their categories and subcategories (rather than the nouns of the original taxonomy). These “action words” describe the cognitive processes by which thinkers encounter and work with knowledge: Remember Recognizing Recalling Understand Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining Apply Executing Implementing Analyze Differentiating Organizing Attributing Evaluate Checking Critiquing Create Generating Planning Producing In the revised taxonomy, knowledge is at the basis of these six cognitive processes, but its authors created a separate taxonomy of the types of knowledge used in cognition: Factual Knowledge Knowledge of terminology Knowledge of specific details and elements Conceptual Knowledge Knowledge of classifi...

Differentiation is key when developing effective lesson plans.  As you create your Context for Learning you will need to know your students and their abilities.  Just as you are not the same as your classmate, each student is not the same.   Task 2 prompts you to engage and challenge students, this is the why of why you need to differentiate.   Good teachers differentiate and edTPA wants to see good teaching in action.   Talk to your teacher about students with IEPs and 504s.  These plans are specific to each child and will tell you what modifications you need to make with these students.   Next, talk with your teacher about the students who struggle with literacy and other subjects that you will be teaching.   Now, think about the gifted learner in your classroom and how you might engage them in each lesson.   Finally, ask about ELL and personalities that might need to be considered when you are deve...