Standard #4: Content Knowledge

 The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.

The artifact that connects to Standard 4 is the guided response questions for unit 1- curriculum. This artifact answered questions about priority standards, units of study, unpacking standards, big ideas and essential questions. These answers allow us to get a better understanding of how teaching in the classroom works. It gives us an insight on how to pick priority standards and unpack them. It also allowed us to see how to construct a curriculum and design units of study within the curriculum using a pacing guide and curriculum map. This artifact connects to standard four because it teaches teachers how to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encourage positive social interaction, and active engagement in learning and self motivation. Teachers are the best people to be involved when designing units of study within a curriculum because when all teachers collaborate together they are able to decide which priority standards are being taught within the curriculum in every classroom. This allows students to have a positive learning experience because they are able to be prepared for the next grade level when all teachers teach the same lesson and the standards align within each grade level. A curriculum map and a pacing guide are important to incorporate within the classroom in order to encourage collaborative learning. Both these tools allow students and teachers to be on the same page about what materials are being taught in the classroom. Unpacking standards with students also supports standard four. When unpacking standards with students, the teacher is able to create a learning environment that supports individual and collaborative learning. Teachers and other students are able to work together to understand what topics they will be learning. Individually students will be able to master these standards in order to continue to grow as a student. Setting goals for the students allows the students to have active engagement and self motivation. When students know the end goal, they are more likely to be motivated to work towards that goal. 

This artifact expands my pedagogical knowledge and will improve my future practice as an educator. This assignment allowed me to understand how important it is to identify the priority standards with other colleagues and with students in order to give them the best education. This will improve my future practice as an educator because it allows me to gain knowledge on how to unpack standards and create a learning progression with the unpacked standards. In the classroom, I will make sure that the students have an understanding of the materials and standards that they need to learn using SWABT and I can statements while distributing the standards to them throughout different units of study. This artifact helped me understand that it is important to teach the priority standards throughout different units of study in order for them to fully grasp the concepts of each standard. In my future practice as an educator, I will use both curriculum maps and pacing guides. Both of these tools are important to incorporate within the classroom in order to make it clear to all educators what is going to be taught throughout the school year. This artifact has also helped me learn the importance of big ideas and essential questions. In my future classroom, I will use big ideas and essential questions in order to engage my students in new learning topics.

The artifact that connects to standard four is my interactive fieldwork journal for reading methods. This artifact shows that the teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. This artifact allows us to gain a better understanding of how reading methods are used within a first grade classroom. This artifact shows that within the classroom the teacher works with learners to create an environment that supports individual and collaborative learning. The teacher uses testing and other data in order to support each student and provide them with instruction that will help them succeed in the reading block. Within the reading block, the teachers use centers, small group, and whole group teaching to support individual and collaborative learning. Students are able to do individual reading and small group reading within their centers. Within the reading block, the teacher also uses songs and white boards with all students to engage them in collaborative learning. Using these different methods in the classroom encourages students to be self motivated. The interactive journal demonstrates ways that whole group and centers encourage students to have positive social interactions, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. The students within the classroom are excited to learn, read, and pick out new books which demonstrates how the teacher encourages self motivation and active engagement.

This artifact expands my pedagogical knowledge and will improve my future practices as an educator. This interactive fieldwork journal and fieldwork placement has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how teachers can work with their learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning. This journal has allowed me to fully observe and understand how data and other testing is collected and used in the classroom in order to support learners. I have also gained knowledge about how to use small group teaching, whole group teaching, and centers in order to support individual and collaborative learning. As a future teacher, I will ensure to use the practices I have learned about teaching a reading block and classroom management in order to encourage positive social interactions, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. This artifact has helped me expand my pedagogical knowledge when it comes to teaching a reading block that will support and meet the needs of all students.

The artifact that connects to standard four is my writing portrait. This artifact shows that the teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. This artifact allows teachers to create a writing environment that meets the needs of all students. This artifact allowed me to gain a better understanding on how a writing workshop would be set up. I was able to dig deeper into the writing curriculum and design a writing atmosphere and workshop that will help support students learning. The teacher uses different writing assignments and assessments in order to create a learning environment that engages students. Within the writing workshop, students are able to work independently, work with the teacher/other students, and in small/whole groups. Students will feel self motivated because they are able to create their own writing pieces and share them with the class during the sharing portion of writers workshops. This artifact shows that the teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning because it demonstrates different ways to differentiate and scaffold writing in order to meet the needs of all students during a writing block.

This artifact expands my pedagogical knowledge and will improve my future practices as an educator. This writing portrait artifact has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how teachers can work with learners to create a writing workshop environment that supports individual and collaborative learning. This artifact has allowed me to better understand how the writing block can be set up in the classroom. Creating a writing block that meets the needs of all students is important in order to keep the students engaged. Students are able to work individually and collaborative during writers workshop. Writing conferences, sharing, and interactive read alouds/mini lessons motivate learners to become better writers. As a future teacher, I will ensure to use the practices I have learned about designing a writing block in order to encourage individual and collaborative learning, positive social interactions, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. This artifact has helped me expand my pedagogical knowledge when it comes to content knowledge during a writing block.