Jessica Boyle

ED 338
LESSON 3 SELF-ASSESSMENT
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates
the effect of his or her choices and action on pupils, parents,
professionals in the learning community and others, and who
actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
An important component of effective teaching is the ability to accurately selfassess after each lesson. In ED 338 you will be self-assessing using the
framework of the five Alverno Education Abilities and the Wisconsin
Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure. After teaching each
lesson, review the questions in each category before writing a summary
response for the category.
Planning and Preparation (AEA Coordination, Conceptualization/WI
Teacher Standards 1, 7, 8/Disposition: Respect)
How did advance preparation (or lack of it) contribute to the success of the
lesson?
How comfortable were you with the work you put in ahead of time,
including the extent of your own knowledge base and understanding the
prior knowledge that the students possessed?
How well did you have materials ready and accessible for your use and for
the childrens use?
How did your classroom profile knowledge contribute to your lesson
design?
Looking back at my lesson, I think that I was very prepared going into it. I
think that I came into my lesson with a very solid lesson plan that included
little notes of that would allow me to change things up to better
accommodate the students if I saw a need for a change. I also consulted
with my CT before, during, and after the lesson plan making process. Before
sitting down to write my lesson, I talked with my CT about what her thoughts
were about my ideas and if she had any suggestions. While I was writing my
plan, I was in contact with her through email. I emailed her a rough draft of
my lesson as well as a few questions I had for her. When I was done I also
sent her a copy of my plan to get her thoughts on what I had planned. By
discussing my plan with my CT I was able to learn about her students prior
knowledge and how to incorporate that information into the lesson. Also, on
the day of my lesson my CT and I were going over the details one last time.
During this conversation, we decided that one last change needed to be
made. We decided that instead of planning on possibly playing the song I

found during the lesson, I would play it during snack time, which they had
before my lesson. I was originally not sure if I would play it during the lesson
because I was not sure if the added time for the song would be too much
time for the students to be sitting. When it came time to give my lesson, I
had all of my materials ready. I had the SMARTBOARD files up and ready to
use. Having my materials ready and with in reach, I was able to keep the
students engaged as I made a transition from reading a book to working on
the SMARTBOARD.
Classroom Environment (AEA Communication, Integrative
Interaction/WI Teacher Standards 5, 6/Dispositions: Respect,
Responsibility, Collaboration)
How could you tell the students respected you and were happy to work
with you and each other?
How did you show your enthusiasm and try to build rapport with the
students?
I believe that the students in my field classroom were very happy to work
with me for my lesson. One reason why I say this is because when I was
done with my lesson they all started clapping! Another reason is because
now that I have done a couple of lessons, a couple of the students will
repeatedly ask if I am going to do a lesson with them each time I come to
their class. When I tell them no, I usually get the response of awwwww
and why not? When I asked this and get these responses, I feel that the
students like what I have been doing with them, and they want me to
continue. I believe that the students are so open to having me come in and
work with them due to my actions and attitude in their classroom. Ever
since my very first visit, I have made a point to try and get around to talk
with all of the students, every time I visit their class. By doing this, I feel that
I have developed a relationship with the students that makes them feel safe
to learn while I am teaching.
Instruction (AEA Conceptualization, Coordination, Diagnosis,
Communication, Integrative Interaction/ WI Teacher Standards
2,3,4,8/ Dispositions: Respect, Communication)
How well did you help the students get ready to learn?
How clear were you in setting expectations for learning?
How accurate were the assumptions you had before the lesson?
How well did the materials you used meet the needs of the children?
How well did you apply specific instructional strategies to meet the needs
of diverse learners?

I believe that I set the students up very well to get ready to learn. Before I
started teaching, I gave clear expectations and examples of how I wanted
them to behave. When making my lesson plan I made sure to include these
expectations. I believe that the behavior assumptions I made before giving
the lesson were pretty accurate. I knew going into my lesson that it was
going to be hard to keep the students for the amount of time I was planning
to use. I knew that I was going to have to keep things moving during my
lesson if I wanted to keep all students engaged. After giving my lesson, I
would say that my assumption was pretty accurate. During my lesson I
realized that I was starting to loose some of the students and had to pick up
the pace.
In order to meet the needs of the students, I modeled what I wanted them
to do. I did this when filling out the KWL chart, and while I was reading.
During these two times, I modeled my thinking. This helped the students to
see exactly what I was asking them to do and think about.
Assessment (AEA Diagnosis/Integrative Interaction/WI Teacher
Standards 1,2,3,7,8,9/Disposition: Collaboration)
What questions did you ask that facilitated the development of content
understanding and critical thinking?
What indicated that the lesson was developmentally appropriate for
children in the group?
Which children achieved which objectives? How do you know?
What might be included to strengthen the childrens learning?
During my lesson I asked the students to identify what they knew before I
read the book and after. I believe that this helped the students to see how
their learning progressed. I was able to make this lesson developmentally
appropriate by making it a group activity. By making it a group activity the
students who needed more time to process the information or just listen
were accommodated because they were not required to answer questions.
Instead, these learners were able to sit and listen to the thinking that their
peers and myself had. It wasnt till the end that I asked all students to
participate when going through the stages of development. The students
that understood the material right away were accommodated because these
students could actively participate by raising their hand to answer questions.
I believe that I achieved the objective. I think this because at the very end
when I asked the students to verbalize the stage the pumpkin was in as I
pointed to pictures, it seemed that a majority of the students were correctly
identifying the stage. One thing that I think could have improved the
students learning is if the lesson could have been broken up into shorter

segments with different activities in between. As stated earlier, this lesson

required a lot of time on the carpet. If this lesson would have been broken
up I think the students would have been more engaged.
Professional Responsibilities (AEA Diagnosis, Integrative
Interaction/ WI Teacher Standards 9,10/ Disposition: Responsibility,
Reflection, Collaboration)
How would you describe your relationship with your cooperating teacher,
other adults in the building and parents or caregivers?
What have you learned about collaborating with others and considering
their perspectives?
How well have you projected yourself as a professional, in dress,
demeanor, and actions?
Which Alverno Education Abilities will you focus on in the future to further
your growth in the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and
Licensure, and why?
I believe that I have a great relationship with my CT and other adults in the
building. Through my time in this field, I have learned the importance of
collaboration. As I have been planning my lessons, I have found that my CT
has been able to give me many great suggestions and ideas that I have been
able to incorporate into my lessons. For example, as stated above, my CT
gave me the idea of playing the video during snack time instead of during
the lesson. I also believe that I have dressed and acted appropriately while
in my filed setting.