Paula Lindley

EDR 318
Professor Manion
May 8, 2018

Final Self-Evaluation

DOMAIN 1: PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Although I do believe that I am proficient in some areas under this domain, I would still

rate myself as “basic.”

My knowledge of content and standards are definitely two areas that need to grow as I

step into the world of teaching. For my field experience this semester, I was placed in a

mathematics classroom. Just like any other school subject, content is extremely significant.

However, mathematics is an “ongoing” subject. This means that you need to understand previous

content in order to comprehend what is coming next. As a college student, sometimes you forget

the content you learned when you were in middle school or high school. Due to this, I did not

feel too comfortable explaining some topics that were covered in my field classroom because I

had not touched upon or reviewed those topics in five or more years.

On the other hand, I would rate my knowledge of students and knowledge of child

development as “proficient.” During my first few weeks in my field experience classroom, I

asked my mentor teacher questions about the ability and skill levels of each of his block classes,

which students were gifted or had IEP’s, which students had behavioral problems, etc. The

reason why I tried finding out as much background information as I could was because I believe

this is so important when approaching a student. Every time I was in my field classroom, I was

able to walk around the room and work one-on-one with any student who raised their hand and

needed help with a math problem. By hearing about the background information, I knew which

students actually needed more guidance and which students were not working to their full
potential simply because they did not feel like it on that specific day. Under the area of child

development, I have spent a lot of time learning about this in the college courses I have taken at

West Chester University. In addition, I also have a little sister who is in middle school. Due to

this, I feel confident in knowing how children at this age behave. Having said this, I felt like I

knew how the students in my field classroom acted both inside and outside of the classroom

environment.

The last area I want to touch upon in this domain is preparing developmentally

appropriate and engaging lessons, materials, assessments, etc. With the knowledge and help of

my mentor teacher, I was able to successfully do this. The two lessons that I got observed on

were both completely different, but very engaging to students. For my first lesson, I was able to

incorporate the school’s curriculum into it. For my second lesson, I gave students more

ownership in their learning by using technology.

With this being said, my goal for improving my knowledge of content and standards is to

study the curriculum weeks in advance before I have to actually teach it. Once I do this, I am

positive that I will feel prepared and eager to educate my students to the best of my ability. My

goal for knowledge of students and knowledge of child development is to further my education

in these topics by doing research on how a child develops as generations change.

DOMAIN 2: CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

As the semester progressed and I spent more time in my field classroom with students, I

would rate myself as “proficient” in this domain.

In my opinion, I was able to maintain a professional relationship with students. While

working one-on-one with students, I kept our conversations strictly on mathematics. Even though

students wanted to converse about non-school related topics at times, I redirected them to focus
on their work. In addition to this, I was respectful to all students as learners by demonstrating

behaviors such as communicating appropriate high expectations, motiving students, and holding

students accountable. During one particular day, my mentor teacher was absent and had assigned

students to work through a packet that would be graded. When second block came into the

classroom, I knew that it was going to be a little challenging for the substitute to get students to

do their work. Second block was chattier and some students in this block would demonstrate

behavioral problems. More specifically, there were four students who would always distract the

classroom from learning. Due to this, I decided to focus on one of those students. I approached

the student, who was not doing what they were supposed to be doing, and asked if she wanted to

work with me through the packet that was assigned. Even though the student would always show

no desire for completing assignments, she was happy that I reached out to her. We spent the

entire class time working through the packet together. This led me to believe that some students

really just want that one-on-one support. While I was working with this student, I set high

expectations for her and held her accountable for behaving appropriately and choosing to get

back on task.

I was able to effectively manage classroom procedures. I became very familiar with the

daily routine in my field classroom. On the days that there was more direct instruction done by

my mentor teacher, I would place myself near the students who were chattier. On the days that

there was more independent practice, I knew that my job for the day was to circulate around the

room and answer any questions that students may have.

Overall, my goal for this domain is to educate students on how to respect one another and

their learning. I want my students to realize that it is unfair to disrupt one’s learning simply

because they do not want to be there. Every student in the classroom matters. Due to this, I want
to set high expectations for my classroom environment and how students should behave while

learning.

DOMAIN 3: INSTRUCTION

Although there is still room for growth, I would rate myself as “proficient” under this

domain.

During the first lesson I taught, my directions were clear and students knew exactly what

to do during independent practice. The students portrayed a great understanding of the material I

taught and I was able to observe this when guided practice took place. To go along with this,

transitions between tasks went very smoothly because I was able to give clear instructions of

what was expected from students. This showed that I was able to communicate effectively with

students regarding expectations for learning, directions/procedures, and explanation of content.

During the time in my field experience classroom, I was also able to utilize a variety of

question types and discussion techniques. When students were working in their groups and they

would call me over for help, I had to come up with higher-level thinking questions instead of

giving them the answer right away. I wanted these questions to be meaningful. On the day my

first lesson took place, I had students do a matching vocabulary activity with the Smart Board. At

one point, I held a small discussion on whether students agreed or disagreed with the symbols

that were matched with the vocabulary terms. This provoked a small moment when a student

gave their opinion and another student gave a strategy to use based off what their classmate said.

When I wrote my lessons for my field classroom, I was able to provide differentiation as

students needed. For my higher-level students, I assigned more challenging work that would

promote thinking if they finished an activity quicker. For my lower-level students, I partnered

them with higher-level students in order to receive help from their classmates. In addition to this,
I came up with various modifications and accommodations that I would use if they were needed.

Due to the fact that I am a special education major as well, I feel comfortable differentiating for

my students.

My goal for this domain is to slow down when explaining instructions. Sometimes I rush

when I am speaking and it might become difficult for my students to understand what I am

saying. Additionally, I want to educate myself on learning higher-level discussion and

questioning techniques. I feel like you can never know enough in this area and having

meaningful discussions in a classroom is so important. Lastly, even though I do feel comfortable

differentiating, I want to make sure I am doing everything I can to maximize student growth and

academic success.

DOMAIN 4: PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

After giving some thought to the areas that go under this domain, I would rate myself as

“proficient.”

Throughout the entire time I was in my field classroom, I exhibited professional

demeanors. I always arrived right on time or a couple of minutes earlier. Additionally, I dressed

appropriately every day I was in field. I made sure I picked out my outfit the night before going

into field so that it was not a last minute decision. In addition, I always stayed for the expected

time and never left early. I have my log sheet to prove that I was there for the full three hours as

well. I also followed all of the school rules and procedures of both the school and classroom that

I was placed in. I followed the school’s sign-in and sign-out procedures, too.

I reflected on my teaching and thought of the changes I would have made if I could re-do

my lessons over. With the feedback of my mentor teacher and professor, I was able to reflect on
the areas that I need to work on. This can be seen in my lesson plans in the part where I wrote

my reflection on instruction.

In my perspective, my mentor teacher and I got along great. We talked about many topics

and even got to know each other as well. I believed I understood what he expected of me when I

was in his classroom and I always followed his lead. On the days that I was sick or had to come

in later in the day, I always sent him a message to let him know so there would be no

miscommunication between us. I hold a lot of respect for my mentor teacher because I have

learned so much from him.

I have a couple of goals for this domain. I would like to participate in a professional

community. It is so important to get involved in the school community that you are in because it

shows you are dedicated. Another goal under this domain would be to ask my peers for feedback

on lessons or any type of assignment really. It is good to remember that you can always receive

help from the people you know. In my opinion, feedback is a huge part in teaching. Having said

this, there is plenty of room for improvement and I know that with the right mindset, I will get

there one day.