Developing Your Personal GAME Plan

As a teacher just beginning her career, I believe the two indicators that I feel the least confident in falls under c. and d. in Standard 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. I have very little experience in developing/using assessments and differentiating learning to meet the needs of all students’ learning styles in a real-life setting. Yes I did this in my methods classes, but they were seldom put into action to see if they worked appropriately in the classroom.

GOAL:

ASSESSMENTS: I want to learn about different assessment tools and how to apply the right tool to the lesson designed. Along with that, I want to become stronger in creating effective rubrics that state exactly what is expected in terms the student will understand, is reflective of the whole process and not just the final product and allows for the student to conduct self-assessments as well as my assessment.
DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING: I want to develop my skills in creating lessons that allows students to customize/personalize their learning. I want to better learn to recognize different learning styles.

ACTION:

BOTH GOALS: I believe the best resource for me to learn will be from my mentor and by networking with veteran teachers. I need to be open for constructive criticisms and apply the suggestion received to classroom. I will also stay abreast of current trends in teaching by regularly reviewing educational journals and attending PD. Reflecting on what works and what needs to be done differently will be paramount to developing my skills in these areas.

MONITOR:

BOTH GOALS: Reflecting, reflecting, and more reflecting! Asking myself questions such as:
• Are the assessments I am using assessing the learning objectives? Could I have used something different to get a better picture of learning that took place?
• Do I need to try something different? Am I using the same types of assessment for lessons?
• Am I networking and apply suggestions?
• Are students engaged and motivated? What could be done differently? Am I being flexible?

EVALUATE:

BOTH GOALS: After reflecting it will be necessary to make the necessary changes and implement them. Without following through on this part, the reflections are meaningless. Continue to stay current by subscribing to educational journals and keeping updated, as well as actively participating in PD opportunities will help extend my learning. Most importantly I need to realize that experience is very much a factor in this process. Learn from things that don’t work and take pleasure in what does.

I know that I am sharing this class with many veteran teachers whom I would love to hear suggestions and words of wisdom about my goals. Please feel free to share your insight!