Standard V: Reflection and Self-Evaluation

Desert Model 1:
I used culturally responsive curriculum and multicultural
education in all of my lessons. By doing this I was able to help all of my
students, including my ELL and IEP students. I used many visuals and I
modeled everything we did. Every time we filled out a graphic
organizer or created a project, I modeled what we were doing. When I
taught the lesson about puns and they did a skit to depict the pun they
had been given, I filmed myself doing a short skit with my kids to
model what I wanted the skit to look like. Figurative Language is a hard
concept for ELL students to understand. They have a hard time
connecting the idea of figurative language to their first language. They
also have a hard time understanding that when using figurative
language, the statement or phrase does not literally mean what it says.
Since my ELL students seemed to struggle so much with these
concepts, I decided to get help from someone who speaks Spanish. My
dad speaks fluent Spanish and he helped me by finding puns that are
said and are funny in Spanish. I typed them up and had one of my
Spanish-speaking students read it to the other ELL students (all of my
ELL students speak Spanish in this class.) They thought the puns were
very funny and even stated that they had heard one of them before. I
then explained to them that the idea of a pun saying one thing but

meaning something different in a funny way is exactly how puns are in

English. We then went over several English puns and explained their
meanings. By doing this they were able to start making connections
between what they understood about puns in Spanish and transferring
their knowledge into English. Through visuals, models, and examples I
was able to teach my students in a culturally responsive manner.
Desert Model 2:
The classroom I am completing my student teaching in does not
have a lot of technology. The classroom does not have any kind of
interactive board. In our classroom we have an ELMO, computer, and
eight chrome books. For my unit I did the best I could with the
technology I was provided. I used the ELMO in every single lesson I
taught. I used the ELMO to model and demonstrate how we would be
writing or filling out graphic organizers. I created a PowerPoint (see
appendix B) that carried throughout my entire unit. The PowerPoint
was used for introduction to vocabulary words, as well as many videos
we watched as a class, and the skit example I filmed with my kids. I
also had the honors students looking up examples of different
figurative language phrases on the chrome books in the beginning of
class while my other students were doing their bell work. If I teach this
unit again I hope to have more technology to work with, but I feel I did
very well with what I was provided.
Desert Model 3:

I felt very confident about the subject matter I was teaching. I

already had a basic understanding of the five figures of speech I was
teaching. I also did some reading up on the internet to make sure that I
was using the correct phrasing and speech when teaching the students
about these figures of speech. Once I had the lesson plans written and
had my thinking and plans on paper, I was very comfortable with the
subject matter I was teaching and how I was teaching it. My confidence
showed in the teaching of my unit, because I had not problems
carrying out the lesson I had written.
Desert Model 4:
The greatest thing about my student teaching classroom is the
amazing classroom management that has already been put in place
and established by my mentor teacher. The students are well trained
on procedures and expectations. When I started my student teaching
and also throughout the unit, I did add my own personal touches as
well. Everyday when the bell rings I greet the students at the door. I
ask them questions, say good morning, and talk to them as they come
through the door. I am respectful toward the students and I expect
respect in return. When there are issues or problems, I will pull them
aside and talk to them in private so that we can come up with a
solution to the problem together. During this unit there was a lot of
group work and sharing with the class. Before we started sharing work
with each other, I had an open discussion with the class regarding what

it means to be respectful. We talked about listening while others are

presenting, about giving good feedback, and about everybody
participating in the activities. Through discussion, practice, and followthrough I was able to maintain the physically and emotionally safe
classroom environment.
The classroom management plan in place in this classroom is
pulling cards. Every Monday the students start out on green. If they
become distracted, talk during lessons, interrupt learning, or get off
task we turn their cards. Their cards can be turned from green, to
yellow, to blue, and then to red. Once the card is pulled to red the
parents get an email and sometimes a phone call depending on the
severity of the issues taking place in class. Usually there are not many
issues in my class. As well as turning cards, I also use a lot of proximity
control and time warnings as we are completing tasks. These two
things help to minimize distractions and misbehavior. There are many
procedures in place that happen every day, but for this specific unit I
used the transition time procedure very often. Whenever we are
transitioning from one activity to the next, I count down by ten as I
encourage students to hurry and accomplish what needs to be done.
Usually I count a little slow, so I would say transition times are usually
around twenty seconds. I feel that during my unit the transition times
were very good and it helped us to maximize instructional time. Using
proximity control was also very effective during this unit. As the

students were working, I constantly moved around the room listening

and observing what they were doing. By always keeping a close
proximity to all of the students at one point or another, I was able to
help keep the students on task and moving. Pulling cards works well for
some students but not for others. I think the most ineffective part of
the classroom management plan during this unit was not having any
positive reinforcement plans set up or not allowing a student to
redeem themselves. Since my unit was taught I have worked out
positive reinforcement plans with some of the students in need of one.
Throughout the procedures, classroom management plan, and
implementation of classroom management, I was able to maintain a
physically and emotionally safe classroom environment.
Desert Model 5:
The data I have gathered has greatly helped me to evaluate the
outcomes of teaching and student learning. By gathering data, I was
able to determine which students needed more help and which ones
understood the concepts. I was also able to see the area in which I
could have taught a little better or even taught with more exposures to
the figure of speech. I was really able to do this as I was looking at the
data from the three target students that I had chosen to focus on
during this unit. I can see from student number ones formative
assessments (see appendix C) that he is answering questions correctly
for the most part, but there are a few misunderstandings here and

their. When I combined the data I had gathered and put it with the
observations I had made while this student discussed and worked in
groups, I was able to determine that he needed more help and
exposures. This in turn caused me to pull him back with the group in
the mornings that needed a little more discussion and work. On the
other hand, as I am looking at student number nines formative
assessments (see appendix C), I am able to see that she completely
understands the content being taught and, if anything, she could use
some extensions to help her broaden her understanding of figurative
language. Another way in which the data has assisted me is by helping
me to evaluate my own teaching. As I was looking at the data on
questions answered correctly by students, I noticed on both the preand post-assessment that question number ten (regarding
personification) had the most frequently missed answer. This made me
think that it could be one of two things or maybe even both. It could be
the way the question and possible answers were worded, making it
more confusing to choose the right answer. Another possibility is that it
was the way I taught personification. Maybe I was not explicit enough
in my lesson delivery, or perhaps I needed to provide more exposures
to the content, or maybe I needed to approach the content from a
different angle. Either way, by looking at the data, I can self-reflect
upon my teaching strategies and what I could have done to improve.
Looking at data has been very useful to me and has helped me to

discover my students knowledge as well as reflect upon my own

teaching. I feel that data is the best way to determine teacher and
student success. I am a strong advocate of keeping data and
examining it often. I plan to continue to grow and to learn from the
data I gather in my classroom.
Desert Model 6:
As I have been completing my student teaching and my unit
plan, I have learned much and have grown in many personal ways. The
biggest thing I have learned is classroom management. I can
remember when I began my student teaching I just wanted the
students to like me. I soon realized through experience however, that
you cannot be your students friend and run an organized classroom.
During my unit, I really worked with my students on my expectations
and procedures. I found that the students actually enjoyed the
classroom more when I stuck to the structure they were used to and
followed through with the management plan set in place. I have
learned the huge lesson of managing a classroom with love and
discipline. The classroom is structured, all the students know what they
are supposed to be doing and what is expected of them, and they
know they are loved and cared for. Another big lesson I learned was
that I needed to complete the tasks I was asking them to do myself to
help with my own thinking. The best example took place during the
personification lesson. I wrote the lesson and created the graphic

organizer, I printed copies of the graphic organizers for all of the

students, and I was prepared to teach the lesson. The day before
teaching, I created an example for the students to look at or refer to if
needed. As I was completing the task, I realized that I would have
wanted the graphic organizer to be set up in a different way that made
more sense. This taught me that it is important to go through the steps
I am asking my students to complete before writing and creating
lesson plans. I think by doing this I will be able to have more aligned
instruction plans. The last thing I feel I learned a lot during my lessons,
was pacing. I learned how to give the students enough time to
complete a task without rushing them and not to give them too much
time where they are getting off task. This was something I had been
practicing for some time, and I feel that I grew and improved a lot
during the teaching of my unit.
I have created many caring and professional relationships with
the students in my classroom. The students come into my class
knowing there are expectations and procedures that need to be
followed, but they are loved and cared for. As I stated before, I meet
the students at the door every single day. I talk to them about things
that are going on in their lives and I am always there for them when
they need someone to talk to. I have had students who come into class
in the morning before the bell rings just to talk to me and visit. The
students know they are cared for but also know that I will be

professional and they need to respect me as a professional. The

relationships I have built with these students have a big impact on
student learning. The students know what is required of them and in
turn know they are expected to participate. A student that participates
is going to learn a lot more than a student that does not. Also being in
an environment where you feel safe and comfortable helps with
student learning because there are not other things that the student
has to worry or be concerned about. The students in my classroom
have been such an inspiration for me to become a better teacher and
to continue to build caring and professional relationships with all of my
students.
I have learned and grown from my student teaching experience
and especially through teaching my unit. I have explored and
discovered the different areas of the desert model, and I have applied
them to my teaching and my reflection. Throughout my years of
teaching, I will continue to reflect and grow, as well as, touch the lives
of many students to come.