Rationale for Student Teaching Professional Development

Context
I completed my student teaching during the fall of 2006 at Park View Elementary School in Mooresville, North Carolina.  At Park View, I was able to work with Mrs. Culberson and her first grade class.  While completing my students teaching I attended several professional development activities such as staff meetings, grade level meetings, professional learning teams, PTO meetings, workshops and many more.  All of these activities helped me meet the requirements for teaching standard 16.

Impact
Attending these professional development activities has had an impact on my students during student teaching and I will be able to take the majority of what I learned to any classroom.   I am more aware of the support system within schools and how to use that system effectively in the classroom.  Since I have completed several workshops on the smart board and guided reading, I feel comfortable using both effectively in the classroom.  The students will benefit the most from the knowledge I have received.

Alignment

The professional development activities align with the following program standards:

Standard 16, indicator 2.  I met indicator 2 by attending faculty meetings and technology committee meetings.  At these meeting school policies were discussed as well as school improvement plans.

Standard 16, indicator 3.  I met indicator 3 by updating the weekly newsletter.  The newsletter was available to the parents online at our classroom web site and was sent home in their work folders at the end of the week.  In the newsletter parents were informed of major concepts learned during the week, as well as pointers on how to help the students at home.  The newsletter also included important dates to remember.  During student teaching I attended parent teacher conferences and all of the after school programs for parents. 

Standard 16, indicator 4.  I met indicator 4 by selecting children’s literature to read during guided reading groups.  Each week I had to select a weeks worth of books that were appropriate the small groups reading levels.  I also helped sort through the new basal reading series.

Standard 16, indicator 5.  I met indicator 5 through communication with Mrs. Hill on materials needed for guided reading lessons.  Mrs. Hill, the assistant principal informed me of the school “Book Room” where I could find all the materials necessary for the lessons.

Standard 16, indicator 6.  I met indicator 6 through observations made by Mrs. Patricia Gibson, Appalachian State University Student Teacher Supervisor.  After each of the five different observations, Mrs. Gibson discussed areas in which I am strong and those, which need more work.  My cooperating teacher, Mrs. April Culberson, also observed my teaching methods and instructional delivery giving me pointers on how to make the lessons go more smoothly.  The principal at Park View, Mrs. Barbara Gandy, came to observe me and we discussed my performance for that particular mathematics lesson.

Standard 16, indicator 8.  I met indicator 8 through developing lesson plans that met the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for first grade.  While creating the lessons I also kept the second grade standards in mind to give myself a better picture of what the students are moving toward.

Standard 16, indicator 9.  I met indicator 9 by attending first grade level meetings.  At these meetings the first grade time line was discussed and concerns were shared.  I also attended a few PLT meetings, which was school wide professional learning teams.  The PLTs made me aware of school wide concerns and instruction.  While creating science and social studies lesson plans, I used the first grade community to come up with grade appropriate activities.  I also attended the staff professional development, which focused on guided reading.  At the meetings Brenda Mickey shared strategies for teaching guided reading.  The first grade community shared ideas of how to effectively teach guided reading and how to set up centers.