TED 690 Professional Development Quest Portfolio
Welcome to my professional development quest portfolio. My name is Mike Taylor. I approach teaching as an art form. I strive to help others express themselves and navigate systems to find autonomy. That's why I became a government teacher. As an educator, I use rhetoric, poetry and stories to make the content entertaining and memorable.
Some of my achievements include being the third highest ranked teacher at OFY Carmichael last year, expanding US Chess Mates enrollment by over 30 percent, and becoming the head content developer and trainer for Echoic Podcasting Network.
In my personal time I write short stories, novels, and songs, as well as produce music and short videos. You can find me in your local bookstore or museum. I'm also known to gallivant around the Sacramento restaurant scene.
Now let me explain to you how my portfolio is organized. The main domains of the California Teaching Performance Expectations are as follows:
A. Making subject matter comprehensible to students
B. Assessing student learning
C. Engaging and supporting students in learning
D. Planning instruction and designing learning experiences for students
E. Creating and maintaining effective environments for student learning
F. Developing as a professional educator
As you scroll on you will see examples of my skills in each domain. I have chosen several articles to showcase how I work, and what to expect should you hire me to join your team.
Domain A:
Making Subject Matter Comprehensible to Students
Artifact 1: Translating primary source quotes that are several hundred years old into modern, conversational English.
Many of my students are unfamiliar with the grammar and prose of 1700's English. In class we often do activities where I put the quote on the Smartbord.
For example, take the CA Common Core Government 12.1.5:
Describe the systems of separated and shared powers, the role of organized interests (Federalist Paper Number 10).
In class, I take the Federalist Paper Number 10 quotes and display them on the Smartboard. Then, I lead the class through an activity where they translate it into modern, conversational English on the white board next to the Smartboard.
Toward the beginning of the semester we do this with most of the translations as they are unfamiliar with the grammar and prose, which makes it difficult to decipher what is being said. As time goes on, they slowly become more familiar with the writing style and can comprehend it on the first go round.
Artifact 2:
I create graphic organizer study guides which are easy to follow and lead the students through the process of taking notes, making it easier for them to comprehend the content.
For example, take the CA Government Common Core Standard 12.4:
Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government as established by the U.S. Constitution.
I have students read their personal copies of the Constitution.
This makes the Constitution feel personal, real, and practical to them, which makes them more emotionally engaged and excited to learn.
Artifact 3
I also use simple images to illustrate complex ideas. One of the most time consuming aspects of preparing a lesson is finding an easy to understand and accurate image.
For example, take a look at this slide from one of my lessons. It is easy to see that the United States came in 12th place with 56.9% of our citizens who can vote actually voting. Often, seeing the statistics helps students visualize and understand concepts like voter turn out better. Saying that you should vote is one thing. Saying voter turn out is low is an oversimplification. Discussing the current state of politics, how well our representatives actually represent us, and then discussing voter turn out, with the facts to back it up, that makes the conversation come alive with practicality and emotion. These simple images which illustrate complex ideas help make that happen.
Domain B
Assessing Student Learning
I use several different types of assessment of student learning. As students work, I use formative assessments. I walk around, listen to the conversations they have, look over their shoulders, and check their work as they go. I hold discussions, in class debates, have students do presentations. Towards the end of a unit, as well as toward the end of a semester, I switch to summative assessments to evaluate and assess how much information they are retaining and putting into long term memory.
Artifact 1
The first assessment I do is assessing what the student knows before the lesson starts. That way, if it turns out that the entire class already knows the lesson, I can do a short review of its content. If it turns out that the content is completely new to them, then I'll work in more background information and context to help them understand the lesson. I do this through initial assessments such as this KWL chart. Paula Rutherford explained it best in her book Active Learning and Engagement Strategies (Active Learning and Engagement Strategies, pg. 105).
She wrote that the purpose is to:
- access prior knowledge through brainstorming
- identify areas of student interest or concern
- aid the teacher in checking for understanding
- track students learning
- identify areas for further student research.
Before the lesson starts, students fill out what they already know in the first column and what they want to know in the second column. That gives me a solid starting point. Then, upon completing the lesson, students fill out the third column, explaining what they have learned. Reading their own assessment of what they have learned is good to compare to what they wrote in the graphic organizers I made. Sometimes, students will provide all the right answers but misinterpret some of it. For example, look at column three of this KWL chart. This student wrote that capitalism, communism, and socialism are different types of economies in his graphic organizer, but demonstrated here that he still thinks they're forms of government. This is a very common mistake, which I would not have caught if I didn't use the KWL chart.
Artifact 2
This image to the left is an example of a graphic organizer I made that correlates to my lesson on the similarities and differences between the capitalist, communist and socialist economic systems.
In the moment I listened to the conversation she had with her group members, and I check what she was writing as she went. After this student completed her work she submitted it for grading. I held a class discussion where they all shared the answers they chose, and why they chose them. I took this into consideration as I assessed their understanding of the content. After class, I used a grading rubric I made to assess how she did on her study guide, which is a good indicator of her understanding of the lesson.
Artifact 3 In Class Presentations
My favorite assessment are in class debates, presentations, and discussions. For all three of these I post grading rubrics for all to see throughout the activity. I keep a list of my students handy, and when they participate I take notes. When it comes to discussions and debates I also put check marks next to students names when they contribute, and I'll call on students who have not contributed to make sure that they participate so that I can assess their learning. The example above is a slide show one of my students presented in class to show her understanding of the American Dream.
Domain C
Engaging & Supporting Students in Learning
Artifact 1
The first thing I do before starting a lesson is explain the learning objectives. This tells my students what to look for, pay attention to, and focus on during the lesson.
The California Teaching Performance Expectations state that "Beginning teachers assure that students understand what they are to do during instruction and monitor student progress toward learning goals as identified in the academic content standards" (TPE, pg. 6). In order to ensure students understand what they are to do during instruction I tell them what their main goals are. Then, they can focus on achieving this and I can monitor their progress while we work.
Artifact 2
I am a huge fan of collaborative learning. Not only does it make learning the Common Core standards for government more fun, but it emulates the oral and written communication skills, diplomacy, and teamwork that should be active and present in America politics. Take, for example, these posters:
I told my students that they must do a 30 second presentation on their favorite Enlightenment philosopher who's work influenced a founding father. I said they can use the index of the textbook to look up information, I don't care how they present the information, I only care that it is accurate and each member of their group can justify how they contributed to the presentation. One group make a quick slides presentation. Another group wrote a speech where each member performed a paragraph of the speech. These two groups made posters and presented them to the class. By having my students work in groups and allowing them to choose how they will present the information it make the learning activity more fun, increased their sense of confidence and esteem, and it made a more memorable learning experience which helped them commit the content to long term memory.
Artifact 3
I also make the learning content meaningful. Every single topic I cover, every Common Core Standard or tangent question I answer, I always end with a short class discussion on why it matters, how it affect their lives and autonomy. This makes each topic emotionally engaging and meaningful. This causes students to be patient with themselves as they learn. It creates a drive to want to learn. Honestly, most students enter on the first day wanting a grade, not an educational experience. Bringing everything back to a practical application is what creates the hunger for a true educational experience.
Domain D
Planning Instruction & Designing Learning Experiences for Students
I plan instruction to be organized and easy to follow. Usually I'll switch gears every 10 minutes to help students stay on track and not get bored. I have students do three different activities that review the same content in different way to help them more fully understand the content, and commit it to long term memory. For example, below you can see two versions of a graphic organizer I made for my class to help them understand the three separate branches of the government.
Artifact 1
I plan introductory activities which lead them through the big picture ideas first:
Organizing the notes in graphic organizers makes it easier for them to visualize the content, memorize it, and commit it to long term memory.
Artifact 2
Next, we pull the magnifying glass closer, going into the nitty, gritty details of the topic. Take, for example, The Separation of Power and Checks and Balances section of their study guide:
Artifact 3
I love doing in class activities. Usually I cycle through short, introductory lectures, study guide sessions, and then active, in class activities. I play music as a timer while students work independently, in small groups or large groups. Then, the class usually presents what they created during the activity.
For example, take this Constitutional Scavenger Hunt. The students look up answers to questions I gave them which lead them through what article 2 says about the president. They answer the questions and then choose how they will present the information to the class. They can make a quick poster, write a song, perform a skit, I don't care what the format is so long as the content is accurate. Each song is about 3 minutes long, so it works as a count down timer telling them how much time they have to complete the activity.
Domain E
Creating & Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning
Artifact 1
The first day of class I dedicate to activities teaching my students the culture, tone and environment of my class. We do mini lessons on try fail cycles of character building and learning, academic debates vs typical online arguments, valid vs invalid argumentation, the empirical method of validation, the logical argumentation method of validation, and how our experiences greatly affect our political outlook.
Artifact 2
One of the main things I do to create and maintain an effective learning environment is use humor. Professor Ernest G. Olson of California State University of Sacramento teaches a principal called The Optimum Performance Zone, which is the proper emotional balance that leads to optimum performance (Olson, pg. 222). When we are overly aroused, we experience stress, anxiety and fear which leads to making mistakes and an inability to focus properly. When we are under aroused, we experience boredom, lack of motivation, and depression which leads to lack of concern or drive to try. When we're in the middle, not stressed and not bored, that's the optimum zone to be productive. That keeps the work difficult but doable, and our hormones where we have the ability to focus and work efficiently.
Humor is an excellent tool to find this optimum production zone. When we're stressed, humor can alleviate that stress and pull us back down into the optimum production zone. When were bored, humor can entertain us and pull us up to the optimum production zone. With my students, humor helps them feel safe and accepted, it helps them focus by alleviating stress, and it helps them feel comfortable learning from mistakes because we don't take ourselves seriously.
Artifact 3
For the physical environment I created a minimalist classroom, meaning I cleaned the room to make it feel organized and meaningful rather than like scene from hoarders. My first few weeks I removed stuff left from years and years of teachers before me, old junk that may not have been used for a decade or more. I even removed several cabinets full of clutter in order to have more room to move and do group activities. Yous see that walkway between the tables? That didn't exist until the cabinets were cleared. My first semester I did not have room for several activities I wanted to do because there just wasn't enough space for my students to stand or move. Once I got those out of the room it became possible to do engaging activities where my students stand, walk around, move around, and it culminates by making class more fun and engaging.
Domain F
Developing as a Professional Educator
I made the following plan to continue educating myself on the most efficient, effective ways to teach my students. I chose 5 workshops I will complete over the first 5 years of my teaching career, with each one focusing on a different skills I want to improve as an educator.
I'm in my second year of teaching, so the first two professional developments are one I’ve already completed, and the last three are ones I plan to complete. So without further ado, here they are:
Artifact 1
Year 1: Marcia Tate’s Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites
http://developingmindsinc.com/workshops/
The first professional development workshop on my list is Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites by Marcia Tate. I attended this workshop last year and it was great. The main principles are:
How to create entertaining graphic organizers instead of boring worksheets
How to enhance lessons with interactive activities such as games, humor, and music
How to facilitate innovative learning methods of project based learning
This seminar was awesome. It greatly enhanced my lesson planning skills. I now incorporate several things I learned there, including making entertaining activities within graphic organizers, playing happy music as a timer while the class completes small group activities, and creating three different ways for students to review the same topic within a lesson to help them commit it to long term memory.
Artifact 2
Year 2: Tina Bryson’s Power of Regulation and Relationship: How Attachment Changes Lives
https://www.tinabryson.com/speaking-1
Just two weeks ago I attended the second workshop on my list. I went to an "all network day" through my employer Options For Youth. OFY is a public charter school with locations across California. They had all the OFY teachers meet in Los Angeles to listen to Tina Bryson’s presentation on how attachment changes the way we communicate and interact with one another. The main principles were how to help students feel:
Safe, protected and sheltered from harm
Seen, so that they know you care about them and pay attention to them by focusing on their inner experience of feelings, thoughts, and meaning in their lives
Soothed, so they know you’ll be there for them when they’re hurting; and
Secure, so they trust you to predictably help them feel “at home” in the world, then learn to help themselves feel safe, seen, and soothed.
My favorite part of this professional development was about the special influence a teacher can have if they truly are emotionally there for their students. She illustrated how to first address a student's emotions, and then try to solve the problem at hand with them once they were emotionally ready. As humans we first want our emotions validated, and then, once we feel that validation, we’re prepared to try to fix what caused the emotion in the first place.
Artifact 3
Year 3: The Interactive Constitution Educator Workshop at The National Constitution Center
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/professional-development-category/one-day-workshops-national-constitution-center
This is a professional development I’ve eyed since before becoming a teacher. It’s a class on how to incorporate an interactive version of the Constitution into your social studies classes. I teach government, and I currently get pocket copies of the Constitution for all my students so that they can highlight, take notes, and keep it after they complete the class. When my students read the Constitution in their textbook, it came off dry to them. Once they got their own copies it felt more personal. I hope if I include an interactive digital guide through the Constitution it will become even more fun, and help them more fully understand how it applies to their lives.
I have this slated for next year since I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but my workload at work and at National University has kept me busy in the evenings and on weekends the last several years. I have a list of things like this that I will do once I’m done with my masters program.
Artifact 4
Year 4: Standards-Based Learning in Action Workshop by Solution Tree
https://www.solutiontree.com/events/standards-based-learning-in-action-san-francisco.html?campaign={campaign}&creative=413968253454&keyword=%2Bteaching%20%2Bworkshop&matchtype=b&network=g&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0b6YjPrW5wIVgvhkCh0iAAU5EAAYASAAEgKFifD_BwE
The Standards Based Learning in Action Workshop is run by Solution Tree in San Francisco every March. This PD focuses on:
Developing standard based learning environments and
Developing balanced assessment plans
Prioritizing standards to maximize efficiency
Understanding the foundational principles of effective feedback
Learning to effectively apply student self assessment
Exploring standards based re-assessment, grade book set up and report card formats
It looks like a well rounded, balanced program that will help me continue to improve my skills implementing the Common Core State Standards in all the different aspects we need to keep in mind to be the best educators we can be.
Artifact 5
Year 5: UC Davis Argument Writing and Critical Reading for Grades 6-12
https://cpe.ucdavis.edu/course/area-3-writing-projects-writing-readers-students-can-analyze-and-create-complex-texts
This professional development focuses on how to help students understand and build the skills they need to write a good argumentative essay. The PD will focus on:
Reading and analyzing multiple perspectives on important issues
Creating text sets with high-interest topics and sources
Developing strong claims
Effectively using nonfiction texts as evidence
Scaffolding lessons to meet all students' needs
Creating models that teachers can adapt and integrate into any curriculum
Designing and sharing mini-units
Assessing student writing formatively throughout the year
So far, most of my students start the first day of class without a sound understanding of what makes a valid argument. I dedicate a lot of time in my class to understanding the logic and rationality of a well made academic argument. This PD looks like a great way to become better at teaching those skills in an easily accessible manner.
