D097 Task 2
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School
Western Governors University *
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Course
D097
Subject
Communications
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by BrigadierPowerAnt100
Educational Foundations D097 – Performance Task 2
A.
https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/
B1. Submitted as a separate document.
C. Interview Reflection
1. Description (D. Douglas, personal communication, July 9, 2022).
a. Ms. Douglas’ views on her use of the content standards in South Carolina are that she uses them to help each student understand their goals for each day. She shapes each lesson around the content standards by using assessments and observations to determine what areas her students
need the most help with. Then, she searches for a standard that is closest to the students’ needs and adds accommodations/modifications as needed. She posts the standards to the board each day,
both as written and in the student-friendly version(Standards and Learning, 2022).
b. Ms. Douglas feels that an internal influence that affects the education of her students is the socioeconomic status of her district. Everyone in her district is considered low-income, so her students are below the national average in most subjects. c. National and state assessments are an external influence on their education. Ms. Douglas uses them quarterly to compare her students to national averages and uses them for her lesson planning and grade-level meetings. The ultimate goal in Ms. Douglas’ school is to close any achievement gaps. They have programs that pull students to give them more direct and specific help
to get them closer to where they need to be for their grade level.
d. Ms. Douglas’ view of herself as a teacher is that she found herself mimicking her peers as a first-year teacher and that this is okay. She believes that new teachers should trust more experienced teachers and be open to learning from them. She feels she has developed a stronger sense of self with the help of her coworkers. Ms. Douglas believes that more support, mentorship, and Professional Development are needed to create successful teachers.
e. This teacher’s view on professional development is to be open to changing your viewpoint upon learning new information and to always take suggestions and criticisms. Her advice is to ask those around you about new professional development opportunities, such as coworkers, administration, college staff, or the rest of your network.
2. Feelings
a. Before the interview, I felt nervous that I would not ask the right questions or that Ms. Douglas and I would not be on the same page. b. During the interview, I was at ease. It turned out that Ms. Douglas is a WGU alum and understood the intent of my questions. We communicated easily and I was able to interpret her answers and take good notes.
c. I believe Ms. Douglas felt comfortable with the interview. She seems to be a dedicated special
education teacher and was familiar with the assignment having graduated from WGU herself. She
was passionate about her answers and about helping new teachers understand the needs of students in our local area.
3. Evaluation
a. The interview did not align to what I expected because I actually expected it to be more uncomfortable for both of us, and I did not expect Ms. Douglas to answer the way she did. I am happy that she did not align with my bias.
b. Something that went well during the interview was that I was pleasantly surprised to find a local WGU alum who was able to answer my questions with ease. c. Something that did not go well during this interview was that at times, Ms. Douglas seemed to
get off track and I had to redirect her to the subject at hand.
4. Analysis
a. I agree with Ms. Douglas’ assessment of the content standards in our state. It sounds like they
are being applied correctly and that her school is using the standards and national assessments for their intended purpose. b. I agree with Ms. Douglas about the socioeconomic status of Chester County students impacting their education as an internal influence. It has been proven time and again that students in lower-income areas do not perform as well in school. c. I agree with Ms. Douglas that national assessments are an external influence that should be used to figure out where struggling students need the most support. d. I agree with Ms. Douglas that she developed a stronger sense of self and increased confidence
by relying on her peers. I went to high school with one of her coworkers and did not realize until this
interview that Ms. Douglas was the young teacher my friend was so impressed with. She got there by remaining open to learning from the experience of other teachers.
e. I agree with Ms. Douglas that relying on your network is incredibly important and you should always ask about opportunities for professional development. 5. Conclusion
a. I learned much from the interview with Dana Douglas. For example, I learned that my neighboring county is struggling even more than my own but that teachers are still actively applying content standards and trying to help students meet their benchmarks. I learned that an open mind is very important to being a successful teacher.
This interview impacted my understanding of the role of a teacher because it made me think about how much more involved a teacher should be with the content standards. Teachers should be
constantly communicating with students, administration, and families to help everyone have a greater understanding of what the standards are and how we are helping students to achieve them.
b. If I were to conduct this interview again, I would do it in person instead of over the phone. This would improve the interview experience because I could take better notes and neither of us would get distracted as happened a few times on our call.
6. Action
a. One of Hattie’s mindframes is “I am a change agent and believe all students can improve.” (10
Mindframes for Visible Learning, n.d.) This supports teachers’ success because a teacher must have this attitude to drive student success, especially in the lowest-performing students. Without believing that we are agents of change, we are liable to leave behind students that we may be tempted to deem “hopeless” when in fact, all students can improve with the right support. b. A personal strength I have that is related to this Hattie’s mindframe is that I do not give up on children. I have been the foster mother for a teenage girl who came to me unable to read or write, and I helped foster the confidence she needed to tackle this skill. Now, she is out of foster care and using her literacy skills to text me all day long. She has been successful in school and I believe that all
students have this capability, no matter what challenges or differences they have faced in their lives.
A personal weakness that I have related to Hattie’s mindframe I mentioned above is that I need to improve on my patience. To foster change in youth, you must be patient with their personalities, their challenges, their differences, and all other obstacles. I sometimes find myself trying to rush progress when I need to slow down and find a new plan of attack.
c. My SMART goal:
By September 1, 2022, I will have completed 5 WGU courses.
To assist me in achieving my goal I will attend at least one Teachers College Study Hall session per week and will join at least one cohort for courses I find challenging.
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References
10 Mindframes for Visible Learning. (n.d.). THINKING PATHWAYS. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/10-mindframes-visible-learning.html
Standards and learning. (2022). South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/