D182 Task 1 - Developing a Reflective Practice (1)

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D182

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Electrical Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 Developing a Reflective Practice Allison Rodriguez MSCIN Program, Western Governors University D182: The Reflective Practitioner (OHM2 TASK 1) Kelli Buxton December 1, 2023

2 Introduction For this assignment, the instructive setting is in a high school science classroom in the self-contained setting. Roughly 53 high school students receive instruction at an elementary level. Sam Houston High School is one of the three high schools that serves students with low- incidences and the only high school in the city that is Title 1. Being a Title 1 school, our school is predominantly Hispanic, Vietnamese, and African American. Over 25% of students have Autism and all students are have severe learning disabilities. Of the students in the self-contained setting, 100% have Individual Education Plans that require differentiated instruction. Though students are in high school, all instruction is on TEKS Pre-K to 4 th grade level. Below, I will describe my lesson planning, implementation, and evaluation process for the following lesson: “The 3 States of Matter.” Lesson Description I teach students who are performing at a Pre-K to 4 th grade level in a self- contained setting. In this lesson, “The 3 States of Matter,” students were able to comprehend and use their new understanding to complete a simple science experiment to change the state of matter of ice by boiling the ice cube into a liquid and then steam. Content Standards The standards that were covered during this lesson were the following:  TEKS 3.5A : Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float.

3  TEKS 3.5B : Describe and classify samples of matter as solids, liquids, and gases and demonstrate that solids have a definite shape and that liquid and gases take the shape of their container.  TEKS 3.5C : Predict, observe, and record changes in the state of matter caused by heating or cooling such as ice becoming liquid water, condensation forming on the outside of a glass of ice water, or liquid water being heated to the point of becoming water vapor Texas Education Agency (2009). Grade Level(s) Ninth and Tenth grade students in science. Objectives Students had four learning objectives for this lesson:  Students will be able to use real-world examples to determine its state of matter o Example: Butter can be melted and cooled (liquid to solid).  Students will understand and define matter by demonstrating and modeling the 3 states of matter.  When presented with materials (water, metal, wood) and asked “what would happen when heat is added” or “what would happen if cold was added,” students will verbally identify the change.  Students will use their knowledge in the three states of matter to complete an experiment, turning ice to a liquid by heating it until it turns into a gas. Instructional Strategies

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4 Instructional strategies that work best are hands-on activities and student-centered instruction to allow students to understand information at their individualized level. I used informal observations to check-in on students by having a clipboard and taking small notes on difficulties a student may have, I would then go back to the student and work on them individually or in a small group if intervention is needed. Additionally, I allow students to go to the chart paper and write an example of a state of matter they see around the room. Prerequisite Knowledge One prerequisite skill I have students learn is using context clues. In addition, students need prior to this lesson is knowledge and understanding in basic scientific inquiry. In class, I talk about how students will predict an answer and draw conclusions throughout the experiment. Context clues allow a student to learn the information using basic words, symbols, and visuals to draw a conclusion. Student Characteristics An important characteristic involved when making a lesson is that there is a language barrier. Being in an area that is predominantly Hispanic and Vietnamese, I have several English Language Learner’s and students who are immigrants. In order to succeed in the creating a successful lesson, I have to use modeling, captions, and have a student peer sit with them and make sure those students feel safe and comfortable in my classroom. Another important factor when planning my lesson, I have to take into consideration that none of my students perform at their respected grade level. In the self-contained classroom,

5 students need constant intervention, if there is a gap in learning, students will regress information learned. This is the hardest part of lesson planning; I need to be better about scaffolding content. Student Learning Needs Student learning needs that I take into consideration when planning my lesson include having frequent breaks and fine motor skills for students. When I did this lesson, I struggled a lot making sure students were not overwhelmed with the presentation, pages, and experiment. In order for them to not get too overwhelmed, I had to implement brain breaks, stretching, and time to talk to peers. It is a bit of a struggle as my class time is every other day, but I learned that students would listen and retain information better when they have breaks. In addition, fine motor skills are considered in the classroom setting and another reason I make students do hands-on activities instead of worksheets. Some students are unable to hold a pencil, marker, and other utensils. The solution to this is making students use stamps for their names, hand-over- hand, and simplified worksheets that are modified to have simple checkmarks, circles, and pre- written texts. A way I found students with fine motor skill issues to learn best is by having students trace over the text with a highlighter in order to follow along. Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies that work best are hands-on activities and student-centered instruction. I use my projector to show the “What is Matter?” book I created. In the book, the reading involves visuals, and short sentences. I have students write in their interactive journals the vocabulary words from the books, before writing, we go over the visuals and I ask “what is that a picture of?” or other things like “what happens when we put butter in the microwave for 30 seconds?” These questions help them understand the concept of solids and liquids. The hardest portion of the lesson is teaching gas, many students use the concrete form of gas to draw

6 conclusions, believing it is a liquid we put in the car to make it run. Scaffolding instruction allowed my students to draw inferences and learn at their own pace while still assisting and sitting with students who needed help with their fine motor skills. With students who have fine motor skill issues, I make sure that their interactive journal is premade for them, an assistant or myself will sit with them and ensure that they are tracing and following along. After we read, we take a brain break in order to just get up and stretch. After about 5 minutes, I ask students comprehension questions about the definitions and visuals we saw. I use pictures or audio to ensure students understand. With students who are at the lowest level, I show them one choice and make them point to it or answer by touch. I enjoy making sure all students are involved even if they cannot participate as much as others can physically. Assessment The assessment is an experiment and is chosen as part of the student-led instruction. At the beginning of a unit, I allow students to choose what activity they want to complete. After I completed the reading and comprehension questions, students took a break and I let them go on their phone and show me something that interests them, such as a TikTok, new movie trailer, or food they want to make in class (I teach cooking as well). After the break, we go back and complete the experiment, I let students make their hypothesis and assist those with fine motor skill issues, helping them with the ice and describing what happens. This helps and models for students the three states of matter: how heating ice will change a solid to a liquid then a gas. While I am helping, my assistant will take the data needed to see if students comprehended the information, asking them questions which took about 20 seconds a student and allowed us to catch up later to cross-reference any comprehension questions and if they made the proper connections.

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7 Observations While the students were reading out loud and writing the information down, I saw that some students were not understanding the directions. I ended up helping them by prompting and pointing to the definition. When I do this, I think it helps, but I also try not to make anyone feel odd by pointing them out. With the differentiation in the classroom, I find students engaged when I ask them questions that connect to their personal lives. One question I asked that tied to the reading was “What do we use butter for?” Some students answered by telling me that they use it on toast, others answered by saying there mom uses it when cooking and tied that to their favorite food, cake, which is a solid. I found that students were engaged, especially when breaks were given throughout the lesson so that we are not constantly working. Assessment Reflection The assessment showed what students learned from the lesson. The objectives were met with all students but we did struggle with students at the lowest level. With the exit ticket, students were asked what they observed, what was going on, and how we can change the boiling water back into a solid. Students did an amazing job at answering the questions independently. I did struggle and usually do with students making a hypothesis without us prompting them for a response. I continuously give students sentence stems and choices in order for them to understand the concept. With sentence stems, students are able to choose one to three options on what they hypothesize. Successful Lesson Elements My successful lesson elements came during the lecture portion of the lesson. Students were engaged when writing in their journal, making sure that they wrote what they saw, connecting their real-life experiences with the lecture. I enjoyed how engaged students were in

8 the class, I struggled creating a simplified lesson about the three states of matter that tied to my student’s current academic level. Another successful lesson element included peer engagement. With students being on various academic levels, engagement is key. I used prompting and cueing to assist students throughout the lesson and to ensure that they were able to work with work being differentiated simultaneously. Both of these lesson elements were interconnected based on factors including engagement with peers and real-world connections. Lesson Elements to Improve I believe that a mistake I made in this lesson included the experiment. As a newer teacher, I used this lesson during a recent walkthrough. Due to my annual walkthrough, it is expected that I teach the whole 90 minutes, which is a long time to implement instruction in a class of low-incidence students. Due to the experiment, I felt like my students were overwhelmed, some not having a long enough break from the lecture and small groups. The second mistake I made was relying too heavily on teacher assistants to assist with visuals instead of implementing the visuals into the slides. On this particular day, I only had one TA for a class of ten, when I usually have two. This may seem like a good thing, it could be worst, but when I have six students who require individualized instruction due to a language barrier, non-verbal, and require hand over hand, it is a lot of stress. In the future, I would ensure that I make photo cards and show them to the whole class together, as well as ensure that students are not overloaded with too many things to do in one day. Next Steps After teaching this lesson, I took some time to reflect on what did not go well as well as what went well so I can improve as a teacher. During the assessment portion of the lesson, which

9 was done during the experiment stations, I felt like it was overwhelming for students. The students understood the information and were given sentence stems to narrow down their selections. My next instructional steps would be to have fun with the review before the unit test, which I would allow students to choose a game they like to be able to review the information and key terms. Justification of Next Steps I learned from the C5 selection that I should engage students with topics that are appropriate to them, such as playing; bingo, Jeopardy, Kahoot, Family Fued, and other games that are fun for reviewing terms and other important information. I learned that engagement and making real-life connection help students understand and retain information in their own way. I also learned that doing too much in one day could do more harm than good. My students teach me that I need to work at their pace and understand patience and ensure that I continue to scaffold instruction as teaching is lifelong learning. Insight Examples One insight I gained after reflection on this particular lesson is that my students love to actively participate when they feel safe and comfortable in their learning environment. I love to include all students, from those who have physical impairments to students who are non-verbal. Seeing all of my students engage in their lesson makes me appreciate what I do. I notice students are more willing to participate when you talk to them in a positive manner, do not ridicule them when they are incorrect, and treat them like you care and love them. A second insight I gained during my reflection of this lesson includes slowing down and making sure that I pace my students so that they are not overwhelmed. I have to remember that students need breaks, stretches, and time on their phone to decompress and support one another. Even if a brain break

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10 is a student on their phone listening to a song, a break helps them disconnect from a lesson briefly. Methods of Reflection My first method of reflection was self-assessment. I was able to observe and record how students were struggling with creating a hypothesis, so I made sentence stems to give students options. I was able to observe that students were struggling based on classroom observations, this will continue to allow me to be the best teacher I can be. Were my students engaged? How can I teach this better and more effective? Am I scaffolding instruction to the best of my ability? My second method of reflection that has worked for me recently includes observing peer teachers. I observe and record other teaching methods that I have seen in order for my students to learn in other teaching methods I have seen to be engaging and follow my teaching values. Effectiveness of Methods The two methods of reflection that will be most effective are self-assessment and observing other teaching methods to modify instruction. Self-assessment is the most important method of reflection. Self-Assessment allows me to always look back into myself to ensure I am doing the best that I can. If I reflect on myself and do not see progress or students are unengaged, I know that it is time to go back to the drawing board. Self-assessment allows me to constantly change instruction to best meet my student’s needs. My second method of instruction is using my peer teachers in order to gain engagement and effectiveness in all portions of my lesson. Additionally, informal classroom observations of peers give me a chance to assess my reflect on my student’s needs and gives me creative ideas on how to scaffold instruction and create independent learning. Being more observant can make the

11 difference in the classroom and gives me the opportunity to adjust how I am teaching either by prompting students more, breaking down terms with real-world connections, as well as ensuring that my lesson is differentiated enough. For example, I observed an English self-contained teacher scaffold instruction by using rotation stations, which is something I have implemented for this school year. When I effectively observe peers and self-assess, I understand that not everyone learns at the same pace or format. In order to teach well, I will continue to reflect on myself and get ideas that I see work. References Texas Education Agency (2009). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science: Subchapter A: Elementary. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage? sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=11 2&rl=14

D182 Task 1 - Developing a Reflective Practice (1)

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