Cortney Welacha

Artifact Construction Title: Lesson Reflection Date: March 21st, 2013 Artifact Description: The artifact I have chosen is a self reflection on a lesson I taught during my pre-student teaching placement in a Kindergarten classroom. The lesson I taught was a shared reading lesson in which I also incorporated a SMART Board activity to enhance the lesson. In my reflection, I reflected upon what I did well during the lesson and what the students responded well to. I also incorporated into my reflection what I could change about my teaching to make things go a little smoother if I were to lead this lesson again. ALIGNMENT Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment: I know that this artifact aligns well with standard nine of the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure which states: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupil, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally. This artifact aligns well with standard nine because I was required to evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching on the students following a lesson. I had to reflect upon what I did well during the lesson and what the students responded well to. This reflection shows that I am committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process. This was my second lesson that I had taught to a whole group, and I felt that my classroom management was much better from the first time I had taught. In my reflection I reflected upon how well my classroom management was this time around and the techniques I used that worked to keep control of the classroom during the lesson. In my reflection, I also recognized the sorts of things that did not go so well with my instruction, and the things I would change for my future lessons. During my lesson, I talked to the kindergarten students about the use of the apostrophe in the word lets. I decided after my lesson had concluded that this was something that I would omit in the future teaching of this lesson. As kindergarten students, I do not feel that this concept was appropriate or necessary for them to learn as it also was not crucial in the comprehension of the lesson. As I was teaching the concept of an apostrophe, I noticed that they were not completely grasping the concept. By acknowledging my weaknesses during the lesson, it shows that I am willing to receive help to improve my instruction. Another point I added into my reflection that I could change to positively affect my teaching next time is time management. During my lesson, I lost track of time which caused the students to lose focus towards the end. This type of self reflection shows that I can evaluate myself effectively to grow professionally as a future educator. UW- Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment: Iknow that this artifact best aligns with KS4.a. of the UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment which states: The candidate makes an accurate and thoughtful reflection of his/her teaching effectiveness, is aware of specific elements

of his/her teaching that contributed to successful instruction, and can offer alternative teacher action to predict the future successes of alternate approaches. This artifact best aligns with this standard because I thoughtfully reflected upon my teaching effectiveness and stated things that I would change about my instruction and the sorts of things that went well. I stated in my reflection that my classroom management and the techniques I used went very well and that I would continue to use these sorts of management skills in my future lessons. I also recognized the things that did not go so well with my teaching and the things I would change in my instruction for future lessons. I acknowledged that my time management skills and choices of appropriate concepts needed to be worked on to enhance student success and also so that I do not lose the students attention in my future lessons. Secondary Alignment: KSD4.e. Grows and Develops Professionally KSD4.f. Shows Professionalism Reflection: What I learned about teaching/learning: From this artifact, I learned that in teaching, things will not always go as planned. I learned that as a teacher, you may plan one thing and think that it will work smoothly but the exact opposite can happen. When this happens, a teacher needs to take this as an opportunity to grow professionally and enhance his/her teaching techniques. A teacher should draw upon professional colleagues within the school and other professional areas as supports for reflection. I learned that by evaluating my performance following a lesson, I am able to recognize the things that I did well and would want to continue to do in future lesson, and also the things that need I need to work on or change about my instruction. I learned that by evaluating myself, every lesson can be used as a learning opportunity. What I learned about myself as a prospective educator: From this artifact, I learned the power and importance of self reflection. By doing this, it helps me to grow professionally as a successful teacher. I learned that having the ability to evaluate myself effectively is a valuable skill that benefits both me as an educator, and the students that I will be teaching. If I continue to evaluate my performance, both good and bad, I will only become a more skilled educator. If I do not reflect upon my performance as an educator and try to fix the things that do not work, I will not continue to grow. I learned that as an educator, I need to actively seek out opportunities to enhance my performance to meet the needs of my students to ensure their success.