The Professional Electronic Portfolio of Ms.

Deniescha Graham

ADEC English Medium Teacher

2013-2014

Al Rehab Primary School-Ruwais

Deniescha Graham
16 years as an Educator in the State of Michigan, USA Educational Specialist-Ed.S. State of Michigan K-12 Administrator Certification Master of Education- M.Ed. State of Michigan K-12 Reading Certification Bachelor of Science in Education- BS.Ed. State of Michigan 6-12 Certification in English and Speech Communication

This document serves as a personal evaluative and reflective record of my experiences as an English Medium Teacher during the 2013-2014 school year in the United Arab Emirates.

School: Al Rehab Western Region Grade Six-English

Standard One: The Profession

Personal Ratings:
Indicator One: Emerging Indicator Two: Accomplished Indicator Three:

Established

Indicator Four: Established

Indicator Five: Established

Reflection: Throughout Term 1 and Term 2, I have strictly adhered to my PDP and have done the best I can in areas that were beyond my control. I am very reflective in my practice and on a daily basis, I make adjustments in my teaching to better suit student learning. I keep regular lesson plans. I record data regularly. I submit the data to administration and I also try to keep in contact with parents. It is also important for students to have an awareness of their status in my class, and this is something that I regularly share with them through progress reports.

Assigned
Duties

&
Responsibilities

Assembly Duty...
Hall Duty... Field Trips... Eco Day...

Content And Pedagogy

Lesson Planning and Execution Including:

Differentiated

Instruction Practices Flexible Grouping

Understanding

of true DI Practices and Embedded Assessment

Sample Lesson Plan

Analysis of Lesson February 11, 2014 New School Model Standards Integrated Strand Task

Demonstration Lesson

Department Meeting

PLC-4 Square Writing Presentation

Observing Ms. Marwa's Class

Reflection of Standard One:

I believe in being the consummate professional, and I also believe in demonstrating competence at whatever I do. I believe the samples that I have provided in this section show that I have been engaged in active professional development, I have followed through with my assignments and responsibilities, and I have made myself available as a participant and facilitator of learning in the Professional Learning Community. Aside from that I believe that my intricate lesson and unit planning also show my competency level in the area of content and pedagogy. I use research based strategies in my classroom, and I make informed decisions based on the data that I gather from my students.

Standard #2 The Curriculum

Personal Ratings
Indicator One: Accomplished

Indicator Two: Accomplished

Indicator Three: Accomplished Indicator Four: Established Indicator Five: Accomplished

Sample Lesson Plan

Grade book Sample Weeks 1-3 Term 2

English Grade Six Pre and Post EMSA Results

Reflection of Standard 2:
I have always maintained the belief that it was important to intricately plan my daily, weekly, and monthly lessons as well as document student achievement on a regular basis. I have committed to this practice at Al Rehab as well. Additionally, I also believe that it is important to collect formative data on my students that helps to aid decisions I make about instruction. For this reason, I regularly conduct assessments that allow me to make decisions about my student's learning. Each lesson that I design is designed with differentiated instruction embedded within it. Differentiation can exist in many different ways. Teachers can explicitly or implicitly integrate the techniques of DI into their daily lessons, and it doesn't always look the same. I integrate lessons that appeal to different learning styles. I utilize cooperative and independent learning opportunities for my students as well. I also always plan with the lower achievers in mind. In addition, I take anecdotal notes on my student's achievement and their needs. These are all included in the summative binder that is submitted at the end of the term.

Standard Three: The Classroom

Personal Ratings
Indicator One:

Established
Indicator Two:

Established
Indicator Three:

Established
Indicator Four:

Established
Indicator Five:

Emerging

Literature Circles Engaging Self-directed

Limited support
Cooperative Learning Critical Thinking Peer-Support

Students were involved in rule creation. Behavior is monitored using the star charts. This reinforces a positive atmosphere. Students hold jobs in the classroom to maintain a positive atmosphere and positive peer pressure.

In my classroom, the theme for the term is highlighted with a teacher-made display. I also post exemplars based on the NSM for students to reference. I use rubrics based on the learning outcomes, and I comment on student work as a regular practice.

Reflection of Standard Three:

The classroom environment by far is one of the most essential pieces for learners. If the environment is chaotic and unstructured, teaching is difficult. If students don't feel welcomed and comfortable within the environment, they will not engage; thus learning will not happen there as well. For me, a stable, peaceful, clean, and engaging environment is essential. For me, my environment should be a safe haven for my students and myself as a teacher. I act as facilitator helping to foster critical thinking and engagement along the way with the built in structures that I try to provide on a regular basis.
I believe that the examples that I have provided show that my classroom is engaging, structured, and that I believe in providing true examples of learning for my students as well as regular feedback. Feedback is essential and I take to heart that students must have an awareness of where they are in order to effectively plan a path for where they are going. It is my job to get them there.

Standard Four: The Community

Personal Ratings:
Indicator One: Accomplished

Indicator Two: Accomplished

Indicator Three:

Emerging

Facilitator of Parental Involvement

Regular Communication with Parents with limitations

Regular supportive feedback reports sent home Engages appropriately with the community

Email to Social Worker

Requesting

Parent Meeting

Reflection of Standard Four:

By far one of the most difficult transitions of this year was the immersion into a culture that was pretty much unknown to me. The language barrier and the cultural differences were some areas that I definitely had to quickly embrace. Despite those challenges, I believe that I acclimated very well. I immediately dove in and created a parent letter for parents. This is something that I would have normally done as a regular practice of my profession. With regard to parent communication and the communication of the program ideals and my expectations, I tried very early to make contact with parents through the school social worker. Additionally, at the request of administration, I created an individual development plan for each student. This was done very early in Term One which truly forced me to have to make a quick assessment of my student's abilities. Finally, I have engaged appropriately with the community truly beyond the Emerging status that is available on the rubric through the Parent Council meeting PPT presentation and my participation as co-writer of the National Day Celebration English Department presentation. Based on these efforts and all efforts combined, I feel that I have demonstrated in a short period of time that I am an exemplary professional who is dedicated and serious about the profession in which I practice; but most importantly, it is a profession that I feel that I am purposed to do.

Created by Deniescha Graham