on UNIVERSITY oF UTAH URBAN INSTITUTE FOR TEACHER EDUCATION ‘Collegeof Education, 1721 Campus Center Drive fin 260 Salt ake Cty, Utah 84112 80.51.7158 FAX 801581 3609 wewrwsieutaneds March 29, 2015 Members of the Hiring Committee, Mr. Nathan Tanner has asked that I prepare a letter of reference to be used in conjunction with your district's hiring procedures. I am very pleased to submit this letter in support of Mr. Tannet Ihave known Nathan since the spring of 2014 when he began the final year of his licensure program through the University of Utah's teacher education program. As an instructor for the Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE), I evaluated Nathan’s performance as a preservice teacher. In all aspects of his work, Mr. Tanner has demonstrated excellence. While I did not serve as Mr. Tanner’s immediate supervisor, I had the good fortune of visiting his classroom, virtually, during his student teaching placement at Cottonwood High School in the Granite School Distriet. From observations and evaluation of Nathan's work He has consistently demonstrated a strong interest in working with secondary level students, He is a reflective individual and considers ways of making his curriculum relevant and engaging to his students ‘Asa student, Nathan completed all course work in a professional and thoughtful manner. Nathan is an educator who examines the range of factors impacting student learning. He is a team player, who collaborates well with other professionals and is among the most reflective educators I have known. Specifically, he considers deeply the impact of curriculum on student learning and how educators must examine effective strategies for guiding students to success. Mr. Tanner is a thoughtful professional who skillfully translates his knowledge of effective pedagogy into relevant and engaging Jessons for his students. Mr. Tanner completed his student teaching in an urban high school, teaching a diverse population of students. He experienced the unique opportunity of teaching in students with a range of abilities, English language proficiencies, and backgrounds. This, continuum of excellence among the learners provided Mr. Tanner with a tremendous experience for honing his teaching skills. For the English language learners in his classes, Nathan provided instruction that skillfully incorporated the backgrounds and assets of each individual as guides in their development of English language skills. In response to his students’ needs Mr. Tanner prepared well planned, and highly thoughtful activities. His use of research-based instruction for English Language leamers is outstandingWithin the context of his teaching, Mr. Tanner raises differentiated instruction to new heights. That is, he skillfully incorporates interactive lessons while students engage in activities using reading, writing, listening, and speaking. He adeptly manages more standard lesson delivery formats that are a necessity for all learners with a clear focus on rigor and complex thinking, Mr. Tanner challenges students through prompts as part of intensive journal writing, portfolio projects, and lessons that speak to students’ capabilities across multiple formats. These elements are critical to the core and are evident strengths in Mr. Tanner's teaching. His use of writing is particularly effective in guiding students and was the focus on an Action Research project during student teaching Literacy and writing are central components of Mr. Tanner’s planning and instruction. In his words, “Part of the role of a social studies teacher is to help students become reflective, effective communicators and to become productive citizens.” To this end, Mr. Tanner conducted an innovative Action Research project designed to evaluate the effects that journal writing activities on students’ engagement with and reflection about social studies content. This study is significant in its attention to data-based decision making for teaching the history curriculum in coordination with reading and writing integration. I applaud the degree to which Mr. Tanner addressed both content and literacy goals within the context of his daily lessons. It is indeed a rarity to see such an awareness of the role of literacy integration at this level. Within the area of assessment, Mr. Tanner shows considerable promise in his ability to dissect his teaching in ways that provide substantive data on student performance. Formative assessments are woven into his daily instruction and summative assessments vary from weekly write-ups, journals, group and peer evaluations, and myriad projects. On every level Nathan strives for excellence and embraces the notion of life-long, learning, He has spent hundreds of hours working in classrooms as a tool for learning about effective classroom teaching. A master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy, endorsements in history, ESL, exemplary skills in Spanish, and an interest in coaching are among the qualities Nathan will bring to any school community. Without hesitation, Nathan Tanner's contributions will be an asset to any institution fortunate enough to hire his. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide you with additional information. on) Pag Find — asian Dea, Direc Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE) ‘The University of Utah, College of Education (801) 581-6074 mary.burbank@ed.utah.edu