Educational Administration Artifact Reflection

Artifact Title: Copy of Weekly Lesson Plans

Date of Experience Completed: October 14 through 18, 2013
Artifact Description:
My artifact is a copy of the lesson plan I created for the week of Monday,
October 14, 2013 through Friday, October 18, 2013. The Darlington
Community Schools requires that teachers submit weekly lesson plans the
Friday before implementation. The first three pages include grade levels,
subjects, objectives, materials, assessments, and standards. The lesson
plans are connected with 7th and 8th grade English/language arts and 8th
grade mathematics Common Core Academic Standards per school
requirements. The final two pages include step-by-step handwritten plans
for three groups during Response to Intervention time, one to two groups of
7 grade reading and language arts, two groups of 8 grade mathematics,
and two to three groups of 8 grade reading and language arts. As the
document shows, there are a variety of lessons for each section. It also
shows a variety of tools used during instruction. In this lesson plan,
worksheets, discussions, tests, and technology were used to assist in student
learning.
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Wisconsin Administrator Standard Alignment:

This Individualized Education Plan best aligns with Wisconsin Administrator
Standard 1.4 which states: The teacher understands/uses a variety of
instructional strategies to encourage students development of critical
thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
This weekly lesson plan best aligns with Standard 1.4 because it
demonstrates enhanced learning through the use of a variety of materials
including human and technological resources. The document includes plans
for a Parts of Speech interactive CD-ROM. Students completed short,
interactive SMARTboard lessons while participating in small groups. After a
mini-lesson about one of eight parts of speech, digital copies of practice
worksheets were generated and provided for the students. This artifact also
aligns with Standard 1.4 due to the variety of roles of teacher involvement in
relation to the content and purpose of instruction and the needs of the
students. During the beginning of the parts of speech lessons and spelling
lessons, the teacher was the instructor teaching to a small group of students.
The teacher became a facilitator during the remainder of the parts of speech
lesson as well as spelling work time. The teacher was also a facilitator
during guided reading groups. On the final page of the document, the
teacher was the planner of the lesson. The lessons in the last column of the
document were created and provided by the teacher, but taught by a

paraprofessional. The weekly lesson plan also aligns with Standard 1.4
because it demonstrates understanding of principles and techniques
associated with various instructional strategies. The teacher planned for
one-on-one instruction between an eighth grade student and a
paraprofessional. Planned guided reading groups involved a variety of
instructional techniques. Instructional techniques used included
independent reading, work time with share-out, teacher read aloud and
collaborative thinking, and whole group discussion. The eighth grade
mathematics lessons included cooperative learning during the warm-up word
problem, direct instruction during a new lesson, and independent study
during homework time.
What I learned about administration/teaching/learning from this
experience:
I learned there are two qualities teachers and administrators should be
required to have to be successful in their position. First, I believe teachers
and administrators need to be flexible. Plans change, lessons go long,
lessons are too short, a student is gone from school, a staff member calls at
7:30 that they do not feel well, etc. Things happen, but it is how we react
that makes a statement. I believe great teachers and administrators need to
be able to be flexible with their time and plans, even if it is an inconvenience.
I find flexibility is a key characteristic in my position as a special educator.
We very rarely have a day where everything goes as planned. Lessons are
too difficult or too easy, there is a behavior outburst, and/or a student is
removed from your classroom. Again, it happens, but you have to be ready
to roll with it. This leads into the second quality; preparedness. All great
teachers and administrators have to be prepared. Be prepared with
additional plans when lessons tank. Be prepared with notes when meeting
with parents. Be prepared with district protocol when an incident occurs. As
a teacher, I am always on my toes and ready when something hits the fan.
This is something I will continue to do as I move into an administrative role.
I also learned about learning while implementing this lesson plan. For
example, all of my students loved the interactive SMARTboard lesson, but
not all of the students were able to demonstrate their learning when asked to
complete the supplementary worksheets. It was not until after a one-on-one
mini-review lesson (including redoing the SMARTboard lesson) that the
students were able to complete the worksheets. Additionally, during
reviewing for spelling lessons, some students used flashcards to study, some
students looked at the word on their list and then closed their eyes to spell it,
while others did not need to study to do well. These two, very small
examples reiterate the fact that every student learns differently. Not only do
they learn differently from one another, but we as educators need to teach
them to their different learning styles. We want to create the most
successful, productive 21st century learners possible. To do this, we need to

use a variety of methods and instructional strategies to teach the same

information. Then, we also assess the students understanding through a
variety of methods best suited for the student.
What I learned about myself as a prospective administrator as a
result of this artifact:
As a prospective administrator, these weekly lesson plans taught me I need
to provide ongoing support for my staff members and not be a
micromanager. My staff members will be creating weekly lessons, just as I
do now for my district. I understand the staff members will not want to teach
the same information the same way with the same materials year after year.
As an administrator, I need to be well-informed about other instructional
tools and resources that may benefit my staff members instruction. In
addition, I will need to be well-informed of the professionals accessible to my
staff members should I not know how to answer one of their questions. I also
learned not to be a micromanager during my prospective administration. I
need to be able to trust the professionals in their teaching positions. I need
to trust they are providing the most appropriate and beneficial education to
each and every student through well thought-out lessons. I need to trust
that they will strive to exceed district requirements with few setbacks. I will
trust my staff members to be there for the students above all else.