Professional Semester lll Final Report

Faculty of Education
Field Experiences
Fall- Spring { 2017 (Please check appropriate semester)
-semester,
Professional Semester lll is a five-course equivalent integrated semester including halftime teaching and
professional study in curriculum design, leadership, advanced methods, and reflective practice. lntem Teachers are
assigned full time to schools for the semester during which they assume responsibility for approximately one-half of
the teaching day. PS lll professional study is designed to complement and enhance the intemship. The
professional study components may occur on or off-campus and are coordinated by the Faculty Mentors in
collaboration wit

Place a checkmark (E) in front of the course in which you are registered
{ 4571-
1\
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Education
Education
Education
Education
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4572
-
4573
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4574
Elementary Education
Secondary lnternship
Special Focus lnternship
Fine Arts lnternship - Art or Drama
\ Education 4575 - Fine Arts lnternship - Music

lntern Teacher Kvle Visser Grade Level(s) Grade 2

School lmmanuel Christian Elementarv Administrator Jason Visser

Teacher Mentor Susan Skidmore Faculty Mentor Lorraine Beaudin

lntern Teacher's Descriptive Report:

These past 3 and half months of PSIII at Immanuel Christian Elementary

School have been the hardest most rewarding months of my education. Since the
frrst day of practicum, I have been welcomed and prayed for by many of the staff
members (teachers, admin, and support staff). Coming in it felt like I was part of
the staff, and not someone who was still learning the ways of teaching. Teaching
Grade 2 has taught me about who I am as a person, as well as a teacher. My class
consisted of 22 students. Each of these students were unique in some way! Each
student has a unique set of abilities, and talents that as educators we need to be
aware ofl The school community was very supportive in assisting us with our
planning (giving us resources to consult, looking over our planning, and in
numerous other ways).
In this practicum I had the opportunity to learn a variety of teaching
strategies for a variety of subjects. During my internship I was given the
opportunity to teach Mathematics, Language learning, Social Studies, Science, and
a little bit of Physical Education. This variety has helped me develop an
understanding of each program of studies mandated by Alberta education.
During my internship I have had my strengths but I have also had my
weakness (or areas for growth).

lntern Teacher's Descriptive Report (Continued)

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PS lll Final Report for Kvle Visser

One strength that I have developed over the course of the internship was the
ability to develop a strong rapport, and relationship with each of the students, and
their families (parents, siblings, and other family members). Most Fridays we host a
center time where parents come in and assist in running centers, this was an
amazing experience for me because I was never confident in speaking with the
parents and getting the parents involved in the school. Another strength that I have
developed is the ability to be flexible. As you know schools can be busy and being
flexible is an important attribute to have when coming into a classroom.
Throughout the semester somethings had to be changed due to a multitude of
reasons (something went wrong, something came up, prior commitments, and many
other reasons). Finally, the Iast strength that I continued to develop was the ability
to listen to feedback and grow from it. My teacher mentor, admin, and university
consultant, were always bpen to giving feedback about areas that needed
improvement. Once receiving feedback, I try to change my lessons aiming to
improve on the areas where feedback was given.
One area that still requires growth is the ability to transition smoothly.
Throughout the semester I have been working towards creating a classroom where
transitions run smoothly and quickly. This is so important in the classroom,
because if the transition is not successful you lose the momentum of the lesson, as
well as you can end up losing the engagement of the students. This is the area that
I believe still needs the most work and as I frnish PSIII will be an area that I will
continue to work towards. Another area that I personally want to grow in is
showing students my personality, and my funny humorous side. I have many people
tell me I need to loosen up in the classroom, and just have fun with the students.
One area that I have seen growth is classroom management. The class that I
was placed in had many students with IPP's or behavioural plans. This was
shocking coming in, I had no idea how I was going to control this class, as well as
ensure that each student had the help they needed. A-fter a few day/weeks I became
comfortable assisting these students and managing the class. I felt very comfortable
implementing a variety of classroom management strategies into the classroom. For
example, I use the class dojo in the classroom to have student work hard for points
in the classroom.
OveraII this experience was very rewarding, I learned a lot and personally I
felt like I saw a lot of growth. I am excited to continue this journey as I frnish my
degree and head into the rest of my life, and profession.

flqrcL zA,zol 7
Date

This page is to be attached to the lntern Teacher's Report.

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PS lll Final Report for Kvle Visser

School Administrator Comments:

I have had the chance to formally observe and evaluate three of Kyle's
lessons (February 7, March 8 & 24). I have also informally popped into the
classroom from time to time when Kyle was teaching. In addition to this, I have
had a chance to look at some of Kyle's planning (Liquid unit) and assessment plans.

Kyle is a very sincere, diligent and hard working person who shows a real
desire to grow as an educator. Given this approach, KyIe has shown progress since
the start of his practicum here at ICES. Kyle is someone who is a clear
communicator, is generally organized and who cares about others.

Kyle demonstrates a good understanding of the Program of Studies and

focuses his planning and teaching around grade level outcomes. Kyle is intentional
about using appropriate voice level volume in class, and works hard to ensure that
students know what is expected of them. While Kyle's delivery of instruction is
sometimes hesitant, he has shown progress. We have discussed tweaking some
learning activities to help him hit intended learning outcomes more effectively.
Something as simple as breaking an activity in two parts to maintain interest and
to differentiate practice could be helpful. Kyle has repeatedly demonstrated that he
is a reflective practitioner, so I am confrdent that he will continue to develop his
lesson activity planning. This makes me confrdent in saying that KyIe is on the
right track! As mentioned previously, Kyle has a desire to grow as an educator.
He is able to take advice without being defensive. Kyle intentionally reflects on the
advice he is given and incorporates it in his future practice.

Kyle shows evidence of detail and thought in his planning. Kyle has also
shown a desire in exploring Teaching for Transformation throughlines as a way to
be intentional in lesson planning in a Christian environment. Kyle showed effective
utilization of formative assessment in the March 8 lesson (exit slip). Kyle and I
have also had a chance to discuss an approach to assessment. Kyle showed me some
exemplars of his formative and summative assessment tools. Kyle was reflective in
the sense that he thought one of his assessments was too long. KyIe also shared an
idea about a summative project. Kyle was committed to trying this as part of his
desire for students to experience deeper learning. Kyle was also open to discussing
some different options with regards to facilitating this type of assessment.

KyIe is still in the process of learning some things regarding his teaching.
There is still some room for growth in his transitions. There are times where Kyle
seems a little hesitant about moving forward. KyIe does have the ability to
generate engaging learning activities, and he is working on ways in which
engagement can be continued through transitions

Kyle has also shown a willingness to engage with parents by helping set up
center activities and by sitting in on parent teacher interviews. Overall, I am

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PS lll Final Report for Kvle Visser

encouraged to see Kyle's growth in many areas and think that he has the potential
to be a strong educator.

I
N

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PS lll Final Report for KVle Visser

This page is to be attached to the lntern Teacher's Report.

Teacher Mentor Comments:

Kyle joined my Grade Two class in January and it has been a very positive
experience for the students, me and the school community. Observing and working
alongside Kyle I have seen him grow in confrdence and ability to positively manage
the class students and the curriculum. Kyle has become more comfortable and
increasingly relaxed. He is realizing it is good to have fun with the students and
that this helps to build rapport with them.

KyIe is diligent; he wants the best for his students. He has quickly identifred
needs of individual students and those areas that that they needed to work on. He
provides clear direction overall, but once an activity is started KyIe will need to
circulate more often in the classroom and consistently monitor students to check if
they are on task, that they understand what is required.

Kyle does communicate effectively. He is aware of curriculum goals and

student goals. The unit plans he developed are generally thorough. Kyle comes
well prepared for each lesson and tries to come up with creative material to engage
the students. His planning became stronger as the weeks went on. He made
adjustments to lessons when he realized some activities were not working so
successfully. Sometimes Kyle needs to be aware of the small details such as having
materials prepped for class or centers and specifics for instructions. If students
have too much wait time that is when behavior issues occur, Kyle needs to be
somewhat more aware of the other students'behavior when he is helping one
student and when he is writing on the board. He has set up some excellent
classroom management systems and continues to adapt thern for individual
students when needed.

KyIe used. a variety of tools to provide feedback on the students'

".r".J-ent
progress. He made adjustments for those students with ISP's. He was very aware
of students' progress and able to give a sound assessment of each student when it
came to assisting with the report cards.

KyIe continues to work on his personal printing skills on the board as he is

modelling for the students, making sure that his own print is large enough and
neat. It is important that he take the time to brainstorm ideas and list the offered
ideas on the board so the students who need such input have an example to follow
when it comes to writing activities.

Kyle is a defrnitely a willing learner and listener, making changes where

suggested, routinely looking to improve his teaching. He, did a gteatjob of
introducing the basic concepts for the parent run centers we had weekly. Kyle is
positive and productive team member helping to plan, and prepare materials and
resources for the center activities.

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PS lll Final Report for Kyle Visser

Kyle frts well into the school community and is willing to take on extra tasks
such as devotion, bus duty, hall duty, and even doing some drama for an assembly.

Kyle will progressively become a valuable member of the teaching

community. He is and will further become an enthusiastic mentor to his students.
WeIl done KyIe.

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 - ==r-
PS lll Final neport for Kyle Visser

This page is to be attached to the lntern Teacher's Report.

Faculty Mentor Comments :
---:'1-

The following'-onstitutes a summative statement on my evaluation of the

Success of Kyle Visser, in his internship, based on the above sources of
jafijrmation and my observations of him teaching at Immanuel Christian
>--
Elementary School.
--a-
There is little doubt that Kyle has what it takes to develop the skills of an
excellent teacher. Kyle was open to feedback and was able to reflect on the
effectiveness of a lesson honestly and sincerely. One of Kyle's strengths is his desire
to do well. He was very approachable and sought help when he was unsure about
any area of his teaching.

Kyle's classroom atmosphere was relaxed. He was knowledgeable in his

subject area. Kyle's strength was in his planning and organizing of his lesson
materials. He organized and planned lesson material appropriate for his students
and asked appropriate questions to enhance student understanding ofconcepts.
Kyle can continue to work on cueing students, ensuring they know what to do next.
This will help him in his classroom management.

Kyle's disposition as a learner is what stood out most for me. He even asked
for additional observations to help him develop as a teacher. He consistently
demonstrated willingness to try new teaching activities and was not shy to engage
in activities that were outside of his comfort area. Kyle is a highly committed
educator and I think his future students will be fortunate to have him as a teacher.
I have read the complete Final Report and certify that the assigned grade is PASS.

Faculty Mentor Signature Date

September 2000

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