Summative Evaluation of Practicum

Master of Teaching

Teacher Candidate: Brendan Douglas Clements

Year: 1 Practicum Session: 2
Dates: February 13, 2017 to March 10, 2017

Associate Teacher: Monique Winsor

Grade level and/or subjects: Gr. 3
School: Gordon B. Attersley P.S.
Board: DDSB

PROFESSIONALISM
Brendan is a conscientious teacher who comes to school early everyday to plan and prepare with me. He was
eager to support any after school tasks that needed to be accomplished. Additionally, he was always dressed
professionally. Brendan was invited to sit in on parent teacher interviews and was an attentive listener during the
interview process. He added his thoughts in an appropriate and timely manner to parents. His conduct in the
staff room during breaks, lunches and preps was always courteous and professional. Brendan is a person who
can join in on any number of conversations with ease, which speaks to his collegiality.

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

Brendan attended weekly lunch sessions with our Equity Club. This club is open to students from Grades 4-8.
The club focuses on mental wellness,LGBTQ rights and FMNI education. Brendan was a valuable contributing
member in this group.
We have an ELL student in our class and Brendan scaffolded his lessons and language to ensure that the
student could access the curriculum and achieve success.
Brendan used the National Anthem as a way of discussing the diversity of our country and how important it is
that we as citizens understand our rights and privilege of living in Canada.

INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL / COMMUNITY LIFE

From his first observational day Brendan participated in various PD and in school initiatives.
He attended a half day Guided Math project where he provided insightful comments on misconceptions that
students had in regards to Math concepts.
Brendan attended a BCI (Building Collaborative Inquiry) and observed the conversations of a primary division
team discussing the components of the assessment loop and the 5 Practices to orchestrate student discussions
in Mathematics.
In addition to the PD that Brendan was involved in, he also assisted in the monitoring of students who required
additional support during the lunch hour. During this time, Brendan coached students with higher needs on
strategies to resolve conflicts.

UNDERSTANDING CURRICULUM AND THE LEARNER

Brendan has a thorough understanding of the importance of Learning Goals and Success Criteria and how this
grounds students in their understanding of what they're doing and why they're doing it. Brendan proactively
inquires about how various students learn in the class. He is attuned to the need to refer to I.E.P's and to ensure
that appropriate accommodations and modifications are put in place for those who need it.
Brendan has a keen ability to use the Big Ideas to ground the structure of a unit. This was evident when he was
developing and responding to the learning of the students during the Science Inquiry process. We both learned
how the continuum of inquiry can be fluid. The launching of the unit was rather structured but as the unit
progressed Brendan responded to the students passion about a particular "Force" and this awareness resulted
in consistent engagement from the students. Brendan balanced student wondering's with the core knowledge
that the curriculum requires of teachers.

ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION

Brendan designed an inquiry unit on Forces and delivered it from the outset until the end of the unit. The
assessment focus was on the use of conversation, observation and product. This triangulation of assessment
was reflected in the tasks Brendan chose to have students complete throughout the unit. The unit's concluding
task was a visit by Scientists in the School. In order to make the most of this opportunity Brendan and I co-
created an observational folder that included index cards of each student. Brendan completed both formative
and a summative assessment and compiled evidence to generate an overall mark for the Science Unit. We
observed the students paying particular attention to how the performance tasks connected to the Learning Goal
and Success Criteria for the unit.
Brendan also planned and delivered a series of Health lessons that infused Media Literacy expectations that
excited and motivated the students to produce a media text that they then presented orally to the class. I learned
a lot as a teacher how to deliver this subject matter in a more engaging and meaningful way.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Brendan has a natural ability to read the climate in a classroom and adjust his teaching accordingly. He
approaches classroom management in a preventative stance and that allows for minimal management issues.
Brendan supervises students during transition time and pays particular attention to grouping students according
to ability and according to potential personality clashes.
When Brendan disciplines students he always reminds them of the expectations and why they are learning what
they are learning. He uses the tone of his voice in a very effective manner to let students know that it is time to
refocus and get the job done. This resulted in a mutual respect that was evident in his relationships with the
students.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
It has been an absolute privilege to work with Brendan. He has embraced every opportunity that has been
presented.
I would love the opportunity to work with Brendan again. My teaching assignment for next year will be in the
junior division and I believe Brendan would benefit in continuing his learning in a different grade with a similar
cohort of students. He could continue the inquiry model with different curriculum.

Overall appraisal: Pass Fail