Katie Owens

Professional Growth Plan

Goal setting has become an important practice throughout my experience as an education student but also in my
previous work experience. I find this practice beneficial to intentional engagement in and out of the classroom. To
ensure I am on track with my goals I plan to do a midterm check-in and end of practicum check-in. I will also use my
reflections to help focus on and check-in with my personal progression for these goals.

TQS to be developed:
1. TQS 3: (c.3)- Teachers apply student assessment and evaluation practices that provide a variety of methods
through which students can demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes.
2. TQS 3: (a.3)- Teachers plan and design learning activities that incorporate a range of instructional strategies.
3. TQS 4: Teachers establish, promote, and sustain inclusive learning environments where diversity is embraced
and every student is welcomed, cared for, respected and safe

Professional Goal #1: Focus on building quality assessments that work for a diverse range of students, that
work in an asynchronous classroom and that complement the course content.

Strategy for goal #1: I plan to:

 Build intentionally, diverse assessments with support from my mentor teachers
 Observe and inquire about other assessments from my peers and other teachers in the schools - aiming to
learn other forms of assessment
 Engage students in a variety of assessments (for/of/as)
 Plan diverse assessments in advanced to receive feedback on them to make them stronger

Indicators of Progress Towards Goal #1: I will know that there’s progress towards this goal when I:
 Get feedback on my assessments from multiple sources
 Adjusted assessments based on feedback
 Student feedback and (ideally) increased performance

Timeline for Completion Goal #1: This is an ongoing goal that I will be focusing on throughout my PSIII.

Rationale for goal #1: Building strong assessments is something I have continued to focus on throughout my past 2
practicums. I believe this is a skill that is vital to becoming a teacher and am always looking for opportunities to learn
more about how to do it best. Giving students different and diverse ways to show what they know is core to my
teaching philosophy. Diversifying my assessment strategies and trying new assessments or tweaking older
assessments is a focus for me in PSIII.

Professional Goal #2: In my planning prioritize basic skills for students to master by intentionally
sequencing and scaffolding the essential beginner skills and then moving towards more advanced skills as
the sequence progresses.

Strategy for goal #2: I plan to:

 Intentionally design the lessons to focus on fundamental, basic skills first and then progress to more
complex skills. Including teaching to all types of learners (ie. Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc…)
 Create logical and sequential projects that involve appropriate degree of rigour with respect to skill
development
 Review my lesson plans / online learning steps with my mentor teachers to ensure they make logical sense
 Have another peer (ideally student teacher) to review the online learning activities to ensure they make
sequential sense (ie. get feedback from multiple people)
 Closely monitor the progression of students, checking in with them through conversations and
observations to see where there might be skills that are missing or areas that could be improved/clarified.
 Katie Owens

 Ask for feedback from students to see what can be improved for the next round of learners
Indicators of Progress Towards Goal #2: I will know that there’s progress towards this goal when I:
 Students working confidently and independently during work periods, assessment days, and labs
 Less teacher facilitation / answer of questions as the semester progresses
 Increased confidence in working individually or in groups (Specifically my more reluctant learners)

Timeline for Completion Goal #2: The timeline of this goal is focused in the long-range planning, step creation and
project creation which mainly takes place in August and throughout the beginning weeks of practicum. As there are
four units in Science 20, there will be an opportunity to reflect on the first unit to adjust for the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th.

Rationale for goal #2: This goal is related to my PSII experience. It was suggested to move my learning forward, not
given as a critique - my previous UC and TA clearly stated that my task designs were consistently excellent
throughout the practicum. The next step for me to take would be to pay additional attention to this aspect of
planning, specifically with regards to reluctant learners as students are more likely to experience later success if
there is an engaging, well-paced, focus on the foundational skills. Building confidence in reluctant learners is the
main goal throughout Science 20.

Professional Goal #3: To create a sense of classroom community to an asynchronous, diversified learning
environment.

Strategy Goal #3: I plan to:

 Explore and talk to my teacher mentors about what they have seen work in the past to create a sense of
community.
 Review literature & research about asynchronous / independent / self-directed learning and classroom
culture.
 Creating a time/place/area where students are able to connect over common issues, questions or learning
will help.
 Starting classes with some activity/question that brings people together before they separate to complete
their own work.
 Create a physical place to showcase the diversity of work completed in the classes (ideally near the door) so
students can see each other’s work as they enter/leave the class.
 Open up with my students by sharing relatable experiences of my own

Indicators of Progress Towards Goal #3: I will know that there’s progress towards this goal when I see:
 Peer-to-peer helping/mentoring
 Cross-grade and cross-curricular interactions between students
 A relaxed sense of comfort in the classroom (ex. Students greeting each other, friendly attitudes etc.)
 Engagement on class discussions

Timeline for Completion Goal #3: This is an ongoing goal that I will be focusing on throughout my PSIII. Starting in
September I will engage with my teacher mentors to better understand what’s been done and then slowly start to
introduce some aspects of this goal. By mid-October, relationships should have been built with each of my students.
As the semester progresses, I will hope to experience an increased sense of community within my Science 20 class.

Rationale for goal #3: Unique to this teaching environment is the mixed grade level and module level of classroom
composition. I hope to discover how to create a sense of classroom cohesiveness within an asynchronous learning
environment, how to bring students who are at different grade and module levels, together and give them a sense
of community within the classroom. Additionally, I hope to understand how classroom management functions best
within this type of learning environment.
 Katie Owens

Professional Inquiry Project

Statement of Focus:
Reluctant learners need to be both challenged and supported if they are to develop the self-efficacy they need to
take risks and succeed.
 How can teachers encourage reluctant learners to engage in their learning for future success?
 How can teachers identify the reasons behind their students’ reluctance to learn?

Rationale:
I want to examine the reasons why some students are reluctant to learn and what can be done to motivate them.
The key is to focus on students’ belief that they can accomplish meaningful tasks. Making instruction relevant to
their experience, giving them choices, helping them establish goals, and acknowledging their accomplishments all
help achieve this. Providing teachers will a sort of “How-to-guide on reluctant learners” will hopefully engage
teachers in working towards promoting higher success within our reluctant learners. My goal is to provide
information on how to identify the reasons behind the lack of motivation with supportive strategies and resources
that help accomplish greater enthusiasm in these students.

Impact on Student Learning:

Many reluctant students have received the message over time that they are poor students. As a result, they feel
frustrated, inadequate, confused, or even ashamed. As they continue to receive negative feedback from teachers
and parents, they have even less motivation to excel and become even more disengaged from academic tasks.
Students’ beliefs about their capability to accomplish meaningful tasks— known as self-efficacy—directly affect their
motivation to learn. Those with high self-efficacy willingly approach learning, expend effort, persist in the face of
challenges, and use strategies effectively, while those with low self- efficacy more typically avoid challenges, expend
little effort, and give up. A how-to guide on how to accomplish this intrinsic motivation in reluctant learners for
teachers to explore will greatly impact student learning if there is success found within self-efficacy.

Final Product
A how-to-guide (for teachers) on teaching the reluctant learner.

** Myken Carew is another student intern teacher with me at RTHS. She is looking into how to develop the growth
mindset (within students experiencing the fixed mindset) when it comes to learning and education. As she is
focusing on resources to support and encourage these students, I would like to focus on resources to support the
teachers who are working with these types of “reluctant” students. As the semester progresses and we explore this
topic- we are hoping to come together and possibly produce something as a pair that benefits both the students
and the teachers.