The candidate differentiates instruction/works with students to enhance individual student learning.
​
I implemented the use of targeted questions during guided reading instruction with my 21 second grade students. I planned questions in advance which were focused around about the the text, within the text, and beyond the text questions. The preplanned questions were intended to aid students in the development of their comprehension skills. I differentiated my small group instruction by grouping my students into four similar ability groups. Group one was my students reading below second grade expectations, groups two and three consisted of students reading at second grade expectations, and group four was students reading above second grade expectations. I then tailored my about, within, and beyond the text questions to each of my differentiated groups, in order to target each groups’ individual needs of their reading comprehension skills.
Although some students demonstrated a higher need of improvement in the area of reading comprehension, all of my students had room for growth in the area. Reading comprehension is a lifelong skill my students will need and use throughout their education and professional lives. Being able to decode and read texts is important, being able to understand and recall what you have read is equally as important, especially as students progress through grade levels. Reading comprehension is also a skill that translates across content areas, students will need to understand text they read in math, science, social studies, and writing. As students improved their reading comprehension during guided reading, they also improved in other content areas as they are able to translate those comprehension skills to other contents. I wanted to find the connection between types of questioning and increased reading comprehension skills.
I chose to focus on targeted questioning because incorporating a variety of levels of questioning during reading instruction increased students’ reading comprehension. I could not ask only lower level thinking comprehension questions, but I also could not only ask high level comprehension questions, there needed to be a balance. Skills such as identifying author’s purpose, summarizing, main idea/theme, making inferences, making connections, cause and effect relationships, and compare and contrast were developed through the use of targeted questioning. Throughout my practices of planning questions in advance, including varying cognitive levels of questioning, and strategic timing of questions with ample wait time, student reading comprehension improved.
Targeted questioning allowed me to focus on one comprehension strategy and ask students text dependent questions which required students to think more deeply about the text and use text evidence to support their answer. In order to evaluate each students’ reading comprehension level I used my targeted questions as a formative assessment during each guided reading session. Targeted questioning required me to front load much of the work, however it actually saved me time as I did not have to do as much reteaching of the comprehension strategies because I was able to assess each students’ needs during small groups and adjust my instruction accordingly.
​
The candidate uses culturally responsive practices to positively impact student learning.
In order to be a culturally responsive educator I implemented interest interviews in order to get to know my students. From there I used what I have learned about my students to guide the decisions I made in our classroom. I also made contact with my students’ families and sent weekly newsletters, so student learning was accessible to their families. While I provided accessibility to families there was no guarantee that all families would work with their student at home. I sent minimal work home as homework and allowed several days for my students to complete the work. I always provided students the opportunity to work with an adult during the school day to complete any work or practice drills that did not get accomplished at home. I strove to make equitable decisions to provide all students with the opportunity to learn and grow in our classroom. For instance, a struggling reader had their comprehension test read aloud and my above second grade level reading group read more complex texts. I also provided the use of technology for both reading and math extension. Specific to reading, I provided headphones and audio book websites in which students listened to books read aloud to them. Within my classroom I was conscientious of the books I chose to read with my students and added to our classroom library which portrayed a variety of cultural characters, whether that be gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc. I was also careful when I chose books to ensure they included experiences and interests all of my students were able to connect with. Overall, my main focus was keeping our classroom student centered. I assessed student needs and learning styles during whole group, small group, and one-on-one instruction, pulled from student interests, and empowered students to take risks and share their thinking. I applied these strategies to my instruction to keep our classroom student centered.
The candidate collaborates with other professionals and community members to transform student learning environments and/or improve student learning.
I collaborated with several internal stakeholders who supported my study including my building assistant principal, grade-level mentor teacher, and building reading specialist. My building assistant principal observed my guided reading instruction and supported me as an educator by providing me with instructional ideas and both positive feedback and constructive feedback. By providing me with this support, my assistant principal also improved student learning because the feedback and ideas improved my instruction. My grade-level mentor teacher supported my study through planning together, allowed me to observe her teaching guided reading, and shared her instructional activities and expertise. Additionally, my building reading specialist supported my study by providing me with instructional activities and interventions that were used with all students, but specifically struggling students. She loaned me professional books, suggested research to look into, shared her insights and expertise, discussed individual student needs, and pulled students from my classroom for further reading interventions.
I also collaborated with numerous external stakeholders including my CADRE Associate, fellow CADRE teachers, UNO professors, and community members. My CADRE Associate supported my study by pulling individual students to read through sight words and high frequency fluency phrases. She also pulled small groups of students which provided another layer of more focused comprehension instruction based off of personal student MAP data. My CADRE Associate supported myself and my students by helping me plan, filming videos of my teaching for reflection, and posing questions and discussions (Jim Knight strategies) to improve my instruction. Peer CADRE teachers supported my study through stimulating discussions during Capstone and Seminar classes. Furthermore, these individuals provided me with instructional ideas that worked in their classrooms and provided an additional source of feedback and fresh eyes for practices I was implementing in my classroom. My UNO professors supported my study though extending my learning, thought processes, and assessment methods. They pushed and challenged me to be a better educator for my students. Additionally, they shared applicable resources and their expertise. Finally, I also collaborated with community members, such as students’ families. For instance, families volunteered to read with students in the classroom during reading stations and assisted them in reading Accelerated Reader comprehension quizzes over books they had read. Students’ families also supported my study by helping improve student learning by reading books I sent home with their student, then asked them questions about the books they had read together.
.png)
.png)