Pre-Service Distinguished Pathway Exploration One

Pre-Service Distinguished Pathway: Exploration One Teachers are Committed to Students and Their Learning

Learning Outcomes 2.1 Create a networking environment among students who are interested in careers in education and who seek to develop evidence of distinction as reflected in knowledge and application of National Board Certification Core Propositions, standards and processes that impact P12 student learning. 2.2 Provide members with opportunities for personal growth, professional development, and community outreach that targets excellence in leadership, collaboration and service in the profession. 2.3 Provide professional membership on the local, state and national levels during the preparation period for a career in education that supports future goals to achieve National Board Certification. As stated in SCTA ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION

Connect With Others To complete these modules, you will be challenged with the task of both engaging with a National Board Certified Teacher mentor, and with other pre-service teachers.

Connecting With a Pre-Service Teacher You may also connect with your pre-service peers.

Connecting with an NBCT If you already know and would like to work with a National Board Certified Teacher in completing these tasks, that is fine. Otherwise contact us and provide the following information: First Name Last Name “I wish to obtain a pre-service mentor.” Developmental Area of Interest: Curricular Area of Interest: Submit this request to: jeagan-murray@nu.edu

Task 1 As a pre-service teacher, it is not an expectation that you go through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) assessment; however, as a teacher on the Distinguished Pathway, it is important to understand this processs.

The NBPTS Assessment Therefore, we ask that you surf the NBPTS website with a lens on obtaining an over view of the NBPTS Assessment by looking at the NBPTS Process.

Time to Choose! Now that you have learned about the process, it is time to learn about the 25 different candidacy choices, and decide which is best for you. Are you interested in teaching mathematics, for example? If so, would you be interested in teaching Early Adolescents, or [older] Adolescents and Young Adults. If you are interested in teaching in the primary grades, you might consider the Literacy option, or exploring either the Early or Middle Childhood Generalist options.

Task 2 We don’t expect for you to print all of the documents that a candidate would print, however, we would like for you to engage with the specific Standards for the candidacy area that you will explore, as part of your pre-service work. To access your standards simply click on the Certificate Area tab, choose your candidacy area choice, click on that, then scroll down to the Standards tab.

National Board Core Proposition One

NBCTs are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students NBCTs are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They believe all students can learn. All Students Can Learn

Discuss: What happens when we prejudge the potential of our students?

Jamie Brown, in the short video clip “AllStudents Can Learn” points out that: the classroom should be a place where students want to come to learn about the world, not escape from it. where student want to continue to learn more to fill the mind with openess

National Board Certified Teachers treat students equitably National Board Certified Teachers treat students equitably. They recognize the individual differences that distinguish their students from one another and they take account for these differences in their practice. Diversity in the Classroom

Discuss: What can we do to create a multicultural classroom?

Mark Bennet and Tris Bisgrove, in their short film: “Diversity in The Classroom,” remind us that we can: use examples and curriculum from a variety of cultures teach and point out instances of bias, stereotyping, and assumptions and how they may shape beliefs facilitate teaching experiences that allow people from all cultures to succeed have high expectations for all students

NBCTs understand how students develop and learn. Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking

What is Thinking? A process of structuring information and doing something meaningful with it.

How Thinking Works According to Dr. Derek Cabrera: “we don’t need a miracle, we Need a method.” What Can We Do?: Teach students to make distinctions between ideas, objects and things. Teach students systems. Teach our students to recognize relationships between and among ideas/curriculum. Teach our students to take multiple perspectives. How Thinking Works

Discuss: Problem: According to the lecture that we will ask you to view later, is that college students, and people who enter the workforce lack critical analysis and thinking skills. Question: How do we engage students in critical analysis skills and thinking skills to prepare them for college and career readiness?

NBCTs respect the cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom. Respecting Cultural Differences in Public Education

Discuss: Question: How does it look when a school/classroom community is celebrating diversity?

According to the short video clip Celebrating Diversity, by Kasey Althouse: diversity should be celebrated from the first years of education, and in a positive way that students come to school with different learning styles that each child deserves an equal education in a safe learning environment free of bias or prejudice wherein a child’s culture and belief system is infused in the curriculum and in a space wherein differences and similarities are recognized and respected

NBCTs are concerned with their students’ self-concept, their motivation and the effects of learning on peer relationships.

Motivating Students to Learn

Types of Motivators:

Intrinsic Motivators: fascination with the subject connection to real-life satisfaction/good feeling of accomplishment an urge to call attention

Motivated students might say . . . “Literature interests me.” “Learning math enables me to think clearly.” “I feel good when I succeed in class.”

Discuss: What is an advantage of being intrinsically motivated? One disadvantage?

can be long-lasting and self- sustaining Advantages: can be long-lasting and self- sustaining lend to promoting student learning often focus on the subject rather than rewards or punishments

Disadvantages: can be slow to affect behavior can require special and lengthy preparation a variety of approaches may be needed to motivate different students helpful to know what interests one’s students and connect interests with the subject matter requires getting to know one’s students helps if the instructor is interested in the subject to begin with!

parental expectations expectations of other trusted role models Extrinsic motivators parental expectations expectations of other trusted role models earning potential of a course of study grades

Extrinsically motivated students might say . . . “I need a B- in statistics to get into business school.” “If I flunk chemistry, I will lose my scholarship.” “Our instructor will bring us donuts if we do well on today’s quiz.”

Discuss: What is an advantage of being extrinsically motivated? One disadvantage?

produce behavior changes Advantages: produce behavior changes typically involve relatively little effort or preparation often do not require extensive knowledge of individual students

Disadvantages: often distract students from learning the subject at hand can be challenging to devise appropriate rewards and punishments for student behaviors often needs to escalate the rewards and punishments over time to maintain a certain effect level typically do not work over the long term Once the rewards or punishments are removed, students lose their motivation.

Bottom Line: Extrinsic rewards can have a negative impact on intrinsic motivation.

Deep Learners . . . respond well to the challenge of mastering a difficult and complex subject. These are intrinsically motivated students who are often a joy to teach!

Strategic learners motivated primarily by rewards react well to competition and the opportunity to best others make good grades but won’t engage deeply with a subject unless there is a clear reward for doing so sometimes called “bulimic learners,” learning as much as they need to do well on a test or exam and then promptly forgetting the material once the assessment is over

From your experience, what strategies motivate students? Discuss: From your experience, what strategies motivate students?

Research-Based Motivation Strategies

Become a Role Model Deliver your presentations with energy and enthusiasm. As a display of your motivation, your passion motivates your students. Make the course personal, showing why you are interested in the material.

Get to Know Your Students. You will be able to better tailor your instruction to the students’ concerns and backgrounds, and your personal interest in them will inspire their personal loyalty to you. Display a strong interest in students’ learning and a faith in their abilities.

Use Examples Freely Many students want to be shown why a concept or technique is useful before they want to study it further. Inform students about how your course prepares students for future opportunities.

Use a Variety of Student-Active Teaching Activities These activities directly engage students in the material and give them opportunities to achieve a level of mastery. Teach by discovery. Students find as satisfying as reasoning through a problem and discovering the underlying principle on their own. Cooperative learning activities are particularly effective as they also provide positive social pressure.

Set Realistic Performance Goals . . . and help students achieve them by encouraging them to set their own reasonable goals. Design assignments that are appropriately challenging in view of the experience and aptitude of the class.

Place Appropriate Emphasis on Testing and Grading Tests should be a means of showing what students have mastered, not what they have not. Avoid grading on the curve and give everyone the opportunity to achieve the highest standard and grades.

Be Free With Praise and Constructive in Criticism Negative comments should pertain to particular performances, not the performer. Offer nonjudgmental feedback on students’ work, stress opportunities to improve, look for ways to stimulate advancement, and avoid dividing students into sheep and goats.

Give Students as Much Control over their own Education as Possible Let students choose paper and project topics that interest them. Assess them in a variety of ways (tests, papers, projects, presentations, etc.) to give students more control over how they show their understanding to you. Give students options for how these assignments are weighted.

Sources: Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do, Harvard University Press, 2004, pages 32-42. Accessed from: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching- guides/interactions/motivating-students/#styles Linda Nilson, Teaching At Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, 2nd edition, Anker Publishing, 2003, pages 41-44. Matt DeLong and Dale Winter, Learning to Teaching and Teaching to Learn Mathematics: Resources for Professional Development, Mathematical Association of America, 2002, pages 159-168.

NBCTs are also concerned with the development of character and civic responsibility.

Education Experts Blog: Debating the Future of Education

The Education Department released a report last week arguing that civics education should be reinvigorated and re-imagined.

Discuss: Should civics education be reinvigorated and re-imagined? What would that look like in your classroom?

Education Experts Blog: Debating the Future of Education

“A Civics Lesson” by Fawn Johnson: Education Experts Blog: Debating the Future of Education “A Civics Lesson” by Fawn Johnson: Civics is often an add-on in core curriculum Ameri-corps is an effective model used at the college level Every students should have a sense of citizenship

To What Level Do We Teach Civics? The article asks: “Should civic education go beyond the Constitution and branches of government to include community-level activism and volunteerism? How should civics be included in the packed curricula of schools? Is the interest level there to support civics programs? Are there resources to support such programs?” What do you think? What about lessons on character development?

Directions Having learned about National Board Core Proposition One: NBCTs are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They believe all students can learn and the descriptors that followed, please review the links and answer the following prompts:

Task 3 NBCTs are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They believe all students can learn. From All Students Can Learn: What does the quote, “The classroom should be an entrance into the world, not an escape from it” mean to you? What are some barriers to all students being able to learn? What are some ways that teachers can overcome those barriers? Please cite examples. What does your NBCT mentor feel are some barriers to the notion that all students can learn? What are suggestions they gave you for overcoming those barriers?

Task 4 They treat students equitably. They recognize the individual differences that distinguish their students from one another and they take account for these differences in their practice. From Promoting Diversity In the Classroom: If you walked into a diverse classroom today, what evidence would you see of diversity? What evidence would you see of a non-diverse setting? Please be specific by citing examples. Then, engage with another pre-service teacher and add some of their ideas for what is seen in a diverse classroom setting.

Task 5 NBCTs understand how students develop and learn. Revise a lesson you have created, or one that a mentor teacher has modeled using some of the four thinking strategies from the TedTalk Metacognition – Thinking About Thinking. Be able to defend, using a rationale, for why your lesson design truly engages students in thinking. Identify connections and places wherein your lesson will meet your National Board Teaching Standards: Certificate Area tab. Submit this lesson to your NBCT pre-service mentor for feedback and make any changes to your plan as needed.

Task 6 They respect the cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom. From Respecting Cultural Differences in Education: Describe a scenario wherein students are learning to respect cultural differences. List both the student tasks, and how this will help shape their abilities and understandings of other cultures. Then, identify and explain which of the four levels of thinking from the Metacognition – Thinking About Thinking lecture this connects with and why that is so.

Task 7 They are concerned with their students’ self-concept, their motivation and the effects of learning on peer relationships. From Teacher Talk: How to Motivate Students in the Classroom – part 1: and the Motivation lecture slides included in this powerpoint, take one of the activities you described earlier, and describe ways that you can improve the lesson by building in activities and strategies to increase student motivation. Be sure to “think outside of the box” – including ways to engage families and community members. Keep in mind what we learned about the four levels of thinking above. Be sure to identify and connect where inclusion of your National Board Certificate Standards: Certificate Area tab.

Task 8 NBCTs are also concerned with the development of character and civic responsibility. From A Civics Lesson – Blogs about Civic Responsibility – After reading the various blogs on the issue of civic responsibility, to what level do you believe that teachers should engage their students in tasks related to civic competency. Then, go back to one of your lessons described above and describe an extension lesson that would engage students in civic competence. Be sure to include a learning outcome related to civic responsibilities as well as identifying levels of thinking from the Metacognition – Thinking About Thinking lecture. Create or engage in a blog activity with pre-service peers on the SCTA website about this debate.

Module One Wrap Up

Directions for Submission of Tasks: 1. Copy and paste all tasks onto a word document. 2. Add this heading to the top of the page: Name Date School 3. Label all Modules and Tasks with Headings 4. Keep these in a word document and submit as one document when all Five Modules have been completed. 5. Name your document as follows: Firstname.Lastname.Pre-ServiceModuleTasks.2013-14