Professional Growth Plan 2013-2014

Name: Erin Gough

TQS: #6 The purposes of short, medium and long term planning. #8 There are many approaches to teaching and learning. Goal: Develop essential questions to help guide and direct my students learning and use these essential questions to direct my teaching, especially formative assessment strategies. Strengths in this Area: I knowledgeable in the curricular areas in which I teach and therefore am able to pin point areas where I should direct my students focus. I have previously developed unit plans based around essential questions. Challenges in this Area: I find it difficult translate my essential questions which the units are based around into daily lessons that communicated these essential questions to my students. This limits the questions ability to guide my students learning. I need to engage my students more consistently in formative assessment in order to know the direction my teaching needs to be headed. As a result of your professional growth, what will your students be able to do? My students will have a deepened understanding of the goals that drive our daily lessons. This will help to motivate their learning and enable them to link their work to curricular objectives. What specific new learning will you need to build your capacity in this area? I will need to develop a deepened understanding of the program of studies, specifically how it can be translated into teachable objectives that can direct student learning. I will also need to study Blooms Taxonomy and its application in essential questions. ACTION PLAN Strategies/Activities (including conducting research) In depth study of Alberta ELA curriculum. Review of Blooms Taxonomy and its application to education Target Date Mid October 2013 Mid October 2013 Resources Needed (people, courses, books, etc.) Alberta Education English Language Arts Curriculum Teaching teenagers : a toolbox for engaging and motivating learners by Warren Kidd & Gerry Czerniawski

Evidence of Success (ie/ impact on student learning): By completing this research and applying it to my planning I will be able to direct my students learning. This will enable them to connect with the curriculum and direct their learning activities. Year End Reflection:

TQS: #1 Contextual variable affect teaching and learning. #5 All students can learn, albeit at different rates and in different ways. #8 There are many approaches to teaching and learning. Goal: To develop effective differentiation strategies for students of varying need and ability in the courses I teach. Strengths in this Area: I am able to recognize students of need or ability fairly quickly. I believe that every student can succeed if they are given the opportunity to do so and that it is our job as teachers to provide them with this opportunity. I know that I do differentiate for students already but need to be more consciously and activity planning to do so. Challenges in this Area: I feel that I have a lack of resources and materials to aid me in differentiating. I also think that I am inexperienced with dealing with classrooms where there is major differences in need. I have worked in classrooms with primarily very high level students who needed to be challenged and in classrooms comprised mostly of low level students who needed added support; I have never been in a classroom where the range of students is so wide spread. As a result of your professional growth, what will your students be able to do? If I am able to differentiate successfully my students will find success on what ever level is appropriate for them. When given work at their level that they have the ability to complete they will be easily motivated to complete the assignments. What specific new learning will you need to build your capacity in this area? I will need to locate available resources and understand how to implement these resources in my classroom. It will also be beneficial to develop relationships with colleagues who have experience in this area and are willing to share their expertise. I will then put the knowledge into practice and determine routines, strategies, and theories of differentiation that are best fit for my students learning styles and my teaching style. ACTION PLAN Strategies/Activities (including conducting research) Research different ideologies around differentiation. Target Date Resources Needed (people, courses, books, etc.) Advancing Differentiation: thinking and learning for the 21st century by Richard M. Cash University of Lethbridge Library - Education Journal Catalogues Kendra Onno, Carol Young, Riley EllisToddingson, Brad Grieve, Tammy Foreman, Kendra Onno, John Loree, Myself

Mid-October 2013

Locate resources and strategies. Implement findings with students to find best fitting strategies and resources. Reflect on their success.

November 1, 2013 Mid-November 2013

Evidence of Success (ie/ impact on student learning): Students who were struggling will have relatively improved. Students who are achieving will be continuously interested and challenged by the material. Year End Reflection:

TQS: #4 The subject disciplines they teach. #9 The functions of traditional and electronic teaching/learning technologies. Goal: I would like to integrate technology more effectively into my language arts lessons. Strengths in this Area: During my practicum at Victoria Park in professional semester two I was able to develop a unit in CALM that could have been complete by students completely online. As I implemented this in the classroom I was able to use technology in many of the activities we did. Throughout the unit students who were not normally became self st motivated. I realize the benefits to using technology with 21 century learners and have an understanding of various tools that are available to use in the classroom Challenges in this Area: In develop my language arts units for this internship I didnt include a lot of technology because I wasnt really sure oh available the resources and tools would be available to the students and I. In previous experiences I also found it difficult to integrate technology into language arts because of complications with assessment. As a result of your professional growth, what will your students be able to do? If my professional growth is successful my students will be able to gain experience with multiple technological tools. They will gain an self motivated interest in new technologies and their potential uses. What specific new learning will you need to build your capacity in this area? In order to achieve this professional learning goal I will need to learn more about the Alberta ICT outcomes and deepen my understanding of how those outcomes can be coordinated with the English Language Arts outcomes. I will also need to gain a more comprehensive library of technological and web 2.0 tools. ACTION PLAN Strategies/Activities (including conducting research) In depth study of Alberta curriculums. Acquisition of Resources Target Date Mid October 2013 November 2013 Resources Needed (people, courses, books, etc.) Alberta Education English Language Arts Curriculum and ICT Outcomes Brad Grieve, various technology in education blogs, Caryn Swark, Kurtis Hewson,

Evidence of Success (ie/ impact on student learning): My lessons will successfully integrate technology through a variety of mediums. The students will interact with st these technologies and develop a sense of their usefulness in their future in the 21 century. Year End Reflection: