Standard Eight | Collaborative Relationships

This artifact is a science lesson I did in a kindergarten classroom with a co-teacher. It

addresses Professional Teaching Standard 8: Collaborative Relationships, knowledge indicator:
B, and performance indicator: B and E. I chose this artifact because it shows my knowledge of
the collaboration process ad my ability to work with colleagues by planning and then
implementing instruction successfully to students.
This artifact is an appropriate representation of Standard Eight because it exemplifies
collaboration between my colleagues in order to help the student have a successful learning
experience at school. I worked with another teacher to create a lesson about slope and speed.
We sat down together and first discussed what we wanted the students to learn. Then we
decided on how we would teach it to them. My co-teacher and I wanted a lesson the children
could enjoy doing while learning simultaneously. It was important for the other teacher and I to
be open with each other and willing to listen to each others ideas and advice. If one of us
wasnt willing to compromise, listen, or let our ideas evolve, the collaboration process would
not have worked (B). Both of us thought the lesson was interesting, caused the children to
think, and allowed the children to be successful. We knew the next step was implementing the
lesson. My co-teacher and I took turns explaining and demonstrating to the children what to do
during the lesson. We did the lesson in small groups, and as a result, after each lesson my co-
teacher and I reflected on how it went. We discussed word choices, order of the lesson, new
questions to ask, and how the students responded. Then, we made the appropriate changes for
the next group. Again, we were open to new ideas, and since we had a common goal of having
the students learn, we accepted criticism from each other to better ourselves and our lesson (B,
E).
This artifact demonstrates my growth and development as a teacher because I was able
to learn more about working with others and creating a lesson collaboratively. It has helped me
be more accepting of criticism and more reflective. I knew I needed to pull my weight when
creating the lesson because it was a group effort. The lesson went well and the students
learned a lot. I want to do this more often and try collaborating on lessons other than science. I
am very happy with the results of it. As a teacher, it is important to be able to work and
collaborate with other teachers or faculty in the building. Bouncing ideas off of co-workers
makes lessons stronger and more beneficial to the students and their needs.