Artifact Reflection: Standard X

Collaboration
Title: Pioneering Your Future
Date: March 5, 2011
Description:
The following artifact shows the days events for the Pioneering Your Future group leader
activity that I participated in. About 15 other group leaders and I guided groups of middle school
age girls throughout their experience exploring options with the school of EMS (engineering,
mathematics, and science) at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. The objective of this
activity was to get our group of girls to start thinking about college and to consider their options
in a career in one of the EMS fields.

Alignment:
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment:
The Pioneering Your Future experience best aligns with Standard 10: Collaboration. The
teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger
community to support students learning and well-being and acts with integrity, fairness and in
an ethical manner.
This artifact best aligns with Standard 10 because I worked with my peers as a leader in
helping young girls learn about the different opportunities in engineering, mathematics, and
science. I also interacted with the girls parents before and after the days activities took place.
Fifteen UW Platteville students and I worked together the week before Pioneering Your
Future was to take place and started brainstorming ideas for group activities and icebreakers.
Working with my peers demonstrates my ability to develop and maintain relationships with my
school colleagues. The group leaders worked together for a few hours coming up with ideas for
the different stations we would be taking the girls to and created fun, interactive activities. Once
the girls arrived at Ullsvick Hall on Plattevilles campus, we introduced ourselves to each of
them and their parents. Through introductions we wanted the girls to know who they would be
with for the remainder of the day and for the parents to know that their children were in good
hands.
After icebreakers were finished, we let the girls decide which activity they would like to
attend first out of three options. Of the three options, the girls were very drawn to the glow stick
activity. Out of our group of 12 girls and four leaders, we split up into four separate groups
giving each leader three girls to work one-on-one with. In our individual groups, we were given
three glow sticks of the same color and three beakers of water each at a different temperature.
We placed one glow stick in each of the beakers to test the reaction of the glow stick to the
different temperatures. This was nice because we had to wait a while for the reactions which
gave us time to talk and predict what would happen with each of the different temperatures.
I am more competent now in this standard because I was able to establish relationships
with school colleagues, parents, and middle school students as a part of reaching out to the
community and introducing the option of furthering the middle school individuals continuation
in education.

UW Platteville Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Alignment
My Pioneering Your Future Group Leader schedule best aligns with KSD IV. D: Contributing
to the School and District. The candidate is able to assume a leadership role among colleagues
and is supportive and cooperative with peers and volunteers, and serves as a participant and
leader in school events and school and district projects.
Pioneering Your Future best aligns with this KSD because it is run by UW Platteville to
promote the University and to encourage young girls to consider a career in engineering,
mathematics, or science. By participating in this event as a group leader, I am contributing to the
school by being involved and demonstrating value and respect. Not only was I contributing to
the University but I was also contributing to the surrounding southwest Wisconsin community by
involving girls from that area and being a role model to them.
I am more competent after this experience because I was involved in my community by
serving as a group leader among my colleagues and to middle school girls from the southwest
region of Wisconsin. By being involved as a leader, I developed communication skills that I can
use in my classroom and within the school district community that I will work for.
Secondary Alignment:
KSD IV C: Communicating With Families
KSD IV F: Showing Professionalism



Reflection
What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience
I learned many useful things about teaching and educating all in one day by being involved in
Pioneering Your Future. Not only did I learn about myself as a leader, I learned how I can play a
significant role in my local community by contributing to the school and district. I learned how
important connecting with parents and being involved in the community correlates to the
effectiveness of my teaching. By establishing good relationships, parents (and children) respect
educators more and trust them with their childs education.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this experience
This experience taught me to be involved in my community and to establish relationships with
those involved in the community early in my teaching career. I also learned that teachers can
make learning fun and meaningful and a way to test your students of their newfound knowledge
is to have them demonstrate their new skills before the class is over. I also learned how
important it is for the teacher to flexible and have variety in lesson planning.