Table of Contents

Page 1-3

Learning Styles Profile

Page 4

Artifact Reflection St. 1

Page 5

Lesson Plan

Page 6

Artifact Reflection St. 7

Page 7

Journal Entry

Page 8

Artifact Reflection St. 9

Page 9-11

Philosophy Paper

Page 12

Assessment

Assignment

Page 13-21

Comparison Interview

Page 22-30

Awards

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses of the Learner

During this assignment I was asked to identify several aspects of
myself that affect my learning. These aspects included my particular
learning style, dominant multiple intelligences, and my own Right/Left
brain dependency. Based on the results of the three self-assessments I
took I will interpret the results of the tests and determine what they
mean to me as a learner today and a teacher in the future. To do so I
will answer three questions the first concerning what the data means
to me as a learner, second information I could provide to my teachers
to help them understand me as a learner, and lastly how knowing of
these test could help me as a future educator.
Using the data that I obtained from the three tests I took I
determined that I am a visual and tactile learner, my left and right
brain are 4 points from being perfectly balanced, and I have strength
when it comes to my self, athleticism, and musicianship. As a learner
this tells me that seeing is an effective way for me to learn, while I can
afford to both visualize while moving about the task. The best way for
me to learn is to see a task performed, and then be allowed to do the
same task as was just performed. I believe my learning style is
complimented by my multiple intelligences where I scored highly in
Kinesthetics/body movement. This tells me that being able to
physically go about a task enables a higher level of learning to be

achieved by myself. Based upon my Right/ Left brain activity I am able

as a learner to use the logical side of my brain while also instituting the
gut feeling and impulsivity of my right brain. This allows a spontaneous
absoluteness of how I can deal with problems incorporating equally
both sides to problem solving.
After identifying how I learn and think about educational work, I
have discovered several ways to inform and educator on how I would
best be benefited by their work. Firstly, I need to see the task done
first, and then have time to replicate the task on a smaller or the same
scale as it was just done. Lecturing does very little for me as a learner
as I need to see the words for them to be committed to my memory.
Also it is important for me to be able to move about while learning as it
helps me internalize the information while being able to move about
my work. No problem presented to me will pose a problem to me as far
as going about it, however, presenting a problem that requires to much
spontaneous or logical activity could prove to be difficult as I rely on
both sides of my brain. Thusly prodding at one side of the equation
could prove difficult for me to process correctly.
As a future educator these self-assignments have provided me
with both invaluable and overwhelming information. It informs me that
no matter how perfectly I believe I have designed a lesson it is nigh
impossible to have 100% effectiveness with all the students. This tells
me that patience is the most important skill that a teacher will need to

develop as no one student can ever be inherently the same. Although

genetically each human is only .1% differently it changes millions of
factors that affect how effectively our brain processes information. As a
future educator this has provided me with a broad outlook on my
future students and the differences that I will inevitably encounter.
During this assignment I learned not only about myself as a
student but the struggle that educators face everyday when
determining how best to inspire and educate their students. It has
informed me that there is no silver bullet for education and adaptability
and patience are the key to a low blood pressure and have a satisfying
career.

Teaching Standard Addressed: Standard #1 Learner Development

Course:

EDU 213: Introduction to Education

Artifact

Learning Styles Profile:

I chose the Learning Styles Profile assignment to be my artifact
for Standard #1 because this standard focuses on proving knowledge
of how children learn and understand. This assignment perfectly
establishes this standard, as it requires that you state the benefits to
knowing what kind of learner you yourself are. This knowledge can
then be used to assess future children and facilitate their learning.

Reflection
The Learning Styles Profile was a useful project for me to do
while first learning about education. It helped me establish not only
what kind of learner I am, but also how to facilitate the learning of
others. As a future teacher it will be invaluable to be able to identify
verbal, auditory, and kinesthetic learners in the classroom. Also
understanding talents and left/right brain thought further boosts the
usefulness of this project for me personally. Understanding the learner

is one of many powerful techniques that all teachers should

understand.

Religion in the Classroom

Objective: Students will take what they have learned and

develop an educated reason supporting or refuting the
phrase under god in the pledge of Allegiance.

Materials:
Projector
Power point
Pencil/pen
Paper

Teachers Materials:
http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/religiouslibertycases.
aspx
https://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Soci/SociBart.htm
http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Publiceducation/The-law-and-its-influence-on-public-school-districts-Anoverview/Religion-and-Public-Schools.html
https://ffrf.org/publications/brochures/item/14113-schoolprayer

Power point presentation

Anticipatory Set: Introduce the Class to an Example of

religion becoming involved in the classroom.

Procedures:
1. Instruct on the Basic history of Religion in the classroom
2. Introduce the arguments for both sides of the conflict
3. Finally have class split into small groups to have them
discuss the controversial under god statement in the
pledge of allegiance. Students should be discussing
with their fellow group members on whether or not it is
appropriate or not in school. If it is/isnt why is that so?

Closure: Assignment is an argumentative essay about the

under god phrase. Essay should include proof to back up
the students opinion. A well-structured argument is
expected. Tomorrow in class we will here all of the
arguments (not in entirety) and then vote as a class on
whether to keep or remove the phrase.
7

Teaching Standard Addressed: Standard #7 Planning For Instruction

Course:

EDU 213: Introduction to Education

Artifact
Lesson Plan For Classroom
I chose my lesson plan to represent this standard as it fits the
criteria perfectly. Although the lesson plan was not the entirety of the
project it did make me go through the basics of teaching a real lesson
to a real class. It required the creation of a measurable goal and had
me teach a lesson with the sole purpose of assessing students on
knowledge and critical thinking. It also called for the creation of an
assignment to assist in the measuring of the objective, which also fits
perfectly under standard seven.

Reflection
This assignment was very productive for me. I had to learn to be
comfortable at the front of a room and to create a learning
atmosphere. It was an invaluable first experience for me as it took
planning and execution. Unlike many of the other projects and
assignments this one required an understanding of topic are and the
ability to respond to a class around you. Although it was not a true
class that was being taught it still proved to provide the proper

experience that one needs to establish before stepping into a true

classroom and attempts to teach from a piece of paper.

10

November 13th, 2014 Rock Wall and Jump Rope

Today the kids got their first turn on the brand new rock wall, needless to
say they were ecstatic. While the kids took turn on the rock wall another group of
them would be at a jump rope station so that they were still in motion, rather than
standing in line waiting for a thirty second turn. The rock wall also introduced a
degree of problem solving to the classroom as the students had to devise how to
move on the wall. It was kind of funny to see students reaching for holds they
couldnt reach or trying to swing from rock to rock. Once again I am surprised to
see problem solving as a large part of Elementary P.E.

11

Teaching Standard Addressed: Standard #9 Reflection and Continuous

Growth
Course:

EDU 213: Introduction to Education

Artifact
Journal Entry
I chose my Journal Entry to represent Standard 9 because it
shows my early experience and development in the real classroom. It
causes me to reflect on my previous experiences and remember how
true teachers handled certain situations. The journals show a constant
state of reflective improvement, as they require me to draw upon the
knowledge of others and to learn from the experience of doing so.

Reflection
Journal Entries were a very important part of the beginning of my
education because of the reflection they made me do. Without taking
time to go back and write down what had been seen on one particular
day it allowed for me to recall actions and activities that I may want to
use in my future classrooms. This also works in the reverse allowing
me to remember behavior issues and things that I would want my
classroom without.

12

13

Other Projects
Philosophy Paper
In this paper I will convey my basic views on education. I will
touch on my base thoughts on how a classroom should be organized,
taught, and regarded by the teacher. This paper will be divided into
two parts, the first describing my concept of teaching and learning, the
second how I plan to teach my future classes.
The ultimate purpose of education to me is to prepare the
learner with knowledge that will not only prepare them for the real
world, but to enhance their place in that world. I believe that
knowledge can do more that just prepare someone to take part in the
adult world. Education should do much more, for instance allow
someone to surpass his peers using an advanced and complex
understanding of situations. As someone who believes heavily in the
importance of history, I know for a fact that knowing the facts and
mistakes of the past is essential to making forward progress. In that
respect I will take it upon myself to prepare learners today to not make
the same mistakes that their predecessors have made in the past. In
this retrospect my ideals are closely related to small portions of
pragmatism and existentialism. Pragmatism holds problem solving in a
very high regard, which I agree with, however pragmatism holds that
school is not solely used as preparation for the future. Pragmatism
states that students should be taught for the here and now, while I

14

dont fully disagree with this belief, I do hold that as time has been
known to do we will be propelled ever forward in time. Existentialism
appeals to some of my beliefs in the way that it emphasizes the
student in education. Existentialism believes that an individual is a free
and responsible agent determining his or her own development
through acts of the will. As my Father often told me when we discussed
education, you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him
drink. This metaphor holds a lot of truth to it, especially when it
comes to education. No matter how interesting a teacher makes a
topic, or how essential it is to a students future, the student must
make a personal choice to succeed or fail. Education should not solely
be seen as the responsibility of just the educator, but rather the
educator and student share equal importance in the learning process.
Everything that a student does can lead to an enriching experience
that will nourish that students desire to learn. In this regard I believe
that there is no such thing as knowing too much. All knowledge holds
an immeasurable importance to this world; this is proven through a
simple example. 1+1 is a base math problem that can be seen as a
rather irrelevant source of knowledge. However that simple equation is
the base of all knowledge in math. In that respect even the most
ludicrous or nonsensical facts could hold the base of a learners interest
in learning. In this respect I cannot truly say that I know a certain core
amount of skills that should be that base of all education. If there is

15

anything that is truly needed in a classroom it is the base need or

desire to learn.
Being able to retain knowledge and lean upon that knowledge to
help enhance ones life is what it means to learn. The ability to use
what one has learned to help them accomplish a task is the basest
meaning of learning. You will know that learning has taken place when
the student is able to apply the knowledge to a task, whether it is
shown through the completion of homework or displayed in a written
essay. The role of the teacher is to deliver knowledge in a way that
peaks the interest of students while providing them with the greatest
ability to commit the knowledge to a task. In this way the teachers
role is to facilitate the learning of their students. On the flip side it is
the students duty to adapt to the delivery of that knowledge and find
a way to commit and utilize the knowledge that has been delivered. My
classroom will have an atmosphere that encourages inquiry. If a
student needs to ask a question, I dont want them to think they will be
mad fun of or ignored because of it. If a student needs help in my
classroom I will not only expect myself to assist them, but their
classmates to help them as well. You best understand a subject when
you are able to explain it to another person, thusly I will use the
classroom activity of having students teach one another to prove
proficiency and help their fellow classmates.

16

Assessment Assignment
This paper is written in two parts. The first part will be an
interview that I conducted with my mentor teacher in Elementary P.E.
The second part will be my assessment of my own performance when
teaching our education course about religion in the classroom and
sharing my assessment of that class success.
My mentor teacher was highly aware of everything that happens
in her classroom. Every single activity she prepares for students has a
purpose. In this way almost everyday in Elementary P.E. is an informal
assessment. Every time the students are asked to skip, climb, run, and
etc. she is assessing the level at which they are performing. If they are
a third grader for instance and we are jump roping, a third grader
should be able to jump the rope five times without stopping and
without making a mistake. If there is a student who cannot do that
then she sees reason to help that student. In this respect the move
towards standards based education has been tough on the P.E
department as there are no measurable objectives that have been set
for the Physical Education department. My mentor teacher has found
this incredibly frustrating because they hold meetings to discuss the
standards and she has nothing to add or discuss, on top of that no one
has any suggestions for her. It has been very frustrating for my mentor
teacher in that respect. Reporting progress happens only through
conferences for the kids. At this level there is no grade for P.E. so my
mentor teacher must share all progress reports directly to parents.
In my lesson plan I included the measurable objective of
Students will take what they have learned and develop an educated
reason supporting or refuting the phrase under god in the pledge of
Allegiance. To assess my classroom I would have them turn in an
argumentative essay that states their beliefs on the phrase in the
pledge of allegiance and supporting their argument. This is the rubric I
would use to grade the assignment, a 30-point essay.
Areas for
10-8 points
7-5 points
4-0 points
Grading
Punctuation
and Grammar
Development
of Argument

No or few
mistakes with
punctuation or
grammar.
A strong thesis
and support of
three main
points

Few to a handful of Dozens of

punctuation/gram
mistakes, not
mar mistakes
proofread at
all.
A developed thesis Weak thesis
supported two
with no support
main points.
for any main
points

17

Critical
Thinking

Developed
thoughts,
posed
questions and
supported
answers

Some developed
thoughts with
questions that
were supported
slightly or
incompletely

No developed
thoughts and
posed no
questions

18

Comparison Interview
For this assignment I was instructed to select ten questions and
interview two separate teachers using those questions. These
questions have been placed at the end of the paper for review. After
collecting the answers from the two teachers, I used a first year and a
27th year, I was told to compare their answers. In doing so I will also
analyze how time may have affected the answers while also identifying
similarities.
Question 1
Young Teachers Answer: Getting the kids interested, whether in the
classroom or after class.
Old Teachers Answer: Constant bombardment of new initiatives from
the administration. Extra things they have to do and no time to
become a master of any of them, no say on whether or not they get to
choose a certain initiative.
When comparing these two answers the old teachers view is
clearly more focused upon others telling him how to do his job.
However the young teachers thoughts were immediately to the kids as
the most difficult part of education for him. This can be attributed to
the time the old teacher has spent in the classroom; he has already
developed complete control over the kids and focuses more on how
others interfere with how he does his job. The young teacher is still
establishing himself to his students; thusly he is experimenting with

19

disciplinary action and total classroom control. It is likely that given

time the young teacher will have had time to establish both himself
and his techniques. Once this is done there is little doubt that he would
be disturbed by outside sources telling him how to better instruct the
classroom that he has already established control over.
Question 2
YTA: The success of knowing that the kids have learned something
from the days work.
OTA: Helping kids, when you can honestly see that you have mad a
difference in a students life, whether based upon education or in life.
Both teachers agreed that helping kids was their primary joy
when it came to teaching. The young teacher held great pride in
knowing that a student had retained the information that he had
worked to implant inside the students mind. As a first year teacher
having that joy is a critical part of every single one of his days. The old
teacher also took great pride in affecting a students life. Although his
statement included the life of the child, the young teacher undoubtedly
also takes a large amount of pride away from affecting the student.
Both had similar thought processes, which shows that each one has
the same focus when it comes to their classroom. Both want students
to learn something from the experience had in their classroom, not
necessarily history or English, but something that they helped implant
inside the students thoughts.

20

Question 3
YTA: Primary sources, first hand accounts, letters, as well as group
work and cooperative learning.
OTA: Coral reading, echo reading, and cloze reading. (Cloze reading is
where he reads and then stops and has the students read the next
word.
When it cam to these teachers favorite techniques for teaching it
becomes clear which subject each of them teaches. However there are
similarities even in those two very different subjects. Coral reading
includes everyone in the classroom reading something at the same
time. The group work and cooperative learning that the young teacher
discusses also requires the classroom to collaborate in learning. This
shows that both teachers believe in a teaching style that requires
cooperation from the students in their own learning processes. Seeing
this in a first year teacher and a twenty-seventh year teacher shows
similarities in how each of them learned about education.
Question 4
YTA: Being able to make it his home, after student teaching he enjoyed
having his own classroom.
OTA: Control! Knowing that he is in charge.
When asked about what they enjoyed most in their classroom
both young and old again had similar answers. Although the young
teacher was incredibly happy merely to have a place to call his own, he

21

enjoyed the comfort that he had in his own classroom. The old teacher
stated that he merely found the control of his classroom to be the
single most satisfying factor of that space. This shows that each puts a
little bit of their own essence into the room whether it means a
dictatorial view or merely a touch of home, both enjoys that they are in
charge of the area. Perhaps with time the young teacher will overlook it
as his own, and put it in his mind closer to what the old teacher thinks
of his classroom. Merely a space where he is in complete control, no
matter who or what tries to convolute that fact. However for now the
difference remains subtle, and the young teacher is content and elated
to have a space to call his own.
Question 5
YTA: Major in History, minor in political science.
OTA: Major in both English and Phys. Ed. With a masters in Phys. Ed
Once again when asked what college preparations were made to
prepare for education, both teachers show how subjects can affect the
outcome highly. The only true difference that can be seen through the
answers to this question is the twenty-six years that the old teacher
has over the younger. With time it is likely that the young teacher will
pursue further mastery of his political science coursework, as well as
possible further mastery of his history major. The old teacher shows his
experience through his masters degree in physical education, however
he is not currently a physical education teacher. Both had multiple

22

aspects of their education that prepared them to enter the teaching

force in multiple areas.
Question 6
YTA: Knew he wanted to coach, wanted to be around kids and help
them.
OTA: Father was a teacher, and also a way to get involved in coaching;
he regards teaching and coaching as similes.
Each of these teachers are currently coaches at their respective
schools, and both admit coaching to be their primary encouragement
to become involved in teaching. Both saw teaching as a way to
implement themselves into the coaching programs at certain schools.
However the older teacher has a more complicated view of teaching
and coaching, he regards them as one in the same. Something the
younger teacher did not mention. Whether this is due to his extended
stay in both professions, this is the most prominent difference in
answers to this question. As time passes for the younger teacher, he
may come to his own conclusion on the similarities, or lack there of,
between teaching and coaching.
Question 7
YTA: Getting them to get to the next level, getting students to push
themselves to a higher stage of learning.
OTA: Off task behavior

23

When asked the hardest part about dealing with students the two
answers once again drifted almost parallel to one another. The young
teacher becomes most frustrated when dealing with a student who is
not pushing themself towards betterment in his subject. The old
teacher is most frustrated with off task behavior displayed in his
classroom. These two pet peeves are similar to one another purely
because in both cases the student is preventing education. The older
teacher is bothered not because they are off task per say, but because
their being off task is preventing the education of those around that
student. The young teacher may also be experiencing a similar
problem, except it is more on a one to one ratio. He dislikes that a
student would not want to further him or herself merely due to a lack
of caring. In this way they are both similar struggles with students in
the classroom despite the twenty-six year difference in their careers.
Question 8
YTA: Write EVERYTHING down no matter how insignificant or silly it may
seem.
OTA: Have more than enough planned for the time that you have with
students and be flexible.
Here the young teacher shows a little bit of his inexperience. He
confided that he occasionally struggles to keep all of his things in
order. So to counter this bit of disorganization he strives to write
everything down and leave those notes wherever he can find them.

24

Sticky notes, scraps of paper, and even writing on his hand were
suggestions that he offered to help new teachers with their
organization. The older teacher showed that he had gotten the hang of
keeping his things in places where he could not only remember, but
also find by offering the advice that preparation for a class should
reach the point of being excessive. By always planning activities to be
done that can exceed the class time it avoids the possibility of running
out of required lesson time. Thusly avoiding busy work and off task
behavior. With these two pieces of advice one can see the difference
between first year and twenty-seventh.
Question 9
YTA: His cooperating teacher influenced his style of teaching and his
disciplinary opinions.
OTA: Did not model his teaching off of anyone one from his past,
thought first year of teaching taught him truly how to be an affective
teacher.
This question revealed the biggest difference between the old
and young teacher. It could be called into question that he has taken
bits and pieces from his own previous experiences, however the old
teacher does not attribute any of his techniques or styles to teachers
from his own past. He merely states that the first year of teaching is
where he truly learned how to teach. When compared to the young
teacher who attributes both his own style and disciplinary philosophies

25

to the teacher who he student taught under. It is possible that the

young teacher will adapt after this first year of teaching and grow into
his own styles and philosophies, however it is just as possible that the
old teacher will encounter another teacher who influences him in his
own observations.
Question 10
YTA: No he has not considered leaving the profession, there are days
he gets tired but he is reeled back in by the satisfaction of affecting
kids on a day-to-day basis.
OTA: Yes, due to both outside and administrative influences he has
considered on multiple occasions leaving the profession. However he is
anchored by both his love of the job and the Powerball ticket serving as
plan b.
Although the difference in these answers is glaringly obvious, it is
tough to say that they are completely opposite. Each teacher professes
a deep love for the profession, however the old teacher has had
experiences that have made him question the choice of the profession.
It is completely plausible that the younger teacher will be more
tempted in the future due to a certain event. However it is once again
just as possible that his love for the profession will not be shaken by
any event that is thrown his way. It would be very interesting to hear
the young teachers answer in ten years.

26

Questions and Interviews

1. What is your biggest struggle with education?
2. What do you enjoy most about teaching?
3. What are some of your favorite techniques to use?
4. What do you enjoy most about the classroom?
5. What was your preparation? (Major, minors)
6. What inspired you to be a teacher?
7. What is the most challenging thing that you have with students?
8. What are some tips of organization in the classroom?
9. Are you modeling your teaching after anybody from the past?
10.
Have you considered leaving teaching?
Young Teacher, Date of Interview Sept. 30, 2014
1. Getting the kids interested, whether in the classroom or after
class.
2. The successes of knowing the kids have learned something.
3. Primary sources, history teacher, first hand accounts, letters, and
group work cooperative learning.
4. Being able to be at home, his own classroom. Decorated with his
own things.
5. Major in History, minor in political science. Teaching govt. and
world history
6. Knew he wanted to coach, wanted to be around kids and help
them.
7. Getting them to get to the next level, getting them to push
themselves.
8. Write EVERYTHING down, no matter how silly it may seem. Just
keep track of it, to remember.
9. His cooperating teacher from Gilbert, how he deals with teaching
and classroom discipline,
10.
No, he gets tired, days he feels like he doesnt want to be
there, but he feels fulfillment at the end of everyday.
Old Teacher, Date of Interview Sept. 30, 2014
1. Constant bombardment of new initiatives from the
administration. Extra things they have to do and no time to
become a master of any of them, and no say on whether or not
they get to do the initiative.
2. Helping kids, when you can honestly see that you have made a
difference in a students life, whether based upon education or
life experiences.
27

3. A lot of coral reading, echo reading, and cloze reading. Cloze, he

reads and stops then they tell him the next word. Uses explicit
vocabulary.
4. Control! Knowing he is in charge
5. Double major in English and Phys. Ed., with a Masters in Phys. Ed
as well
6. His father was a teacher, and a way to get involved in coaching,
which he regards as similes.
7. Off task behavior.
8. Have more than enough planned for the time you are allotted
with the kids, be flexible.
9. Not modeling his teaching off of any one else, learned more in
his first year teaching than his four years of college, have to be
who you are because kids can spot a phony a mile away.
10.
Oh yeah. Many times. Seriously twice. Due to outside and
administrative influences, brought back because he enjoys it,
plan b goes into action if he hits the Powerball.

28