Marist College Standards Guide

Portfolio Standard

Tim Higgins
Interpretation

Representation in edTPA/Student Teaching

Standard 1: Teaching with Content

Knowledge
The candidate understands the
central concepts, tools of inquiry
and structures of the discipline(s)
he will teach, connecting concepts
across disciplines and relating
knowledge to real world contexts.
Using this understanding, the
candidate creates learning
experiences that make subject
matter accessible and meaningful
for students, engaging learners in
critical thinking, creativity, and
collaborative problem solving
related to authentic local and global
issues.

Teachers should not only know the subject

area content through standards but also
show passion about the content and their
connection to it. This interaction between
facts, concepts, and their connections to both
teacher and student is essential for learning
new material. If students understand the
importance of the content and the tools used
to process this content, they can begin to see
how it applies to many other contexts. The
tools are the most important aspect. If
students can make information and attending
concepts accessible by processing them
through their unique learning styles, then
they can apply themselves critically to any
information intensive undertaking. It is an
essential skill in the discipline of
history/social studies that students are
taught to apply methods of inquiry and use
evidence as they analyze complex issues
individually or with their peers.

This standard points to knowing content, applying

leaning theories and practices to deliver it, knowing
students, and connecting these three points. In my
edTPA Lesson segment, the area of inquiry was ancient
civilizations. Students engaged in this subject matter by
considering the surrounding urban environs. This
provided rich material to discuss the features of a
civilization. These discussion points included art,
architecture, religious systems, local government, job
specialization, and public works. Additionally, Student
survey data was categorized into actionable pedagogical
approaches. Student interests, learning styles, and
student affect has informed the delivery of the edTPA
learning segment. Along with this, a variety of activities
and teaching delivery methods made lessons accessible
to the variety of multiple intelligences represented in my
classroom. A key tool throughout my edTPA and student
teaching experience was the graphic organizer that
made key concepts and content available for critical
thinking within the discipline. Additionally, students
were engaged in learning activities that were fun, novel,
and realistic. Students considered a variety of evidence
in the Death of Caesar class activity. Other activities
related to authentic issues involved using picture books
to increase historical literacy. I developed one such
activity that used the illustrated story of Ruby Bridges to
frame a civil rights discussion for struggling readers and
visual learners.

Standard 2: Teaching to Promote

Development
The candidate understands how
students learn and develop,

Social development during high school can be

a source of strength and a cause for turmoil.
This standard points to leveraging students
strengths, interests, and needs into

In my edTPA, students were often driven to participate

through questioning skills. Some students exhibited
reticence but I demonstrated that everyone could
participate successfully. If a student was confused, I built

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Tim Higgins

recognizing that patterns of

learning and development vary
among individuals and across
cognitive, linguistic, intellectual,
social, emotional, and physical
areas. Using this understanding, the
candidate provides appropriately
challenging learning opportunities
that support the intellectual, social,
and personal development of all
students.

appropriate learning tasks and activities.

With the right tasks, students will construct
their own knowledge without teacher
mediation. However, strategic teacher
intervention is often needed to leverage
group leadership and promote equity within
group interactions. Awareness of the social
and emotional comfort levels of students
lead to crafting learning opportunities that
reflect a positive focus on patience,
enthusiasm, and flexibility.

a series of questions to arrive at the correct answer to

the original one. This challenge promoted greater
participation. Also, a group spokesperson was often
appointed on a rotating basis to ensure students develop
public speaking skills. During my student teaching, I
created a group exercise lesson plan on Greek mythology
where groups analyzed The Twelve Labors of Heracles
and played the role of creative focus group to launch a
video game. This was a successful, yet challenging, group
exercise. It promoted student self-regulation and crossdisciplinary learning with some prompting of group
dynamics. The groups encouraged responsibility and
motivation among themselves. It is also important to
recognize and understand the social dynamics of groups
and the challenged social skills of a certain groups of
leaners. It is especially important that teachers
understand Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I have
researched this area and used suggested techniques
during my student teaching. My research is captured in
the following discussion on Asperger's syndrome.

Standard 4: Curriculum Planning

The candidate engages in longrange planning and establishes
appropriately challenging goals and
expectations for all students that
are aligned with learning standards.
In carrying out that planning, the
candidate researches and draws
upon knowledge of content areas,
curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills,
and pedagogy, as well as personal,
cultural, and community assets.
Instruction connects students prior
understanding and experiences to

This standard is where the continuous

process of teaching has its starting point. The
large canvas of standards is broken down into
units, segments, and plans. Here logical
relationships can be discerned as well as
teaching efficiency. Actionable objectives are
crafted from the standards and these are tied
to assessments. It is also critical that learning
standards are organized in the best way to
leverage time, build foundational knowledge,
and incorporate CCSS for literacy in history.
An exercise should be undertaken during the
planning phase that verifies that required
curriculum and material is being

During the planning phase for my edTPA and lesson

planning during my student teaching, I used the threepronged edTPA model planning, instruction, and
assessment. I recognized that these three phases are not
separate, distinct phases but continually influence and
cause adaptation in the others. I started off with the
larger, long term goal of meeting the state and national
standards, and made them more granular through
lessons, their attending objectives, activities, and
assessments. This was viewed through the lens of
student surveys and knowledge of the urban
environment that the school was in. My success as a

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Tim Higgins

new knowledge to motivate and

engage students in learning.

comprehensively covered. Additionally,

student assets (through surveying) ongoing
assessments inform and modify lesson
planning. Continuous reflection and teacher
flexibility is paramount as plans are often
forced to change.

teacher was aided by knowing the audience of students

and constantly connecting content to their relevant
experiences. I looked at strategic lesson planning that
encompassed the mandated requirements and built on
preceding lessons. Ancient civilizations built on each
other and were constantly reviewed, compared, and
contrasted. An example of one such lesson plan with
clear, aligned learning objectives was the introduction to
Ancient Rome lesson plan. Additionally, I created lesson
plans that captured a variety of learning styles. Often,
lessons were modified after considering the needs of all
learners in the classroom. The mythology lesson plan
was modified to include scaffolding which provided a
needed structure to keep this authentic exercise on task.
This team worksheet provided this needed structure.

Standard 5: Instructional Strategies

The candidate uses a variety of
instructional strategies, including
strategies with technology, to
engage learners in critical thinking,
creativity, collaborative problem
solving, communication, technology
use, and other performance skills.
In using these strategies, the
candidate encourages learners to
connect concepts within and across
disciplines and helps them build
skills to apply knowledge in
meaningful ways.

Engaging students in varied activities

captivates their interest. Questioning is one
such activity that is low-tech and effective in
sustaining on-task behavior. Connecting
concepts from other subject areas allows
students to apply knowledge and increase
background knowledge for both areas of
study. These connections become meaningful
to students in their real-world applicability.
There needs to be encouragement in the
classroom to engage in these knowledge
building sessions. Additionally, written
scaffolding techniques aid effective digestion
of facts and concepts for the majority of
learners. Creative use of cross disciplinary
opportunities abound in Social Studies,

In my edTPA Lesson segment, activities allowed students

to experience history multi-dimensionally through the
written and spoken word as well as through many forms
of mediaboth visual and auditory. I planned and
considered these activities during my edTPA planning
commentary. For example, I used contrasting pictures of
an uncivilized man and a civilized man that kicked off my
edTPA learning segment. The observations of these
pictures allowed a questioning sequence that drove
students to a key concept. Throughout my edTPA,
visually engaging slides and presentations were
accompanied by discussions and questions resulting in a
hybrid model of active teacher instruction and student
input. This also occurred during group work where I
mediated and kept groups on task and corrected
misconceptions that occurred while students were

Marist College Standards Guide

Standard 8: Classroom Environment

and Motivation
The candidate uses an
understanding of individual and
group motivation and behavior to
create a mutually respectful, safe,
supportive, inclusive, intellectually
challenging and productive learning
environment that encourages
positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, and selfregulation.

Tim Higgins
especially in the use of literature, poetry,
mythology, and satire to understand social
history.

building knowledge. During the edTPA learning segment,

students discussed ancient achievements in math,
science, and engineering--experiencing how this
continues to influence us today. Graphic organizers
required students to remain engaged as prompts for key
information and conceptual links were made explicit for
students to record. During the segment on Ancient
Rome, I used Roman literature frequently. These primary
sources were cross disciplinary in nature as students
considered a poem by Virgil and the Pax Romana Lesson
plan that used both Tertullian, the author, and Juvenal,
the satirist to see Ancient Rome from a variety of
perspectives (Pax Romana DO NOW readings).

An effective history teacher is often an

effective performer; an actor immersed in
mankinds passionate pageantry of events. As
such, the liberal use of self-regulatory
exercises and a focus on individual and group
learning is needed. This is akin to a learning
coach, who encourages students to learn
independently with responsibility. It is critical
that classroom protocol is modeled and
based on respect and tolerance. Often,
values-based instruction is effective in
inculcating a supportive and safe
environment. Starting off class with
a motivating introduction (hook) sets the
stage for student interest, motivation, and
the fun that learning can be.

Every student was greeted with a smile as they walked

into the classroom; welcomed by good morning or
good afternoon. This sets the stage for engagement; I
was glad to have everyone in the class and ready to have
a positive and engaging class. A fully crafted classroom
management plan that students buy into and have a
hand in developing established solid routines that make
a class run efficiently.
The introductory hook for Ancient Egypt had every
student using the ancient greetings for hello and
goodbye. This caught on and continued with other
ancient greetings for other learning segments.
Additionally, the learning segment for my edTPA
promoted a proactive learning environment that
demonstrated group activities that promoted
cooperative behaviors. This was apparent during a jigsaw
exercise on ancient Egyptian accomplishments. Each
individual addressed the class at one time or another
and often approached the variety of whiteboards around
the class to share their findings. Furthermore, group
dynamics were monitored for their motivational effects

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Tim Higgins
on individuals and enhanced or altered when needed.
Often, students were helpful to others, a hallmark of
positive social interaction. Often, students on the autistic
spectrum needed additional supports. One such support
was my STAR behavior modification card that supports
deliberate behavioral management. I was also mindful
of gender differences in students self recognition of
efficacy which required more informal assessment
during activities and lectures. Literacy for boys is very
different than literacy for girls.
When my student teaching experience ended, I
addressed all my students with an address that left them
with good advice and well wishes. The Acorn speech was
very well received by the students. This gesture will
continue to foster respectful communication and
support reflective decision making for students. My
pieces of advice are posted on the classroom role for
students to remember after I am gone.

Standard 10: Assessment

The candidate understands how to
use multiple methods of
assessment to engage learners in
their own growth, to monitor
learner progress, and to guide the
teachers and learners decision
making. The candidate employs this
understanding to design, adapt,
select, and use a range of
assessment tools and to analyze,
interpret, and use assessment data
to monitor student progress and to
plan and differentiate instruction.

An effective teacher understands

assessments as tools for improvement and is
dedicated to finding the right balance in
every learning situation. Part of this is
insightfully observing and improving the
impact of teaching on students in the
classroom. Balancing that is facilitating selfassessment in learners. Also, data-driven
analyses of assessment performances help
inform instruction for groups as well as
individuals. This also calls for constantly
seeking new and creative ways of reducing
assessment anxiety. A reflective practitioner
self-assesses teaching and drives to
quantitative goals for improvement.

My edTPA assessment commentary discussed a mix of

seven formative and summative assessments to drive
more effective instruction. Informal classroom
assessment through questioning gave me real time
prompts to emphasize concepts more or drive to deeper
understanding. This happened in almost every teacherled lesson during my student teaching experience. Group
exercises were monitored for understanding and on task
behaviors. A formal assessment focused on
comprehension and writing short responses. I prepared
a rubric that directly reflected the objectives of the
lesson and had explicit criteria for students to plan their
success. I was able to analyze the results within the
rubric framework both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Patterns emerged in student performances that drove
planning of a highly scaffolded writing workshop for

Marist College Standards Guide

Tim Higgins
history essay writing. All learners would benefit from this
workshop as instruction was planned to be explicit and
grounded in current cognitive literacy strategies. This
assessment and planning cycle is critical to designing
effective instruction. Direct and actionable student
feedback is critical in this cycle. This was shown in my
student work sample for my edTPA. Additional examples
of assessments include authentic performances as
outlined in an assessment plan for 11th grade
curriculum.

Standard 11: Professional Practice

The candidate is a reflective
practitioner who uses evidence to
continually evaluate his practice
and to assess the effects of choices
and actions on others, adapting
practice to meet the needs of each
learner. This reflective practitioner
upholds professional standards of
practice and policy as related to
students rights and teachers
responsibilities, and engages in
ongoing professional development
to continuously improve teaching
competencies.

Educating our young is an intensely social and

collaborative undertaking. Participating with,
and discussing issues with teacher peers is
the most valuable resource for new teachers.
A passionate educator joins and participates
in education and subject matter peer groups.
A compassionate educator sets an example
as a principled and philosophical educator
with unimpeachable ethics and heightened
sensitivity to students needs.

During my edTPA learning segment and entire student

teaching experience, I continually sought content
knowledge and thought of how I would alter the lessons
if I ever taught them again. I also engaged tenured
teachers as sounding boards for particularly intractable
learners as well as effective techniques. I have come to
view a new teachers mission as striking a reflective
balance between idealism and practicality as the need to
navigate requirements and be adaptable to students is
often at odds. This is outlined in two writings of mine
that I have stayed true to during my entire teaching
experience. These are Spiritual Pedagogy and my
Teaching Philosophy.
The teaching profession is undergoing a revolution of
sorts and this is where ongoing professional
development can provide an essential framework during
times of change. I also maintain that professionalism in
dealing with fellow teachers and genuine care in dealing
with all types of students is paramount in establishing a
well-grounded practice. This was made very apparent to
me upon my departure and after sharing my parting
thoughts with students in what I term The Acorn speech.