PSIII Professional Growth Plan

Name: Tamara Constantine

Practicum Dates: Sept. 6th Dec. 22nd 2016

School: St. Josephs

Teacher Mentor: Dianne Brodie

School Administrator: Val Leahy
University Consultant: Arlene Driscoll
A. Professional Goals:

Goal #1: Identify signs of and strategies for reducing anxiety in ECE
students.
o Rationale: I am interested in learning more about the
symptoms of anxiety in young children and how teachers can
help them succeed in school.
Goal #2: Improve classroom management skills
o Rationale: Classroom management is an area of growth for me
as I need to ensure that I am setting and following through with
regular classroom expectations and routines.
B. Strategies:
Strategies to address Goal #1:
o Strategy 1: I will survey the staff at St. Josephs School to
identify the number of teachers who feel that they may have a
student who is struggling with anxiety.
Complete by: October 5th, 2016
o Strategy 2: I will create a Word document and begin to
research the prevalence and symptoms of anxiety in young
children.
Complete by: October 15th, 2016
o Strategy 3: I will identify 10-15 strategies for reducing anxiety
in young children at home and at school.
Complete by: October 31st, 2016
o Strategy 4: I will create a list of resources where the
information found can be accessed.

 Complete by: November 15th, 2016

o Strategy 5: I will implement one of the strategies researched in
my classroom and report the results.
Complete by: November 30th, 2016

Strategies to address Goal #2:

o Strategy 1: Implement the use of PAX in my classroom using
the PAX sign and harmonica to gather student attention.
Complete by: Ongoing
o Strategy 2: Be consistent with the use of PAX and reduce use
of phrases like eyes up here or Grade 3.
Complete by: Ongoing
o Strategy 3: Introduce and use the strategy of counting
backwards when needing students quick eye contact
Complete by: Ongoing
o Strategy 4: Research and implement strategies for individual
behavior management in response to particular student behavior
Complete by: October 31st, 2016
C. Indicators of Progress
Indicators of progress towards Goal 1:
o Word document completion with all parts included
Indicators of progress towards Goal 2:
o Positive student response to use of PAX
o Positive student response to use of counting backwards
o Less classroom behavior problems overall
o More cooperation from particular students with use of
individual behavior management tools
D. Summary of Growth and Goals Achieved
I have experienced a lot of growth during my PSIII Internship at St.
Josephs School. My goals have helped to keep me focused on some
specific skills I wanted to develop further. My first goal was in relation to
my PIP. I have completed most parts of my PIP and have been using one
of the strategies I found in my research with a student in my class. This
student struggles to get started on a task when it is presented to him. He
also struggles to keep going until a task is completed without several

prompts from the teacher. We believe that he may suffer from anxiety in
that he finds the task overwhelming or is unsure if he can do it on his
own. I have taped a difficulty scale onto his desk and before he begins a
task I ask him to rate its difficulty. He usually rates it a 3-4 on a 4-point
scale with 4 being very challenging. When the task is completed, I ask
him to rate it again. Usually, he rates it as a 1 or a 2 (easy or a little
challenging). The purpose is to help him understand that these tasks may
seem challenging or overwhelming at first, but that he is able to complete
them and they may not be as difficult as they seem. I believe this strategy
is beginning to help him understand this. If used for long enough, he may
begin to see the trend and hopefully help him to get started on tasks right
away.
Overall, my goal in researching anxiety in students has been achieved,
and as evidenced through my PIP I now have more knowledge about how
I might be able to help my students who struggle with anxiety in the
future.
My second goal was in relation to classroom management. I have found
that over the course of my internship, I have become more aware of my
classroom surroundings and I have learned the kinds of consequences
that are appropriate for certain behaviours. I feel that I have a strong
teacher presence in my classroom, and that my students are aware of the
expectations. I have routinely implemented strategies to ensure students
are aware of the expectations for all activities we complete. For example,
I ask my students what it might look like or sound like in the room when
we complete the next activity. The students come up with their own
expectations and are held accountable during the activity. I find this
makes activities and lessons run more smoothly.
In addition, I have consistently used PAX in my classroom and have
enjoyed its use. The students respond well to it and it has helped keep my
students on task and gain their attention more easily when needed. I have
also used my second strategy of counting backwards. I found this was a
quick way for students to transition, clean up, or complete a certain task
quickly. They responded well to it and I believe most of them are
motivated by the sense of competition that the countdown provokes.
Overall, I feel I have achieved my goal of strengthening my classroom
management skills during my internship.