Reflection On Professional Standards For Teachers

Assessment plays a significant role in the learning experience of students. It determines their progression through their programmes and enables them to demonstrate that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes. It is assessment that provides the main basis for public recognition of achievement, through the awarding of qualifications and/or credit.

As a teacher I am responsible for the evaluation of course work and all aspect of the learning process to gauge whether improvements can be made. Throughout the process I must make sure that the course is delivered with quality and professionalism and continually assess my own teaching style and course delivery. As a teacher I will need to evaluate the course and delivery throughout the course duration to enable continuous improvement of my teaching and the impact that it is having on my learner.

In 1989 a group of voluntary researchers named the Assessment Reform group (ARG) were formed by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). The group had the task to take account of relevant research and evidence in regards to assessment for policy and practice. In 1996 BERA’s support ceased and was taken over by the Nuffield Foundation till the ARG dissolved in 2010. It was in 1996 that the foundation funded Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam members of the ARG to review literature on the use of assessment to help with learning. As a result, evidence was found that ‘formative assessment’ could help to improve learning and the findings were published under the title ‘Inside the black box’. The ARG was one of significant influences on the design of Scotland’s Assessment is for Learning (AfiL) initiative which aimed to develop assessment in learning in Scottish schools. This essay will discuss and explore how effective formative assessment of pupils’ progression can be carried out.

Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to use approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching pupils how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer is still an opportunity to learn. It further provides the student with an understanding of what levels they are working at, what level they would like to working towards, and plan on how they are going to reach that level.

These strengths include organization, participation, and creation of checklists. I feel I stay very organized in this class, as I have all of my documents organized inside my binder ready for a notebook check. In regards to participation, I try my best to raise my hand nearly every class. I stay active and focused so that I can obtain all of the information. I also ask questions frequently which helps me to avoid mistakes or any confusion. My final strength, the fact that I create checklists, has benefitted me immensely. Checklists help to make sure all requirements are met for any project or essay, which is how I received a 91 on my Pilgrim Presentation and an 85 on my Canterbury Tales Short Essay. Checklists have helped me to score higher on assignments with multiple requirements, but not all assignments were as simple as creating a

“Assessments should be a regular process; it might not always be formalised, but you should be observing what your learners are doing, asking questions and reviewing their progress throughout their time with you”.

From kindergarten until high school, I was a member of the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance. Up to 5 days per week, I would be at the dance studio taking classes, rehearsing for shows, and helping out in the less advanced classes. Regardless of skill level, Jean never hesitated to speak the brutally honest truth about students’ performances and she never settled for anything less than perfection. Jean would often preach that she is only the instruction manual and she cannot make us good dancers, we had to do that for ourselves. However, it was not her critique or teaching alone that motivated dancers to perform well, it was her relentless work ethic and commitment to her studio. As a 70 year-old women, Jean held classes as much as 7 days per

Scotland re-evaluated assessment strategies which saw the Assessment is for learning (Aifl) initiative implemented in 2002 which aimed to improve children’s life chances through a more coherent system (Gov.scot, 2005). The revised system, A Framework for Assessment (BtC5), incorporates principles of Curriculum for Excellence (CFE) and the values of Aifl, which collectively aim to support pupil progression. Furthermore, they aim to build confident individuals and successful learners (Educationscotland.gov.uk, 2008) who are active participants in their own learning and set their own targets. However, ‘for this to be effective teachers need to build an intimate and detailed knowledge of their pupils’ thinking and assist them, with fairly specific advice and scaffolding, in achieving the next stage’ (Harris, 2007). Therefore, for formative assessment to effectively support learner attainment, teachers must have a detailed knowledge of pupil capability and support them progressively in developing their own metacognition.

As a practicing teaching, I had the opportunity to assess students learning and provide them with feedback. This took place during a series of lessons (artefact 4) I taught to a year 8 Health and Physical Education class. Through the course each lesson taught and during professional experience, I formally and informally provided the students with feedback. There were opportunities to use formative feedback and assessment as well as summative feedback and assessment.

According to the School curriculum and standards authority (2014) assessments should arise naturally out of teaching and intended learning developed from the curriculum and syllabus, the judgements made by educators assists in students ongoing learning (para. 1).

A standard which has taken on a particular relevance to my job role whilst volunteering at St Margaret’s is Supporting Assessment for Learning. A few years ago, the school implemented a new marking and feedback policy. It sets out a framework within which teaching and support staff can operate and give guidance to the children and how children can evaluate their own and other’s learning.

After reviewing the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards and the experiences of this class, I have been able to see how the standards are used in a real-life school. Each standard goes into detail on how a teacher could incorporate them into their classroom. However, through my experiences I have noticed that some of the standards are not meant for the actual classroom. So, I will be focusing on the first standard; leadership, the third standard; teachers need to know the content they teach, and some standards that I believe should be in the NC Standards. Lastly, I will talk about how my opinion on the NC Standards has changed and how I plan to incorporate them into my future classroom.

To me, my greatest strengths are those that will help me be a successful leader. I am confident, poised, and respectful which are 3 attributes that not only a future Drum Major should possess, but everyone in band as well.

The goal of educational assessment is to record, evaluate and enable improved student learning. The monitoring of student work, through developing understanding of key subject concepts and their achievement of syllabus objectives requires comparison against outcomes and standards. These outcomes and standards help define the criteria which is considered essential and relevant for assessment. Through correct implementation, integration, and reliability and validity, all forms of assessment should enable improved student learning when teaching is targeted towards syllabus outcomes, objectives and through highlighting gaps in student knowledge.

The biggest strength I have is to be creative with the situation that I am given. This in not only a skill that suggest that one can synthesize material to give it a sense of authenticity, but also can adapt and accommodate in the moment. Even the best planners can have a poor classroom dynamic; the rigidity of these classes is what prevents them from engaging students in the moment. I genuinely believe in effective planning and mythology but I also believe in breaking from the script and to accommodate the needs of learners in creative ways.