Professional Growth Plan Final Report (EDUC 429)

PART 1 – already completed prior to student teaching (please include)

PART 2
1. What did you do to build your professional background knowledge related to the domain and
component you selected? Did you add any new professional learning opportunities during your
internship? Describe four specific articles, books, webinars, podcasts, etc. that helped build your
professional background knowledge.
I took multiple approaches when it came to building my professional background knowledge on Domain
2, component 2d: monitoring behavior. I used books, articles, podcasts, as well as speaking to my CT
and other classroom teachers on different methods to monitoring and managing behavior. During my in-
ternship, my CT introduced me to a book on responsive classroom called The First Six Weeks of School,
which goes into different methods to creating routines, setting tones for teaching academics, as well as
teaching discipline, which all can help with monitoring and managing behaviors. My CT also introduced
me to Yardsticks by Chip Wood, which discusses cognitive, social-emotional, and physical characteris-
tics from ages four through fourteen, which allowed me to better understand where my students were de-
velopmentally with their emotions and how I can help and interact with my students when it comes to
different behaviors. Another great podcast that helped me build knowledge on monitoring behavior was
The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast by Jennifer Gonzalez which has given me more knowledge on different
behaviors and different strategies to use when monitoring and dealing with classroom behaviors. An-
other source I found helpful was the IRIS Center, which has a multitude of modules to help teachers im-
prove their education.

2. What specific activities/actions did you implement to help attain your goal? Describe at least four
specific activities. Connect each activity to a reading, webinar, podcast, etc. listed in question 1.
Activity 1: Proximity control was a strategy that my CT had mentioned to me to implement throughout
my instruction that helped me monitor student behaviors, in which I used the IRIS Center module to re-
search how to implement the strategy. In the past, I found myself stopping instruction to call out stu-
dents who were not paying attention or participating. By using proximity control, I was able to nonver-
bally redirect students attention and behaviors without disrupting instruction time.
Activity 2: A “Calm Down Corner,” is a responsive classroom strategy that I was able to learn more
about in The First Six Weeks of School. When behaviors are showing in students, sometimes they just
need a quiet place to gather their emotions and thoughts before joining the academic environment. When
I found a student disrupting instruction, I would politely ask them to take a break in the calm down cor-
ner. Students are going through a large change cognitively and emotionally, so letting them know that
they are not in trouble, but just need to take a quick break
Activity 3: Logical consequences, including positive and negative reinforcements and punishments are
another form of actions I took to manage behaviors. In The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast, Jennifer Gonza-
lez discussed using logical consequences and the “Three R’s” when managing student behavior, which
include reasonable, respectful, and related consequences. In the past, I would find myself in a consistent
power struggle when trying to punish a student for their misbehavior. When a student is displaying un-
wanted behaviors, such as speaking when the teacher is speaking or when students are suppose to be at
voice level zero, a logical negative punishment would be to put them in silent lunch, because if they
were already getting social time during my instruction, then they can sit at voice level zero by themself
at lunch.
Activity 4: Brain breaks allowed me to try and stop behaviors before they are present. Most instructional
blocks can be anywhere between sixty to ninety minutes, which is a long time for a student to be sitting
 and learning. I implemented many brain breaks before or after transitions to allow students to calm their
brains and bodies before beginning the next activity, minimizing behaviors during instruction time. I
also implemented brain breaks during instruction if I could see students beginning to lose focus, again
allowing students to calm themselves down and focus their attention back on me before beginning my
instruction again. In Yardsticks, Wood mentions how students’ attention spans, especially in kinder-
garten, is fifteen to twenty-five minutes, and as I mentioned before, instructional blocks can be any-
where between thirty minutes to over an hour. By giving students the opportunity to take a quick break,
they are able to calm themselves physically and cognitively prior to beginning a new task.
3. Did you meet your intended goal? Why or why not?
I believe that I have progressed toward my goal of building myself into the classroom environment of
the classes I intern in, as well as managing behavior in a consistent, effective manner. During my student
teaching internship, I was able to build connections with all my students, and learn the ways of the class-
room environment that was in place, which in return allowed me to know how to monitor and manage
the behaviors in the classroom in a respectful and efficient way.
Describe the evidence and artifacts that demonstrate the professional learning goal was met (in-
clude at least 5 descriptions of evidence). Two pieces of evidence must be the focused observations
by your cooperating teacher in your selected area of growth (attach the feedback provided by
your cooperating teacher). Label and describe each piece of evidence and explain why each piece
helps meet your intended goal. Attach the artifacts to the end of the report.
Professional Growth plan Focused Observation 1: In this artifact, Mrs. Magras stated how I was
able to correct misbehavior that was present in my ELA whole group instruction, as well as my
ability to incorporate positive reinforcements, such as praise, to those demonstrating good behav-
iors, such as following directions. By including the use of positive reinforcements, I am able to
not only manage student behaviors, but build my respect and rapport in the classroom.
Professional Growth Plan Focused observation 2: In this artifact, Mrs. Magras was describing
my ability to use proximity control and those nonverbal redirection strategies to monitor and
manage student behavior during my whole group math lesson. In her statement, she also explains
how I will “correct student misbehavior throughout lesson and conferences with student who is
having difficulty,” allowing me to correct those misbehaviors while not taking away from in-
struction time.
Announced Science Observation (Assessment C): During this observation, Dr. Duvall observed
my science block, in which she stated that I have “an aura of authority” around myself. During
this observation, students were completing a writing assignment independently about fish, where
I was circulating the room to assist and monitor behaviors, in which Dr. Duvall stated how I
“stop misbehavior immediately and then move on not allowing disruptions to stop the lesson.”
Unannounced Science Observation (Assessment C): During this observation, Dr. Duvall stated
how “misbehavior is handled quickly, and lesson moves on,” which allowed for little to no in-
struction time to be lost, as well as behaviors still being observed and managed through nonver-
bal signals.
Announced Math Observation (Assessment C): In this artifact, Dr. Duvall observed my math
block, in which I set my expectations prior to beginning the lesson, and she stated how I was able
to use a “calm control” when speaking to students about their misbehavior.
4. How did you collaborate with other professionals to meet your goal?
I had the opportunity to observe and communicate with multiple teachers different behavioral manage-
ment strategies For example, I was able to observe how some teachers would use Class Dojo points as a
 way for rewarding behavior, I was able to observe teachers who would use a class money system as a
positive reward/punishment.
5. What new learning did you acquire as a result of the professional learning opportunities in which
you engaged?
Through professional learning opportunities, I learned the importance of seeking help! There
were some days I felt I was unable to manage misbehaviors in the classroom, and it affected the way I
performed during my instruction. The advice I got from my cooperating teaching and other team teach-
ers was helpful during on-stage instruction. Also, I realized that the students I am teaching are young,
and misbehaviors are likely to occur, but the most important thing when managing student behavior is
the approach I take. If I were to sit there and yell and argue with a student, that is when power struggles
may occur or will affect the repeat and rapport relationship I have with the students.

6. What impact did the changes in instructional practice have on you as a professional?
As a student teacher who struggled my previous semester with managing student behavior, it took a tole
on me mentally. I would go home feeling mentally and physically exhausted, and that exhaustion
showed in my instruction. With the changes in my practice, and after acquiring more knowledge on dif-
ferent strategies to use to aid my instruction and ability to manage student behaviors, I have found a new
level of love for teaching, and I can feel the respect my students have for me! Instead of allowing a mis-
behavior to affect my mood and the tone of my instruction, I was able to build that respect and rapport
with my students to where I can redirect students in a light-heartedly way, where students know that the
misbehaviors they have performed are wrong, and they WANT to fix it! There will be days where stu-
dents will have an “off-day,” which is completely acceptable because we are all human- it is the way we
approach situations in which will set the tone of the classroom and the lesson!
7. What impact did the changes in instructional practice have on your students’ learning?
There has been a positive impact on student learning since since I have made the changes in my instruc-
tional practice. My students are young, some of my students did not attend pre-school, and every stu-
dent’s life at home is different; therefore misbehaviors are likely to occur as these students are growing!
I am one of the first teachers my students have had-- the way I teach and the relationships I build with
them can make a lasting impression on their feelings towards school. My students are a very kind group,
who never want to disappoint neither Mrs. Magras or myself. I incorporate different strategies to man-
age student behavior in a calm and logical way, in hopes that students will learn to self- correct misbe-
haviors which will prepare them for future classrooms.
8. How will you continue to develop in this area?
I will continue to develop in this area by communicating with other teachers, as well as continuing to re-
search different sources that will allow me to grow professionally in the area of monitoring student be-
havior. Monitoring and managing student behavior is an area that any educator will say they are still
learning and growing in, so as time goes on and I have different classes of my own, I will want to reach
out to other educators for their advice and different strategies, as well as other sources that will help me
manage the different types of classes, and students, that I will have!