Domain Evaluation 2

2a: Cultivating respectful and affirming environments. - Distinguished.

There is a healthy respect between instructors and students. Students feel safe and supported by the teacher. The teacher actively works to ensure that students are able to perform At the highest level. The teacher is aware of cultural differences within her students. The teacher displays both an active interest in their cultures and an understanding of the difficulties that come with being a foreign student. The teacher understands and speaks basic Spanish to interact with her English language learners. The teacher also has labels placed around the room to provide further assistance to these students. The teacher will ask questions about the cultures of students and attempt to connect with them. Healthy relationships and respectful interactions are also fostered in students. There is a zero tolerance to bullying. The teacher will sometimes shift seating charts and assign groups to ensure that students do not feel isolated. The teacher directly supports cooperation from students who can help English learning students. The teacher paired a student that was being talkative with a student that was consistently struggling to understand material. The talkative student began to help that student throughout the class periods and was given praise by the teacher and teacher's aid for being a good peer. generally, the students work together as a unit and as individuals.

I believe that feeling comfortable in a classroom is paramount to learning effectively. If students are disconnected emotionally they are not taking in any new information. When I was working at a preschool, I encountered children of all backgrounds. Sometimes I would have a child in my room and I would inquire extensively into their cultural heritage and families. In the school I worked at in particular there were a large number of students who were Indian. I actually ended up learning much about Indian culture. Students would Inform me of towns that relatives lived in, foods they enjoyed, and various beliefs. Parents would also have conversations with me that gave me more distinguished connections with students of cultures that I had not grown up with. I will show kindness and warmth to both students and parents in the future.

2b - Fostering a culture for learning. - Distinguished.

Students are often grouped and paired by the teacher to complete assignments. There are many opportunities for equal experiences within the room. There are also many instances in which students choose who to pair with.Students are also provided agency in several ways within the classroom. Students are able to access materials that they need at any point. For example, Calculators, pencil sharpeners, erasers, and study sheets are provided and students may access these materials at any time. Students take action to improve grades by asking for assistance before or after class. This is more apparent around exams. students in honors classes specifically have shown a great interest in maintaining high marks. I have seen this reflected in how the students request extra credit or more homework opportunities.

The teacher encourages students to go above and beyond. The teacher provides timely feedback and praise, and even employs the use of stickers To acknowledge achieved scores of 100 on tests and exams. She provides support to students by extending more learning opportunities to students. The teacher has a philosophy that strategies that help some students should be implemented to help all students. This includes the use of visual aids and repeated explanations of concepts in accessible ways. The teacher continuously seeks out new ways to make content more accessible for students with workshops and courses.

I wish to cultivate an environment where students are eager to learn. Teachers should validate students' work. I attempted to emulate my teacher's example with this by giving feedback and praise in my grading. I also gave stickers to students who received 100’s on papers. I do realize now that I was not considerate of student grouping or placement during my cooperative learning experience but was consistently doing that with the younger preschool students. Having expectations set is important as well, even my preschoolers were aware that I expected them to follow rules and a basic routine.

2c: Maintaining purposeful environments - distinguished

The teacher has a purposeful and organized classroom. Day to day routines are utilized as students benefit from structure. Administrative work such as grading and emails are completed during planning or lunch periods. Tutoring is also given before or after school hours. This ensures that time spent with students in the classroom is fully effective. A phone rack is used not only to prevent students from being distracted during lessons, but also to take attendance.

The Structure for learning itself generally follows the, “I do, we do, you do” model is the basis for most lessons. A lecture with visual aids will be followed by work done as a class wide group. All students participate at this stage. Afterwards, students can work in pairs to complete assignments. As mentioned previously, students benefit from coordination and cooperative scaffolding. The lesson itself is often flexible to suit the needs of students. An example of this is how a later class period has a greater number of English learners and the “I Do, We do” segment is extended. An aid is also present in the room to provide further assistance to IEP and English learning students.

I struggle with organization and am seeking to improve on that. I do think optimization of time is also something that I struggle with. Group sizes were something that I immediately picked up on and got better at during my density lesson plan as the day went on. I realized that groups needed to be no more than three at a time. My lesson was not very flexible and did not transition very well from each stage. These are things I think I need real life practice to improve upon. I will also need feedback from these lessons in order to improve.

2d: supporting positive student behavior - distinguished

The teacher models traits and behaviors that encourage the best out of students. The teacher is very organized and punctual. She also displays kindness and compassion. Honesty is often displayed such as the teacher providing feedback, or explaining when she has made a mistake. Students also reflect on their behavior and are rewarded for positive changes. An example I saw was how a student became much kinder to those around her over time. This was positively reinforced by the teacher through praise. Some students also correct other students behaviorally. An example of this was when a student was cursing and being disruptive, the student’s friends and classmates asked him to stop and redirected him towards the lesson.

Another example of this was when in one class there is a system of placing phones on a rack when entering a room, some students will ensure their friends place their phones on the phone rack. The students know what is expected of them generally in the class and display more respect and attention to the lesson when following routines such as the phone rule. Praise is also given by the teacher in regards to academic achievement in students, or when students display an interest in applying themselves.

I think it is important to recognize effort and hard work in students. I feel it is a strong motivator in students when they feel they have continuous support and recognition. Students are also motivated by active and caring teachers who display human qualities and kindness. I noticed this with my preschool students over time. Children who displayed problem behaviors would over time try and model ways that I acted. An example of this is how I always had students try deep breathing when they are upset. I was watching students playing when one student began to become angry with how parts of her toy were scuffed up. One of my students told her to take a big breath in and out. I was proud of this even if the end result was not very effective in that particular moment.

2e: organizing spaces for learning - distinguished

The classroom is modeled to suit the needs of a high school science class. There are several sinks in the back of the room that dispense hot and cold water. There are also smaller dispensers for natural gasses at these sinks. The water faucet and gas valves are clearly labeled with a warning stationed near the gas valve. An emergency shower is also present to rinse off in case of a chemical spill or contamination. There is safety equipment that is easily accessible in the back of the room. A large cabinet hosts safety goggles to protect students' eyes. Students keep their binders and class work within the room to keep all work accessible and accounted for. There is a closet that houses many different chemicals and materials. These substances are safely stored and labeled. A refrigerator keeps perishable substances safe from spoiling.

Labels are placed around the classroom for all cabinets that have equipment stored inside. The teacher still makes the classroom a comfortable space by providing artwork done by previous students. Phones are kept on a phone rack and classroom while tablets are kept with numbered labels. Materials such as review and reference sheets are labeled and accessible to students. There is little to no clutter within the room. There are also rows of seating for students that face a whiteboard that the teacher uses to give lessons from. The teacher has her own desk to complete tasks and keep materials.

I understood the differences in the state of classrooms after having been in the role of a teacher in both a pre school and high school setting. Younger children require higher amounts of visual stimuli. They benefit from small, appropriately sized furniture and bathrooms that are accessible to children under five. The high school science room was kept incredibly tidy and clinical in comparison. The structure of rooms vary greatly depending on age groups and active consideration must be taken on how to use these spaces in relation to these groups.