Contexts of Development TIPR

edTPA Prep

1. Since our unit is centering around personal narratives and touchy subjects within society, the teacher spent some time in the "topic choosing" lesson to get to know students' background and what issues interested them. Many were drawn to topics that affected their personal community and culture, with many gravitating toward socioeconomic topics like wages and others drawn to issues of race and prejudice. The teacher asked many of these students how they felt about the issue to get their perspective and viewpoint, and always encouraged them to pursue and explore that perspective as we continue to work on the final story. 
2. Those one-on-one talks are about the extent of how it's incorporated into instruction. I think the teacher is afraid of addressing controversial topics with the class as a whole since things can quickly devolve into aggressive name-calling or otherwise just get the class off track. Put in those personal talks, he always points out that their cultural perspectives and opinions are what they should draw on for a story that will bring out their unique voice.
3. My cooperating teacher doesn't give this one-on-one attention to every student, but I've noticed that the ones he's able to seem to exhibit more confidence in their learning/writing and have a better rapport with him. They don't seem to feel as intimidated about the content and also turn in work that shows more of a unique voice and experimentation. Ones who don't get this one-on-one time are more openly hostile (which is maybe why he doesn't talk with them as much) and get lost in the content, usually turning in by-the-numbers work that doesn't show personal voice. 
4. The teacher tries to give equal amounts of attention to students during work time, trying not to stay at the same group for too long. He will usually make two specific groups his first stop since they have a penchant for being confused by the content or otherwise not focusing on work. He stops by to make sure they understand the writing skill and what they're supposed to be practicing about it, and then I usually do follow up while he moves to the next group. This shows me he's aware of the students who usually need more help, but maybe feels he doesn't have the time to give them more than one follow up to ensure they've got it down.

Student Needs

1. As mentioned in Point 4, I think about 30% of the class really struggles with grasping the content of a day's lesson and focusing on what they should be doing during the practice time of class. Since having more mentors/aides come in to give them personal one-on-one time, I think the upfront instruction that lays out the concept/writing skill could be more involving and differentiated to speak to more learning styles (it's almost always a lecture and one of us reading a model text to students). If students were called upon to practice skills then rather than afterwards, it could cut back the amount of confusion they'd have. I think the personal attention is great and builds trust among teachers and students, but there's only so many people one teacher can speak to in a class, so doing something kinesthetic or visual would be a good starting point for the initial instruction. If students were required to practice/model the concept then with the eyes of the class on them and the teacher helping them, it could also make those students the MKOs that could help anyone around them who's struggling.

Plans for your Lesson

1. As stated in the above point, I want to incorporate a visual and kinesthetic component to my lesson that will get at least a few students involved in the initial instruction in hopes of making them mentors that can help those around them as we move into individual practice. I've worked hard to develop a rapport with the different groups so that I can call on them (by name) or get volunteers to demonstrate the concept. Though I'm still brainstorming, I think splitting different characteristics into groups (physical, emotional, etc) and writing them around the room would allow me to have each group take ownership of a component. They could fill out/draw a visual representation of the traits/characteristics in their section, and then we could go around the room and use each group to create one character and discuss if everything meshes to create a believable character. This allows students to hone mastery of a specific topic and still be involved in the writing process that creates well-developed characters they will need for their stories.