Professional Growth Plan

Name: Ben Spendlove

School: Valleyview Secondary
Year: 2017
Teaching Term: January 30th May 19th 2017
Teacher Mentor: Christine Yamaoka
School Administrator: Barb Hamblett
Faculty Adviser: Marlo Steed
Profession To teach to the individual rather than the average
al Goal KSA e): All students can learn, albeit at different rates and in different ways. They know
how (including when and how to engage others) to identify students different learning
styles and ways students learn. They understand the need to respond to differences by
creating multiple paths to learning for individuals and groups of students, including
students with special learning needs;
Rationale I believe that no two students are the same and it is important for us as instructors to
remember and that an plan accordingly. That does not necessarily mean making 30
different lesson plans but providing choice and options to provide each student an equal
opportunity to succeed.

Strategies Consult with other teachers in their classroom management practices - classroom
management plan
Establish rules, routines, and expectations with students at the beginning and
monitoring enforcement through the term
Consult discipline procedures within the school handbook
Get to know the students in order to assess which strategies will be most effective
Testing classroom management strategies in order to determine effectiveness
Monitoring behaviors and attitudes through observational notes addressing issues
when they need to be addressed
Communicate with students about what rules, routines, and expectations they
would like to see that would contribute to a nourishing learning environment
Create a classroom management plan
Resources PD Sessions
Nelson, Loui Lord. and David Rose. Design and Deliver: Planning and Teaching;
Using Universal Design for Learning.
Colleagues
Indicators Growth in each student
of Progress
 Maximize student enjoyment and learning
Self-evaluation
Student evaluation of myself
Collaboration between myself and Educational Aids and feedback from the Learning
Assistance Center
Reflections
I believe that as educators it is our responsibility to give every student the opportunity to
succeed. To do that it is important that instructors plan their lessons, units, and courses to
benefit each individual student and not to plan for the average. During my internship, I
discovered just how beneficial this strategy can be. During my PSIII practicum I was lucky
enough to have two blocks of the same course, Grade 8 Social Studies. Between the two
classes I had 59 students and thus 59 unique individuals and different learning styles.
Having said that, I did not necessarily have to plan 59 different lessons everyday but
allow myself the ability to adjust and modify on the same lesson and performance tasks.
The goal is to have all my students reach the same end goal but the way they can there
can differ. During my time at Valleyview Secondary I attempted to get to know each of my
students to better provide them with what they need. I also was in frequent contact with
other teachers, administrators, and the Learning Assistance Center (LAC). I found this was
the best resource to achieve my goal. Since I was only there for a short time it made
sense to ask others that knew the students better and had more experience in teaching to
the individual. I found as my time here progressed and my knowledge of each student
improved I had more success in receiving completed assignments on time and of a better
quality. I also found that test and quiz results were much better once I knew who preferred
a less formal setting, or needing help reading, or needed silence, etc. Overall I am happy
with my growth and success in this area and will continue to place an importance in this
area.
Profession Differentiated Instruction and Learning
al Goal KSA i) There are many approaches to teaching and learning. They know a broad range of
instructional strategies appropriate to their area of specialization and the subject
discipline they teach, and know which strategies are appropriate to help different
students achieve different outcomes;
KSA j) The functions of traditional and electronic teaching/learning technologies. They
know how to use and how to engage students in using these technologies to present and
deliver content, communicate effectively with others, find and secure information,
research, word process, manage information, and keep records;
Rationale Professional goal in accordance with the school goal of improving student
(Within the achievement through 21st century learning strategies (assessment for learning,
context of a differentiation, and engagement)
school and Increasing the number of assessment types so success is more accessible to more
intern students
environment To increase student engagement and participation in learning
) Research and professional development area of interest Does Gaming in Education
or Gamifying your classroom actually increase learning and engagement?
Strategies Attend technology integration PD sessions (both on-site and off-site)
Collaborate with other teachers and information technology specialists
Develop or find activities for Smartboard that are interactive and will engage
students
Use of wikis and webquests for group projects
Using Jeopardy as a review at the end of each week
Using Total War: Medieval II to simulate contributing members of a society
Using Smartboard Apps
PowerPoint presentations
Different performance tasks including a variety of options for students to
demonstrate their learning
Resources Smartboard Website
PD Sessions
Consult with IT staff
Webinars
Indicators Check lesson and unit plans for repetition and variation
of Progress Gauge students engagement/ enjoyment levels
Have students/ mentor evaluate my multi-modal delivery

Reflections During my time at Valleyview Secondary I strived to grow in the area of Differentiated
Instruction. I have always valued the importance of trying a variety of methods for
content delivery and learning activities. I feel that using a variety of tools helps to keep
things fresh, interesting, and engaging for the students. Therefore, during my PSIII
practicum I attempted to expand my reptoire of resources, tools, and activities. Although I
attempted to differentiate my instruction I feel that Grade 8 students need some routine
and consistency and this where I found it difficult. My method became to use a multi-
modal lesson basis where I would present content through a PowerPoint presentation with
maps, images, videos, informational slides, and interactive questions, and then I provided
my class with time to work on their assignments or projects. During their worktime, they
could work on their projects where they would have many different options. I always
allowed my students to choose to work alone, in pairs, or in groups of three on their large
performance tasks. They also had choices on topics and delivery method to demonstrate
their learning best and gave them the ability to choose a mode that they found
interesting. This way they were never doing the exact same project and were in control of
their own learning and could pick something that they would engage with. The activities
during their work time everyday varied from worksheets to catapult construction and
nearly every day we would also play a strategy game on the SmartBoard which would
simulate them participating in a society. Overall I would say I was successful in
differentiating my instruction but also I feel I still need to continue to grow in this area as
there is always room for improvement.
Profession To Make Myself Approachable
al Goal KSA g) Students needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security. They
know how to engage students in creating effective classroom routines. They know how
and when to apply a variety of management strategies that are in keeping with the
situation, and that provide for minimal disruptions to students learning;
KSA h) The importance of respecting students human dignity. They know how to
establish, with different students, professional relationships that are characterized by
mutual respect, trust and harmony;
Rationale
(Within the I have noticed that students these days feel awkward or uncomfortable asking
context of a for help so in order to combat this I hope to make myself very approachable so all
school and students feel comfortable asking me for help when they need it. Anxiety, stress, and
intern self-confidence have become issues in the classroom and I feel that it is our job as
environment instructors to prevent that whenever possible.
)
Strategies Developing individual relationships with each student
Engaging in conversations with students about interests/ hobbies
Showing an interest in the students lives
Participating in activities that are not solely academic based
Resources Colleagues
Learning Assistance Center
Mentor
Students
Parents
Indicators Students approach me when they need help with an activity/ test/ project
of Progress Students ask for help when they are confused or missed something
Students ask to talk
There is an obvious level of mutual respect between myself and my class
Reflections I feel that during my PSIII practicum I grew most in this area than in any other. At first I
was very concerned how little my students not only talked to me but talked at all. Most
Social Studies classrooms are hard to operate with limited participation and the way I had
planned to run my class it was definitely going to be an issue. However, the silence did
not last long. Being that my students were 13 or 14 years old at many points I wished that
silence had of lasted. On occasion, I felt the noise level in the active classroom
environment I had attempted to build was diminishing their learning rather than
enhancing it. Once my students felt comfortable with our routine and with me discussions
were great. I knew that I had broken through to my students when they started asking for
help or when we would have a staff meeting and I would hear about how some of my
more reserved students were not having the same success or would not ask for help when
needed in other classes. I had many students ask for help not only in their Social Studies
work but for help in other subjects and even problems in their personal lives. I loved
hearing that my class was their favorite or that I was their favorite teacher and they wish I
wouldnt leave. Besides those comments to me directly I also realized I had grown in this
area when our discussion began to gain steam. I stopped hearing crickets when I would
initiate an inquiry discussion and slowly started to see hands go up until eventually the
use of raising hands was not as necessary and my class would respect each other and
when one student had finished talking the next would begin by addressing their comment.
Our discussion stopped being silent or disrespectful loud arguments but actually insightful
academic debates that greatly demonstrated their learning or critical thinking an inquiry
as well as their comfort level with myself and within the classroom. I feel that during my
time at Valleyview Secondary I was very successful in making myself approachable and
creating a safe learning environment.