Professional Semester III Final Report

Faculty of Education
Field Experiences

Fall X Spring Semester, 20 17 (Please check appropriate semester)

Professional Semester III is a five-course equivalent integrated semester including half-time teaching and professional
study in curriculum design, leadership, advanced methods, and reflective practice. Intern Teachers are assigned full
time to schools for the semester during which they assume responsibility for approximately one-half of the teaching
day. PS III professional study is designed to complement and enhance the internship. The professional study
components may occur on or off-campus and are coordinated by the Faculty Mentors in collaboration with Intern
Teachers and school personnel.

Place a checkmark in front of the course in which you are registered

Education 4571 Elementary Education
X Education 4572 Secondary Internship
Education 4573 Special Focus Internship
Education 4574 Fine Arts Internship - Art or Drama
Education 4575 Fine Arts Internship - Music

Intern Teacher Dakota Mattson Grade Level(s) Grades 7 and 8

School Parkside School Administrator Boyd Craven

Teacher Mentor Greg Elgie Faculty Mentor James Rempel

Checklist for Intern Teacher:

Parts of Final Report Process

Final Conference Date Set Monday, December 4th at 11:30AM

Review Portfolio
Review Personal Inquiry Project

Intern Teacher Report and Signature

Teacher Mentor Report and Signature
Administrator Report and Signature
University Consultant Report and Signature

Report Submitted to Field Experiences Office (confirm with UC)

Intern Teachers Descriptive Report:

Introduction

Looking back on the day I received my placement, I knew I was going to have an
enjoyable and impactful teaching experience. Not only was I awarded the opportunity to teach at
the junior high I once attended, I was placed with a Teacher Mentor that had a mentorship role
in my own schooling, as my high school homeroom teacher. I had experienced first-hand the
passion for teaching and the positive classroom environment Greg embodies, so I knew I would
be in excellent hands. It has been such a great experience to be back at Parkside with some of

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my past teachers, and those who have now become my teachers. The entire staff has
welcomed me so sincerely and offered helpful guidance and advice whenever needed. I could
not have asked for a better placement, with a more supportive group of colleagues.

My time at Parkside was mostly devoted to teaching grade 8 science. The students and I
covered two units in my time with them. First, we explored Cells and Systems. This allowed us
to dive into what life is made of and how our bodies function on cellular and systemic levels. The
second unit we covered was Fresh and Saltwater Systems. In this unit we were able to evaluate
locations of water, how we use water, and also consider challenges surrounding water on local,
national, and international levels. In addition to science, I also taught a grade 7 health class. In
health, we explored learning strategies and personal health. As a part of this health class, the
students were to design a volunteer project aimed at increasing, or benefiting, the health of the
community. Together we decided to host a food drive. The students were very excited about this
opportunity and came up with many ideas on how we could benefit this worthy cause. Over the
course of two weeks were able to collect 340 pounds of food donations for the Medicine Hat and
District Food Bank.

Outside of the classroom I was able to coach the Pythons Cross Country team. Cross
country running was a passion of mine when I was in high school so I am thankful for the
opportunity to share that with these students. Though student turnout was relatively low, I am
pleased with our successes this season. In our short time together, the Pythons team competed
in two meets, bringing home multiple metals and ribbons. In addition to athletic performance, the
Pythons were recognized by a local high school cross country coach for their enthusiasm and
sportsmanship! I am very happy with the work these students put in at the start of the year and I
hope that they continue to train and compete in future years.

Classroom Organization and Management

My PSI experience was in a 5th grade class at a relatively small school in Medicine Hat.
My PSII took place in a high school setting, teaching Science 10 and Biology 20. Both of these
placements required very little from me in terms of behaviour management. Because of this, I
believe that classroom management is my greatest improvement resulting from this PSIII
placement. Administration, our Family School Liaison Worker, my Teacher Mentor, and other
teachers throughout the school all provided me with information and tips that I have
implemented in the classroom to address behaviour problems while attempting to maximize
learning for all students. Over the past four months I have experienced the diverse learning
needs of many students. What works for one will not always work for others. Because of this, I
know that evolving and improving management techniques will be an area for which life-long
learning is necessary. Only by continuously trying new things, will I be able to benefit the
greatest number of students throughout my teaching career.

I have established multiple classroom routines and procedures that I believe positively
impacted students in this regard. First is the use of bellwork. Bellwork is widely used throughout
Parkside, and is something I have used in both of my previous teaching practicums as well. I
think bellwork is a very valuable practice as it provides the students with a purpose for learning
the moment they walk into the classroom. This results in a smoother transition between classes.
I also ensure that the class agenda is always written on the board. This gives students a visual
progression of the days lesson. Extending on that, I provide students with a Week at a Glance
at the start of most lessons. This way they are aware of the direction we are moving as we
progress through the week, and it also gives them an indication of what they will miss if they
have upcoming planned absences. This is also useful for me as I can use this moment to
consistently remind students of upcoming assignment due dates, quizzes, or exams.

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Intern Teachers Descriptive Report (Continued)

Planning and Preparation

My planning and preparation has progressed extensively in the short year and a half
since I started the Education program. During PSI and PSII it was not unusual to be up planning
late hours into the night. In PSIII, my time management and efficiency has certainly evolved to
ensure that planning is still completed with high quality, but my time can be more effectively
distributed between work and personal life. This success, in part, is due to long-range planning.
Having the opportunity to outline units, and key concepts within, prior to commencing the
internship is a valuable asset. This highlights the importance of long-range planning. Without
these structured unit plans in place, my weekly and daily planning would have been a more
time-consuming task. By having concepts already arranged, my planning time could be more
effectively directed towards implementing impactful learning activities rather than organizing the
content to be learned in that lesson.

I pride myself on my organized planning. I utilize a very structured lesson plan template
that breaks lessons into clearly defined segments. Regardless of how prepared I am or how
organized my planning has become, however, flexibility within the classroom is essential. This
idea has manifested itself in multiple ways throughout this internship. The first, and potentially
the most difficult to adapt to, was the time constraints associated with 40 minute classes. Over
the course of the practicum, this became easier to adjust to, but I continually struggled to fit
meaningful activities for scientific inquiry into this time frame. To combat this, labs were
generally split to span two classes. The first for the experiment, and the second for a significant
debrief. I was initially worried that important learning would be lost from one day to the next, but
students were generally engaged and prepared to talk about results and the implications those
results may hold the following day. Another way in which flexibility was essential within the
context of my practicum experience was adding necessary review classes as we progressed
through units. I had the students write a weekly science quiz. These quizzes were low stakes,
but provided valuable information to students and myself. For the students, it exposed topics or
ideas that were of importance for me. I was clear with students that if something were to appear
on a quiz, it is likely to be on the unit exam as well. For me, these quizzes could be used for
both formative and summative purposes. Formatively, and perhaps more importantly, these
quizzes provided me insight into areas of difficulty so that I could re-address, review, or reteach
concepts. A third example of why flexibility was important within my science classroom was
capitalizing on student engagement. Since science is such a broad and ever-changing entity, it
is easy to jump off on a tangent. When students showed sincere interest in sub-topics that we
were covering, I think it is worthwhile to pursue those topics. Though thorough planning and
preparation is certainly necessary to provide positive learning experiences, it is important to be
flexible and let learning evolve in ways that were not necessarily intended. This is an important
aspect of our profession I hope to carry with me throughout my entire teaching career.

One area of preparation in which I still need to improve is meaningful closing activities.
Taking the final 5 minutes of a class to summarize learning, re-emphasize key concepts, and
clarify questions or misconceptions can be a powerful practice. As the body of the learning
tends to be my automatic focus, closing activities are often minimized, postponed, or exempted
from my lessons. I often use review at the start of the next class to emphasize key learning, but
I know that greater impact could be achieved by ensuring time for this at the end of a lesson
instead. Moving forward I know that placing more emphasis on closing activities can do nothing
but benefit the learning of my students, and this is an area of professional practice I will continue
to improve upon.

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Intern Teachers Descriptive Report (Continued)

Instructional Techniques

In addition to the importance of planning, it is also critical to implement varying

techniques of instruction in the classroom. This includes both traditional and technology based
applications. One of my Professional Growth Plan goals for this year was to find meaningful
implementations of technology in the classroom. Throughout the semester, I utilized videos,
virtual labs, simulations, research-based learning, and digital projects to support student
learning of various concepts. I have found that using technology is not always beneficial.
Sometimes the potential benefit is lost, distracting students from the underlying lesson. Some
simulations that I attempted to use complicated concepts rather than clarifying them. Integrating
technology takes time, so it is important to ensure that time is well utilized. An area of tech
integration I found highly beneficial was utilizing the Chromebooks for research-based projects.
In science, we did multiple projects where students were given a prompt or a problem and
asked to explore it. For example, after talking about body systems and how they function,
students were asked to research a malfunction or illness of one of those systems. This allowed
them to explore an area of interest and direct their own learning. For some of these projects,
students created their final product through digital means, such as Google Docs or Slides. I had
students share their creations with me at the start of the project. This allows the teacher to track
progress, and simplifies the marking process without having to track down students with late
assignments.

In addition to using technology in the classroom, it is important to utilize a variety of

instructional approaches. In an attempt to benefit all students, I prepared note booklets each
week for us to work through. These contained fill in the blanks, labeling diagrams,
brainstorming, Venn diagrams, matching, review, etc. Students were not required to write a lot,
but these booklets prompted students to interact with the material in a variety of ways. These
also served as useful documents for review at the end of each unit. Throughout the semester,
we did multiple labs in science, allowing students to engage in hands on learning to reinforce
concepts. I also set up multiple mini-labs and demonstrations to support key ideas. In the Fresh
and Saltwater Systems unit, we also did a debate around whether or not Canada should sell its
fresh water to other nations. This is the first time I had conducted a debate, but it went very well
and the students were engaged.

Debates are common in the humanities, social studies specifically, but seldom
considered in science. This is a bit contradictory considering there is so much ongoing
professional debate that occurs in the scientific community. This debate was a way to break
down barriers between the disciplines and create a more meaningful and relatable learning
experience. Another way that I attempted to do this was by creating cross-curricular learning
opportunities. In cooperation with Brady Pickett, another PSIII intern at Parkside, we began to
explore cross-curricular learning as the focus of our professional inquiry project. The real world
is not divided into sections, instead, we balance everything at once, using knowledge from one
aspect of life to inform decisions and ideas in other aspects of life. Cross-curricular learning can
help expose students to this way of thinking, which both Brady and I believe is a valuable lesson
to learn.

Another teaching strategy that I employed was what I titled What Do You Want to
Learn. At the start of the year, I asked students what they were curious about. My only
stipulation is that it had to be related to science (though not necessarily the science we were
covering in class). When feasible, I would take the first 10 minutes of a class on Friday and we
would discuss these concepts. I really enjoyed this idea, as did the students, but we did not do it
as often as I would have liked due to time constraints. Moving forward, this is a practice I would

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Intern Teachers Descriptive Report (Continued)

like to refine and re-implement. It allows students to experience a broader scope of science and
encourages them to pursue things that interest them, two aspects of learning that I believe are
very important.

Evaluation of Student Learning

Along with the importance of varying instructional strategies comes the importance for
an array of assessment opportunities that allows students to showcase their understandings.
Throughout this practicum, I utilized forms of pre-assessment, formative assessment, and
summative assessment to help me understand my students and their learning needs. Informal
discussions (one-on-one or as a class), exit slips, student checklists, and surveys are examples
of how I collected pre-assessment data. These strategies were used before a unit or before
covering an important concept. Having the students think about what they know before covering
a topic can expose prior understandings they may not have acknowledged otherwise. Exit slips,
surveys, and reflections all provided me with formative data throughout the semester. In
science, students wrote a quiz nearly every week. These quizzes were summatively assessed,
but also provided valuable formative information. For the students, the were shown concepts
and questions that I thought were important. They were told that if it is important enough to be
on a quiz, it is likely to appear again on an exam. They also provided me insight into student
understanding. One week, the quiz was quite poorly done. Because of this, I knew that I needed
to return to that content to review and reteach it so that students had a better understanding.

I also tried to provide students with a variety of summative assessments, both in the
work required and the way it could be presented. We did multiple labs, both virtual and in-class.
Sometimes students would write a more traditional report, other times they provided a reflection
or where asked to create an improved lab. These all allow students to show me they understand
the content, while presenting it in diverse ways. Project work occurred both through digital and
paper-based mediums. Students were often given the choice between creating a digital
poster/brochure/slideshow, or a physical alternative. It is my hope that within the final few weeks
of this practicum, students will also have the opportunity to work with video editing software to
convey their understandings to me. Regardless of the class, I think it is important to remember
to provide variety in the work being done and the ways in which students can present the
completion of their work.

Personal and Professional Attributes

I believe that many of the personal and professional attributes I hope to embody as a
teacher have already been reflected throughout the rest of this report. One of the most
important aspects of a successful and meaningful teaching career, in my opinion, is a value on
life-long learning. During our meeting with Medicine Hat School Division #76, Superintendent
Mark Davidson said something that resonated with me. He said that the KSAs that mandate our
profession do not reflect what we must be every single day of our career, but rather what we are
striving every day to become. This is an important idea, because it reminds us that even
teachers cannot be perfect, as well as the importance of evolving and learning throughout our
daily lives. The field of education is rapidly changing. Instructional approaches, learning
directives, important focuses, and applications of technology are all continuously evolving over
time. Staying up to date with new research and ideas can help to benefit not only yourself but all
of your students as well.

In addition to life-long learning, I believe having a flexible and adaptive nature is

essential in this profession. Along with this is the willingness to try new things. There are

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Intern Teachers Descriptive Report (Continued)

endless ways in which we can deliver content or teach a concept, it is important to remain open
minded and accept feedback or advice. Finding new ways to convey a message may result in a
stronger learning experience for students. Being flexible with planning is also important. Going
forward in my career, I hope to harness learning opportunities as they arise within my
classroom. If students are particularly interested in a topic, dive further into it. Utilizing this
interest to fuel learning and engagement within the classroom is important. Being flexible with
assessment is also important. As I move forward in my career I hope to continue to present
students with options that allow them to express their learning in a variety of ways. It is
important to remember that conveying an idea through writing may work for one student, but
another may have their knowledge lost through writing difficulties. Embracing multiple modalities
gives a wide range of learners the best ability to showcase their understandings.

Finally, I believe that a sincere valuing of collaboration is an important attribute to

embody. I am grateful that Brady and I had the opportunity to work so closely throughout this
semester. Together, we created resources that surpassed what either of us would have created
alone. Working with each other provided us both with valuable feedback and advice on what we
were doing and hoped to try within the classroom. This spirit is encapsulated within the work on
our Professional Inquiry Project. Not only did we want teachers working together to create
engaging learning opportunities, but we wanted to instill a value of collaboration within our
students as well. Continuing throughout my professional career, I will actively pursue
opportunities to collaborate with colleagues to improve my practice and find new ways to benefit
my students.

Concluding Summary

I have thoroughly enjoyed myself over the course of this practicum and I am very
thankful for the opportunity to learn from so many inspirational individuals. My time at Parkside
has allowed me with the opportunity to hone essential skills, while also allowing the freedom
and ability to experiment with new approaches to learning and teaching. A highly beneficial
aspect of my time at Parkside was the collaborative nature of my interactions with Brady Pickett.
Not only did we work on our Professional Inquiry Project together, we also team-taught a few
classes, and relied on each other for support and to communicate ideas. Though I owe a
significant thank-you to all the staff at Parkside, Brady was a great asset and I enjoyed working
with him throughout the semester. Overall, this practicum has significantly contributed to my
growth as a competent and confident professional. I know that by taking the skills and attitudes
instilled in me, both at Parkside and through the Faculty of Education at the University of
Lethbridge, I will become a successful, effective, and happy educator.

Intern Teacher Signature Date

This page is to be attached to the Intern Teachers Report.

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School Administrator Comments:

Parkside Junior High School

______________________________________________________________________________
Dakota Mattson December 1, 2017

It has been a pleasure to have Dakota at Parkside Junior High School over the past several
months. Dakotas teaching assignment while at Parkside included three grade eight Science
classes and a Health 7. He immersed himself in our school by coaching our Cross Country team
earlier this fall and organizing a food drive. Dakota has also participated in valuable school
processes such as developing Individual Program Plans for students, providing input on
Parksides Three Year Plan, and developing Professional Growth Plans.
In the junior high classroom Dakota seems to be very comfortable. Dakota is always organized
and well prepared for lessons. He sets exceptionally high standards and expectations for every
student in each of his classes, and provides them with clear objectives in each class. Dakota has
an excellent manner for engaging students in compelling discussions, motivating them to be
inquisitive and think outside the box. He is a caring and compassionate teacher who genuinely
wants every student to succeed and reach their maximum potential.
Dakota is a creative teacher who built a cross curricular project in collaboration with his fellow
PS III student at Parkside. I saw an extremely well thought out cross curricular lesson delivered
by Dakota and Brady incorporating Social and Science Eight on the topic of Black Death.
Student engagement and excitement was high in this hands-on, group-oriented project. I can
tell Dakota has a passion for being both a teacher and life long learner, both of which are crucial
in his pedagogical journey.

Thanks for all you have done for the students, staff and community at Parkside Junior High
School Dakota. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

School Administrator Signature Date

This page is to be attached to the Intern Teachers Report.

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Teacher Mentor Comments:

It has been a pleasure to have provided the opportunity to share my classroom with Dakota over
the course of the last several months. His organization and attention to detail are strong
attributes that will allow him to find success throughout his teaching career. These attributes
have been evident in both his lesson planning and the delivery of content to the students in his
classroom. The students are positively engaged in lessons and hands on activities that are
being delivered to them. Dakota has shown the courage to consistently step outside the box
with his planning. He is always trying to find new and creative ways to connect outcomes to the
students and offering both formative and summative assessment accordingly.

Relationships are the key to success in every classroom but nowhere is this more relevant than
in a junior high setting. Through hallway conversations and classroom discussions, Dakota has
demonstrated the ability to find connections with his students in an effort to understand them
both as learners and as individuals. He has also shown a strong desire to find solutions for
students that are struggling either academically or emotionally. He resolves this by setting up
meetings between themselves and other support networks (i.e. our school family liaison worker)
in an effort to develop cooperative strategies that help students find success in their classroom.

Finally, Dakota also established a small resurgence in our cross country running program at
Parkside. His desire to dedicate his time and knowledge provided opportunities for our student
athletes to participate in cross country races throughout the community. It is our hope that this
increased interest in running will act as a bit of a legacy that Dakota leaves behind as he begins
to pursue, what I believe will be a successful, teaching career.

Thanks for all you have done Dakota, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Mentor Teacher Signature Date

This page is to be attached to the Intern Teachers Report.

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Faculty Mentor Comments:

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

KSA #1 Teachers make reasoned decisions about teaching and learning based on their ongoing analysis of contextual
variables.
KSA #3 Teachers use the programs of study to inform and direct planning instruction and assessment.
KSA #6 Teachers plan for instruction, translating curriculum and outcomes into meaningful learning activities.
KSA #9 Teachers use a broad range of instructional strategies.
KSA #13 Teachers identify and use relevant learning resources.

Comments:
Dakota has been organized and highly creative in his preparation for lessons. Lesson plans are carefully
and appropriately structured with all necessary components and support materials. Unit preparation is
strong. Curricular outcomes and Ministerial Order (2013) cross-curricular competencies are carefully
addressed in lesson and unit planning. Dakota structures his lessons with very engaging introductions,
well articulated bodies, and solid summative pieces!

Generating varied strategies and support materials for his lessons is an area of strength. A broad range of
creative instructional strategies and resources are used, with an ongoing focus on learner engagement
through well orchestrated collaboration strategies, activity-based learning, and differentiation through
choice in learning foci. An excellent example of Dakotas creativity in this area was his use of cross-
curricular integrated projects with a social studies teacher in his school, projects that used the Renaissance
as a common base to explore social studies and science outcomes. This degree of instructional breadth in
a young teacher is wonderful to see!

Smartboard slides are used in every lesson to support learning, engagingly presenting components of the
ongoing lesson. Dakota integrates a variety of technology in his lesson planning as an instructional
support and student motivator, showing fluency with it, and incorporating it regularly and creatively in
the ongoing progression of lessons.
INSTRUCTION
KSA #4 Teachers demonstrate knowledge of the content they teach.
KSA #5 Teachers identify and respond to learner differences.
KSA #9 Teachers use a broad range of instructional strategies.
KSA #10 Teachers apply a variety of technologies to meet students learning needs.

Comments:
As mentioned in the Planning and Preparation section above, Dakotas range of instructional strength is
considerable.

His knowledge of the science content and interest in it are immediately and deeply evident in
explanations, instructions, and responses to students. Dakota differentiates his instruction by moving
easily and regularly between teacher input and student input. And, student collaborations are a regular and
dynamic part of his classroom he believes in creating a sense of equal voice and building confidence
through shared work. This is suggestive of his responsiveness to learner needs, and he incorporates
differentiation to address these needs. He uses instructional differentiation to address a range of learning
modalities and interests, and he incorporates student choices in assignment work. Also, his work with
various learning activities and projects has shown a solid awareness of progressive pedagogy and a desire
to engage students in meaningful learning experiences.

His differentiation of instruction is a key piece in this instructional capability. He easily thinks in
divergent ways, incorporating performance assessments like debates into his science class, or research
into newspaper perspectives on science, or cross-curricular projects with social studies teachers, to name a
few.

Dakotas use of technology to support instruction is widely varied and constant in his lessons, as
mentioned in Planning and Preparation.

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CLASSROOM LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

KSA #7 Teachers create and maintain environments that are conducive to student learning and understand student needs
for physical, social, cultural and psychological security.
KSA #8 Establishes relationships with students that respect human dignity.

Comments:
Dakota respects his students, enjoys being with them, and possesses a strong sense of the need to avoid
confrontations that can so quickly degenerate into dehumanizing, counter-productive situations. And, he
combines this with a consistent use of classroom management strategies that strengthen his interactions
with students. He creates a climate of mutual respect.

Another key component of classroom management is the creation of engaging learning that will draw
learners in, resulting in minimal disruptive behavior. Dakota has shown a strong awareness of this,
creating classrooms that are vibrant with meaningful purpose! His classroom leadership in building this
engaging learning is central to the respectful climate in his classroom.

ASSESSMENT
KSA #11 Teachers gather and use information about students learning needs and progress and assess the range of learning
objectives.

Comments:
Dakota shows a strong awareness of assessment, including careful planning involving pre-assessment,
formative and summative assessments. He gives particular attention to the highly important formative
assessment of student progress, using various strategies such as exit slips, surveys, and reflections. He
also works hard to vary his summative assessments, as suggested above in considering his instructional
differentiation, considering this diversity very important in providing various opportunities for students to
showcase areas of strength.

PROFESSIONAL ATTRIBUTES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

KSA #2 Teachers understand the legislated, moral and ethical framework within which they work.
KSA #15 Teachers engage in assessing the quality of their teaching.
KSA #16 Teachers are able to communicate a personal vision of their own teaching.

Comments:
Dakota acts with an awareness of his professional role. He has been professional in his collegial
interactions, in his assumption of responsibilities as a classroom teacher, and in his professional
development.

In particular, he is willing to work very hard to fulfill his daily responsibilities, to regularly self-assess his
teaching, to allow the input of colleagues/mentors to influence his professional development, and to
engage students in meaningful learning. He is also capable in communicating his thinking about learning
and instruction and very willing to do so, showing a student-centered understanding of pedagogy. His
personal inquiry project this term exemplifies this pedagogy with its focus on using cross-curricular
project-based learning to engage students in extensive blocks of active learning.

I have read the complete Final Report and certify that the assigned grade is ________.

University Consultant Signature Date

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