Professional Learning Portfolio - Report Example

Professional Learning Portfolio Name Professor Course Date PART A - Diagnostic Interview Link to an outcome of the Australian Mathematics Curriculum: Mathematic online interview: retrieved from file:///D:/DOWNLOADS/onlineinterviewbklet.pdf The planning involved: Children are very skilful at concealing knowledge gaps (Jones, 2011). In a busy classroom setting, it is not always possible for a teacher to pay close attention to an individual child. This interview offers an assessment of specific skills, which allow the teacher to gain a detailed knowledge of a child cognitive landscape. The interview is composed of 20 questions, which help to reveals a child thinking strategy. Before the start of the interview, I familiarised with the tasks, the wording to be used, and the appropriate starting point for the child, the possible response to expect from the student and different pathways that can be taken after each task. Also, I had to practice on the appropriate methods of recording student responses. The child to be assessed is called Brian. Brian is six years old and is expected to join first grade next year; thus, he is preparing to move to a more abstract mathematics. Brian seems to be operating at a lower level than the rest of his class. The assessment will only concentrate on testing the counting skills. The material will consist of a structured interview assessing the skills and understanding that is required in the different aspect of numbers. The interview will be done in a quiet private place. During the interview, the child and I sat on the same side of the table on similar sized chairs ( Senger, 2012). Before the start of the interview, the student was reassured that the interview is a special time during which the teacher would find out more about how they think when they are doing mathematics tasks (Vance, 2013). Briefly describe the diagnostic/assessment task completed with the child: I decided to spend 20 to 30 minutes assessing Brian. I concentrated on the counting assessment found in section 3 (page 22 to 26) of the online mathematic interview. The interview is divided into two sections. In section one the student handle task such as the teddy task; counting forwards, backwards and breaking the sequence; before and after task; counting from 0 by 10s, 5s and 2s; Counting from x by 10s then 5s; Counting from x using a single digit number and Counting money. In the section B of the interview the child will carry tasks such as Simpler Counting Task; identify location and patterns of simple shapes Substituting matching numerals to quintiles and ordering one-to-one correspondence. Brief reflection of your observations: Throughout the activities, the role of the teacher will be to guide the child with thoughtful, open-ended questions, encouraging them to observe and talk. The teacher will also listen to the children helping them make a connection when solving problems. Most importantly, the teacher will observe the child determine the development progress and decide the areas that need further development. The activities helped the child to develop his Temporal –sequential ordering skills. In addition, the experience assisted the child in applying the knowledge they have to solve practical problem. I believe that, as a teacher, I have successfully assisted Brian develop his cognitive abilities. I have achieved this through the ability to choose appropriate learning experience that creates a meaningful learning environment What was the child able to complete independently: The child was able to do the following after verbal assistance by teachers: Counting forward using 5s, 10s Counting backward using 1s, 5s, 10s The student could recalls facts to 10s and 5s What specific skill would you move to next with this child: Counting forward using single digit. What specific skill the child needs further help with: It was identified that: The child could not count using single digit numbers other than five. The child could not correctively order a group of teddies in a particular order. Additionally Brian could not apply the counting skills in the practical task such as counting money. The failure to solve some of the mathematical skill was attributed to the fact that the child lacked number facts and information skills. In addition the child was found to have a temporal sequence-ordering problem. Create a ‘profile’ of your student’s Mathematical ability for the chosen area of Mathematics: Student Numbers measurement Shapes Brian The student could read and record single and double digit numbers The student instantly recalls facts to 10s and 5s The child could not count using single digit numbers other than five. The student could not apply the counting skills in the practical task such as counting money The student was aware of the attributes of length The student had difficulties arranging objects of different colours in a pattern. PART B Mind map The following are Area that needs further development in reference to the Australia mathematics curriculum. At the end of the learning experience the child should be able to: 1. To describe number sequence from skip counting by 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 2. Carry out simple addition using counting strategies 3. To apply their counting skills to practical tasks 4. Recognise the Australian coins according to their values 5. Describe shapes and be able to arrange pattern of simple shapes 6. Continue simple patterns involving numbers and objects The student can be assisted using a simple mind map above. Mind map is a simple note-taking technique that assists the brainwork more efficiently (Coggshall, 2012). It involves developing the ability to link different things. Therefore, the student will be encouraged to understand the basic problem to be able to solve a complex problem. Part C: LEARNING EXPERIENCE PLAN Time _three weeks Target Age __8 years _ Topic/Experience title An outdoor learning experience PREPARATION Curriculum Links Specific to the Australian Mathematics Curriculum only – no other curriculum area links needed. Year 1 standard elaborations- Australian curriculum draft https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_math_yr1_se.pdf Objectives: By the end of the lesson the children will be able to: To describe number sequence from skip counting by 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 Carry out simple addition using counting strategies To apply their counting skills to practical tasks Recognise the Australian coins according to their values Describe shapes and be able to arrange pattern of simple shapes Continue simple patterns involving numbers and objects Environment/Preparation/Resources The resources required for this activity include: Activity1- photographs, a variety of shapes, blocks, table and fabric. Activity 2- a table, stones, shells, postcards, toys pens, a variety of shapes, blocks. The area: these learning activities will be set out outside on a table in a shaded area. PROCEDURE What you will do to engage the children in the learning? Links to past experiences if applicable. In all the activities, my role as a teacher will be to guide the child with thoughtful, open-ended questions, encouraging them to observe and talk. The observation will include jotting, individual detailed observation and sample of their work. When communicating instruction, I will ensure I use clear language. Additionally, I will effectively listen to the children and engage them in conversation to help them recall things they have learnt and help them to make a connection when solving problems. Introduction How will you introduce the learning objectives to the student/s? As the teacher, I will introduce the activities by performing a clear demonstration. Then, I will ask them to repeat the activity as demonstrated. Children will carry out activity such as Activity 1: Student will use water table to investigate and classify which objects sinks or float Activity 2: Bring the picture of their family members and build interesting charts showing family members. Activity 3: the student will be required to make a pattern of the simple object. Also student will be asked to continue these patterns. Main Body of the Experience: Including focus questions, checks for understanding, modelling and demonstration. For each of the learning activity, the teacher will introduce the topic by reading books, narrating a story or performing demonstrations. Then the teacher provided a range of apparatus and asked the children to demonstrate how they would work out the problem with the different material. In addition, the teacher encouraged the student to say which method they would apply and why. After each activity, the teacher marked the result to find out whether the child has become competent in the activity and decide whether they will progress to the next activity. The assessment tool and evidence included photo journal of a student working, anecdotes notes of the teacher, presentation of completed work, a video tape of the learning experience. In addition, the teacher constantly asked the child constructive question that revealed the stage of the development. For instance after the child offered a solution, they were asked to write and express how they arrived at that answer. Closure Consider how you will review the learning, summarise the key points, and reflect and share the skills learnt with the students at the end of the session. Throughout the activities, the role of the teacher will be to guide the child with thoughtful, open-ended questions, encouraging them to observe and talk. The teacher will also listen to the children helping them make a connection when solving problems. Most importantly, the teacher will observe the child determine the development progress and decide the areas that need further development. The activities helped the child to develop his Temporal –sequential ordering skills. In addition, the experience assisted the child in applying the knowledge they have to solve practical problem. Self-Reflection Include a brief reflection on how the experience went, how did the child respond to the activity? What worked well, what did not work well? Were the objectives achieved? Suggest brief reasons why/why not? List some possible ideas on how to assist/extend the child further. The learning experience was successful. As a result, the child was successfully assisted in developing his cognitive abilities as well as problem solving skills. It was achieved through the ability to choose appropriate learning experience that creates a meaningful learning environment. Some of the things that the teacher was observing include; whether the child can carry out the task immediately as well as the strategies they use to solve the problem. Assessment and Evidence Include evidence that you completed this learning experience with your student. Your Assessment Strategies must be clearly shown here. Inclusion of evidence such as observations notes, photos, checklists, and marking rubrics etc is required. PART D: Self Reflection – PMI Format I believe that as a teacher, I have successfully assisted Brian develop his cognitive abilities. I have achieved this through the ability to choose appropriate learning experience that creates a meaningful learning environment. The assessment has taught me the importance of planning. To teach math skills effectively, I had to plan all the activities properly. First, I had to understand and familiarize with the Australian curriculum guide. With the help of curriculum guides, I was able to choose appropriate activities that would help the child. I picked the activities for learning based on the resources available, time allocation and concerning the classroom environment. Because of the use of the online interview, I have noticed that I have changed my style of asking a question during lessons. I now ensure that I ask students questions that will reveal their cognitive abilities. In addition, I encourage constructive interaction with the students throughout the teaching (Eteläpelto et al., 2014). Positive Minus Interesting The learning experience helped the child to develop his cognitive abilities Focusing on a particular child in a secure and private environment, discussing the questions, and getting constructive feedback are likely to strengthen a child grasp of numeracy facts. The experience also enhanced his problem-solving skills. One of the drawbacks of the assessment was time-consuming Sometime it was not possible to conduct the learning activities outside classroom due to factor s such as weather. The assessments did not only benefit the child but me as a teacher as well. As a teacher after using the assessment I noticed that I now often that encourage student interaction during lessons. The assessment also enhanced my observational skills I have also learnt how important it is to create an environment that encourages learning References Coggshall, J. G., Rasmussen, C., Colton, A., Milton, J., & Jacques, C. (2012). Generating Teaching Effectiveness: The Role of Job-Embedded Professional Learning in Teacher Evaluation. Research & Policy Brief. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. Eteläpelto, A., Vähäsantanen, K., Hökkä, P., & Paloniemi, S. (2014). Identity and agency in professional learning. In International handbook of research in professional and practice-based learning (pp. 645-672). Springer Netherlands. Jones, M., & Shelton, M. (2011). Developing Your Portfolio–Enhancing Your Learning and Showing Your Stuff: A Guide for the Early Childhood Student Or Professional. Taylor & Francis. Monllor-Satoca, D., Barceló, I., Bonete, P., Lana-Villarreal, T., & Gómez, R. (2012). Learning portfolio as a tool for assessing competences in physical chemistry. In Proceedings of ICERI2012 Conference (pp. 1666-1674). Senger, J. L., & Kanthan, R. (2012). Student evaluations: Synchronous tripod of learning portfolio assessment—self-assessment, peer-assessment, instructor-assessment. Creative Education, 3(01), 155. Vance, G., Williamson, A., Frearson, R., O’Connor, N., Davison, J., Steele, C., & Burford, B. (2013). Evaluation of an established learning portfolio. The clinical teacher, 10(1), 21-26. Read More