Standard+4

Home / Standard 1 / Standard 2 / Standard 3 / Standard 4 / Standard 5 / Standard 6 / Standard 7 / Standard 8 / Standard 9 / Standard 10

**Standard 4** ** Teachers know how to teach. ** The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

Evidence 1:

Rationale 1: //Using technology to teach The Tragedy of Julius Caesar gives my students several opportunities to critically analyze the characters’ thoughts and motives. This activity was used in my Sophomore English courses. In collaborative groups, they selected critical moments in the play, and then planned “freeze-frame” shots of those moments. I took a digital photo of each moment, and the students edited the photos to make them look like cartoons. They adjusted the colors, added scene information boxes, and inserted thought bubbles. These bubbles contained what the characters were thinking (not what they were saying). After all photos were edited, I used MovieMaker to put them in the order they were presented in the play. Students struggle with the critical thinking process, so asking them to view a scene from a different perspective gives them good practice.//

KSD: 4.K.3 The teacher knows how to enhance learning through the use of a wide variety of materials and technological resources (e.g. computers, audio-visual technologies, videotapes and discs, local experts, primary documents and artifacts, texts, reference books, literature, and other print resources). // Students yawn their way through Shakespeare. They often times complain that they cannot relate to the characters or the events. By using a wide variety of resources (both technological and standard), I can enhance their learning and experiences with Shakespeare and other forms of old literature. //

4.S.3 The teacher constantly monitoring and adjusting strategies in response to learner feedback. // This evidence has only been used once in my classroom. After analyzing how it worked the first time, I was able to make a few adjustments to the process. The critical thinking portion of the assignments (adding thoughts) was more difficult for the students than I anticipated. The lesson plan has now been adjusted to include another day in the classroom, when students will work on the characters’ thoughts with their other group members. An example will be demonstrated on the board so they have a better understanding of the expectations of the assignment. //

4.D.2 The teacher values flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as necessary for adapting instruction to student responses, ideas, and needs. // Basic question and answer methods seem to dry out in the classroom quickly when teaching Shakespeare. Adapting the classroom instruction to accommodate my 21st century learners allowed them to learn the plot and character motives needed to understand the play. //