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Professional Growth Plan

Established Date September 15th, 2017
Name Natalie Ct
Review Date Throughout PSIII practicum

Goal #1
Improving my communication with the students at the beginning and end of classes.

Throughout my second practicum I was encouraged to work on my introductions and closures. This
mostly referred to how quickly I am able to get the class going, making sure I have their complete
attention and am speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, and to give clearer instructions for
homework expectations at the end of class. I want to become more proficient at getting my students
attention faster and keeping their engagement through the conclusion of the lesson.

Related KSA(s)
As situations warrant, teachers who hold an Interim Professional Certificate are expected to demonstrate
consistently that they understand:

a) Contextual variables affect teaching and learning. They know how to analyse many variables at one
time, and how to respond by making reasoned decisions about their teaching practice and students
learning;

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;

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;

m) student learning is enhanced through the use of home and community resources. They know how to
identify resources relevant to teaching and learning objectives, and how to incorporate these resources
into their teaching and students learning;

Indicator(s) of Success
Students will ask meaningful questions during the introduction and closure instead of questions
which I have already answered.
Students will know my expectations for routines at the beginning and ends of classes.
Students will come to the next class having worked on the homework clearly explained to them.

Strategies Resource(s) Timeline

Ensemble classes: Familiarize myself with Make a clear timeline Familiarize myself the time
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the time needed for set up/take down, in all lesson plans needed for set up/take
schedule that time into my lesson plan and down by September 27th.
then ensure the lesson content fills all
remaining time.

Include homework assignments in all lesson Method books and September-December

plans. other guides to practice

Have a clear plan for introductions and Write details in each September-December
closures review of the learning from that lesson plan
day, homework, announcements, etc.
Call on students individually if they are Student attendance list September-December
talking/being disruptive establish this (to learn names)
expectation firmly.

Reflection

Over the course of the semester, I have been able to improve a lot in this area. As mentioned above, this was
something I struggled with throughout my second practicum and knew it was something I wanted to put more focus
on as I continued teaching. I was very fortunate to be placed with two Mentor Teachers who had established
routines in their classrooms that helped me to see what success looked like in this area and find ways that I could
adopt that in a way that fit my teaching style.

The strategies listed above proved useful and beneficial to improving my communication. In band classes, I
learned how our set up and take down times worked and who I needed to get involved when. Every lesson plan
included specific instructions for the homework and announcements to be made, and I developed a stronger habit
of checking the time so I could be fully prepared for these lesson closures.

The biggest thing I learned about introductions and closures is the importance of structure. Even when I have
made a plan of how I want a lesson to begin or end, my students are left guessing and are then less likely to
participate fully in those first or last few minutes. In almost all of my classes this semester, I chose a specific activity
or structure that would start and end every class. For example, in my musical rehearsals we would start with an
action song and end with 1-3 announcements aimed at the students and their families. In my general music classes
at St. Patricks, I was able to adopt a goodbye song that my Mentor Teacher uses and a solfege pattern that ends
every class. These traditions gave my students a clearer understanding of what I was asking them to do and allowed
me to start and end classes with more focus and participation from all students.
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Goal #2
To learn more about differentiation and how I can use it in the classroom.

As someone who wants to create meaningful music education, I want to set up my courses to bring
about passion and true understanding in my subject area. Trying to teach to the average learner can
commonly get in the way of this especially for students with special needs. By using better
differentiation, I hope to set my students up for success and help them to be proud of their achievements
while also knowing that everyones one hundred percent looks different.

Related KSA(s)
As situations warrant, teachers who hold an Interim Professional Certificate are expected to demonstrate
consistently that they understand:

a) contextual variables affect teaching and learning. They know how to analyse many variables at one
time, and how to respond by making reasoned decisions about their teaching practice and students
learning;

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;

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;

Indicator(s) of Success
All students will show significant progress avoiding any situations where a different or special needs
learner falls through the cracks
Students will take interest in different types of instruction
Students will not show frustration caused by any one type of teaching that does not work for their
learning style, ability, and cognitive level.

Strategies Resource(s) Timeline

Learn more about special needs and Different by Sally September-December
learning disabilities. Clarkson
Angela Spiller
discussion and
observing her work
with students
Kathy Snider

Use different teaching styles and Kathy Snider September-December

assessment techniques giving all students Nadine Rollheiser
a more equal opportunity to learn and Online lesson plan
show their knowledge and ability. examples
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Keith Griffioen
assessment notes
Bring something to every kindergarten Nadine Rollheiser September-December
music class that will specifically help the ELL Lesson plan
students. specifically mark down
what this part of the
lesson is
Action songs and
vocabulary building
activities
Research different curriculums and their Karla Canon By November 1st
strengths in differentiation take what I can Loretta Ct
into the classroom. Kathy Snider
Online forums and
other curriculum
reviews
Reflection
Differentiation in the classroom takes a lot of time and planning. However, it is so important to have if I want
to truly teach every student in my classes. Through learning about each of my students and discovering how to help
them, I believe I have learned a lot in this area and had a few moments that have really shown me the payoff in my
students and validity of assessments.
The strategies listed above were part of the learning that occurred, but an equally large portion of my learning
was simply through conversation and trial and error. Conversations with my Mentor Teachers and friend Angela
Spiller have given me a better understanding of learning disabilities and the ways we can support children living
with them. Through these conversations, I was able to make small changes to my teaching and assessment in order
to allow all children better opportunities to learn. These conversations especially helped me to have a better
understanding of how to accept peoples limitations and recognize their accomplishments. Not everyones 100%
looks the same, just like not everyones success looks the same. By recognizing what success looks like for some of
my students, I was better able to support, teach, and encourage them.
Differentiation in my classrooms at St. Patricks was especially important considering the language barriers
some students face. Although I didnt always write it in my lesson plans later in the semester, always trying to
provide some attention to vocabulary development in my kindergarten class proved beneficial to the students
learning, participation in class, and in the personal relationships I was able to build with them. By planning this
ahead of time even for one aspect of my lesson, I was more aware of who these students were and was able to
invite them into the learning on other occasions where extra encouragement can bridge that gap.
For additional research, I completed my project on researching curriculums and have enjoyed the first half of
Different I am looking forward to finishing the book later this semester. Although the resources I researched
provide a wide variety of teaching styles, I did not find that this exercise benefitted my teaching in any direct way.
Learning about the programs was educational, but without seeing the lessons this was not something that effected
my teaching.
The main example of differentiation from this semester is an assessment I gave in my grade 2 music classes.
This assessment was measuring the students ability to keep a beat, sing on pitch, and distinguish between pitches.
Although my assessment ended up taking a long time to do, I learned a lot about making multiple paths to learning
and saw this benefit a large number of my students. The best example was for students who lacked confidence in
singing or simply are quiet or shy. However, by providing two opportunities to sing in different ways during the
assessment, every one of my students was willing to sing and most showed their full abilities in this area.
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Goal #3 - Wellness
To eat and snack with healthy choices.

Beginning my career as a teacher, I want to begin my journey by setting good habits for myself. Its
not a secret that the way you eat affects how you are able to function, so I would like to focus on these
things in order to set myself up for success in my professional and personal life.

Indicator(s) of Success
I will drink more water by carrying a water bottle with me and drinking at least two bottles a day.
I will choose healthy snacks to bring to school or eat in the evenings and notice how this affects my
energy levels.
These choices will positively affect my sleep and general health.

Reflection

Living at home again, this goal was mostly accomplished for me in many ways. I am fortunate that my family
eats a healthy diet and my parents do a lot to make sure we always have healthy options. I carried my water bottle
with me and noticed a difference on the days I did not drink enough. Although I did not always choose healthy
snacks, I increased my fruit and vegetable intake and generally feel healthy and alert.