Candidate Teaching Summit Presentation

Samantha TarverTarver77827@students.reinhardt.edu

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher

demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” – William A. Ward.

Introduction

Samantha Jo Tarver

• Secondary English Education Major• Candidate Teaching done at Pickens

County High School.• Collaborating Teacher: Michelle Richards• Grades Taught: 10th Grade World Lit. & 12th

Grade British Lit.

Pickens County High School

• Contains approximately 1400 students.• Located in Jasper, GA.

The community, that was once rather small, is growing. Jasper still has that back home, country feel while also now

housing a more diverse group of people. Pickens County schools mostly

consist of white students, but more ethnicities are joining the community.

Miss. Tarver’s Classes

1st Period12th Grade British Lit.12 studentsTech-Bound StudentsMost are attending technical schools tobecome nurses or mechanics

GO SENIORS!

Miss. Tarver’s Classes

2nd Period10th Grade World Literature

21 studentsStudents are still wild and a bit

immature, but we love them!Most are thinking about college but not

taking the subject too seriously yet.

Miss. Tarver’s Classes

4th Period10th Grade World Literature

16 StudentsInclusion Class:

5 inclusion students, 11 regular educationI co-taught this class, and it was a great experience. It certainly took the both of

us to cater to each student’s needs.

School Diversity

• It’s difficult to speak for the entire school, but in the 50 or so students that I taught, I had– 2 black students– 1 Hispanic student– 2 bi-racial students

• As you can see, the diversity is not extensive in this area.

Schedule

Arrive at school at 7:301st period: 7:50 – 9:29 British Literature

2nd period: 9:35 – 11: 15 World Literature3rd period: 11: 15 – 1:15 Planning

4th period: 1: 20 – 3:00 World LiteratureLeave school at 3:30

Thoughts and Feelings, Fears, Strengths and Weaknesses as I

began Candidate Teaching.• Inadequacies– New Teacher– New School– Self-Confidence

• Weaknesses– Classroom management – Preparedness

• Strengths– Going above and beyond for my students– Differentiation

CANDIDATE PROFICIENCY

EVIDENCE

DOMAIN I:  PLANNING FOR DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION &

ASSESSMENT • Proficiency 1.0: The teacher candidate uses

knowledge of curriculum, learner differences, and ongoing assessment data to plan for student access to same essential content.

• Reflective Analysis:  How did you use knowledge of curriculum, learner differences, and ongoing assessment data to plan for student access to same essential content?

• Main Artifact: – Anglo-Saxon Literature Unit Plan

DOMAIN II:  PROVIDING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION &

ASSESSMENT • Proficiency 2.0: The teacher candidate

utilizes a variety of strategies to differentiate instruction and assessment.

• Reflective Analysis:  How did you utilize a variety of strategies to differentiate instruction and assessment?

• Artifacts: Various Assessment Activities, Photographs of Work & Classroom Management System.

Artifacts

• Assessment Activities– Tests• 12th: Anglo-Saxon Test• 12th: Renaissance Test

–Writing Activities• 12th: Hamlet Creative Writing Assignment• 10th: Short Story Projects (involves writing,

drawing & other skills)

– Group Activities• 10th: “The Bass, the River & Sheila Mant”

Photographs of Student Work

Classroom Management

• High School Classroom management is left mostly up to the students.

• 1st offense: Warning• 2nd offense: Write-up– Depending on the deed, students may

receive OSS, ISS or a simple call to the student’s parents.

• The more write-ups a student receives, the more severe the punishment becomes.

Classroom Management cont.

• A student may be written up for:– Cussing– Being in an unauthorized area– Skipping– Texting in class– Insubordination, etc.

• The students know the rules, and it’s their duty and responsibility to follow or suffer the consequences.

DOMAIN III:  IMPACTING STUDENT LEARNING

• Proficiency 3.0: The teacher candidate uses systematic formal/informal assessment as an ongoing diagnostic activity to measure student growth and to guide, differentiate, and adjust instruction.

• Reflective Analysis:  How did you use systematic formal/informal assessment as an ongoing diagnostic activity to measure student growth and to guide, differentiate, and adjust instruction?

Artifacts

• 10th Grade: Poetry Lesson

• Completed Assessment Tools:– Narrative Essay rubric– Independent Reading Checklist

DOMAIN IV:  PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN SUPPORT OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION &

ASSESSMENT• Proficiency 4.0: The teacher candidate

displays a professional commitment to the teaching philosophy of differentiated instruction to support students’ diverse learning needs and to maximize learning.

• Reflective Analysis:  How did you display a professional commitment to the teaching philosophy of differentiated instruction to support student’ diverse learning needs and to maximize learning? How has your teaching philosophy changed during Candidate Teaching?

Professional Commitment

• When I had adequate time, I differentiated to the best of my ability. It’s more difficult in a high school classroom where group work isn’t always the best way to go, but with some planning, there were times when differentiated group work turned out well.

• Here’s an example of my dedication to differentiation:– I got a new student in the middle of the semester, and

she refused to do anything in groups. I was a little frustrated at first but then realized that it was a perfect instance to differentiate. Needless to say, I gave her an alternate assignment more suited to her needs.

Meetings and Extra Responsibilities

• During my student teaching I attended:–Monthly Faculty Meetings

• Meetings occurred the 2nd Thursday of each month

– 1 Parent/Teacher Conference• Meeting occurred March 18th

– Prom Committee Meetings• Meetings occurred every Thursday from 3-4 till

March 3rd • I also orchestrated our classes performance of

“The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet” in Pickens High School’s 1st annual Shakespeare Day on April 22.

Shakespeare Day

Professional Organization Memberships

• PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators)

• ROSE (Reinhardt Organization of Student Educators): Secondary Education Representative

Final Philosophy

First PhilosophyLast Philosophy

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of

house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a

child.“ - Kathy Davis

Conclusion

Continuance Plan

• In my future years as an educator, I only plan to improve. I know that I am not perfect, by any means, and that it will be several years before I reach my instructional peak. I know that I have areas I need to work on such as: Time Management, Preparedness, Classroom Management Skills and making sure that I can develop a big enough range of activities to reach each student’s needs. I only hope that I can live up to the precedent of the great teachers I’ve had in my lifetime.

“A gifted teacher is as rare as a gifted doctor, and makes far less

money.”

- Author Unkown

My Advice to Future Candidate Teachers

• Be open-minded– Never be afraid to try something new. Always

be up for anything. Take the chance to get any kind of experience you can.

• Make time for yourself– I know it’s sometimes difficult to focus on

anything but school, but be sure to leave time to yourself and do the things you like to do. If you’re constantly worried about school, you’ll get burned out, and you’re not the only one who suffers. Your students will suffer as well.

Advice cont.

• Have a loving heart!– In my candidate teaching experience, I’ve grown to

love my students as if they were my own children. I’ve laughed with them and cried for them. When they have a bad day, I feel for them, and I think that attribution is so important for an educator. Do you remember when you were in high school? It was a difficult time, no matter how petty the difficulties may have been. Be a role-model for your students but also be someone that they can count on and someone they know will never hurt them. Teachers are an important stepping stone in a child’s life, and we need to be as solid as we can.

Thank you!I will never forget my time at

Reinhardt College.