TESS Domain Artifacts
Domain 1: Planning and Preparations
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Good communication with my students has always been very important to me. I believe it is important to give clear expectations and explanations, and constantly check back in with them to gauge their understanding. Good planning and preparation is essential so your students are able to give their full potential, and designing strong student assessments is an effective way to monitor their understanding. I have created rubrics for assignments before but know there are steps I can take to improve my building of student assessments. To build a rich rubric my students can use as they accomplish tasks or projects, it is essential I have my expectations clearly stated for them. These rubrics should be well written with enough explanation that the students can look at them for assistance without being overwhelmed. Giving these rubrics to the students and discussing them as a class before they start the task at hand will also help with comprehension and immediate engagement. There are many practical steps I can begin to take in order to strengthen this area of my teaching.
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Domain 2: Classroom Environment
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In any classroom, it is important there is an established culture for learning. I believe the classroom environment should be an engaging, safe place for students to be themselves and voice their opinions. Without this, learning will be difficult, and student participation will be low. I have found that a very effective way to create this environment is by establishing norms or expectations for my classes. At Ramay Junior High, I collaborated with my students to create norms for the month long Literature Circle they were about to participate in. I facilitated class discussion as students shared what they thought a good group would look, sound, and act like. We narrowed it down to a set list, and hung them up in the front of the classroom. My students were able to look at the list every day to remind themselves (and their peers) what the expectations were. When we discussed the Literature Circles at the end of the month, my students said the norms were easy to follow because it was things that everyone agreed on, and they all wanted to do their part. This type of environment is crucial and a top priority of mine as I continue in the classroom.
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Domain 3: Instruction
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Domain 3 is all about instruction and how well you communicate with your students. Like I mentioned above, I think it is crucial I give my students clear expectations, whether that is classroom norms, or in an explanation of an assignment. While I find this very important, I have also found I need to articulate with more clarity when addressing students. I need attainable steps for them to accomplish, and need to make sure I address those in the best way my students can understand. Having daily expectations for the students is one way for us to be on the same page, and going over expectations constantly with them can help assure they know what they need to be doing. This communication, however, should not be one sided. I need to communicate with my students and ask how they are doing, what they are understanding, and adapt based on the responses I get. Implementing more formative assessments could be another way to check understanding as I continue instruction in a lesson or project.
Domain 4: Professional Responsibility
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In both of my internships, I have had the opportunity to work collaboratively in a professional learning community (PLC). I have seen teachers come together to support one another and their students. The teachers I have worked with all share a similar passion and feel it is their professional responsibility to create the best learning environment for their students. Sitting in on these meetings has allowed me to witness a whole other side of teaching I had not yet seen. The more comfortable I got, the more I was able to understand the jargon and responsibilities of a PLC. At my time at Springdale High School, I met daily with a PLC of fellow English teachers, but also constantly planned with my two mentor teachers. I became a resource provider for them, and was able to grow more and more confident in my ability to actively participate in meetings and collaborate with my fellow educators.
For more artifacts, I invite you to explore a portfolio I created during the MAT program that includes projects that showcase my research and knowledge of transmediation, disciplinary literacies, and literacy practices.
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https://skj678.wixsite.com/dislitportfolio