tpe domain d: planning instruction and designing learning experiences for students

TPE DOMAIN D: PLANNING INSTRUCTION AND DESIGNING LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS

TPE domain D: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students

Lara Landry

National University

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Abstract

The following paper evaluates my success in meeting TPE domain D: Planning

Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students. A rationale as to why I

chose the three artifacts to demonstrate my competency in this area follows. I included as

artifacts of my competency a differentiated lesson plan, a list of different activities for

each of Garner's Multiple Intelligences, and a review of the article, Mathematical

Problems that Optimize Learning for Academically Advanced Students in Grades K-6,

which discusses ways to accommodate students with advanced math abilities.

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I find it important to get to know each one of my students and their families and

to have open communication. I understand the connections between students' health and

their ability to learn and realize there are accommodations that need to be made to

maximize the learning opportunities for all of the students in a class. I believe the more

you get to know a student, the better you are at determining how best to teach him or her.

By developing relationships with each of my students I am also better able to keep them

engaged during a lesson because I know what excites them. I like to make references to

topics students are interested in or activities they are interested in to make personal

connections to topics covered in class. I try to connect content to be learned with students'

backgrounds, experiences, interests and developmental learning needs to ensure my

instruction is comprehensible and meaningful to my students (Appendix A: TPEs, 2008).

In planning instruction, I find it important for students to have both short and long

term goals for their learning. I like to use explicit teaching methods such as direct

instruction and inquiry using Best Practice techniques like white boards, quick writes,

and think-pair-share exercises. I always connect new material to previously learned

material so students can see the interconnectivity of concepts and subjects. I plan how to

explain content clearly and try my best to make abstract concepts concrete and

meaningful. I understand the purposes of a variety of instructional strategies, one of

which is examining student work for accuracy and completion to ensure comprehension

of the material taught. I always reflect on what could have made a lesson better; run

smoother, keep students more engaged or on task, or been more time efficient. In

planning, I know that each class has a different dynamic and lessons must be altered to

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meet the needs of each unique class. I plan differentiated instruction when putting lessons

together, which means I select and adapt instructional strategies, grouping strategies and

instructional material to meet student learning goals and needs (Appendix A: TPEs,

2008).

To demonstrate competency in the teacher candidate expectations of TPE Domain

D: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students I have selected

three artifacts to include; a differentiated lesson plan for fourth grade social-science on

faster ways of communication between the East and California, a list of activities, one for

each of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, for sixth grade Earth Science Content Standard

3.a. on energy transfer, and a review of an article which discusses ways to accommodate

students with advanced math abilities called, Mathematical Problems that Optimize

Learning for Academically Advanced Students in Grades K-6.

The differentiated lesson plan meets much of the criteria for TPE 9: Instructional

Planning. The lesson covers the development of faster ways of communication between

the East and California in the mid-1800s. It covers the development of the Pony Express,

Overland Mail Service, and the Telegraph. It incorporates multiple Best Practice

differentiation strategies; peer-pairing, quick-think-focusing, and skimming the lesson.

Instructional and group strategies were selected to meet the needs of a diverse group of

students. The lesson follows the three curricular elements of Best Practice instruction:

Teach, Practice, Apply. The Apply section of the lesson asks the students to create

knowledge into something new. They have to create an advertisement and conduct an

interview using knowledge from the lesson. And, including both heterogeneous and

homogeneous grouping patterns in the lesson helps meet the learning goals and needs of a

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diverse group of students.

The second artifact for TPE Domain D is a list of different activities for each of

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, which meet the sixth grade Earth Science Content

Standard 3.a. This standard states: Students know energy can be carried from one place to

another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving

objects. I created eight different activities for each of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences:

verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-

rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. This artifact serves as an example

of TPE Domain D because it supports the needs of students with different abilities, ideas,

aspirations and interests. It allows for specialized instruction to meet the needs of student

diversity (Ventriglia, 2010).

The chose to review the article Mathematical Problems That Optimize Learning

for Academically Advanced Students in Grades K–6 to support TPE Domain D because it

discusses different implications teachers can make to meet the needs of advanced math

students. There are nine different ways of thinking in math that are discussed and the

author suggests three implications for teachers to meet the needs of the nine ways of

thinking; the carefully scrutinize the curriculum to make sure it meets the needs of all

students, including academically advanced students, to provide for conceptual algorithms

through the use of mathematical problems and authentically challenging tasks, and to

utilize supplemental material in conjunction with the text in teaching. A detailed review

is located on the TPE Domain D page on my PDQP BLOG.

References

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Appendix a: The california teaching performance expectations (TPEs) (2008). Cal

TPA: California Teaching Performance Assessment Candidate Handbook.

Sacramento, CA: California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Retrieved

from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/tpa-files/candidatehandbook-

appendixa-tpes.pdf

Chamberlin, S. A. (2010). Mathematical problems that optimize learning for

academically advanced students in grades k-6. Journal of Advanced

Academics, 22(1), 52-76.

Costantino, P., De Lorenzo, M, and Tirrell-Corbin, C. (2009). Developing a professional

teaching portfolio: A guide for success (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Ventriglia, Linda D. Ph. D. (2010). Best practices differentiated instruction: the rule of

foot. 8th Edition. Mexico: Younglight Educate.

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tpe domain d: planning instruction and designing learning experiences for students

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