Week 3 Reflection

 Week of Reflection: Friday January 22, 2021

This week has been a 5/5! I have had a great week. This week I was able to teach 2/4 of my classes regularly, as well as administer my pre-test and begin teaching my edTPA unit. I taught my edTPA unit to cohort B this week, and I look forward to teaching it to cohort A and recording it starting on Monday. I tested my video several times this week, and I had one experience where my camera didn’t record. I have learned from this and will have a backup camera running during my real edTPA recordings. I also practiced elements from my edTPA content several times and I feel that I have truly refined and prepared my unit to the best of my ability. I will build upon this next week by teaching my unit! I will also be teaching two additional classes next week. I feel that I have really been growing my confidence and clarity when teaching, and I am excited to see this grow by teaching another class in the coming week. My short term and long term goals are aligned because I am taking on another class so that I can start my full teaching takeover as scheduled on February 1st. My edTPA preparation goals are also still aligned with the School of Education calendar and my long term plan. I could have spent more time practicing piano to play parts for my students this week, and I could have spent less time questioning my teacher instinct. However, I have really improved at this from last week. I have always struggled with apprehension when cueing students in rehearsal, but I think that it is really improving this week as I am teaching more consistently. I am going to keep working to avoid small hesitations when I cue my students in rehearsal. My logical steps for next week are to follow my lesson plans and lead my classes, and to teach edTPA! I can clear the mental clutter of the assignments due today that I am finishing up, and can spend the weekend preparing my mind (and my commentary) for my teaching days! 

This week, I analyzed my student’s pretests for my edTPA learning segment. I was impressed with my students' prior knowledge! I was also affirmed that my choices were pretty much spot on. This made me feel more confident in my knowledge of my learners! I am really excited to teach them this lesson. I think that they are going to get a lot from it, and they seemed excited about the relevance of the content. My advice for my student teacher friends is to trust yourself and treat yourself with grace! You are working hard, and you are doing good work!! Trust the process, and be kind to yourself as you grow. 

I was a teacher leader (NCTCS 1) in my classroom this week as I facilitated my first rehearsals and lessons. I am really thankful that I have begun to establish positive relationships. I improved my implementation of NCTCS 2 this week by writing accommodations for a new EC student in my class, and joining in to be scheduled as attending her IEP meeting on February 3rd. I made my content relevant to students (NCTCS 3) by having them evaluate posture and breath support using celebrities that they know, and by including performances from the inauguration. I planned instruction appropriate for my students (NCTCS 4) by asking questions and/or providing pre-assessments to gauge the musical literacy knowledge level in my classes. I learned that my students do not know some foundational vocabulary, so I am going to spend next week reteaching that information. I reflected on my practice (NCTCS 5) between Cohort A and Cohort B and refined the order and scaffolding of my lesson in my Women’s choir to enhance student learning. I added a few extra warm-ups, and re-ordered my day to have a better flow because I reflected on how I could improve between Tuesday and Thursday. 

Dr. Johnson and I have not yet discussed my expectations for my portfolio. My CE and I do not need additional support at this time.