Information Processing TIPR

Current Teacher Behavior

1. (one paragraph) What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Information Processing Theory? How does the teacher work with the students' information processing systems to promote learning? For example, how does the teacher focus students' attention, help them rehearse new information, and encourage them to encode and retrieve/reconstruct information? Evaluate the teacher's use of wait time as part of this process. Cite specific examples.

My cooperating teacher constantly uses Information Processing Theory daily in his teachings. Physical education can be extremely overwhelming at times, especially for students who have disabilities. My teacher does a great job at breaking things down to make the information easier to process. To start, he does a great job at gaining the students attention. This is something that was developed earlier in the semester, but he continued to work on throughout the semester. He would blow the whistle a a cue to signal that he was ready to explain what they were going to do in class that day. As soon as he would blow the whistle, all of the students would stop talking and listen to him--it was really amazing to watch. He would also review the previous days lesson and connect it to the one that he was teaching that day. Sometimes, he would ask for a discussion, but other times, he would go straight into what they were going to do for that day. When the students started a new unit, usually a new sport to focus it on, he did a great job at relating the sport or the skills of the sport to more common things that all the students know. For example, they started a new unit on flag football. When he was discussing flag football, he related it to soccer--the sport they just finished--by saying that there are still offense and defensive players and the end goal is to reach the goal and score. When asking the students questions for a discussion, he did a great job at giving them that "awkward" amount of time. He really would wait to say anything until at least one student made a comment. It was kinda awkward for me to witness at first, but I think it helped the students really think about what he was asking them and give them time to respond to the question. 

edTPA Prep

Also, answer these questions:

1. (one paragraph) What does the teacher do to link students' prior academic knowledge with new learning?

The teacher would always relate information from either the previous day or the previous unit to that particular lesson. I think that the students really enjoyed this because it gave them something to relate it to. Physical education can be really overwhelming for some students, especially students who have never played or heard of the sports before, but he does a great job at connecting skills from different sports and showing the relationship between the two. He would also review skills that the students were supposed to learn in middle school.

1. (one paragraph) What does the teacher do to link students' personal, cultural, and community assets with new learning?

The teacher honestly did not do a super great job at this. I asked him if he has ever done a student interests/assets survey before, and he seemed to not really understand what I was referring to. Sometimes during roll call, he would ask the students specific questions to connect to them, but that does not necessarily work for this question. He would sometimes have the students who were more athletic than others demonstrate specific skills or exercises to the class. By doing this, the teacher linked the students personal assets to new learning. 

1. (one paragraph) What does the teacher do to elicit and build on students' responses to further understanding?

The teacher does a great job at going into detail and almost overdoing answering questions. He always wants to make sure that all of the students are always on the same page so that no student will have an advantage over another. He also does a great job at making sure that no answer that a student gives is wrong. He does a great job at somehow relating the answer back to the topic. 

Student Needs

2. (one paragraph) What are the students' needs with regard to information processing in this class? What more could or should be done?

I think that overall, the students needs are being met really well when it comes to information processing. My teacher does a great job at doing this in every single day and making it seem easy and natural. I think that the students would love more trivia/facts games during class as a review/over-learning of a concept. I think that this would help the students process the information in a more competitive way. I also think that this could be a good opportunity for some students to see if there is a topic that they need to work on or gain more knowledge about. 

Plans for your Lesson

3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?

I plan to address these needs when I teach my mini-lesson by continuing the practice that my teacher already implements. I do not have time to do a trivia round or game, but if I had more time this is something that I would implement into my lesson. 

Lesson Description and Reflection

Lesson Description and Reflection 

I taught a lesson in a Fitness for Life high school class. I taught the workout portion of the class. A large basis of my lesson was based on the ideas of Vygotsky Theory of Cognitive Development. Vygtosky is one of my favorite theorists that we learned about this semester because he discusses the importance of the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition. In physical education, social interactions happen every single day. Peers are constantly collaborating with one another to learn new concepts, skills, sports, etc... In my particular lesson, I embodied Vygotsky's importance of social interaction. I paired up the students together with a new partner so they could accomplish a goal (finishing the workout) together. This was a huge social interaction because at first, the pairs seemed to be a little uncomfortable and shy with one another. This is most likely because my cooperating teacher always allows them to choose their partner. By the end of my lesson, the students were motivating and encouraging one another. It was really cool to see this different interaction between the students that I did not notice all semester. Motivation is HUGE in physical education. Providing both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation should be worked together in order to see the best results. The motivation theory that I based my lesson off of was Deci and Ryan Self-Determination Theory. This theory discusses that people are motivated by three innate needs. The first is competence. This is where people need to gain a mastery level when learning new and different skills. Once they feel like they have learned these skills they are more likely to achieve their goals and take a step in their actions. I used this in my lesson because since I had been observing this class for many weeks, I knew the basic skills that they were capable of doing. I encompassed these skills that they have already mastered, while also providing differentiation examples of more challenging exercises. The second part of the self-motivation theory is connection or relatedness. This is where people must feel a sense of belonging and attachment to other people. These relationships have already been formed over the course of this class, but I helped to challenge this by pairing them with someone who they usually do not pair up with. The third part of this theory is autonomy. Autonomy is that people need to feel like they are in control of their own goals as well as their behaviors. This is where self-determination comes into play heavily. I incorporated the use of heart rate monitors in my lesson which would track the students heart rate. By doing this, it allowed the students to keep track of their heart rate and see if they were in the intended target heart rate zone. This seemed to really motivate the students since they were able to see their progress. I also incorporated the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) developed by Albert Bandura into my lesson. This theory discusses the idea that when people observe a behavior or a task by someone who is doing it correctly, they are more likely to remember the sequence of events and use this information to further guide behavior. I implemented this theory into my lesson by providing a physical demonstration of each exercise in the order in which is was to be completed. The students were also using this theory when observing their peers, especially their partner.

1. My lesson went well because I definitely think that I helped the students master the learning topics for that lesson. I wanted the students to learn different ways to do the basic exercises that they have been learning all semester. I could tell by observing this class for many weeks, that they do the same exercises very often. I wanted to show the students different, more challenging ways to do the same exercise in order to grab their attention and differentiate for students who find the basic way too easy. I was pleasantly surprised when the majority of the students at least tried to do the exercise the way that I had taught them. A lot of them were able to do it successfully, which really shocked my cooperating teacher.
2. I think that there is always room for improvement in each and every lesson. I think that looking back on my lesson, I wish I would have had all of the students follow along with me as I showed them the new and different exercises. When I was showing them, they were all standing around me in a circle and I think it would have been more effective if they would have done it with me.
3. I think all of the students are really engaged to begin with, which made it really easy for me as I taught my lesson. Pairing the students up with someone they usually don't pair up with really helped with student engagement. It held the students more accountable since many of them were not as comfortable as they are used to. Also, the use of the heart rate monitors really motivated the students. The students would often look at their heart rate monitor to see where they were at. I noticed a few times the students would look at their monitor and then seem discouraged for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, they would workout harder than they did before.
4. I think that I could have increased student motivation by providing some sort of extrinsic motivation. For example, if the whole class in in their target heart rate zone for the majority of the class then they can have 3 extra minutes to change, etc...

Final Goals Reflection

In the beginning of the semester I set three goals that I had for EDSC 3250. They were:

1. I want to learn more about Canvas, Skyward, and other various online grading websites in order to stay connected with my students and their parents. I want to learn more about how to use these tools because I think students are more motivated to stay up with their grades when they are aware of how they are doing in the class. This goal is aligned to ISTE Standard for Educators 7a which states, "Use assessment data to guide progress and communicate with students, parents, and education stakeholders to build student self-direction," because it discusses using a way to provide and guide progress and communication with parents and students.

2. I want to learn more about various websites that can help all students expand their learning on various topics. I want my students be able to use technology to be able to study, work on projects and assignments, as well as learn about new technology that they can also use in their future learning experience and careers. This goal is aligned with ISTE Standard for Educators 6b which states, "manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on maker spaces or in the field." My goal and standard are aligned because they both have the intention of helping students learn and discover new learning strategies through technology.

3. I want to learn more about how and why technology is so important for the future of education. Growing up, technology was not used every day in my classrooms. My senior year of high school, all the students were given iPads to take tests, complete homework, and study. This was a hard transition for me because I was so used to taking tests and quizzes on paper, not on iPads. Since I was not introduced to a lot of technology when I was in school, I do not know as much about it as I think I should. This goal is lined up with ISTE Standard for Educators 1a which states, "Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness." My goal and standard are aligned because they both demonstrate a way to explore and apply the possibility of technology being used in education and how it can be beneficial.

Was I able to reach these goals?

1. My first goal was to learn more about Canvas, Skyward, and other various online grading tools. This is a goal that I definitely met and exceeded. I met this goal because I made a Canvas Instructor classroom in this class where I learned how to make a Canvas Instructor page as well as grade assignments, and make assignments, quizzes, and discussions. Now, I definitely feel confident in using Canvas. I also learned how to make a Google Classroom, which is something that I am definitely wanted to implement into my future teaching. I think it is a good way for students, teachers, and parents to all be on the same page. Since I will most likely be teaching in Utah, and a lot of schools in Utah use Canvas, I am so happy that I learned more about it now so I have an overall good idea of what it is all about instead of going in blind.

2. My second goal was to learn more about various websites that can help all students expand their learning on various topics. I also think that I met and exceeded this goal because there were multiple times that we would do assignments (posted on our google website) where I would have to do research and investigate tools for students and parents to have. Some websites that I became familiar with are: uen.org, wasatchadaptativesports.org, healthychildren.org, canva.com, khanacademy, pecentral, etc... All of these websites will help give students and parents more information on physical education, health, tips and tricks, as well as standards.

3. My third goal was to learn more about how and why technology is so important for the future of education. This is also a goal that I definitely met because this is a topic that came up almost every day we had this class. I was able to discover tools that can actually be used in PE without them feeling forced or like they are a distraction. For example, some tools that I learned more about that will be beneficial for physical education are flipgrid, canva, google doc applications, screencastify, heart rate monitors, and various computer programming tools/widgets. Since technology is in the hands of almost every teenager, it is something that they are comfortable with. Using technology in physical education can give students the opportunity to learn how to use technology as a way to stay physically fit. Using various apps such as the SWEAT app, Nike app, and others can give students an idea of how to be physically fit outside of school.

Goals for the Future 
For my future, I have many goals. The current goal that I am working towards right now is to focus on my student teaching and graduate. For my student teaching, my goal is to incorporate technology into every unit. Whether that be using heart rate monitors, chromebooks, hyperdoc assignments, etc... I also want to implement Canvas/Google classroom into every unit. My current cooperating teacher that I have for student teaching uses google classroom, but she asked me if I could teach her how to use Canvas--which I thought was really awesome! After my student teaching, I have a few other goals that I want to accomplish. Once I start teaching in my own classroom, one goal that I have is to also use some form of technology into every unit. Because I want to use technology, my goal is to provide Chromebooks for students to use in class (during review/game play days) to complete assignments that will be given on Canvas. I do not want these students to feel at a disadvantage if they are unable to do homework with technology at home. Another goal that I have is to continue to learn more about technology in the classroom. I plan on taking additional college courses to learn more about the new and improving technology in order to keep up with my students and to continue to make my curriculum better for students. 

Constructivism TIPR

1. Describe how the teacher uses modern constructivist techniques/complex learning environments (e.g., spiral curriculum, discovery learning, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, etc.) to promote student learning. How is the teacher implementing the 4 tenets of constructivism and the 3 modes of processing?

The teacher that I am observing uses some modern constructivist techniques in his teaching. In the weights training 2 class that I observe, I notice that he often uses discovery learning (Bruner). This is part of inquiry based learning. He uses this when he relates to the students in what they have learned in Weights 1. In order to be in Weights 2, all students must first take Weights 1. Both of these classes are elective classes. The teacher is constantly reminding the students of various exercises and techniques that they learned during weights 1. Here, the teacher is drawing knowledge from the students' past experiences. In Weights 2, he often will take what the students learned from weights 1, and elaborate on it. They will also perform various exercise experiments such as seeing if lifting weights every day will help you get stronger. At the beginning of the semester, the students fill out a 1 max rep sheet. At the end of the semester, they fill it out again to see their improvements. The first tenent of constructivism that the teacher implements is that the students are actually doing the workouts and are completing them physically in order to see a differernce. Here, the students are activing cognizing. 

Contexts of Development TIPR + edTPA Prep

Current Teacher Behavior

1. Describe how the teacher implements a consideration of the students' physical development and/or Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model into instruction, assessment, and/or procedures. What more could/should the teacher do in this regard? Provide specific examples.

My cooperating teacher implements Brofenbrenner's Biological Model into instruction, assessment, and procedures by first getting to know all of his students individually. From what I can tell, he has a great relationship with each of his students (microsystem). The main part of Brofenbenner's Model that he encompasses is the mesosystem. The mesosystem is the relationship between the individual and their school teachers/administrators. I have noticed that many of the students come to my cooperating teacher to let them know things that are going on in their life. Because of this, the students have a great relationship with him because he is very understanding and comforting. This is part of the exosystem.  The macrosystem encompasses cultural, societal, and religious beliefs. He does a good job discussing religion when asking the students where they would want to serve their LDS mission. Some students brought up how they are going to serve missions once they graduate and the teacher discussed with them more about this topic. He also relates to the students culture by changing up the exercises and incorporating ones from other countries and cultures. 

edTPA Prep

Also answer the following questions:

1. What does the teacher do to learn more about students' personal, cultural, and community assets?
1. The teacher connects with the students in multiple ways to find out their various assets. He connects things that he knows about them in a way to motivate them. An example of this was when a soccer player was slacking during the workout. The teacher helped motivate him by saying that by completing these workouts will help him have an advantage when it comes to tryouts. He also learns more about his students personal life by asking them how their weekend was, how their day was, how their game/performance went, etc... He also 
2. How does the teacher incorporate those assets into instruction?
1. He incorporates these assets into his instruction by asking them questions about their weekend, game, etc while he is taking role. I like that he does this because it is a good way to kill two birds with one stone. He is taking role and also making it less boring by having meaningful and thoughtful discussions with his students. 
3. How does the teacher use those assets to build relationships with students?
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4. How does the teacher demonstrate responsiveness to students with varied needs and backgrounds?

Student Needs

2. (one paragraph) What are these students' needs with regard to the topics above? What more could or should be done?

Plans for your Lesson

3. (one paragraph) How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson to this class?

Identity TIPR

Current Teacher Behaviors

1. (one paragraph) Which of Erikson's psychosocial crises are the children in the class facing (may be more than one)? Which of Marcia's identity states seem(s) to be most prevalent? What specific teacher behaviors do you observe that either help or hinder the students to successfully navigate their identities? Cite specific examples.

In my opinion, I think the Erikson psychosocial crisis that the children in the class are facing the most is Industry vs Inferiority. I think this because the students are given heart rate monitors during the 45 minute workout portion of the course. All of the heart rate monitors are preprogrammed to a specific max heart rate goal for each student. It is the same specific heart rate goal for every single student. There is no variation. Because of this, many of the students do not reach or maintain the heart rate goal for the majority of the workout. This causes many of the students to become very discouraged and frustrated. Obviously, it would be very difficult to program the heart rate monitors to be specific to each individual student since all of the students in each class share the heart rate monitors, but I think that if there were even ten of the heart rate monitors that had a slightly lower heart rate goal, it would be more beneficial. Those students will then be physically able to hit their heart rate goal and maintain it. They will be able to see that their hard work pays off and that it just isn't all for nothing. This relates to Industry vs Inferiority because the some of the students are frustrated and they want to learn to be successful, but because of the way that these are preprogrammed, they do not feel like they are successful. Although, I do think that the teacher does a good job continuing to encourage the students even though they don't hit the goal. 

The Marcia identity state that seems to be the most prevalent in this class is identity moratorium. During this state, "the status in which the adolescent is currently in a crisis, exploring various commitments and is ready to make choices, but has not made a commitment to these choices yet." https://www.learning-theories.com/identity-status-theory-marcia.html. The reason why I think this is because I can tell that a lot of the students are overwhelmed with all of their responsibilities and life in general. One student in particular expressed his feelings towards the teacher about how he was so overwhelmed with the stress of the upcoming soccer tryouts. The students are ready to make major life choices--college, career, etc... but they just have not exactly figured it out yet. 

In the example that I gave above, the teacher then responded to the soccer student by saying that you may feel less stressed if you work out and put in lots of effort into the workout because it will release endorphins which can help him release his stress.  He also said that by doing this workout, he is a step above some of the competition because he is focusing on being in shape and putting in the work. Another example of how the teacher helps his students achieve their identity is by encouraging them that failure is inevitable and is going to happen, but if you continue to strive and overcome it, then you did not fail. He also builds trust in the classroom. 

Student Needs

2. What are the students' needs with regard to identity development in this class? What more could or should be done?

The students and teacher discussions have never alluded to identity and identity development in class. I think that this is something that should be changed. I think that having conversations with the students about identity is something that is extremely important and beneficial. Being able to discuss this in an appropriate manner is also crucial. I think that the teacher could have created an identity chart at the beginning of the year which every student would fill out. It could give the teacher a better understanding of who the students are.

Plans for your Lesson

3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?

Honestly, I think that this is something that is going to be difficult to teach in just one lesson. When I start teaching, this is something that I will be able to address more because I think that it is something that needs to be addressed throughout the semester, not just in one lesson. Also, I do not really know how to address identity in my mini lesson. I will collaborate with other peers that are in my content area. 

Vygotsky TIPR

Current Teacher Behavior

1. What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural cognitive development? Specifically address the use of More Knowledgeable Other(s), how the teacher determines the students' Zones of Proximal Development, the types of scaffolding/assisted learning provided, how the teacher helps students internalize the information, the types of cultural and technological tools used, etc.

My cooperating teacher implements many parts of Vygotsky's theory in his teaching. He uses the idea of More Knowledge Other(s) directly because he is considered a More Knowledgeable Other. He is someone who has a better understanding than the learner. He directly explains and demonstrates each exercise for the workout and same goes for the specific sport that they are focusing on for that unit. He also incorporated this idea when he makes groups or pairs of students for exercises and game play. He strategically makes these groups to have 1 or 2 More Knowledgeable Others paired with students who are not as strong. This is a great way for the students to learn from their peers. It also provides a great opportunity for the More Knowledgeable Others to work on leadership skills. 

Zone of proximal development is the difference between what a child can achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. This idea relates really well to More Knowledgeable Other. This idea is also used when he groups students together. Some exercises, activities, and game can be completed successfully without groups or partner. This is when the child can achieve something independently and without help from someone else (more knowledgeable other). In instances where some students could not complete something successfully on their own or when he is introducing a new sport or workout, that is when he will group the students accordingly. 

Scaffolding "is a teaching method that enables a student to solve a problem, carry out a task, or achieve a goal through a gradual shedding of outside assistance". (https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/teacher-resources/scaffolding-in-education-a-definitive-guide/). He uses scaffolding in every lesson that I have witnessed. An example of when he uses this is when he will breakdown the workout into smaller, more manageable parts. Instead of making it long and confusing for the students, he breaks it down and simplifies it in order for all of the students to understand it. He also uses cues when introducing a new exercise or sport. For example, in one of his lessons that he did, one of the workouts was toe touches on the bleachers. The cue that he gave the students to work on was "quick feet". This helped the students break down the task further and focus on one specific part of the skill. He also uses cooperative learning throughout his lessons. This is used when he puts the students in groups or teams and the students work together to complete a task or activity. 

The main technical tool that he uses during his classes are heart rate monitors. These are used during the 45 minute workout portion of the class. These provide a great opportunity for the students to learn the importance of heart rate during the workout as well as motivate them.

Student Needs

2. What are these students' needs through the lens of Vygotsky's theory? What more could or should be done?

In my opinion, I think that the students should have more discussions regarding what they are learning and reflecting on that throughout class. I think that this would help the students who are not More Knowledgeable Others be able to learn more about a skill or game in a different way as well as collaborate with others who know more about something than they do. I also think that the students should be encouraged to do more activities independently. I do not think that this should be done every time, but sometimes, I find that the students become distracted when working in groups with their friends. This idea relates to the Zone of Proximal Development. 

Plans for your Lesson

3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?

I will address these needs when I teach my mini-lesson by having the students complete the first half of the workout individually and then the second half of the assignment the students will complete the workout in groups that I will assign. I will make sure to have at least one student who is considered a more knowledgeable other in order for that student to help the other students who struggle. I will also have the students do a discussion at the end of the lesson in which they will discuss with one another what they learned that lesson. 

Piaget TIPR

Current Teacher Behaviors

What evidence do you see in your field experience of specific teacher behaviors that are related to Piaget's theory of cognitive development? 

Since physical education is an active class, it is directly related to Piaget's theory of cognitive development because Piaget's central idea is that children are active and motivated learners. The students are active throughout the entirety of the class and are motivated both extrinsically and intrinsically. They are required to wear heart rate monitors during the workout portion of the course. They must hit and maintain their target heart rate for at least 80% of the workout in order to receive full participation points for the day. 

I have noticed that some students are in disequilibrium when they are introduced to a new sport or exercise that they have never been introduced to before. After a demonstration and oral explanation of the specific skill, drill, or exercise, my cooperating teacher will observe his students and notice is some of them seem confused or if they seem to be in disequilibrium. When this happens, he will go up to the student one-on-one and further explain how to do the exercise safely and correctly. The majority of the students assimilate the new specific exercises and relate them to ones that they have previously learned. I have not noticed any students fall into cognitive dissonance.

He uses stage 4, formal operations, to help students explore new concepts (exercises, sports, drills, skills, etc...) 

Student Needs

What are these students' needs through the lens of Piaget's theory? 

I think that students need more information to add to their schema. Schema is how people organize knowledge into categories in their head. I think that the students should be given more explanation as to why a specific exercise is important and how it physically benefits your body which can help with any disequilibrium that students may be experiencing. I think also introducing more exercises that the students do not know so they are continuing to think abstractly and compare exercises to one another (stage 4) could be very beneficial. 

Plans for your Lesson

How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?

I will address these needs when I teach my mini-lesson in this class by explaining the importance of the exercise. I think that if students understand why they are doing something, then they are more likely to participate. Also, if the students understand the importance of the exercise, then they also may continue to do it when they are no longer taking my class. 

Assessment TIPR + edTPA Prep

Current Teacher Behaviors

1. How does the teacher assess student learning? Identify specific instances of informal and formal, formative and summative assessment and explain the types of assessments (e.g., self-assessment, portfolio, project, performance, etc.) that are used. 

The teacher assesses student learning in almost every lesson. This is done in many multiple and different ways. The most popular that my cooperating teacher uses is informal assessments. For the majority of the class, the students are working either on their own, in smaller groups, or larger groups. The teacher will walk around and ensure that the students are on task, are completing the exercise safely and correctly, and are discussing on task. Formal assessments also occur almost every day. On a normal day, the students will play a sport for 45 minutes and then do a workout for the other 45 minutes. During the 45 minute workout portion, the students are required to wear their heart rate monitors. In order to receive full participation points for the day, the student must hit and maintain their heart rate for 80% of the workout. This is more of a formal assessment. An example of a formative assessment that he does is exit slips. Sometimes, he will have his students fill out a quick exit slip on paper responding to a question that he asked them. He also uses lots of peer teaching throughout his classes. 

How valid, reliable, biased, and practical are these assessments?

In my opinion, I think that he does a fantastic job at incorporating assessments into physical education. I think that sometimes it can be harder to incorporate these concepts into physical education, but he does a great job at doing this correctly. I am thankful that I have been able to observe his classes to see the various ways that these ideas can be used in physical education. 

edTPA Prep

Also answer the following questions:

1. How does the teacher use formative assessment to monitor learning throughout a lesson or unit?

He uses formative assessment to monitor learning throughout a lesson or unit in various ways. One way that he does this is by doing self-reflecting on his lessons. This is something that he discussed with me one day after class. He was telling me that he always reflects on his lessons at the end of the day. He will note things that he thought went well and ones that did not go well. He will then try to adjust the lesson the next day to change what went wrong or implement what went well. This is an example of reflecting on formative assessments. He also will have pre-planned formative assessments for the lesson each day. He will usually write questions down on white boards which the students will discuss in either groups or reflect on paper.

    

2. How does the teacher design or adapt assessments to allow students with specific needs to demonstrate their learning?

An example of when the cooperating teacher adapted an assessment for a student was when a student had a broken hand. He had a badly broken hand so he could not do a lot of the exercises that were planned for the day. After explaining the workout plan to the class, he pulled the disabled student aside and gave him alternate exercises. He had preplanned these alternate exercises for the student before hand so he was not just making something up on the fly. Another example was in his weights training class there was a student who had disabilities to where he was confined to a wheelchair. He adapted every single workout for the student to complete while he was in his wheelchair. I thought that this was absolutely amazing. He went above and beyond to make sure that these students felt welcomed. 

    3. How does the teacher (a) give feedback on these assessments, (b) help the students understand that feedback, and (c) encourage/give opportunities for students to use that feedback to improve?

The teacher gives feedback to the students I discussed above by following up with them after the day to make sure that they felt comfortable completing those exercises, but that it was still challenging and getting their heart rate up. He would constantly encourage all students, but especially his students that had these physical disabilities encouraging them to keep pushing and that they are doing great. He will also let students know if they are completing an exercise incorrectly. In this instance, he would remind them the proper way to complete the exercise correctly and safely, give them cues, and then have them demonstrate the skill while he is observing. 

Student Needs

2. What are these students' needs with regard to assessment in this class? What more could or should be done?

I think that the students should be assessed in more formal ways--quizzes, tests, exams, etc... I have yet to see the students receive or take any sort of formal assessment in this nature. I think that this could be a good way of making sure that the students are learning the specific rules of the various sports. 

Plan for your Lesson

3. How will you address these needs when you teach your mini-lesson in this class?

I will have my students take a short exit ticket quiz which will have them reflect on what we did in class that day. This will give me a good idea if the students are on task, if they learned the importance of the lesson, and if they liked it or not. I will give them open ended questions as well as a few multiple choice questions about the specifics of the lessons. I will also make sure to do other assessments such as checking up on students throughout the exercises to make sure that they are doing them correctly and safely. 

Classroom Management Reflection/ Goals Check In

1. What are your concerns about managing a class that is using technology? What are your plans for addressing those concerns? 

A concern that I have about managing a class that is using technology is making sure that all of my students are on task. With technology, it is very easy to have multiple taps or web browsers open making it easy to toggle between each. I want to make sure that my students only have the assignment open that they are supposed to be working on--not being off task. Another concern that I have about managing a class that is using technology is not implementing it enough in physical education. I know that the use of technology in all subjects can serve an important purpose, but I am struggling with how much is too much or not enough.

I am going to address these concerns by having great classroom management when it comes to tech use. I want to make sure that my expectations are clear in the syllabus and disclosure document that both the student and parent/guardian will sign. This will help prevent miscommunication between me, the student, and the parent. I also want to collaborate with other teachers--those in my content area and those who are not--and how they manage technology in their classes. Getting input from other educators is a great way to have new ideas. 

2. How is your lesson planning going for your field experience? What issues do you need to bring up with your cooperating teacher? What questions do you have for me?

My lesson planning is going great for my field experience. I am actually teaching tomorrow and could not be more excited. It worked out perfect for me because the students in the fitness for life class, which I will teaching in, using have a 45 minute workout portion and a 45 minute sport play portion. Tomorrow, is a short day. Instead of two 45 minute portions, the will be having two 25 minute portions. I will be teaching my lesson during the 25 minute workout portion. 

I do not have any issues that I need to discuss with my cooperating teacher. We will be using the heart rate monitors as the technology in the lesson, which he already taught me how to use. 

I have no questions for you, Dr. Cox. 

3. Look back at the goals you wrote at the beginning of this class. How are you progressing in meeting these goals? What do you need to do to meet them? What can I do to help?

The first goal that I wrote down earlier this semester was that I wanted to learn more about online grading and course websites such as Canvas, Skyward, etc... I definitely have learned how to successfully do this since we have created our own Canvas website and collaborated with other students on their Canvas website. 

The second goal that I wrote down was to learn more about various websites that can help all students expand their learning on various topics. I have also learned more about this topic this semester in most of my education courses. Learning about the various online tools that can be used in the classroom has helped me become more creative. 

The third goal that I wrote down was to learn more about how and why technology is so important in future classrooms. At the beginning of the semester, I did not understand the importance of technology in the classroom since I grew up with little technology and I felt like I did just fine. After a few weeks of this course, I have grown to better understand the importance of technology in the classroom. Since technology is growing at such a fast pace, students are more than likely going to be more advanced with technology than I will be as their teacher. Since the students are so in tune with technology, they are more likely more comfortable with it. Being able to implement technology in my classes, I can help my students become creative with it inside and outside of the classroom. 

Technology Artifacts, Part 1

3 tools that we explored in class that I think would be useful to use with my future students: 

1. FlipGrid

What is it? 

FlipGrid is a mobile app that allows teachers to ask a question, then the student will respond with a short video. The students are then able to respond to one another, creating a "web" of discussion. 

Why did I choose this tool? 

I chose this classroom tool because it is a great way for students to get active outside of the classroom. I can have my students physically show me their progress with an exercise, demonstrate proper form of an exercise or skill, provide differentiation for students who prefer alternate ways to submit assignments, etc... 
For students who do not have access to devices outside the classroom, I have issued iPads to those students who have filled out the technology permission slip form. 

My example:

https://flipgrid.com/fea4f17c


2. Canva

What is it?

Canva is an online tool that allows users to choose from hundreds of various designed layouts, or create their own if preferred, for use in presentations, posters, infographics, social media, business cards, etc... 

Why did I choose this tool?

I chose this classroom tool because it provides a great resource to students who prefer to be creative while using technology. Students are able to create visuals through a free and easy to use website. I can have my students create infographics discussing various physical education and health topics, create pictures to add in presentations regarding physical education and health, and much more. 

My example:

*Made using Canva

3. Quizzizz

What is it?

Quizzizz allows teachers to conduct student-paced formative assessments in a fun and engaging way for students of all ages. It is very similar to the popular online assessment tool, Kahoot! It is also a free tool, which is great for teachers and students. It can work on any device: web browser, iOS, android, and Chrome apps. This is great since we will be using Chrome Books throughout the semester. 

Why did I choose this tool?

I chose this tool because providing various ways to assess students can make the classroom more fun and engaging. Quizzizz is a great way to implement technology in the classroom--which most students love--while also being educational. I also love this tool because I can easily check up on my students and see their progress, if they are understanding the material, and see which topics I need to put more emphasis on. 

My example:

https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5d956d15ef7ede001ef1a31e

*Made using quizizz

Growth Mindset and Motivation TIPR + edTPA Prep

Current Teacher Behaviors

A growth mindset, according to Dr. Dweck, is "the understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed,"(mindsetworks.com). Using this theory in the classroom can be very beneficial for students because they can understand that putting in effort is beneficial and can greatly improve their academic achievement. The teacher who I am observing uses the idea of a growth mindset by giving the students the opportunity to learn how to play a different sport each unit and how to incorporate heart rate monitors into different types of workout plans. He lets the students know the importance of living a healthy lifestyle outside of the classroom and incorporates the use of the heart rate monitors to show the students why it is important to have a higher heart rate during physical activity and exercise. He uses extrinsic motivation, which is "behavior that is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise," (verywellmind.com) in his Fitness for Life class when he grades the students on a four point motivation scale. The motivation scale is based solely off of the heart rate monitor. There is a set heart rate zone that the students are motivated to be in during the exercise. In order to receive all four points, the students must be in that goal zone for 80% of the time. This is considered extrinsic motivation because the students because this type of motivation comes from an outside source--their grade. This idea is directly related to the Extrinsic Theory of Motivation. It is also related to the Goal Theory because the students are given performance goals that they are encouraged to reach during class. My cooperating teacher also uses intrinsic motivation, which is "the act of doing something without any obvious external rewards," (healthline.com) during his weight training class. The weight training class is an elective at the high school that he teaches at, so many of the students already are using intrinsic motivation to lift weights to begin with since they chose to take the class as their elective. I also noticed that he is much more relaxed with the weight class than he is with his fitness for life class. I asked him what he does when his students don't participate (which is much more common in the weights class) and he said that he will encourage them to start moving and lifting, but if they are not going to workout, then that is on them. I don't know if I necessarily agree with this concept, but I can sort of understand why he chooses to go about in this way. This concept of intrinsic motivation is directly related to Intrinsic Theory of Motivation. It is also related to the Self-Determination Theory--Ryan and Deci--because the self-determination theory, more specifically, autonomy (the universal urge to be causal agents of one's own life and act in harmony with one's integrated self) is used every day in his weights class. This is then related back to intrinsic motivation.

edTPA Prep

1. How does the teacher design lessons in a way that challenges students to engage?

My cooperating teacher designs lessons in a way that challenges students to engage by using both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in every lesson that I have observed. By using both of these types of motivation theories, the students are definitely more engaged than they are in other classes that I have observed. In his fitness for life course, all of the students are required to wear a heart rate monitor for the exercise portion of the course. I noticed that almost every student is very engaged and motivated to participate in the exercise portion because they can see where their heart rate is at during the workout.

2. What does the teacher do during class to further challenge students to engage?

Other than using the heart rate monitors, I have noticed that the teacher connects to the students personally and individually to further challenge students to engage. An example that I witnessed last week was that there was a student who was complaining about the workout being too hard and that he felt like he was out of breath. My cooperating teacher started talking to him about the upcoming soccer tryouts--which the student was planning on attending--and how this workout will help him with those tryouts because he will be working on his cardiovascular strength. This is just one example of engaging students in many ways which the teacher uses with multiple students throughout the day.

3. What does the teacher do to build mutual respect and rapport with the students? 

The cooperating teacher does not allow phones or other tablet devices use during his class. Since he expects this out of his students, he also does not use his phone or any other device during class. The same thing goes with dress code. He has an expectation for his students and he also abides by this dress code. I think that by doing this, the teacher is building trust and respect with his students. He also speaks to them like adults, not children. He does not demean them or talk down to them in any way. Because of this, I have noticed that the students seem to be more comfortable with him.

Student Needs

I would say that the majority of the students have a good mindset when they enter his fitness for life class. I am surprised to say that I have not noticed a lot of complaining regarding the workouts or activities that the teacher has prepared for the students. The majority of the students are also very motivated. I think that a lot of this comes back to the heart rate monitors and participation points. The students all wear heart rate monitors which track their heart rate during the 45 minute exercise portion of the class. In order to receive full participation points, the students must keep their max or goal heart rate for 80% of the workout. I think that the students could be more motivated if they had personal goals that they were trying to reach throughout the semester instead of goals expected of them.

Plans for your Lesson

I plan to address these needs when I teach my mini-lesson to this class by giving each of them the opportunity to write down their own personal goals for the day. I think that by writing down goals and putting them on paper can drastically make a difference in the drive and motivation that a student, or anyone, has.



Sources:
https://www.mindsetworks.com/science
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation
https://www.learning-theories.com/self-determination-theory-deci-and-ryan.html

Equity Reflection

1. Compare the results of your interview with the results of your peers' interviews. Do you feel that students are getting equitable access to and use of technology in your content area? Why or why not? 

Myranda, Peter, and I's cooperating teachers all use the same technology--heart rate monitors. Lacey was the only one whose teacher did not use any sort of technology in their PE class. I think that the use of heart rate monitors are extremely beneficial for physical education classes because it provides students the knowledge of the importance of heart rate during exercise. If they learn how to properly use the monitors at a younger age, they are more likely to use them when they are no longer in school. Since Lacey's students did not have access to heart rate monitors, I do not think that students are getting equitable access to technology across the state. It is just a 45 minute drive up the I-15 from our schools to Lacey's, yet the technology that is being used is much different. 

2. Compare the results of your interview with the district that school is in and with the state overall. What does the data say about the equitability of what is happening in your cooperating teacher's classroom?

Jordan school district as 54,394 students. As of 2017, 1 device per student ratio statewide was 0.84 and Jordan school district is 0.85, so Jordan school district is about the same ratio compared to statewide. The district's average age of wired gear was 35% less than a year old and the state is only 11%, so the district is above the state average. In the fitness for life class that I am observing, every single student has access to their own heart rate monitor, so the relationship is 1:1. 

3. Compare the results of your interview with the overall state data and that of a VERY DIFFERENT district. What does the data say about the equitability of what is happening in your cooperating teacher's classroom?

Jordan vs Juab

Jordan-54,394 students 

Juab-2,553 students

Juab school district as of 2017 has 1.14 devices per student, which is significant compared to Jordan school district. Juab has over 1 device that is completely accessible to each student. Compared to the state, which is 0.84. On the contrary, 100% of the districts average age of wired gear is 4+ years old, and most likely should be updated in the near future. 

4. What does all of this mean for the kids?

In just the comparison alone of an urban vs a rural school district, the rural school districts have more devices per student, but their wired devices need to be updated sooner than the urban school districts does. I think that overall, the state of Utah is doing a great job at providing technology for their students and I think this is something that is going to continue to flourish over the next few years. 

Metacognition TIPR

Current Teacher Behaviors

1. My cooperating teacher is helping the students develop metacognition and become more self-regulated by providing learning strategies such as setting goals (planning and focusing attention) and self-questioning/self-testing (cognitive monitoring). These are mostly used when the teacher incorporates the heart rate monitors into his lesson. He uses heart rate monitors twice or three times per week during the 45 minute, workout portion of the class. The students have goals that have been pre-set by all the physical educators. The heart rate monitors have been preprogrammed to have a heart rate goal set for all the students. The students must hit the heart rate goal for at least 80% in order to receive full credit for the day. The only issue that I see with this, is that all the students are going to have different heart rate goals during their exercise. I think it would be more beneficial for the students to set their own heart rate goal to work towards, instead of having one already set for them. He uses self-testing (cognitive monitoring) throughout the workout to also have the students self-test themselves regarding their heart rate.

Students Needs

2. I think that the students would benefit greatly by being exposed to other strategies. I think that the students would benefit greatly by having a workout chart and having the students check off with one another when the complete the exercise safely and correctly. I also think that the students could benefit by explaining to a peer the benefits of a particular exercise so they know the real reason why they are doing it. If the students are given more appropriate strategies, I think that they would apply themselves even more then they already do. This could be very valuable for them.

Plans for your Lesson

3. I have lots of ideas to incorporate more of these learning strategies into the lesson plan that I will be teaching here in the next few weeks. One of the strategies is to spend more time on the demonstrations of the more difficult workout exercises that I have planned. This will go under the "study the right information in the right way" section of the textbook provided in the module--page 361. I will also use questioning to check the students understanding of the workout stations.

Defining Intelligence

1. What is your definition of intelligence?
- My definition of intelligence is: the ability to learn new information and apply it to real life situations and skills. 

2. How will that impact how you interact with and talk about your students?

-I think that every single person is intelligent in their own way. Everyone can acquire new information and apply it to their life. Because of this, I think that every student also has the ability to learn and to consider themselves intelligent. I want to approach my students with this mindset that they are capable of learning and that they all are intelligent. I do not think that intelligence should be measured only by how well you score on a test. 

Technology Inventory Interview Reflection

1. What surprised you about your cooperating teacher’s responses?

- I was surprised how advanced the heart rate monitors were that his class used. They looked very similar to other fitness trackers such as fit-bits and apple watches. The physical education teachers were able to program the monitors to have a median target heart rate that all students were recommended to have for at least 80-85% of their workout. Something else that surprised me was how concerned he was with the use of smart phones in the class. He said that he has some issues with using smart phones in class because not every student has a smart phone. He said that he could use iPads for the students who did not have access to a smart phone, but then the students health information then becomes a privacy issue--which is something that I had never thought about before.

2. What are some things that you think are “good” about what they said? Why do you think that?

-Something that I think is good about what my cooperating teacher said is that he believes that the use of technology in physical education is not necessary, but can be extremely beneficial. He said that the use of heart rate monitors has drastically helped with student motivation. Something else that he said which I enjoyed was that he wants to start implementing the use of video tutorials for his weight training class. He thinks that using video tutorials on specific weight lifting exercises can be great for those students who struggle with proper form and need a reminder. I also think that the use of YouTube video tutorials could be extremely beneficial because it will provide a way for the students to continue to get instruction throughout the class, even if the teacher is busy with another student.

3. What are some things that maybe aren’t so good about what they said? Why do you think that?

- I honestly cannot think of anything that my cooperating teacher said that was not good. He was very onboard with the use of technology in the classroom and is on track of learning ways that he can implement it into his different courses.

4. How is what you learned in the interview going to impact the planning and implementation of your mini-lesson? Consider what you'll be able to use, what you'll need to do to get approvals, timelines, etc.

- I definitely know that I want to implement the use of the heart rate monitors into my lesson. Since the teacher is already using them, the students are already very familiar with how they work and operate. I do not want to implement the use of mobile apps because as the teacher said, not every student has access to a smart phone. I do not want to make any students feel left out or uncomfortable. I am going to think over the next few weeks other creative ways I can implement technology in the class which everyone can fully participate in.