Twelve Accomplished Practices

The Twelve Accomplished Practices:

Assessment:

Effective teachers use assessment for evaluating students' progress in learning and for planning the implementation of curriculum for needed skill building that will lead to academic, self and social growth. During this matriculation I have learned that comprehensive assessment does not just document students' ability to answer questions to an acceptable degree, it is an educator's responsibility to examine their students' reasoning and problem-solving techniques by using the data collected from assessments created to promote and routinely monitor the mastery of each skill.

The use of formal tests, performance evaluations and informal assessments of students' contributions to lessons and work assignments during any given time period aids in creating components that are aligned with the curriculum goals, and enable the educator to integrate with its content the instructional methods and learning activities that will be designed for each individual learner and their attributes as well as their disabilities in the classroom. These types of assessments lead to the required data of evaluation of whether intended outcomes have actually been achieved or not.

The courses I completed have included the essential strategies for understanding behavior problems and how to develop solutions for aiding students to remain on task. Upon completion of research and through the required courses I learned that not all students learn in the same manner nor do they all work well individually due to such issues as low reading levels, poor writing skills, learning disabilities, physical or mental disabilities and many other types of problems faced by students in today's society.

Bearing this information in mind an educator should develop various approaches for accomplishing accurate assessments for effective scaffolding that can be used in students' present but in their educational future. By incorporating assessments that include data from many sources besides the standard paper-and-pencil tests, for example higher-order thinking skills and content-related values and dispositional assessments. Of course standardized, norm-referenced tests are valuable for collecting data in that they measure intended outcomes of the curriculum and consideration is paid to students' performance on each individual item. Teacher made tests are also an important additive for assessing the progress of students', the logic behind these types of assessments is that the teacher is aware of what the students' have covered during the semesters spent in the classroom.

Even more importantly are the learning activities and sources of data that can be collected by other means than testing. For instance the every day lessons and activities that a teacher provides to their students' enables the monitoring of the class as whole on progress made towards achieving set goals. Through the use of performance evaluations such as laboratory tasks, observation checklists, portfolios of student papers or projects, as well as essays and other assignments that call for higher-order thinking and application the teacher will be able to constantly assess any changes deemed necessary to continue with the learning process.

By observing classes that included ELL, ESOL and ESE students' I was able to build a composite of properly collected data for completing research, course work and strategies to implement into the classroom. One such observation was in an ESE class for writing in which the teacher was teaching the students the proper way to write a sentence. After modeling the assignment in a whole class strategy, the teacher then had the students' work in cooperative groups completing their hand-outs on parts of a sentence. This allowed the teacher to spend more time with individual students that were experiencing difficulties in completing the assignment.

Communication:

An educator is responsible not just for communicating the lessons, tests and planned curriculum; they are also responsible for being professional in all manners of communication with students, parents, community and their peers.

I once worked in a prison setting with both male and female inmates and as a correctional officer, requirements of attending classes in communication and diversity was commonplace every six months. Perhaps this would be an effective tool for maintaining good communication skills for faculty, staff and administrators.

As an educator communication is the tool that teaches our students the nature of the activities, lessons, projects and so on that will be required of them to complete. If a teacher can not communicate properly and in a manner that creates structure as well as connects the specifics within each part of the assignment the student may become lost and disillusioned on mastering the skill.

As educators we need to communicate enthusiasm for the learning of the content and be willing to adjust our communication process when needed for individual help of students that require extra assistance in gaining appreciation of the lessons value or application of the skills to be used.

Just as good communication skills are a must in the classroom, so it is with other areas as a professional educator. During parent conferences, workshops, meetings, or any other specific engagement where an educator might have to be present, they need to use the skills learned for remaining professional at all times.

As my Grandmother always told us as children, "When you think you might be about to say something you shouldn't bite the instrument that will do you the most harm." Of course, she was speaking of our tongues and to be quite honest it still works today when I sometimes find that I need to think before speaking.

Continuous Improvement:

.Through my matriculation I read many articles, journals and text books that relate a similar message. When skills are practiced to a peak of efficiency they are retained indefinitely.

There are three main ways in which an educator teaches their students to learn. First, they present the information and explain the concepts as well as modeling the skills to be learned. Secondly, they ask questions and lead their students in discussion and use other forms of discourse that surrounds the content. Thirdly, the educator must engage the students in activities and assignments that provide them with the opportunities to practice and apply what they are learning. Bearing this in mind, how can we as educators expect our students to continuously improve if we ourselves do not practice what we teach?

Through the completion