TPE Domain D (4)

Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students.


TPE 8:  Learning about Students
Candidates for a Teaching Credential draw upon an understanding of patterns of child and adolescent development to understand their students. Using formal and informal methods, they assess students’ prior mastery of academic language abilities, content knowledge, and skills, and maximize learning opportunities for all students.  Through interpersonal interactions, they learn about students’ abilities, ideas, interests and aspirations.  They encourage parents to become involved and support their efforts to improve student learning.  They understand how multiple factors, including gender and health, can influence students’ behavior, and understand the connections between students’ health and their ability to learn.  Based on assessment data, classroom observation, reflection and consultation, they identify students needing specialized instruction, including students whose physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or health status require instructional adaptations, and students who are gifted.

TPE 9:  Instructional Planning
Candidates for a Teaching Credential plan instruction that is comprehensive in relation to the subject matter to be taught and in accordance with state-adopted academic content standards for students.  They establish clear long-term and short-term goals for student learning, based on state and local standards for student achievement as well as on students’ current levels of achievement.  They use explicit teaching methods such as direct instruction and inquiry to help students meet or exceed grade level expectations.  They plan how to explain content clearly and make abstract concepts concrete and meaningful.  They understand the purposes, strengths and limitations of a variety of instructional strategies, including examining student work, and they improve their successive uses of the strategies based on experience and reflection.  They sequence instruction so the content to be taught connects to preceding and subsequent content.  In planning lessons, they select or adapt instructional strategies, grouping strategies, and instructional material to meet student learning goals and needs.  Candidates connect the content to be learned with students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds, experiences, interests, and developmental learning needs to ensure that instruction is comprehensible and meaningful.  To accommodate varied student needs, they plan differentiated instruction.  When support personnel, such as aides and volunteers are available, they plan how to use them to help students reach instructional goals.


Artifact 1:  Student Journals


     Artifact one is an example of a student’s class journal that is utilized for getting to know the student and to create inquiry regarding music into the young artist’s mind.  A music journal allows for the teacher to have a method to get to know their students on a schedule with very limited time.  If the teacher cannot meet with every student and guardian, the teacher can find a time to read the student’s journals and comment in order to connect and build the education relationship with the student.  Guardians can also have the option of being involved. 
            With journals, not only can the teacher reach out and form an educational relationship with their student but also create musical inquiry that reflects the standards of music as well as general music options. Included topics could be a music biography/timeline, creating music stories, writing a song, asking how the students can improve their lives and community with music, and inventing a musical instrument.  This creates inquiry that reflects the standards and moves the student’s learning into their long-term plans and understanding of the importance of music.




Artifact 2: National Student Teaching Lesson Plan



Artifact two is a lesson plan from when I was student teaching for National University in my current position.  The lesson plans were designed by National University to outline my teaching to reflect the music standards for the state.  Lesson plans are important to utilize as they are goal-driven and allow for the teacher to realize the timeframe and time-management of completing the required tasks.  It assists in the development of calendars and yearly timelines as well as staying on track with minutes in each class.  It is important to be flexible and consistently update lesson plans to best suit the needs of the students, school, and community. 









Artifact 3 Literature Review:  Relationships”



Artifact three chosen for TPE Domain D is a review of supporting literature entitled, “Relationships” from the Music Educators Journal in 2006 by David Circle. This article is important and was selected for TPE Domain D, as mentioned in the above literature review, as it is related to the content within the domain such as learning about students and instructional planning.




     The  article to be discussed for TPE Domain D is “Relationships” from the Music Educators Journal in 2006 by David Circle.  David Circle was the National Association for Music Education’s National president from 2004 – 2006, which formerly was MENC, Music Educator’s National Conference.  David Circle has held a variety of music education positions.  This article was selected for TPE Domain D as it is related to the content within the domain such as learning about students and instructional planning.
      This article introduces Circle’s writing to describe ‘the importance of relationship and how to develop good ones, one key of being successful--whether one is a music teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, or any other career--is one's relationship with people, and that in every human endeavor, one must deal and relate with people’ (Circle, 2006, p. 4).  Without the social bond of a relationship, all related training, preparation, and experience are rendered nearly useless.  ‘This has been reinforced many times over the past year and a half as in every human endeavor, we must deal with and relate to people’ (Circle, 2006, p. 4).  Circle describes visiting many places and in every place he has traveled, he has this same experience- the importance of relationships for a members of a social world as we are social beings.
      The author describes the importance of a music educator being in a position where we do not sell tangible products but the passing of a service that affects students, community, and the nation (Circle, 2006).  What is also important to mention, as I am tying in the classes for my National Specialization of U.S. Education  in a Global Context, is that what Circle indicates also transgresses to the idea of globalization- we are not only passing a service on to our small community or nation, but also into the joined hands of a globalized society and into the future. 
       The author describes a relationship being a key part of being an educator and methods to do so even with others with which you might have a difficult relationship.  Suggestions include taking the initial step to forming a positive bond even in conflict, skillfully listening, and taking time to solve problems.  Each suggestion has an accompanying example that describes more steps to achieve relationship success with others be it students, co-workers, community-members, or others in the professional education world.  With these tools, an educator has multiple paths to success as opposed to only one path that may not work well when there is a need for success for all.

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