#reflectiveteacher †9/3 †Areas Of Improvement

posted on September 3, 2014 Note: I am participating in  a 30-day blog challenge as part of  Reflective Teacher Month at Teach Thought. I am looking forward to learning more about myself, my pedagogy and my colleagues. Day 3  Prompt:  Discuss one â€Å"observation† area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation. I’ve discussed my evaluations  from two years ago   and the evaluation I received last year  under the Marzano system. If you read both of those posts, you’ll see that my evaluations have improved each year that I’ve taught, including the two years that I was at the same school. Last year, I even received the highest score possible in one of the Marzano elements. I would like to continue that trend — to continue growing, to continue improving my craft. This year, I’ll be evaluated under the Tulsa Evaluation System, so I must familiarize myself with its requirements. That said, I am not a fan of the dog and pony show. I want to do what I know is right every single day, so that my principal can observe me at any time and see what he needs to see, as much as possible. I know that some days will be exceptions — STAR testing days, independent reading days, etc. — but when I am teaching, I want to be doing the best teaching possible. I want the kids to be engaged, actively learning, and even enjoying themselves. To that end,  if I had to pick one area from the Tulsa TLE, I’d say Instructional Effectiveness. Since I was  not an education major, I have felt that it is very important that I educate myself extensively in the area of instructional best practices. To that end, among others, I read more than 100 education blogs daily, network with educators across the state, and am a member of a few education/English teacher organizations such as the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. I am constantly searching for the best practices for teaching my students, via online and local networks. I will continue this process for as long as I’m a teacher. Michelle WatersI am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education, and a NBPTS candidate. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify my students’ voices and choices.