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8/8/2019 Reflective Statement Prof. Std. 7
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Ptasienski 1
Reflective Statement
Artifact: Discussion about Racism
Professional STANDARD 7 - Communication
The competent teacher uses knowledge of effective written,
verbal, non-verbal, and visualcommunication techniques to foster
active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive
interaction in the classroom.
7B. understands how cultural and gender differences can affect
communication in the
classroom.
7H. communicates with and challenges students in a supportive
manner and provides
students with constructive feedback.
7I. uses a variety of communication modes to effectively
communicate with a diverse
student population.
7J. practices effective listening, conflict resolution, and
group-facilitation skills as a team
member.
7F. uses effective questioning techniques and stimulates
discussion in different ways forspecific instructional
purposes.
1. Fully state the standard in bold text. Then write a paragraph
explaining your knowledge andunderstanding of the standardput the
standard into your own words.
This standard is about how I, as a teacher, communicate with and
encourage communication
among my classroom of students. This means that I support the
conversation through being
sensitive to differences in gender and culture, and being aware
of ways that this can affect the
class as a whole. In classroom discussions, I challenge the
students and provide them with
constructive criticism on their work. I use many different forms
of communication so that I can
effectively lead a diverse student population. I demonstrate for
the students effective listening,
conflict resolution, and group collaboration. I use different
techniques to foster discussion in
specific instructional situations. The classroom contract
demonstrates that I practice effective
listening, conflict resolution and group-facilitation skills as
a team member. I foster a
democratic classroom by encouraging the students to take control
of their own learning
experiences.
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8/8/2019 Reflective Statement Prof. Std. 7
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Ptasienski 2
2. Explain how the artifact you chose demonstrates your
understanding and application of thestandard.
The artifact that I chose for this standard is a discussion that
I had with my students about the
hard topic of racism. After hearing that the students had been
experiencing racism among their
peers inside and outside of school, I thought it appropriate to
discuss, as a class, how to
appropriately handle racism. This artifact fits the standard
because in it I realize that differences
in race and culture could affect the conversation, and
therefore, I asked specific questions of the
students. In order to provide the students with effective
feedback, I had them work in class on a
worksheet, then we worked as a class on a classroom contract,
and then, finally, we were ready
to discuss in class. The classroom contract demonstrates that
the class set a standard for
listening, conflict resolution, and group-facilitation. The
questionnaire was an opportunity for
me to ask questions about a touchy subject in a cautious and
confidential way before beginning
the classroom discussion.
3. A If the artifact has been used in your practice, reflect on
how your teaching will change inthe future to further meet the
standard.
B If the artifact has not been used in your practice, i.e., a
class assignment, reflect upon how
your teaching will be impacted by the assignment.
This artifact has been used in my practice. In the future, I
would definitely ask the students to
complete the personal questionnaire before discussing in class,
because it gave me, as a teacher,
a chance to buffer and monitor the discussion in a responsible
way. In the future, I would have
created the classroom contract before even handing out the
TalkingAbout the Hard Things
worksheet so that the students could not exchange inappropriate
stories with one another while
completing it. To further my group-facilitation skills, I would
also try to facilitate more of a
student-student interaction rather than a teacher-lead
discussion. This is a topic that I think
students could really become a part of if they were given the
chance to really do so.
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8/8/2019 Reflective Statement Prof. Std. 7
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Ptasienski 3
4. Conclude with a paragraph discussing how you are more
prepared to Teach and Learn in aDiverse Society as a result of
satisfactorily meeting the standard.
This activity was the perfect way for me to create a democratic
classroom that is open and
accepting to different races, sexes, cultures, and statuses. The
students recognized the
importance of learning in a diverse classroom while being sure
that all students are given an
equal opportunity to perform well and to feel accepted into the
community of students as well.
After using this lesson with my 6th
grade students, I am more comfortable communicating with
students about hard subjects and subjects that can so easily
become heated. I learned a lot about
how to manage a classroom discussion, how to prevent outbursts
or frustrations, and how to
facilitate group discussion.
