Title of Experience/Artifact: Practicum in Adapted Physical Education Journal Adapted Aquatics Reflections Date Experience Completed: Practicum in APE

journal Fall 2013 Adapted Aquatics Reflections Spring 2013 Artifact Description: The Practicum in Adapted Physical Education Journal is a reflection of my experience working with students with learning disabilities during my pre-student teaching at Potosi Elementary School in Potosi, WI. This journal contains a summary of what I did each day at the school, as well as what I learned and how I will use that information in my future classroom. The Adapted Aquatics Reflections were created throughout my experience working with a student with disabilities in the pool. Throughout the spring semester of my junior semester, I worked with a student who was 8 years old and from Fennimore, WI. She was involved in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Adapted Aquatics Program due to the inability of movement throughout the right side of her body caused by a stroke she experienced as a child. These reflections were created after teaching three different lessons throughout the semester. The reflection topic change throughout each reflection, but are all tied together demonstrating my progress as an instructor. Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment: I believe these artifacts best align with Standard Nine: Reflection; Teachers are able to Evaluate Themselves. The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally. I believe these artifacts align best with this standard because I was able to reflect on what I taught and learned throughout the entire semester of both experiences. Throughout the reflections I am able to see changes that could be made in my teaching or classroom environment and then modify those changes for the next time. These artifacts demonstrate my competency in this standard because they not only showed what I did, but they provide documentation on how I grew professionally. The reflections allow me to develop better ideas and methods in order to provide a more positive learning experience for my future students. UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skills, Dispositions Alignment: I believe these artifacts best align with KSD4.a. Reflects on Teaching; the candidate makes an accurate and thoughtful reflection on his/her teaching effectiveness, is aware of specific elements of his/her teaching that contributed to successful instruction, and can offer alternative teacher action to predict the future successes of alternate approaches. These artifacts align with this KSD because it shows my ability to make an accurate and meaningful reflection on different teaching experiences. Both artifacts demonstrate that I can evaluate how my lesson/experience went, as well as changes that can be made to enhance the students experience. I believe that in order to really learn and grasp different ideas, trial and error is important. Being able to reflect on what did not work allows me to correct the mistakes.

Secondary KSD alignment includes: KSD4.e. Grows and Develops Professionally What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience: Overall, the most important thing I learned from this experience is the importance of reflections. Reflecting fully allows you to analyze all parts of the experience. Without reflecting, changes will not be made that can positively enhance your students learning. Also, reflections give you the opportunity to fully understand why something did or did not work. Everyone is rewarded when reflection occurs. What I learned about myself as a future prospective educator as a result of this experience/artifact: As a future educator, I learned that it is important to take all the necessary steps to make lessons more successful and beneficial for your students. Reflecting on lessons and experiences will allow me to grow as an educator, and will overall allow my students to grow physically (skill levels) and cognitively. Also, as a future educator I found reflections to be more meaningful the sooner they were done after an experience took place. Reflecting right away allows you to pick up little details of your teaching/experience that can completely change the learning outcome.