Exit Portfolio

Tyrone Shaw
Social Studies Education Certification Areas: Social Studies 7-12 Anticipated Graduation: May 2010

Placements
Nottingham High School
Fall 2009 Student Teacher (9th and 10th Global History /11th US History

East Syracuse-Minoa High School

Spring 2009 Student Teacher (10th Grade Global History) Spring 2008 Literacy Tutor (Grade 7)

Danforth Magnet School

Jamesville Dewitt Middle School

Fall 2007 Social Studies (Grade 7, 8) Spring 2007 AVID (Grade 7)

Lincoln Middle School

Proficiency 1. Critical Reflection and Explanation of Practice

Proficiency 1.1 Proficiency 1.2 Proficiency 1.3 Proficiency 1.4 Proficiency 1.5

My Own Teaching Pedagogy

After being in the classroom, I have realized how much impact the individual can have on the learning environment. I believe all students can learn, and it is important to cultivate an atmosphere where they are allowed to do so in a manner that best fits their learning needs. The focus of the classroom seems to have shifted away from the needs of the student, to the needs of the teacher. I have realized the need to refocus my classroom to meet the needs of each of my students, therefore meeting the needs of all my students. As a teacher, it is important for me to assess the needs of my students and foster an environment where those needs can be met. I have realized it is important my students are challenged not only to meet the standards, but to also exceed them. I see it necessary to encourage dialogue not only between my students and myself, but encourage dialogue between parents/caregivers and myself.

Proficiency 1.1
Teaching and Professional Development After teaching for sex weeks at East-Syracuse Minoa Central High School under the supervision of Mark Carr, I have realized there are still many things that I need to improve on with my teaching and professional development. Some of these improvements are my ability to have the confidence in my self in front of the classroom. Even though I am confident with my content knowledge, I am still sometimes nervous about my delivery of that material. I am hoping that as I go through student teaching, I will learn even more from my host teacher, and build up the confidence I need to effectively deliver the content of my lesson to my students. This past Candidacy Semester, I created lesson plans that helped my students realize the importance of what they were learning and how the material applied to their lives. This is something I hope to continue in to my teaching career. I have realized the more alive the lesson is, the more active students are about engaging in that lesson. This past semester I learned a lot from my host teacher and his colleagues. I plan on using some of there proven classroom theories, and modifying them to better my own teaching and in so Back improve my own professional development.

Proficiency 1.2
Students Learning
The content that I taught and will be teaching in my history class is and will be very important, but I would also like my students to know why they are learning it. The most important thing for students to learn in my content area and in any other content area, is why they are learning the material. I always try to help my students see how what ever they are learning in my classroom is applicable to their current daily and future life. It is important that I bring the classroom content home for students.
Example from my own learning.
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Example:
My AP Government and Politics teacher in High School was one of those teachers who really stressed the importance of why it was important for his students to learn what he was teaching. On the first day of class, he asked us about the everyday activities of our families and us. He listed them on the blackboard and made a chart to show us how the government plays a key role in our lives. He linked activities such as going to the gym with how the government has passes certain laws to make sure that people stay healthy due to the rising cost of health care. Walking the dog was linked to how there are laws that say we have to pick up after our dogs because of community standards and health reasons. He even went as far as addressing a simple everyday activity such as brushing our teeth to how the government has agencies that regulate what sort of toothpaste are available to the public. He laid a clear foundation from the very start that made us as learners know the sort of roles that the government took in our everyday activities and how understanding how the government works could help us have greater control over our lives. Back

Proficiency 1.3
Purposes & Approaches to Various Audiences Organize lessons in a manner that will accommodate the difference audiences in my classroom Make sure that I am not just appealing to the students who already have an interest in Social Studies. My lessons are planed so that students who are not very interested in Social Studies can still follow and not feel left out. I try to organize group activities that allows passionate student to share their knowledge with less enthusiastic students, in an effort to get them more involved in the subject matter.

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Proficiency 1.4
Grounds reflections and explanations in current theory and & research.
When I reflect on my teaching I think of how I could use various proven theories to better reach all my students. Theories surrounding universal design has had a large impact on my teaching. I have been trying to find ways of making universal design work in my classroom. When I did my lesson plans this past semester, I tried to utilize universal design principles in my lessons. This way all my students could benefit from an activity even though it might have been created to help students with particular learning needs. Back

Proficiency 1.5
Through my all my lesson plans, I made sure my philosophy of real life application of the material was always practiced. I always found ways to bring whatever I was teaching to what I call the here and now for my students. My philosophy of making all my lessons applicable to my students lives, revolves around my belief that if they see how it affects them, they will want to know more about it. This idea was proven in my lesson on Terrorism, where my students were very engaged in the lesson more so than in any of my other lessons, because the idea of terrorism is so real for them. I believe it is crucial to for students to see the real life application/implication of what they are learning in order to really appreciate what they are learning. When they are able to analyze ideas such a the global economy, and understand what the implications are for the United States economy if the Middle East should cut off its oil supply, students will be more Back engaged in the lesson, because the use of gas and oil is something they can all relate to. EXAMPLE

Grounds reflections & explanations in personal philosophy of teaching & learning

Proficiency 2. Content Knowledge

Proficiency 2.1 Proficiency 2.2 Proficiency 2.3 Proficiency 2.4

Sound Knowledge of Content Over the semesters my knowledge of the Social Studies has increased greatly. I have taken more history and political science courses that have opened my eyes to new concepts and interpretations of both history and politics. As the semesters have progressed I am even more comfortable now with referring to books that I have read on certain topics. My knowledge of how to teach my content area has also increased over the semesters. As I have spent time at my placement and watched other teachers teaching the subject matter that I might be teaching, I have picked up some new ideas and methods of teaching certain things. I also feel that I have learned more about teachers and learners, and now I am more comfortable going in front of a classroom. Most of the things I have learned about teaching this semester have opened my eyes to the many different ways that I will have to reach my students.

Proficiency 2.1 Sound Content Knowledge

After teaching for six weeks in my candidacy placement, I have realized I have a good content knowledge base. This was a worry to me going into placement, as I was about to teach modern topics that I was not as passionate about. This however, was not a problem after I prepared my materials for my lesson. I have realized that effective preparation is key to maintaining a sound content knowledge. As much as I thought I knew the material, my lessons turned out best when I reviewed the materials before teaching them.
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Social Studies Courses

HST 111-American to 1865 HST 102-America to Present HST 111-Europe 1350-1815 HST 112-Napoleon to Present HST 300-America: Foreign PSC 124-Internationl Relations PSC 125-Politicl Theory PSC 202-Political Argument PSC 300-Religion, Identity PSC 304-The Judicial Process PSC 325-Constitutional Law II PSC 368-Islam and the West PSC 409-The European Union GEO 272-World Cultures FIA 301-Masterpieces of Art

Proficiency 2.2
Relevant National and State Standards. According to New York States curriculum for Social Studies, student should be able to explore the meaning of American culture by identifying the key ideas, beliefs, and patterns of behavior, and traditions that help define it and unite all Americans and interpret the ideas, values, and beliefs contained in the Declaration of Independence and the New York State Constitution and United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other important historical documents. The New York State Curriculum framework and standards relates to my goal of having my students understand why they are learning about my content area.
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Proficiency 2.3
Effective Presentation of Content
After our AP exams, Mr. Riddle took the class on a trip to Washington DC to see firsthand how the government works. In addition, we got the chance to see certain aspects of the government that we had learned about, such as the Senate, in action. This was one of my best high school experiences. Mr. Riddle placed so much meaning behind everything that he taught, that the class was always keeping up on the political events because we were all beginning to really understand what it all meant. As a future teacher, I really want my student to get the content of my lessons in terms of remembering what I taught them, so they can do well on exams. I also want them to know this information for future references, and not just to do well on my tests. After my students have moved on from my history class, I want them to be able to use what they have learned to make good decisions that will reflect their knowledge of history. Back

Proficiency 2.4 Literacy Across the Curriculum

Social Studies as a content requires students to utilize their literary skills. Therefore I will organize lessons that will allow my students to develop their Literacy skills. These literacy skills will include:
Media Literacy Written Text Literacy Visual (photographic/works of art) Literacy.

All these different literacy skills will help students not only in Social Studies, but across the curriculum.
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Proficiency 3: Inclusive and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Proficiency 3.1 Proficiency 3.2 Proficiency 3.3 Proficiency 3.4 Sample Lesson

Even though education is available to all, its delivery is not always fitting for all. It is important that the education that I provide for my students is inclusive of all there learning needs. As a future teacher, it is important that I provide all the necessary aid all my students need to get the most out of all my lessons. As I have realized this semester in my Candidacy placement, while all students lean differently, if I accommodate for the learning needs of one student, all my other students will more then likely benefit as well. This has influenced my philosophy of what it means to be inclusive of all students learning needs. My philosophy of inclusiveness has evolved to think more about the individual needs of each students and how creating a fair process for each of them to learn allows for all to lean. As I move forward in my teaching, I am plan to develop an even more inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Proficiency 3.1
Lesson Reflect Clear Purpose
I have realized the need to ensure my lessons have clear objectives and expectations for what I want to accomplish, and what I want my students to learn. Therefore, I always make sure that my objectives are strongly tied into what we will be doing in my lesson. I also make sure my objectives are strongly linked to the National Council for the Social Studies Standards. This way my lesson always have a clear purpose of what my students are supposed to learn from them, and the standards I want them to meet. My objective in my lesson on Terrorism is an EXAMPLE of my lesson clearly outline purpose.
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Proficiency 3.2
Plans & implements lessons to meaningfully engage all learners
My lessons are always planned around a variety of interactive activities with provides all my students the opportunity to participate and get the best out of the lesson. I also largely base my lessons on discussion which gives all students a voice in my classroom, and furthermore helps them to develop informed opinions. I learned from my host teacher it is important to keep students moving. This advice helped a lot because, as I began to include more activities in my lessons, the more student involvement I began to see in my lessons. The more I was able to get students talking, the more they felt confident to speak up in class and share their ideas. I strongly believe in the need for my students to be able to express themselves, and therefore I made sure all my lessons were Back engaging for all learners in my classroom.

Proficiency 3.3
Plans & implements lessons to make effective use of technology
Technology has become an integral part of society, and provides as unique medium through which information can be shared with students. Therefore, I feel it is necessary for me to utilize the use of all the technology in my classroom that I can. My lessons are planned so that technology can be effectively integrated in to them. Therefore, students who are active, audio, and visual Learners can get the most out of my lesson. As visual aids are beneficial for most students learning, I try to include photographs and video clip in all my lessons. Students tend to respond well to technology because of the aid that it provides them. In the future I hope to include/utilize more assistive technologies in my classroom that will benefit more of my students needs. I have realized that it is important to use the aid that assistive technologies provide, to ensure the success of Back all my students.

Proficiency 3.4
Sustains respectful, cooperative, challenging, culturally responsive learning environments
It is important to the learning of all students that they feel comfortable in their learning environment. Therefore, as a teacher, it is important that I foster such an environment in my classroom so all my students feel comfortable. As I did in my classroom that past semester, I will continue to encourage interpersonal learning between my students to get them interacting in a way that benefits their learning. I will also continue to make sure that students who are intrapersonal learners are not marginalized but I in cooperated in class discussions and make sure their opinions are heard and respected in my classroom. I will continue to encourage/challenge my students to exceed the standard set for them. I think the best classroom environment is one that has reachable standards for all students, but expects all students to exceed those standards.

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Proficiency 4: Assessment of Student Learning

Proficiency 4.1 Proficiency 4.2 Proficiency 4.3 Proficiency 4.4

Some of the evidence or outcomes I would use to assess whether my students have met theses goals are:
Through exams In class discussions Visible application of what they have been taught in class through their activities.

Along with knowing if my students understand the content of my lessons thorough their exam results, I could also:
Frame my exams to see if my goal for my students to appreciate what they are learning is being met And also, how they are applying it to their daily lives.

Conducting discussions in class would also be a good way of testing if my goals are working because:
My students would be able to express their opinions on past events in history Explain how they feel that they have repeated themselves because people have failed to learn from them in the past.

Proficiency 4.1
Uses various ways to assess the learning of individual & groups
Some forms of assessment I have used:
Quick writes In class discussions Fill in the blanks Defining terms Multiple choice questions Shot answer questions

Some forms of assessments I would like to use (more):

Document Based Questions (DBQs) Thematic essay question In class debates Projects

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Proficiency 4.2
Assesses learning before, during, and after instruction
Before at the beginning of my lessons, some times in the DIN or a quick question and answers, I ask students what they know about the topic that I have on the board. During lessons, I ask students questions that involves them using what they have learned in the lesson so for to cup up with an answer. This is also an indication for me to realize if I need to go back an sum up something. After my lessons are complete, I try to sum up the key points by asking students what are some of the key things that you have learned in todays lesson? Then I would expand my question to allow students to say one thing they learned big or small from the days lesson.

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Proficiency 4.3
Use of assessment data to plan for and adapt instruction for individuals with special needs
When I reflect on my assessments, I think about what worked well and what did not. I try to see how might the format of the assessment might have limited the performance of any of my students. From this, I think about how I can better asses my students in the future. I think about I can accommodate for students who have different needs and abilities. With this in mind, I always try in incooperate a variety of assessments into my lessons, so that I can effectively assess all my students learning. This way, I can know my students are learning even though, they may not all have Back done well on every form of assessment.

Proficiency 4.4
Use of assessment data to plan instruction for groups and classes
After evaluating how using discussion as a form of assessment worked in my classroom. I began to find ways to incooperate more discussion in my lessons. My students seem to all respond well when we have in class discussions. Another form of assessment that worked well in my classroom was simulations. I would have students take part in simulations of events they learned about.
EXAMPLE: In my lesson in on Modern China, where I taught them about the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

I would use the forms of assessments that worked well to guide my future instruction planning. Back

Proficiency 5: Professional Conduct and Collaboration

Proficiency 5.1 Artifact Proficiency 5.2 Proficiency 5.3 Proficiency 5.4

As a history teacher, I am responsible for my students learning in Mathematics, Science and whatever other subject they are learning. Building bridges between classrooms is an idea that I would love to encourage with my fellow colleagues. It is important that teachers in different content areas work together to better the education and learning experience of their students. It would be so much more beneficial for students if all the different content areas that they were learning about were somehow harmonious with one another. What I speak of is, the idea that a history teacher can teach about the history of geometry and how it has been used throughout history by different civilizations. Then the students from that history class can be taught geometry around the same time so they can build relationships that will foster a greater understand and appreciation of both subjects. This sort of bridge building helped me as a student to get through some of the classes that I did not really care for.

Proficiency 5.1
After Being at ESM High School for six week, my relationship with my host teacher and his colleagues flourished. I was able to learn from them and use some of their ideas in my classroom. I also developed a good relationship with the staff who worked in the printing room and at the sign in desk. These relationships became very beneficial. In the future I would like to collaborate with other teachers to facilitates cross content discussion with my students. This will allow for students to see direct correlation between subject areas. In the future I would like to also work with teachers from other subjects to develop lesson that will offer students the option of using methods of learning they use in other subjects to help them get a better Back understanding of my content area.

Works Collaboratively/respectfully with colleagues & and school staff

Engaging With Faculty & Colleagues

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Proficiency 5.2
After taking EDU 300: Parent and Caregiver Conferencing I have:
Gained valuable skills needed to talk with parents about various student-teacher issues Understood some of the benefits that have having a good relationship with parent can have and also the disadvantages of a bad Parent-teacher relationship.

Parent

Works with teacher Informed about child

Teacher

Keeps parents up to date Effectively communicates with Parents

Student

More likely to be involved Higher chance of success

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Proficiency 5.3
Advocates effectively for students
It is important that as a teacher, I try to do what is best for my students. I must always advocate for their best interest. This could be in the form of me asking another teacher to be more gentle with a student, to bringing student issues to the school board. Whatever issues my students may have it is important that I always offer them a listening ear, so they know they have some agency in term of their education and their school community.
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Proficiency 5.4
Provide leadership in ones school and community
Since I am not as yet in my placement fulltime, I have not had a chance to take on a leadership role in my school or community. However this is something that I hope to change as I move into my Student Teaching semester.

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Dispositions
Disposition 1 Disposition 2 Disposition 3 Disposition 4 Disposition 5

These dispositions are all thing that as a pre-service teacher I am working towards developing. While I know I am committed to understanding diversity and have the belief that all students can learn, my journey through the classroom this fall as a students teacher will have a large impact on these principles, just like my candidacy placement did. I hope to grow personally and professionally so that I may always to be able to serve my students in the best capacity.

Disposition 1

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Disposition 2

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Disposition 3

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Disposition 4

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Disposition 5

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