Artifact Five

REFLECTION/RATIONALE FRAMEWORK: Standard #3 Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development

Artifact: Whiteboard Matching “Link”

Context	I had a very diverse group of students. There were twelve students in the class that we English Language Learners and I also had students on IEPs and a split grade 2/3 class. It was important when starting a lesson to do some review on what we had covered in the previous lesson of the unit to refresh students with what they already new, and to remind them of some of the vocabulary. This was a matching exercise that I had students look at and try to decide on their own what ones they would match, I then let students share with a partner and then had students come up and volunteer to draw in the correct lines.
Detailed Observations	I often used different activities to refresh the students and to get them engaged in the lesson. I used matching, brainstorm charts, and group discussions. Sometimes I even posed a question for students to try to answer before we started the lesson and the goal was to be able to answer it by the end of the lesson. This matching exercise was one of the more effective methods of getting students involved and having students come up to the board to draw the lines was part of the excitement.
Linking Theory with Practice	Having effective “links” at the beginning and end of lessons was something that was stressed to be very important to students throughout our planning courses with Sheryl Macmath. It helps students start the lesson off in a zone where they are comfortable and reviewing their background knowledge. Then when you move the students into their zone of proximal development where you are stretching them to learn and to think about new ideas. This first link is an important link in the growth and development of the student’s learning. It is important as a teacher to scaffold the new learning on what the students already know and by starting with a good link you can see what the students know right away, or possibly you need to spend more time on the knowledge of previous lessons. A final review link should not be forgotten as well to help review and round the lesson off.
Interpreting Causes and Effects	Having an interactive review at the beginning of the lesson was a great way to great students involved right away at the start of a lesson. I pulls students right in to what the lesson is. Once students are on track it is more effective to then deliver the new material. Students continue from where they are instead of feeling like they are just jumping into the middle of something that they do not understand. It led to better student engagement and involvement and less student frustration. Some students did still have a hard time matching the harder concepts like condensation and evaporation in this matching exercise so I got students to either try again or ask a friend, then I also knew that a little more review on those concepts had to be added into the lesson of the day so every students was current with the information.
Self Assessment and Professional Planning	I found using solid links very effective in my classroom and I think making a variety of links also helped keep students interested and excited about the information. I think the matching exercise is a good representation of the knowledge, dispositions, and performances of BC Standard #3. It shows teacher sensitivity to the different learning needs of the students in the class and helps the teacher make decisions about instruction, assessment, and classroom management. It is a great way to set the classroom up for an effective lesson and it is something that I will continue to incorporate into my lessons to come.