Standard One: Subject Matter Knowledge
Teachers shall understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, structures of the discipline, especially as they relate to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS), and design developmentally appropriate learning experiences making the subject matter accessible and meaningful to all students.
The NJCCCS serve as the backbone for lesson and unit plans. Teachers must be familiar with the standards as they will use them when creating the units and lessons that will be implemented in the classroom. The objectives of all lessons and units should be related to the areas required by the NJCCCS. The curriculum covers a large amount of content and these standards should be used as a guide to better instruct the students. Content should be made meaningful and accessible to all students. This can be accomplished by developing lessons and units with the interest of the students in mind and by providing additional resources, such as additional reading or interactive websites, for the students to use. To see a sample lesson plan click here.
Standard Two: Human Growth and Development
Teachers shall understand how children and adolescents develop and learn in a variety of school, family, and community contexts and provide opportunities that support their intellectual, social, emotional and physical development.
This standard emphasizes the importance of teaching the whole child, rather than focusing on only academics. Learning is a social process and children learn just as much outside school as they do in school. Family involvement in the child's learning process is essential in order for that child to feel supported and excited about learning. In order to address a child's social, emotional, and physical development the child must be exposed to a variety of activities including sports, theater, music, and attendance at community events such as shows, fairs, museums, and other events. This will encourage the child to develop a positive outlook as they are offered a plethora of activities and interests with which to get involved. Participating in school wide activities is another way for students to grow socially and emotionally. One school I have worked in had school wide programs that promoted pro-social behavior and emotional development by allowing students to participate in activities cooperatively with students in different grades. Click here to see the school level objectives that apply to these developmental programs.
Standard Three: Diverse Learners
Teachers shall understand the practice of culturally responsive teaching.
It is the teacher's responsibility to encourage a respect for diversity in the classroom. There will be students from a variety of backgrounds in every classroom so there is a need for the teacher to respond in a positive way to different cultures. There may be certain restrictions for students in completing certain assignments. It may be a beneficial learning experience to do multi-cultural projects in the classroom, such as having each student make a presentation about their culture's values, religion, food, traditions, and entertainment. Considering the diverse nature of our country it is imperative that students learn tolerance and respect for other cultures. This can only be done if encouraged by the classroom teacher. Click here to see a multi-cultural lesson plan.
Standard Four: Instructional Planning and Strategies
Teachers shall understand instructional planning, design long and short term plans based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, community, and curriculum goals, and shall employ a variety of developmentally appropriate strategies in order to promote critical thinking, problem solving and the performance skills of all learners.
When developing plans for instruction, teachers must take in to account the content matter, the levels and needs of students, and the curriculm requirements. Students should be encouraged to think critically and solve problems. These skills only improve with practice so the teacher should provide frequent opportunities for students to engage in learning and put their ideas to use. Students need to be taught problem-solving strategies such as, drawing a diagram, working backwards, guess and check, making a graphic organizer, using pair-problem solving (thinking aloud and listening analytically), brainstorming, and making a model. Click to view a sample lesson from a problem-based learning unit and to see the unit concept map.
Standard Five: Assessment
Teachers shall understand and use multiple assessment strategies and interpret results to evaluate and promote student learning and to modify instruction in order to foster the continuous development of students.
Assessment should be seen as a way to provide feedback to the teacher and the student. In order to get accurate and useful feedback, the teacher must employ reliable and valid assessment strategies. It is also important to use a variety of forms of authentic assessments in addition to standard tests and quizzes, such as, homework completion, student performance, projects, portfolio, teacher observation, discussion, inquiry, presentations, games, rubrics, problem-based learning projects, etc. I believe that feedback should be given to the students as quickly as possible because the more time that passes between say the completion of a project and the feedback given the less effective any kind of reinforcement is. See a rubric for a Fairy Tale unit.
Standard Six: Learning Environment
Teachers shall understand individual and group motivation and behavior and shall create a supportive, safe and respectful learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.
The classroom environment can make or break the students' view of learning and school. Students need a safe learning environment in which they feel comfortable and supported. The teacher must create such an environment by be treating all students equally and supporting the students in all their efforts. Students must feel that it is okay to make a mistake, since mistakes are a natural and necessary part of the learning process. When students know it is ok to try out their ideas without being embarrassed or reprimanded for a wrong answer, they will be more motivated to learn. When the classroom is student-centered rather than teacher-centered it helps students to have fun and participate in exciting learning activities. Another point worth noting is that students should be taught to respect and help each other in the classroom. More learning gets done when everyone works together. Cooperative learning games are a great way to encourage collaboration, which leads to a positive learning environment. This is an example of questions I used with my third grade to play a game on the human body in which they had to work together in teams and have some friendly competition!
Standard Seven: Special Needs
Teachers shall adapt and modify instruction to accommodate the special learning needs of all students.
It is impossible to find a classroom where every student is on the same academic, social and emotional level. Therefore, a teacher must know how to modify instruction in various ways to meet the needs of the students. Incorporating technology, or assistive technology for those with learning disabilities, is one way to do this. Teachers should be sensitive so as to not single out a student with different or more intense needs. I believe that the teacher must do what is best and fair for the student, not what is convenient. Saying that something cannot be done for one student because it is not fair to other students may be denying that student what he or she really needs because what one student needs is not going to be what all the others need. Click here to view a list of strategies a teacher can use to meet the needs of a student with ADHD.
Standard Eight: Communication
Teachers shall use knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication techniques and the tools of information literacy to foster the use of inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interactions.
Communication between the teacher and student is key to a successful school year. Teachers should communicate clear expectations so the students know what they should do and the consequences that may ensue. These rules and expectations should be established the first day of school and reinforced every day there after. Being consistent with behavioral expectations will help maintain good classroom management. Communication among students is necessary as well. A classroom should be a place where individuals can express their ideas and opinions in a respectful manner and feel secure that they will not be reacted to negatively. Some methods that could be implemented to foster open communication between students are question and answer discussions, inquiries, fish-bowl discussions, and large and small group collaborative work.
Open communication must also exist between the teacher and parents so that the home-school connection is made. Any good that is done at school must be supported at home, and vice versa. Newsletters can be sent home by the teacher every month to inform the parents of what they can expect to see, such as a unit on fractions or a project on Thomas Jefferson. Parents should feel free to write notes to the teacher regarding their child and the teacher should address any parental concerns as soon as possible. I think it is also important to send notes home for positive happenings, for example when the student does something especially generous for someone. Feel free to see a letter I wrote at the end of my student teaching.
Standard Nine: Collaboration and Partnerships
Teachers shall build relationships with parents, guardian, families and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.
Although teachers may feel somewhat isolated in the classroom, they have many resources for support. In most cases, parents and administrators want what is best for the child and so should be willing to work with the teacher to solve any problems they might have. The teacher's part is to keep parents and administrators involved in the learning process by sharing information about what is happening in the classroom. This can be done in the form of notes home, phone calls, emails, or weekly or monthly newsletters. Solid and supportive relationships between parents, teachers, and administrators are especially important when discipline or behavioral issues arise.
Standard Ten: Professional Development
Teachers shall participate as active, responsible members of the professional community, engaging in a wide range of reflective practices, pursuing opportunities to grow professionally and establishing collegial relationships to enhance the teaching and learning process.
If a teacher is not motivated to learn and better themselves then they are in the wrong profession. Every teacher should have goals for professional development and work toward meeting those goals. Teachers must have a complete understanding of the content being taught and also must be perceptually in tune to students' needs, both academic and emotional. Teachers are required to remain on top of the current trends in education and technology, especially today when students are so tech-savvy. Any opportunity to grow professionally should be embraced, for example by participating in workshops outside those required by the school district or taking an educational course. Click here to see an example of PIP goals.
