Michael Paci EDUC 540

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Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
4a Reflecting on Teaching:
Being an introverted person, the habit of reflecting on my teaching and effectiveness
comes naturally to me. I am constantly assessing the decisions I make in both the
planning and implementation phases of teaching. I usually will debrief at the end of
the day in order to gather my thoughts, make any necessary adjustments, possibly
take down notes on how to improve the lesson in the future, and then mentally
prepare for the next day based on how the current days lesson went. Not only do I
practice reflection on my own, I also will seek out colleagues and have conversations
with them on how my practice is going. In addition, I will from time to time seek the
advice of my students on how a particular lesson went. They sometimes have the
best advice on how to improve a lesson.
I would not say that my reflections are 100% accurate. I know this because my Site
Directors comments and observations do not always correspond with my own
reflections. However, this does not worry me because my accuracy should improve
as I gain more teaching experience. If I had to rate myself, I would say that I meet the
Basic level for 4a. I would say that I have a generally accurate impression of my
lessons effectiveness and I usually have a general idea on how to improve them. In
order to improve my rating, I believe I should focus on more specific indicators of
lesson success that would lead me to make continuous improvement.
4b Maintaining Accurate Records:
This is one area where Ive actually made great strides. Before starting my residency
year, I would not have considered myself an organized person. I quickly learned that
keeping accurate and organized records is one of the most important jobs teachers
have. I would say that I am most skilled at keeping non-instructional records and
that I need to improve at keeping records of student work completed and student
progress in learning. My records for student progress and work completed can be
up to a week behind, and my records in the grade book online could be delayed even
longer.
One thing I started doing was jotting down classwork participation grades right next
to my attendance records. This made it easier for me to identify students that need
to catch up on notes, homework, and other assignments as soon as I see them in
class again. If I had to rate myself at this time I would rate my self as Basic for 4b.
4c Communicating with Families:
Communicating with families has been a difficult task given our student population
of greater than 80% poverty. Sometimes just finding a working number can be a
difficult task. Even when the phone rings, my success rate of speaking with a person
live has not been good. I always leave messages when I call parents or guardians.
One solution my mentor teacher came up with is to have students fill out an

Michael Paci EDUC 540

12-6-14
information sheet with their parents or guardians preferred method of contact.
This has been successful in some cases.
In terms of providing the family information about the instructional program, one
thing weve done is send home a syllabus at the beginning of the year that needs to
be signed by the students parents/guardians. I have a greater goal of developing an
interactive web space that is updated daily that would provide students and families
access to materials and resources for my classes. This is currently a work in
progress. Looking at the Danielson Framework, I believe I would fall somewhere
between Basic and Proficient for this category. I regularly made contact with
parents/guardians but I need to find better ways to involve families in the learning
process.
4d Participating in a Professional Community
I would argue that this is my greatest strength in this Domain. I currently co-plan my
Physical Science class with another teacher. In common planning time (CPT)
meetings with both our department and academy at Roxborough I enjoy giving
input and helping out however I can. On top of my professional duties, I volunteered
as an assistant coach of the Roxborough football team. I would rate myself as
Proficient in the category. I have supportive and collaborative relationships with
faculty members, I regularly participate in activities related to professional inquiry,
and I frequently volunteer to participate in school events.
4e Growing and Developing Professionally
This being my residency year, I do not have as much time as I would like to devote to
growing and developing professionally the way it is described in this category. I
would love to attend more professional development workshops and courses
outside of the ones we have had at Roxborough. I dont belong to a learning
network, although I do think being part of the Philadelphia Teacher Residency
counts for a whole lot in this Domain. Lastly, I am a member of the National Science
Teachers Association, which helps me stay up to date on the latest trends and
findings in science education. If I had to rate myself in the category, I would say that
have a rating of Basic.
4f Showing Professionalism
I would rate myself at a level 2 for this category. I am still doing my best to
transform into a morning person but it has not been easy for me. I am rarely late
however I do wish I could arrive at school earlier. I always put my students needs
above all else. They know (and I constantly remind them) that if they need help they
can always see me during my prep, lunch, or after school. This being my residency
year, I always do what I can.