Intern: Mariam Aboudib

Grade/Subject: 9th, Biology

Self-Evaluation

1. Planning and Preparation

 Demonstrating Knowledge of content and pedagogy: 3

I had knowledge of the subject matter "sink or float" and demonstrate that understanding. I
realized some common student misconceptions during the lesson and addressed them by
providing students with examples. However, I should work more on providing as much
examples as possible while explaining the procedure, and rephrasing instructions to
eliminate confusion.

 Demonstrate knowledge of students: 4

I am familiar with students' interests, and know some of their background knowledge, since
I have spent about three months with them. I also acquired more knowledge about my
students, because I ask them what they think about each lesson after explaining it. I also
consider their feedback to better improve the lesson.

 Setting instructional outcomes: 4

The purpose behind each lesson was clear, I had multiple materials in which to work with to
accommodate all learners in this group. I should work more on taking my time explaining
the procedure and provide students with analogies and examples.

 Demonstrating knowledge of resources: 3

I try to engage technology with my lessons, but I should work on developing students'
professional skills, and provide them with more resources beyond those provided by the
school (creating our own classroom website, where students can share their ideas and
knowledge)

 Designing coherent instruction: 3

Some of the learning material and activities are aligned with the instructional outcomes. I
differentiate most of my lessons to engage all my students. However, I should try to find
activities that could be more engaging. I should also work on time management, (using
more time working on the activities rather than explaining procedure). This also has to do
with redirecting students' behavior.

 Designing student assessments: 4

All the instructional outcomes were assessed by a specific assessment plan. Students were
aware of the objectives of each lesson. I had a consistent strategy for using formative
assessment aiming to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student
attainment. (Warm-Up activity, worksheets, quizzes, group discussion)

2. Classroom Environment
 Creating an environment of respect and rapport: 4

Interactions between students and teacher as well as student and student are respectful and
appropriate. Friendly conversations and manners are used.

 Establish a culture for learning: 4

Both teacher and students were enthusiastic, and excited about the subject matter. I should
work more on setting norms and expectations for students from the beginning of the
school year. Students were committed to learning, where they always turned in their work
on time, and worked towards getting an “A”.

 Managing classroom procedures: 4

Classroom procedures and rules were set clearly so little instructional time is wasted for
classroom routines. Students were always redirected easily after their group activities.
Transitions between activities occurred smoothly.

 Managing Student Behavior: 4

Establishing relationships with students from the beginning of school year, was very helpful.
Setting the tone, redirecting students' behavior, and setting norms and expectations, were
explained clearly to students.
  Organizing Physical Space: 4

The classroom is safe and the environment is conductive to learning. All students have
equal access to materials and each have an opportunity to engage in learning activities.

3. Instruction
 Communicating with students: 4

Directions and expectations were communicated clearly to students. We had several group
and individual discussions throughout the day to help them become independent learners.

 Using questioning and discussion techniques: 4

I allow a certain amount of time for each student to ask and answer high cognitive
questions about the subject matter. Students participate in the discussion. Questions were
designated to promote critical thinking.

 Engage students in learning: 3

I should come up with more activities that will engage all students throughout the duration
of the lesson, and use technology productively. I should also consider time management to
allow more space for intellectual engagement, and not spend most of the time explaining
procedures.

 Using assessment in instruction: 4

Students learning is monitored throughout the lesson by question/answer as well as group

feedback. Students are also assessed by both summative and formative assessments.

 Demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness: 4

I adjusted the lesson based on students' interests. I was open to criticism and feedback. I
should work more on minor adjustments to ensure that the lesson runs smoothly and
students have a deeper understanding of the content.

4. Professional Responsibilities
 Reflecting on teaching: 4

I am more aware of what went well and what didn't after explaining each lesson. I try to
make adjustments based on students' understanding and engagement. I also ask students
what could've we done to better improve this lesson.

 Maintaining Accurate Records: 4

Students work was classified as either formative or summative. Their formative assignments
were equal to 20 % of their total grade, where as their summative assignments were equal
to 80 % of their total grade.

 Communicating with families: 4

I make positive phone calls home when a students is preforming well in class. I attend
parent-teacher conferences to make sure that the parents are aware of their kids’ progress.

 Participating in PDs and PLC meetings: 4

I attend all kinds of meetings, whether professional development or weekly PLC meetings. I
cooperate with my colleagues and contribute by adding new ideas and activities to each
unit.

 Showing Professionalism: 4

I treat all students with respect. I use certain professional words such as; please, thank you,
ladies and gentlemen...
I display high standards of honesty, integrity, and confidentiality in interactions with
colleagues, students, and the public. I try my best to help students reach their goals, and
understand the material. I respect both the school's and classroom norms.

One of the most inspiring questions that anyone should be asked before considering any
profession is; what is your why?
Since I was a little girl, I've always enjoyed being at school. I looked at school as an amazing
adventure where exploring never ends. Coming from a family of science educators and
administrators, I grew older to realize that my heart belongs in school. My main pleasure is to
see students succeed and accomplish their goals. I find myself most successful at explaining
science lessons. Working as a long term substitute teacher at a science classroom emphasized
that point. However, after all these years of substituting, I think that student teaching had the
most powerful impact on my career.
The first day of my placement, I was really excited. I had goals set in mind. My first goal was to
build relationships with students. I wanted to support them as much as possible, and help them
achieve their goals. I wanted us to grow together. First couple weeks were challenging. At first
students looked at me as a visitor. After a while, I started working on building relationships with
them, till they got used to me, and began to interact with me. I felt really relived after we got
used to each other. I used to wake up at five every morning extremely excited to go to Edsel Ford
High School. Answering students' questions was my pleasure. Sometimes they get annoyed at
me because I make them solve an extra problem, just to make sure they got the right idea, but
then they realized it was for their own good. I really loved these students, to a point where I did
not want to think about the moment where I'm going to have to say goodbye.
After explaining each lesson, there were two questions that I always went back to; what was
effective in that lesson and how my students did, what was ineffective and how can I improve.
Without reflection there will never be any room for improvement.
When I first started creating lesson plans, I did not consider students' interests, nor how to
engage them throughout the lesson. As I began reflecting on my lessons and ask myself what
worked and what didn't, I noticed that some students were disengaged from the lesson or looked
as though they were spaced out. Later on I started asking students, what could we done better to
improve this lesson. I found out that students were interested in technology and hands-on
activities, so I included these techniques more in my lessons. I noticed that at the beginning of
the semester, I did not take my time explaining the procedure, which sometimes lead to
confusion among students. I also worked on using real-life connections in the classroom to
increase student engagement. As shown in the video, especially the first part, where I was trying
to find a common ground between students’ knowledge and DNA.
I was leading an activity that was designed for biology class about DNA extraction. It was an
exciting activity and students cooperated with me effectively and gave me their full attention.
They performed the experiment without having any problems.
My second goal was to add more examples and analogies to my lessons to help students better
understand the lesson, and make connections between the concrete and the abstract. The second
part of the video shows how I was adding more examples while explaining the lesson, and
providing students with analogies to enable them to transfer the material beyond the context. I
noticed students' face expressions during each lesson, and the level of participation. Sometimes
students were engaged and excited, while other times, they were out of it. I began to wonder how
I could improve my lessons. Students were excited about hands on activities. I implemented fun
activities in my lessons, such as; Creating Lava Lamps, DNA extraction, internet based
activities. Another area that I witnessed growth in during my student teaching, is differentiating
instructions in the classroom. My third and sixth hours were co-taught with a special education
teacher. At first, my co-teacher and I didn't know how to divide our roles, but after collaborating
with each other, co-teaching became a normal habit. The first and last parts of the video show
how I tried to differentiate my lessons. For example, I group students by shared interest, topic, or
ability for assignments. I chose their group members during the DNA extraction activity. I also
assess students’ learning using formative assessment by asking them to complete their lab reports
individually. During the last part of the video, my special Ed students were watching a video
about health and nutrition. One of my students has color blindness, so I asked him to sit on my
seat by the computer screen, because he was having trouble seeing the promethean. I realized
that my classroom management to create a safe and supportive environment has improved as
well. Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.

I’ve noticed that building relationships with students during the beginning of the school year
helps prevent power struggle. I should work on improving redirecting students' behavior, and
setting clear norms and expectations. I am a softly spoken person, that's why I should come up
with a physical sign to capture students' attention after they get carried away with the lesson.
Calling out names, putting my hand on the table, ask students to focus or they won't be able to
work on further assignments, ask the overacting students to step outside with me to take a breath
and talk about how to make things better, are all strategies I should develop during my student
teaching.

Last but not least, I consider myself as a reflective educator, because I am always looking for
ways to improve my teaching. I try my best to be reflective by analyzing my teaching, searching
for new strategies, collaborating effectively with others, and attending professional development
meetings. I analyze my teaching by looking at students' performance. I consider how well my
students met the objectives, were they interested and engaged, what I did that worked well, and
what needs more improvement. For example, when I was explaining the DNA lesson, students
found it kind of difficult at first, but when I shared with them couple analogies, they became
more excited to learn about it. Whenever I find my students not engaged in a lesson, I decide to
try a different strategy and come up with a new activity that they would be interested in. My
instructional coach helped me a lot with finding different activities to keep my students engaged
throughout the whole lesson. Since then, I began to ask my students more about their interests
and try to implement them in my lesson plans.
Another way I look to improve my teaching is through research and professional development. I
know that I need to work more on my knowledge of different teaching strategies, and setting up
classroom norms and expectations. Sometimes I use the same strategies over and over again. I
am constantly searching the internet for teachers' blogs and articles to learn new strategies and
practices.
What I would like to work on more, is setting up norms and expectations from the beginning of
the school year. While explaining the procedure, students get loud sometimes, and I have a low
voice, for that reason, I should come up with a body move (like raising up my hand or any other
signal), to recapture students' attention. I should also work more on how to redirect students and
build a relationship with them based on respect, and specific expectations. I would also like to
add more examples and analogies to my lessons to enable my students to transfer the material
beyond the context. My instructional coach shared with us a lot of helpful resources, including
science classroom activities, and classroom management strategies. My goal as an educator is to
improve my students' learning through a variety of strategies and use of best practices.

Every time I teach a lesson, I go back and thoroughly reflect on how it went. I consider how my
students performed, what they thought about it, how they met the objectives, if they were excited
and engaged, if they learned the material, and what I could do to improve the lesson. I write a
detailed account about everything so I can become the best teacher I can be. I assess my students
and myself so I can plan future lessons that best meet the needs of my students.

Self-Study Videos;
https://youtu.be/Ai43q2c-YYU

https://youtu.be/M2GNaAz8uqo