CAPSTONE PROJECT 1

Jamie Chambers (1913198)

College of Education, University of Houston

Curriculum and Instruction - Teaching and Teacher Education

Dr. H. Jerome Feiberg

July 15, 2020

Voice Over Presentation

CAPSTONE PROJECT 2

Use of the PCLA as a Self-Assessment Tool to Evaluate

Affective Learning Strategies in the Classroom

Abstract

Teachers provide students with the opportunities to learn and practice self-regulation

strategies and skills in their classrooms, but they should also be using those strategies to increase

the effectiveness of their own teaching in their classrooms. By utilizing self-assessment protocols

such as the Person Centered Learning Assessment, educators can take an active role in reflecting

on their abilities to provide lessons centered around affective learning pedagogy, improving the

educational experience of their students. When teachers implement the same skills and strategies

we use to encourage student engagement, participation, and responsibility for learning, we can

improve the effectiveness of our teaching abilities by identifying specific areas that can be

addressed with an appropriate professional development plan.

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Introduction

As an experienced teacher, I have learned that there is never a level of mastery that marks

my journey as an educator as “complete”. There will always be ways that I can improve the art

of teaching; whether I enact new classroom management techniques, improve my summative

assessment strategies, implement new technology, or create a stronger sense of community in my

classroom. I recognize that self-assessment and reflection allow me to look at my teaching

practices with a magnifying glass, encouraging me to identify flaws that could hinder my

effectiveness as an educator. By implementing assessment protocols such as the Person

Centered Learning Assessment, I can look closely at my own teaching and evaluate the

efficiency of my skills, allowing me to pinpoint areas of growth that could benefit from

improvement, especially in the area of affective learning.

Self-Regulation

“Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an essential competency in the lifelong learning society

whereby the individual assumes full responsibility for their ongoing development” (Zhang, 2017,

p. 261). As teachers, we strive to provide our students the opportunity to acquire and practice the

skills of self-regulation because we realize the importance these skills have on success in the

future. By utilizing self regulated learning, students can improve intrinsic motivation, effort,

attention, self-motivation, self-efficacy as well as better handle distractions and avoid

procrastinating (Schmitz & Wiese, 2006). All of these traits are beneficial not only in the

classroom, but as students leave the world of education and embark on their journey in the

workforce.
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Educators stress the use of cognitive and meta-congnitive skills in their classrooms to

encourage students to be more responsible for their learning and actively participate in their

education. We teach skills to help with learning motivation, cognitive strategy use, regulation of

cognition, and regulation of learning motivation, all of which are the four main components of

self-regulation strategies (Zhang, 2017). The regulation aspect of these components fall into the

categories of planning, monitoring and evaluating, with the evaluation step analyzing not only

the product, but the process of learning to determine effectiveness (Zhang, 2017). By allowing

students to have an opportunity to reflect upon their learning, they are able to assume

responsibility for their learning, gain a sense of autonomy, and internalize the effectiveness of

the strategies they implemented during the learning process. Students have the skills and the

motivation to become life-long learners when they can properly implement the basics of

self-regulation.

Self-Assessment

With self-regulation being used in classrooms to help students be successful, it should be

no surprise that implementing similar self-reflective and self-assessment measures when looking

at our own teaching strategies could be greatly beneficial to us. In a world where “current teacher

assessment practices are generally external evaluations and often limit educator self-reflection”

(Snead & Freiberg, 2019, p. 156), it can be of great value to enact regular self-assessment

protocols into our routine reflection policies. The type of feedback often provided to teachers can

be minimal, not really supplying constructive criticism that could help the teacher expand and

grow over time. By imposing self-reflection into the classroom, teachers are able to take the
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responsibility of improving their practice onto themselves, without having to depend on the

schedule of busy school officials to provide constructive feedback.

“Self-assessment is also considered as an attractive method for fostering teachers’

learning, because it can be easily developed and implemented and requires little of the scarcely

available time of teachers” (van Diggelen, Brok, & Beijaad, 2013, p. 115). School officials are

not the only members of the school who are pressed for time, so having a method of evaluation

that is flexible and timely can provide the information teachers need to continue to improve their

teaching practice. Not only can self-assessment methods be administered quickly, they can be

more helpful for a teacher because the evaluation is not a high stress evaluation. A formal

observation could cause educators to become defensive while being assessed, which could limit

the amount of reflection or improvement in teaching methods (Davis & McDonald, 2019). “This

flipping of ‘self as assessor’ can potentially heighten insight, generate disequilibrium of previous

assumptions, and promote a reflective assessment of their practice from an internalized

experience as active participant in the evaluation process, as opposed to passive recipient of

external judgment” (Davis & McDonald, 2019, p. 127).

When a teacher has the ability to openly examine her teaching without the fear of

condemnation from a superior, she can actively process her methods for effectiveness without

the stigma of poor performance appearing on her school record. The process of self-critique in a

low-stakes environment, free of consequence, promotes educators to examine their pedagogical

methods and teaching strategies without the stress and pressure of performing flawlessly. It is

beneficial for teachers to take the results of their self-assessments and use them as part of a

professional development plan; a starting point to set individual goals, promote communication
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among teacher experts, and the implementation of appropriate supports (Borgmeier, Loman, &

Hara, 2016). Based on the results and findings of her self-assessment, she can actively search for

ways to improve on areas she views as opportunities for growth.

Choosing the PCLA

Depending on the criteria that you wish to analyze in your teaching practice, the type of

self-assessment you implement may vary. One assessment that focuses on person-centered

learning objectives is the Person Centered Learning Assessment (PCLA). “Understanding the

PCLA requires a brief examination of four principles of theoretical research: self-reflection,

assessment, self-assessment, and person-centered learning” (Snead & Freiberg, 2019, p. 156). It

is a tool that allows teachers to engage in self-regulated learning while focusing on the

environment of their classroom.

The PCLA is very customizable, allowing teachers to focus on numerous aspects of their

teaching, with person-centered learning being one of the main focus areas of the assessment.

Affective instruction should focus on three sources: the teacher, the students, and the teaching

materials (Zhang & Lu, 2011), which are addressed specifically in the PCLA. The PCLA is

designed to allow teachers to identify the top 10 criteria they deem the most important in their

person-centered classroom. It is a great tool for educators because it allows us to focus on

specific, customizable criteria analyzing our implementation of person-centered learning in the

classroom.

While most teacher self-assessments rely solely on the teacher’s perceptions of the

lesson, the PCLA has opportunities for teachers to reflect on feedback from students as well as
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their own reflections (Snead & Freiberg, 2019). This gives teachers the external feedback that is

beneficial from traditional observations, but in a safe, non-threatening way. Teachers can elicit

the exact type of feedback they feel would be most beneficial from students because the

assessment criteria is completely created by the educator.

Not only does the creation of the criteria by the teacher solicit appropriate feedback from

students, it allows the teacher to have power over what area of her practice she is evaluating. “To

realize feelings of ownership, teachers need to participate in the formulation of criteria and

standards, which enhances the acceptance of the content of criteria and standards by teachers and

makes these more relevant to the teachers” (van Diggelen et al, 2013, p. 117). Students and

teachers alike place more value in projects when they have a sense of pride and ownership over

what they are working on.

Affective Learning

One of the reasons the PCLA is a great tool for teacher self-assessment is that it focuses

on affective learning. Person-centered learning creates an environment of safety, trust,

community, and inclusion. “In a sense, the key for affective instruction is to adjust and control

students’ emotion in teaching activities to insure students’ emotion in the best state. In this way,

affective teaching can drive students’ cognitive activity and achieves better learning

achievement” (Zhang & Lu, 2011, p. 239). In addition to promoting positive student emotions,

having an affective classroom allows for students to acquire more knowledge, provides them

with a sense of belonging, and even elicits positive physical responses in the body (Zhang & Lu,

2011). Having students who have positive emotions about school and who are actively engaged
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in their learning reduces the amount of disruptive behavior in class, contributes to easier

classroom management, and helps students be successful in their learning.

Classroom management also becomes easier because person-centered learning promotes

the teacher to the level of facilitator, encourager and connector. By removing the teacher from

the center of the lesson and moving her to the side, it allows students to have a more active role

in the classroom (Freiberg & Lamb, 2009). Students feel more involved, included, and important

when they have a voice in the classroom. They feel like a member of a community when they are

active participants in the learning instead of passive recipients of the knowledge that is merely

disseminated from the teacher.

“Person-centered learning relies on an expectation between the learner and the educator

that each individual involved in the learning process is valued, important, and engaged in all

stages of learning” (Snead & Freiberg, 2019, p. 156). A teacher who is successful in

person-centered learning strategies can create a classroom environment rich in feelings of

inclusion and community, promoting student engagement and learning. It has even been shown

that affective learning bridges the gap between instructors and students allowing for increased

intellectual stimulation and intrinsic motivation, creating an atmosphere that facilitates positive

student outcomes (Bolkan, 2015; Cornelius-White, 2007). Student-centered teaching practices

have numerous benefits for the pupils in our classrooms, so focusing on our effectiveness of

implementing them into our daily classroom is a great way to evaluate our success as a teacher.

PCLA Overview
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In order to implement the PCLA into your self-assessment routine, you must first create

the criteria for which you will assess your effectiveness as an educator. Typically, you will focus

on about ten criteria at a time when assessing your lesson; four which focus on you as an

educator, 4 that focus on the involvement and engagement of your students, and two which focus

on the materials and curriculum you use in the assessed lesson (See Appendix A for example

descriptors).

Once you pick the descriptors that reflect the student-centered teaching practices you

want to focus on, you will create observable indicators that exhibit the successful implementation

of the criteria you picked. For instance, if you wanted to evaluate your ability to foster

independence, self-reliance, and self-motivation in the learning environment, your observable

indicator may be​ “​the teacher provides opportunities for students to work independently or in

small groups to complete tasks within a specified amount of time”. By creating a visual

representation of the implementation of your criteria, those evaluating your lesson can

appropriately determine if you are successfully meeting that criteria.

After you have established the observable indicators for each of your criteria, you must

generate a survey that will be taken by yourself and your students at the completion of the

assessed lesson. Typically, you will create a multi point likert scale that allows observers to

evaluate the successfulness of each observable indicator. You should also provide an area for

comments so that you can elicit constructive feedback from your students.

When you present your lesson to the class, you will want to create a video recording of

your teaching so that you can rewatch it before you complete your self-survey. This allows you

to see how the students and other observers viewed your lesson instead of relying on how you
CAPSTONE PROJECT 10

thought the lesson went. This allows you to be more authentic when completing the

self-assessment portion of the analysis.

After you complete your self-assessment survey, you will analyze the feedback from your

students, arranging the information into a comprehensive format that allows you to critique the

successfulness of each criteria. Pay close attention to the feedback the students provided in the

comments section as well as the level on the scale they assigned for each indicator. Find the

areas that you were the weakest and make adjustments to your lesson to show improvement.

At the next opportunity, repeat the self-assessment process using the PCLA on the next

presentation of the same lesson with your adjustments in place. Analyze the repeated lesson with

the same criteria and survey as your first lesson, and then compare the data between the “before”

lesson and the “after” lesson. Identify your weaknesses and then develop an appropriate

professional development plan to address your areas of growth.

Application of the Person-Centered Learning Assessment

To assess the effectiveness of my instruction, I customized and implemented the PCLA

on a short math lesson on Nets. I picked ten qualities of a strong teacher who promotes student

centered learning and analyzed my lesson against those measures. I picked four descriptors that

looked closely at the educator, four descriptors that focused on the student, and one descriptor

each that centered on the materials and the curriculum. Table 1 outlines the rationale for why I

felt that descriptor was a measure of an affective classroom teacher and how I could assess the

success of the descriptor using observable indicators during my lesson.

Table 1: Descriptors, Reasoning, and Observable Indicators

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The Educator
3. The educator makes effective use of questioning techniques to check an individual's progress and
understanding of materials.
Reasoning:​ I picked this criteria because, as a middle school math teacher, it is vital that I have a finger
on the pulse of my student’s understanding of the material. I have always strived to ensure I ask high
quality, open ended questions of my students to give them the opportunity to analyze and explore their
thinking and demonstrate their understanding. I want to ensure that I have a strong system of asking
questions that are good indicators of student comprehension in a manner that is not regurgitation of facts.
Observable Indicator:​ Teacher uses open ended questions to help students reach higher order reasoning
skills.

10. The educator fosters independence, self-reliance, and self-motivation in the learning environment.
Reasoning​: I picked this criteria because, as a middle school teacher, it is a vital time for students to get a
solid sense and understanding of themselves and of what they are capable of. Independence,
self-reliance, and self-motivation are crucial life skills that are formed and reinforced in the adolescent
years. I want to ensure I am doing everything I can to help students acquire these skills.
Observable Indicator​: The teacher provides opportunities for students to work independently or in small
groups to complete tasks within a specified amount of time.

11. The educator demonstrates confidence in her abilities to work with students.
Reasoning​: I picked this criteria because I know how important it is to develop strong relationships with
students. I do not want students to feel like I am a fraud or incapable of being their teacher. Being able to
demonstrate confidence will help me build strong relationships with my students and will also allow me
to be a positive role model – showing kids what it looks like to have confidence in themselves.
Observable Indicator​: The teacher conducts herself with purpose and authority. She is quick to make
decisions and executes them without hesitation.

16. The educator demonstrates effective listening skills.

Reasoning​: This reasoning behind this criteria follows closely with the one above. It is vital to have
strong relationships with students and to be a positive role model. Having effective listening skills will
allow me to build the types of relationships I desire with my students and allow me to demonstrate what
effective listening looks like so they can model this highly important skill in their own lives.
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Observable Indicator​: Teacher makes eye contact, does not interrupt the student, and gives a paraphrase
of the statement to confirm she heard correctly.

The Student
19. The student is an active learner.
Reasoning​: I picked this criteria because I know how important it is to have an engaged learner. Active
students are engaged students. This is a vital component to a successful lesson and I want to make sure I
am effective at it.
Observable Indicator​: Students are engaged and participating in discussions or activities.

20. The student demonstrates involvement with his or her learning materials.
Reasoning​: The reasoning for his criteria matches the prior. Involvement = active = engaged learner =
less disruption = more time on task = more learning.
Observable Indicator​: Students are utilizing materials including technology, instruments, or
manipulatives appropriately.

22. The learner treats the teacher and other students with dignity and respect.
Reasoning​: Since it is vital for students to feel safe and secure in a classroom environment, it is very
important that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This criteria will help me to make any
adjustments necessary to build a safe environment for my students.
Observable Indicator​: Students say please, thank you, excuse me, I’m sorry, you’re welcome, etc.

23. The learner is considerate of others.

Reasoning​: Again, the reasoning behind this criteria follows closely with the previous one. I need to
build a classroom that feels more like a family or tribe. This is not possible if students are not considerate
of each other.
Observable Indicator​: The student does not interrupt or talk over students or the teacher while they are
speaking.

The Materials
28. When feasible, the materials are interactive.
Reasoning​: This goes back to my strong desire to have high student engagement in my classroom.
Materials that are interactive have a greater chance of holding student interest and would increase
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attention and engagement.

Observable Indicator​: The students are using technology, materials, or manipulatives where appropriate.

The Curriculum
34. Originality and creativity is encouraged.
Reasoning​: I picked this criteria because I want to ensure I am allowing my students the opportunity to
be active in my classroom. I understand that allowing students the opportunity to be original (especially
adolescents who are trying to figure out who they are) fosters engagement and excitement. I also
understand how creativity is a vital 21​st​ century skill that needs to be fostered and cultivated. By focusing
on this criteria, I can provide opportunities for students to work creatively and produce original work.
Observable Indicato​r: Teacher provides opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge through
creative and meaningful activities where they produce original projects and/or products.

Implementing the​ ​PCLA: Phase I - February 25, 2020

For the first phase of the PCLA, I prepared a math lesson on nets (see Appendix A) to

teach to my math class. In preparation for the assessment, I made an audio recording (see

Appendix B) of the lesson and prepared a survey (see Appendix C) that would allow observers of

the lesson to assess me on the criteria outlined above. After completion of my lesson, I listened

to the audio recording and completed the survey analyzing my own teaching as it was presented

to the students. I also had my peers complete the survey which would give me feedback from an

outside party.

​Analysis of Peer & Self Feedback

After administering the math lesson on nets, I encouraged my peers to assess me on the

descriptors and indicators outlined above. I had three teacher peers, as well as myself, complete

the ten question survey. The survey had three choices to assess the quality or occurrence of the
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indicator: Rarely, Sometimes, or Consistently. Some of these choices were adjusted to make

sense with the indicator. There was also a section for comments that accompanied each

measurable in case the participants wished to provide feedback. Table 2 outlines the responses to

surveys completed at the end of the lesson.

Table 2: Score and Comments Comparison PCLA I

Descriptor Myself Peer 1 Peer 2 Peer 3

3. Effective Sometimes Consistently Consistently Consistently
questioning
Comments: “Differentiation levels “Does a very good job
were clear. More leading with questioning.”
for some & more
exploration for others.”
10. Fosters Rarely Consistently Consistently Consistently
Independence,
self-reliance &
self-motivation
Comments: “Students were asked to “Did a very good job
explore before moving working with small
forward - all tasks led groups.”
into the next fluidly.”
11. Teacher has Consistently Consistently Consistently Consistently
confidence.
Comments: “Definitely done this “Very confident w/
before!” instruction,
forwarding student
thinking.”
16. Effective Sometimes Consistently Consistently Consistently
listening skills.
Comments: “Very encouraging to all
students.”
19. Students are Most Students Most Students are Most Students are Most Students are
active learners. are Participating Participating Participating Participating
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Comments: “All of us were! Fun “Gave students the

activity and totally opportunity to learn
engaging.” and answer
questions.”
20. Students Most Students Most Students are Most Students are Most Students are
involved w/ are Involved Involved Involved Involved
materials.
Comments: “Nets, 3D shapes,
drawing - great use of
it!”

22. Learners Sometimes Consistently Consistently Consistently

display dignity
& respect.
Comments: “Very nice, positive
statements.”
23. Learners are Sometimes Consistently Consistently Sometimes
considerate.
Comments: “All of us waited for “I interrupted -
verbal or visual cues.” sorry! Maybe
norms need to be
stated?”
28. Materials Consistently Consistently Consistently Consistently
are interactive.
Comments:
34. Originality Consistently Consistently Consistently Consistently
& creativity is
encouraged.

Comments: “At the end, allowed for

decoration and shape
selection.”

Commonalities and Congruence

There were multiple commonalities between my peers on nearly all of the descriptors.

Those who observed my lesson scored me with the highest possible ranking on all but one of the
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feedback responses. There was more variation when I compared my own personal feedback to

that of my peers due to higher expectations of my own teaching. After taking into consideration

my own personal feedback, the descriptors that had common rankings between all four of us

were: 11, 19, 20, 28 and 34. The remaining descriptors had nearly unanimously congruent

scores, withholding my own results. Only one out of the 10 descriptors scored at a level below

“Consistently” (or equivalent) from less than 3/4th of those surveyed.

Summarization of Findings

Looking at the descriptors where I scored “Consistently” on all four of the feedback

forms, I can conclude that I: a) consistently demonstrated confidence in my abilities to work with

students, b) had students who were active learners, c) had students who were involved with

learning materials, d) utilized interactive materials, and e) encouraged originality and creativity.

The descriptors that where at least one person selected a ranking less than the highest

score were 3, 10, 16, 22, and 23. It appears that there is room for growth in the areas: a) using

effective questioning techniques to check student understanding, b) fostering independence,

self-reliance, and self-motivation, c) demonstrating effective listening skills, d) creating an

environment where students treat others with dignity and respect, and e) ensuring students were

considerate of others.

Summarization of Strengths and Weaknesses

I think my biggest strength for this lesson was my ability to engage the students with

interactive materials. All four feedback forms ranked the four indicators relating to this area (19,

20, 28 & 34) at the highest possible level. By using the foldable nets, 3D shapes, dry erase
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markers, and a creative assignment, the students were on task, engaged, and interactive with the

lesson. Because the lesson was so engaging for the students, it also helped me to demonstrate my

confidence as a teacher (the fifth descriptor that I scored highly from all four surveys). Having an

interesting, interactive, hands-on lesson allowed me to thrive in half of the indicators I outlined

as measures of an effective educator in a person-centered classroom.

For this lesson, I decided that my lesson could improve on the five areas of the survey

that did not achieve unanimous high scores. Of those five, I would say my biggest area of

weakness was establishing an environment where learners were considerate of each other. I

picked this as my biggest weakness because this is the only descriptor where myself and one of

my peers marked me at a level lower than “Consistently”. This descriptor also ties closely with

the descriptor of students being respectful of each other and the teacher.

I feel my second biggest weakness was fostering self-motivation, self-reliance, and

independence since it was the only descriptor that I marked myself at the lowest possible score

for the indicator. The observable indicator specified that I should provide opportunities for

individual and small group work within a specified amount of time. I could not score myself

higher than “Rarely” because I did not set a specified time limit for the students during the

lesson. I strongly felt that the time component was the most crucial part of this indicator because

time management is a good gauge of a student who is efficient at self-motivation, self-reliance,

and independence.

Additional areas of weakness that I would like to improve for my next lesson include

working to be an effective listener and utilizing effective questioning to assess student

understanding. While I received only one “Sometimes” on both of these items on my survey,
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these items also deserve attention due to the importance of them in maintaining a successful

student centered classroom.

Recommendations for Changes

For my next attempt at this lesson, I could improve on the descriptors regarding fostering

an environment where learners are respectful and considerate of their peers by setting up norms

at the beginning of the class to remind students to speak one at a time and to not talk over each

other. I can also model more of the expected behavior by using phrases like “please, thank you,

you’re welcome, excuse me, etc” to help students see the importance of having a respectful

classroom. Leading by example and reminding students the norms and expectations for group

discussion will allow for improvement in these two areas on my next lesson assessment.

To improve in the area of promoting self-motivation, self-reliance, and independence, I

can incorporate time limits on the exploration and group work areas of my lesson. This will

allow students the freedom to investigate and collaborate with their peers, while also working on

time management skills and ownership of learning. I can also bring timers and give one member

of the group the assignment of keeping track of the group’s time for each activity to help

strengthen this component of my lesson.

While I feel I am an effective listener, I did not consistently perform the aspect of the

observable indicator that stated I should also paraphrase the student’s statements to reassure

them that I heard correctly and understood. Once I add this component of the measurable into my
CAPSTONE PROJECT 19

lesson, I will be able to achieve “consistently” on my next survey. This will take practice and an

active role on my part, but this new habit will greatly benefit my teaching.

The last descriptor that I did not achieve the highest ranking score possible was using

effective questioning techniques to assess student understanding. While I believe there were

many good questions that I asked during my lesson, I think I should take the time to brainstorm

additional higher order thinking questions and write them out before the lesson begins. I can

even write those questions on the board at the front of the classroom so students have the

opportunity to read over them and think about their answers before the questions are even asked.

By planning out more thought-provoking questions ahead of the lesson, I can improve the caliber

and effectiveness of this descriptor.

Final Thoughts and Comments

I was pleasantly surprised how successful my peers viewed my lesson on nets. It was

affirming to see all of the positive feedback provided on the surveys. I realize that I am going to

always be the harshest critic of my teaching, but I also know that never settling or assuming you

are a perfect teacher allows for growth and opportunity. It encourages you to be reflective and to

scrutinize your lessons, ensuring that you are always improving and looking for ways to be a

better teacher. I look forward to revamping my lesson on nets and hope to score even better on

my next PCLA.

Implementing the PCLA: Phase II - March 31, 2020

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After reflecting on the results of the PCLA I, I redesigned my lesson (see Appendix F) to

improve the overall success of the experience. I had to revamp the lesson to be delivered in an

online manner due to the elimination of in-person class because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In

addition, I had to change the survey (see Appendix G) for myself and my peers to accommodate

digital delivery. I recorded the audio (see Appendix H) so I could reflect upon my teaching, and

had a small number of peers observe the lesson and give me feedback as well.

Analysis of Peer & Self Feedback

After administering the math lesson on nets to a small group of peers, I encouraged them

to assess me on the descriptors and indicators outlined above. I had three teacher peers, as well

as myself, complete the ten question survey. The survey had five choices to assess the quality or

occurrence of the indicator on a scale from Rarely (indicated by 1) to Consistently (indicated by

5). Some of these choices were adjusted to make sense with the indicator. There was also a

section for comments that accompanied each measurable in case the participants wished to

provide feedback. Table 3 outlines the responses to surveys completed at the end of the lesson.

Table 3: Score and Comments Comparison PCLA II

Descriptor Myself Peer 1 Peer 2 Peer 3
3. Effective 5 5 5 5
questioning
Comments: Good guiding questions & Great job on the demo and The educator did a great
deeper understanding lead into the lesson. job calling on students to
questions to push students to Clarifying moments for check for understanding
correctly identify shapes, students. Open-ended with and pushing student’s
make real-world connections. some guidance if needed. thoughts.
10. Fosters 5 5 5 5
Independence,
self-reliance &
self-motivation
 CAPSTONE PROJECT 21

Comments: Given ample time to work Worked as a small group The educator let the
individually before coming once the demo was over, learners work
together for whole-class check-ins were frequent to independently to complete
discussion. ensure on task behavior. their folding.
11. Teacher has 5 5 5 5
confidence.
Comments: All of that - very definitive Online lesson for She was quick to address
tone, good about moving to hands-on activity with its misconceptions and
next section. many surprises and you correct students in a very
made it look easy! non-invasive way.
16. Effective 4 5 5 5
listening skills.
Comments: All of the above - good at She did this multiple
repeating student’s times while we showed
statements so all can hear our construct, etc.
and/or for clarification. Good Paraphrase to ensure what
example, when I mislabeled she heard.
my item as a prism instead of
a pyramid.
19. Students are 5 5 5 5
active learners.
Comments: Students volunteering, All engaged. All students were highly
answering questions, engaged with the lesson
working on manipulatives. and making their nets and
even sharing out.
20. Students 5 5 5 5
involved w/
materials.
Comments: Two opportunities to do Hands on and lots of Students were able to use
hands-on manipulatives materials. manipulatives
activity (cutting out net, then successfully.
drawing a net).
22. Learners 3 3 5 5
display dignity
& respect.
Comments: Some of this happened, but
would have been limited in a
face-to-face setting. I have a
feeling that the video delay
caused some of this and it
would have occurred less if
 CAPSTONE PROJECT 22

the class were not virtual.

23. Learners are 4 4
considerate.
Comments: Lag times in virtual meeting
caused people to speak over
each other. I don’t think
people were intentionally
interrupting. The chat feature
was good for avoiding this as
well.
28. Materials 5 5
are interactive.
Comments: This was a very interactive
lesson - even in the virtual
space. Students were
interacting with instructor
and peers. Students were
interacting with
manipulatives in hands-on
activities.
34. Originality 5 5
& creativity is
encouraged.
5 5
Everyone was
encouraging.
5 5
Appropriate for the online The materials were very
setting. interactive and the
instructions to go about
cutting, pasting, and
forming a shape was very
well planned. There was
no downtime in the lesson.
Students went from
reviewing to doing the net
in a very efficient manner.
5 5

Comments: Students got to pick their We all had a chance to

own shape and decorate as
they chose. Students
demonstrated knowledge by
identifying real world
application/function of the
shape they chose.
make something (net) we
wanted and then to
suggest a real-life use for
it. Similar to the intro
session.

Commonalities and Congruence

There were multiple commonalities between my peers on nearly all of the descriptors.

Those who observed my lesson scored me with the highest possible ranking on all but two of the

feedback responses. There was more variation when I compared my own personal feedback to
CAPSTONE PROJECT 23

that of my peers due to higher expectations of my own teaching. After taking into consideration

my own personal feedback, the descriptors that had common rankings between all four of us

were: 3, 10, 11, 19, 20, 28 and 34. Of the remaining three descriptors, I scored myself less than a

5 on all three, and one of my peers scored me at less than a five on two of them.

Summarization of Findings

Looking at the descriptors where I scored “Consistently” (a 5) on all four of the feedback

forms, I can conclude that I: a) utilized effective questioning techniques, b) fostered

independence, self-reliance, and self-motivation in my students, c) consistently demonstrated

confidence in my abilities to work with students, d) had students who were active learners, e) had

students who were involved with learning materials, f) utilized interactive materials, and g)

encouraged originality and creativity.

The descriptors that had at least one person select a ranking less than the highest score

were 16, 22, and 23. It appears that there is room for growth in the areas: a) demonstrating

effective listening skills, b) creating an environment where students treat others with dignity and

respect, and c) ensuring students were considerate of others.

Summarization of Strengths and Weaknesses

I think my biggest strength for this lesson was my ability to engage the students with

interactive materials. All four feedback forms ranked the four indicators relating to this area (19,

20, 28 & 34) at the highest possible level. By using the foldable nets, 3D shapes, and a creative
CAPSTONE PROJECT 24

assignment, the students were on task, engaged, and interactive with the lesson. Because the

lesson was so engaging for the students, it also helped me to demonstrate my confidence as a

teacher (the fifth descriptor that I scored highly from all four surveys). Having an interesting,

interactive, hands-on lesson allowed me to thrive in half of the indicators I outlined as measures

of an effective educator in a person-centered classroom.

For this lesson, I decided that my lesson could improve on the three areas of the survey

that did not achieve unanimous high scores. Of those three, I would say my biggest area of

weakness was students being respectful of each other and the teacher. I picked this as my biggest

weakness because this is the descriptor where myself and one of my peers marked me the lowest

of all the descriptors (a three). This descriptor also ties closely with the descriptor of establishing

an environment where learners were considerate of each other, which myself and a peer marked

me at a four. I am going to focus on these two areas for the next time I administer this lesson.

Final Thoughts and Comments

I was pleasantly surprised how successful my peers viewed my lesson on nets. It was

affirming to see all of the positive feedback provided on the surveys. I realize that I am going to

always be the harshest critic of my teaching, but I also know that never settling or assuming you

are a perfect teacher allows for growth and opportunity. It encourages you to be reflective and

scrutinize your lessons to ensure that you are always improving and looking for ways to be a

better teacher. I look forward to revamping my lesson on nets (again) and continue to apply a

reflective process to improve it.

CAPSTONE PROJECT 25

Comparison between PCLA I and II

After the first PCLA, I made numerous changes to my lesson plan to try and address the

areas that did not consistently meet the indicators provided. I made an effort to improve my

questioning and listening skills, created opportunities for students to practice independence, and

tried to create an environment where students were considerate of each other and demonstrate

dignity and respect. Of the five areas that had room for improvement in my PCLA I, I was able

to improve on three of them with the changes that I made before I presented the lesson again. By

writing additional critical thinking questions down before the lesson started, setting a timer for

students to be able to self-pace and become independent, and being a more engaged and active

listener, I made great strides in these areas.

Two of the measurables did not improve very much between PCLA I and PCLA II

despite my efforts to encourage my learners to be considerate and display dignity and respect for

each other. I restated norms and expectations for group discussion, but students still struggled

with talking over and interrupting each other. One factor that could contribute to this problem

had to do with the online platform that made it more difficult for students to read body language

and pick up on visual clues efficiently. It could also be that these indicators are more visible in a

classroom environment that has a feeling of community. It will be hard to achieve those results

when the students and teacher have only been in a setting together for two twenty minute class

sessions. These measurables are an indicator of class policies, procedures, and expectations that

are established at the beginning of the school year and reinforced consistently throughout the

term. Despite these explanations for the lower scores on my assessment, I realized it was still an

area that had room for improvement. By finding ways to create a community of empathetic and
CAPSTONE PROJECT 26

respectful learners, I can improve not only this lesson but the overall feeling of the daily

experience in my classroom.

Recommendations for Change

In order to successfully implement change to address the two most prevalent areas of

weakness, I need to take a close look at my classroom expectations and policies. During my last

PCLA, I mentioned that restating norms and expectations during the lesson would help solve the

problem of student interruptions and lack of respect indicators. However, after the second

presentation of the lesson, I still scored low on these areas of the assessment. After research, I

determined that I should implement Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) to help solidify the

expectations of student behavior during class. Particularly, I can research a PBS plan called

CHAMPS that I can begin implementing in my classroom.

Conclusion

Looking at my ability to create an affective learning environment is one of the ways I can

reflect on my own teaching effectiveness. By utilizing the PCLA, I am actively involving

self-regulatory strategies to reflect on the aspects of person-centered and affective learning in my

classroom. “Reflection in a self-assessment procedure is a means to structure and restructure

teachers’ own practical knowledge” (van Diggelen et al, 2013, p. 118). This information gives
CAPSTONE PROJECT 27

me the tools and information to continuously grow as an educator, allowing me to help my

students be more successful in school, and in turn, life.

CAPSTONE PROJECT 28

Appendix

Appendix A - ​Nets Lesson Plan PCLA I

Appendix B - ​Audio Recording PCLA I

Appendix C - ​PCLA Evaluation Form PCLA I

Appendix D - ​Self - Evaluation Form PCLA I

Appendix E - ​Peer - Evaluation Forms PCLA I

Appendix F -​ Nets Lesson Plan PCLA II

Appendix G -​ Audio Recording PCLA II

Appendix H - ​PCLA Evaluation Form for PCLA II

Appendix I - ​Self - Evaluation Form PCLA II

Appendix J - ​Peer - Evaluation Forms PCLA II

CAPSTONE PROJECT 29

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