Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Factor 1: Learning Environment and Contextual Information Stefania Sarkic Teacher Work Sample Maryland School For The Deaf Spring 2021 Dr. Daniels
Factor 1: Learning Environment and Contextual Information Stefania Sarkic Teacher Work Sample Maryland School For The Deaf Spring 2021 Dr. Daniels
Stefania Sarkic
Dr. Daniels
Factor 1: Learning Environment and Contextual Information
Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) is a public school for the deaf and hard of hearing
students in Maryland. MSD has two schools: one in Frederick and one in Columbia. The school
on Frederick campus is for deaf and hard of hearing students enrolled in middle and high school
levels while the school on Columbia campus is for dead and hard of hearing students enrolled for
partnership with families and provide an equitable and exemplary education in a nurturing,
engaging, and challenging environment to ensure the students achieve personal excellence and
In Mr. Joshua Doudt’s classroom, there are six students. In my Teacher Work Sample,
student, classroom, school, community factors influencing the instructional plans will be
expanded in detail.
Learner Characteristics and Instructional Plan
In Table 1.1, 6 students’ characteristics are recorded into data. There are five female and
one male students. As for the ethnicity, majority of students in this class are Caucasian and one is
Black. The students use American Sign Language in school as it is their native language.
Table 1.1
Studen Ag Race Gende IEP or Section Achievemen Hobbies and Languag Cultur Family
and 504 plan Interests e (In e Involvem
t e Ethnicit r ts class) nt
y
Learne 17 Caucasia Femal Needs On grade Sports ASL
n e more level in math Academic
r1 confidence Bowl
but is
meeting all
the
standards
Learne 17 Caucasia Femal No On grade Challenging ASL
e concerns level in math problems
r2 n MAP score
for Math is Sports
258 which
is 12th
Math
grade level
Learner 1
level in math and uses American Sign Language inside and outside of the classroom. Learner 1
do well with group discussions but do like to work by herself when new math concepts are
presented. She has good mathematical skills and does not need any math goals, but she dislikes
making any random guesses or trial and error. She does her work on time.
Learner 2
level in math and uses American Sign Language inside and outside of the classroom. Learner 2
likes to work by herself when new math concepts are presented but do well with group
discussions if needed. She completes her assignments on time, display good mathematical skills,
Learner 3
level in math and uses ASL as a means of communication. Learner 3 completes her assignments
on time and exhibits good mathematical operation skills. Though, she does not have strong
memory retention where some mathematical fundamentals are needed to use to learn new math
content areas. She will grasp the concepts after a few review sessions and tips from the teacher.
Learner 4
level in math and uses ASL inside and outside of classroom. She has a good mathematical
operational skill and able to grasp new math content. Learner 4 do likes to see it step by step
Learner 5
math and uses ASL inside and outside of classroom. Learner 5 demonstrated his strength areas in
calculations, solving equations, and algebraic thinking. He responds well with group discussion
Learner 6
level in math and uses ASL as a means of communication inside and outside of classroom.
Learner exhibits good mathematical operation skills and do well with group discussion. She
beginning the class, the students have their laptops open for Zoom and to get in Google
classroom for the notes on today’s lesson. It is a hybrid learning so some of the students will
show up in person while others may choose to stay home and join in with Zoom. The class work
together through the guided notes until if some of the students have gotten the concept and finish
the problem faster than others then they may keep working individually and check with the
teacher for the answer and/or ask for help if needed. The class could be split into two group in
which one will be continue working individually while the other will work with teacher with step
Desks are placed in a semi-circle in front of a white board. The classroom is filled with
whiteboards and posters and is shared with another class though there would be a wall between
them. There is a big tv monitor in the middle that is facing towards the whiteboard.
Since we are still being in the COVID-19 pandemic, the students and teacher rely on
technologies. MSD is doing a hybrid learning in which means some of the students may show up
in person, depending on which group they are in, and some of the students may decide to stay at
home still. They started with the hybrid learning in the last week of March. Students have the
choice to show up in person if they want; following the group assigned week. We are still using
our laptops for Zoom since not all students will show up in person and the students also have
iPads that they can use for Google classroom and to work on their assignments. Luckily, Mr.
Doudt is a savvy in technology, so he came up with a great way to use Zoom and conveniently
use the whiteboard so the students at home can feel like they are in the classroom. Students also
Probability & Statistics and Algebra 2 are the contents being taught. Probability &
Statistics are taught for seniors while Algebra 2 are taught for two classes; one for juniors and
with Disabilities
Learner 1 and Learner 2 tends to work independently once they have grasped the concept
so teacher may have them to continue working on the notes alone and share their answers or ask
for help if needed while the teacher will still go through the problems as a class for other
students.
Learner 3 and 5 benefits from working through the problems with steps by steps. Learner
3 has a hard time remembering to use old mathematical skills to help apply new mathematical
There are six rules in Mr. Doudt’s class which is posted by having it written on the small
whiteboard for students to look back if needed. Students can see them when in class or teacher
mention them if needed. The six rules are to log in Google classroom, attend zoom since it is
hybrid, start on assignments, write notes, ask questions, and then finish the assignment. The class
is already structured with starting the class off on a guided notes and work through it together.
Allowing the rest of the class time for students to keep working on the problems by
themselves or with others and ask for help if needed. This is good as it is an honors class so most
of the students are self-sufficient but can be distracting if the students are off topic with their
peers instead of focusing on the problems. Teacher may check in with them to see how they are
The total enrollment of students at Maryland School for the Deaf is about 500 students.
According to ProPublica, there about 25% Black, 8% Hispanic, 58% White, 6% Asian, and less
than 2% are mixed or Native American (Lena Groeger 2018). Most of the students are white then
Maryland School for the Deaf provide support services such as PBIS, audiology services,
physical/occupational therapy (n.d). They even offered some resources and services for families
such as Individual planning, ASL classes, summer camps, family support and resource center,
Maryland School for the Deaf offers after-school programs for all students in
kindergarten through high school. The After School Program provide a range of structured
activities to build interpersonal skills and to enrich the educational experience outside of
classroom. The activities include arts and crafts, athletics, bowling, cooking classes, dances,
drama, IM sports, Outdoor Education, Roller skating, Snow tubing, Student clubs/organizations,
Maryland School for the Deaf uses HCPSS, Howard County Public School System, for
curriculum to follow. The name of the curriculum is Essential Curriculum, and it has categorized
the math curriculum into three grade level groups: elementary, middle school, and high school.
The curriculum provides teachers general unit plan and the standards to go with for each grade.
concepts to solve problems and communicate about mathematics in their world (n.d).
School Philosophy
Maryland School for the Deaf is all about producing responsible lifelong learners. Their
ensure our students achieve personal excellence and become responsible lifelong learners (n.d).
create a lesson plan that fits my students the best. The school philosophy and the curriculum
allow me to include a lot of engaging lectures that can get the students to be more curious and
Due to some of the students who like to take it step by step with solving the problems, I
will need to be aware and ensure my lesson plan reflect some flexibility. It is an honors class so I
should be prepared for the possibility of my students to already grasp the concept and can move
forward quickly. This means I could be done with the lesson within two to three days instead of
all four. I do have back up plan if that is the case and the plan is to introduce the new concept.
Mr. Doudt do say that his goal often is one lesson per day as it is expected of the students to keep
going. Though if some of the students are still slow with grasping the concept, I would have split
the class with some to continue working on the problems but individually and ask for help if
needed while the others will be with me reviewing the lesson again by taking it step-by step for
more clearer picture. The students are juniors so they are closer to being a young adult in which I
should be aware of making sure my students are given the opportunity to take control of their
learning.
As a teacher, I need to make sure my students are using their critical thinking skills when
learning. I need to ensure my lesson plan would allow the students to express in different ways
References
Lena Groeger, A. W. (2018, October 16). Miseducation. ProPublica.
https://projects.propublica.org/miseducation/district/2400002.
Maryland School for the Deaf Home. Maryland School for the Deaf. (n.d.).
https://www.msd.edu/.