Professional Development

Assignment
Katelyn Terplan
Title of experience: East Penn School District In-service
Points earned: 8
Description (1 paragraph):

An in-service day was held for all the schools in the East Penn School District. Although

each school had their own zoom meeting, each school talked about progress monitoring and ELA

and Math goals for each grade level. The principal created breakout rooms per grade level which

allowed the teachers to come up with goals as a team. The teachers were shared a document that

showed data from the fall and then the teachers collaboratively came up with goals for the

winter. The teachers also shared different resources that could be useful to all students.

Reflection (1 paragraph):

            After attending this in-service, I became aware of how important it is to work as a team

with other teachers who are teaching the same grade. As a future special educator, I was able to

see that I may have a classroom with students in different grades. Since my mentor teacher has
students in many different grades, she had to make sure she was in line with the K-2 goals rather

than just 1 goal in the same grade level. Lastly, I really enjoyed how the teachers gave each other

resources that they found to be successful in their classroom.

Title of experience: Kutztown University Student Teaching Orientation

Points earned: 8
Description (1 paragraph):

This presentation, QPR, was about how others can help people who may have suicidal

thoughts. If you hear someone say something suicidal, you must question that person. Then, you

must listen and try to persuade that person to get help. If the person does not reach out to get

help, then you should refer that person to someone. 

Reflection (1 paragraph):

            This topic can be very scary to talk about with someone. Some people will not want to

share how they are feeling, or they may not care enough to get help. I think it is very important to
listen to someone first and then act. Listen to what they tell you. They may admit that they need

help, but they either do not know how to get it or are embarrassed to ask for it. If they do not

know how to get help, you should reach out and get them help. If they are embarrassed to ask for

help, you need to show them how much they mean to you and how much their life matters.

Title of experience: TED Talk

Points earned: 5
Description (1 paragraph):
https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?referrer=playlist-
tv_special_ted_talks_educatio

This TED talk is about building strong relationships with each of your students. It stated

that you may not like some students, but don’t ever show that. It also talked about how important

it is to tell your students how wonderful they are. You never want any of your students to get

upset when they do not understand something, you want to always give them positive feedback.

Lastly, this TED talk mentioned how some students in your classroom may not have the best at-

home life. 

Reflection (1 paragraph):

            This TED talk allowed me to see how beneficial it is to show your students that they

matter. Giving praise to your students whenever they do something right will encourage a

student to want to learn more. The more a teacher practices with his/her students, the more

progress the students will make. Showing your students, the progress they made will make them

feel good about themselves. Being their cheerleader and giving them positive feedback will push

them to do so much more. Another aspect of this video that stood out to me was that some

students may live in poverty. Giving those students food and clothes will show them how much
they mean to you. I want to make a difference in every student lives and have them come back to

me and say, “thank you”. 

Title of experience: TED Talk

Points earned: 5
Description (1 paragraph):
https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_teachers_need_real_feedback?referrer=playlist-
tv_special_ted_talks_educatio

This TED talk focused on how important it is for teachers to receive feedback on their

teaching. Most teachers do not receive feedback on how well they are doing. There is a project

called “Measures of Effective Teacher”. Cameras get set up in classrooms while teachers teach.

Teachers and other people were then able to watch these videos and look for many best practices

in teaching. The students also took surveys about their teacher. There was a correlation between

the teachers who received great feedback from the observers were also the teachers who had

better student outcomes. The teachers stated that these forms of feedback were effective. 

Reflection (1 paragraph):

            I strongly agree with this TED talk. There are many teachers out there who do not receive

feedback from their students which may affect the students’ grades. If students communicate

with their teacher on how they learn best, the teacher will be able to use that method of teaching.

The feedback that I receive from my professors is so beneficial to me. Unfortunately, when I am

a teacher, I will not be receiving feedback from my professors. I will continue with my everyday

teaching styles without knowing if there’s anything that I should change. Although the principal

observes a teacher about once or twice a year, it is not enough to truly see if the teacher’s
teaching methods are successful. Giving this feedback will not only make the teacher a better

teacher but a student a better student. 

Total Points: 26