For me, nothing exemplifies this area more than my National Board Certification. I pursued National Boards because I felt a little stagnant, and I wanted to be the best teacher I could be. I had no idea how it would change me. It was the best professional development I've ever experienced, and it made me really examine my teaching in a blatantly honest manner. The picture below shows my National Boards certificate.
My next big goal is to start a Master's program. I have enough graduate credits for a Master's Degree, but since I've never actually started a program, not all of them will transfer. I need to narrow down my choices and make a decision. I know that the process of getting a Master's Degree will help me grow as an educator.
b. The teacher works collaboratively to improve professional practice and student learning.
This year, I am part of the 8th grade team. I regularly attend team meetings and collaborate with my colleagues about students, curriculum, and the good of our school. The paper shown is a copy of some of our team minutes. This day, we discussed curriculum, among other things. Curriculum discussions like these help us all to teach for transfer, creating links between subjects and disciplines to make learning more meaningful for our students.
c. The teacher applies research, knowledge, and skills from professional development opportunities to improve practice
I am part of the Fairfields Future Committee, and as part of that committee we are leading the teachers of our district in the process of Understanding by Design. This process of designing lessons is new to me, but this is the second year for the process, and I'm feeling more and more comfortable. One way I've incorporated those ideas into my classroom is by posting big ideas and essential questions for units. Since I don't have specific standards and benchmarks, this is a way I can convey to students what I want them to learn for the unit. Many times, I have the students help me with this process. Getting their input helps me word the ideas and questions in ways that are easy for them to understand. The picture shows my big ideas and essential questions for the 8th grade GOAL Holocaust unit.
d. The teacher establishes and implements professional development plans based upon the teacher's needs aligned to the Iowa Teaching Standards and district/building student achievement goals.
The following two images show my Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. The second page shows specifically which of the Iowa Teaching Standards are covered in the plan. I designed the plan after my first year teaching talented and gifted students. I saw a need for staff development in the area of gifted education. My job as a talented and gifted teacher is not only to educate my students, but to be an advocate for them, helping other teachers in my building meet their needs. That idea is the foundation for my IPDP.
