Teacher Quality Standard Three Reflection:
Again, I believe I met the proficient level of this standard because I intentionally planned and delivered effective instruction in the students' overall growth and development. I excelled in creating environments that facilitated learning for my students and motivated them to do their best in each assignment. The students were always looking forward to me leading a lesson, which is evidence that they value me as an educator and my teaching style to brighten up the ordinary course of instruction, i.e., lecturing. One of the areas in which I need growth, but more specifically, experience, is effective communication. I know that I will be able to practice this skill in my own classroom, and already have a few ideas on how to meet this standard fully.

ELEMENT A: Teachers demonstrate knowledge about the ways in which learning takes place, including the levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students.

Rationale:
Artifact 1 is one of the lesson plans for the Native American Heritage Month unit. This lesson plan demonstrates my knowledge about how learning takes place. Mapping out a detailed plan, including elements such as a Rationale, Procedures, and Differentiation, proves that I know what is necessary for student's overall development of learning about Native Americans and the complexities of their heritage and the celebration of Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month.

Artifact 2 is from the slideshow presentation I created for this lesson. It shows my willingness to include the levels of intellectual, social, and emotional development of students by acknowledging that there may be areas of this lesson that may cause an emotional response and letting them know that this is a safe place for growth and knowledge and that myself, my co-teachers, and the psychologists are there for them. They also have writing time throughout the lessons to reflect on their feelings, learning, and what they find interesting.

Artifact 1

Artifact 2

ELEMENT B: Teachers use formal and informal methods to assess student learning, provide feedback, and use results to inform planning and instruction.

Rationale:
I decided that the best way to assess the music project fully was to utilize a combination of teacher assessment, peer evaluation, and audience response, which strongly aligns with Colorado State Standard Element B, which emphasizes the use of various assessment methods to inform instruction and provide constructive feedback to students.

Artifact 1 is the formal assessment that allows me to gauge the group's performance in meeting the criteria found in the rubric. Artifact 2 is the Peer Evaluation (informal assessment), which encourages students to actively engage with the music project and provide constructive feedback to their peers. This helps students develop critical listening and analytical skills and fosters a sense of responsibility and support among the group. Students often offer unique perspectives on their peers' performances that can provide insights I might overlook and contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of student work.

Artifact 1

Artifact 2

ELEMENT C: Teachers integrate and utilize appropriate available technology to engage students in authentic learning experiences.

Artifact 1

Rationale:
Iale International School is an Apple product-friendly campus; students and teachers are equipped with the latest edition of iPads, and teachers are issued MacBook Pros. Therefore, meeting Element C was one of the most straightforward tasks. Over the course of the semester, students used their iPads with nearly every lesson I created.

I introduced a few new apps for students to engage with the lessons in an interactive and fun way. Artifact 1 is the Personality Quiz (Typeform) I created for the Values unit in Critical Thinking class. Instead of using a formal Google Form, I decided to try Typeform's platform to make an interactive quiz in hopes that it would increase student's willingness to participate. They thoroughly enjoyed it!

Artifact 2 is the bare-boned quiz I created for the Bachillerato 1 class on reviewing past and future tenses (Quizziz). The actual quiz students engaged with was more game-like and interactive than the artifact, although students were able to use this as a study guide before the end of the unit exam.

Artifact 3 is the Audience Feedback (Mentimeter) for the music project that simulates real-world performance scenarios. Audience responses, such as applause, reactions, or comments, offer immediate feedback on the quality and impact of the performance. This feedback can motivate students and help them understand the audience's perspective. The feedback from an audience can serve as a valuable source of inspiration and motivation for students, helping them recognize the value of their artistic work and driving them to find more ways to use their creativity.

Artifact 2

Artifact 3

ELEMENT D: Teachers establish and communicate high expectations and use processes to support the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Artifact 1

Rationale:
To illustrate meeting this element, I chose to use the Brainstorming Lyrics Google Docs that were created by myself and both of the Oral English classes. I thought it would be helpful for the students to model how to brainstorm and work together as a team to make the lyrics for their songs.

Artifact 1 was made with the first class. We came up with a list of different topics we could choose from, including subtopics to pinpoint what the song would be about specifically. Once we figured out the specifics, we expanded that procedure by highlighting key concepts to use in the song. As shown, the topic was "First Time In Spain" but more specifically "Visiting Valencia." Some of the highlights included places and celebrations exclusive to the city; with that, we could use rhyming and other elements to create the lyrics for the song.

In addition to the slideshows and verbal communication of the expectations of this project, I believe this Artifact showcases how modeling and working together as a class equips students with tools to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They could use this example to create their lyrics for the project. This same concept was modeled in the other class as well.

ELEMENT E: Teachers provide students with opportunities to work in teams and develop leadership.

Rationale:
One of the most important things I've learned during my student teaching experience is that group assignments are the best way to encourage language use in the classroom. The music project was the students' favorite assignment in the Oral English course! It was also one of the most challenging that they've had because they were in charge of figuring out how to work as a team rather than individually. Although I chose the groupmates, the students were responsible for delegating the roles in their groups. Like most popular music groups, one team member gravitates to the primary or lead role, and others must agree with who that is. This project allows students to identify their strengths and develop leadership skills in various aspects of the songwriting process. It encourages them to take initiative, make decisions, and guide their peers towards a shared objective.

This project also challenged students to solve creative problems and make decisions collectively as a group. Through these experiences, they learn the importance of consensus-building and negotiation, vital elements of effective leadership and teamwork. Effective communication is a crucial component of teamwork and leadership. Students had to express their ideas, provide constructive feedback, and actively listen to their peers during songwriting. Students improved their verbal and non-verbal communication skills by engaging in group discussions and presenting their work to the class, which is essential for effective leadership and teamwork. This project promoted an environment where students appreciate and respect the differences among their peers, fostering inclusivity and teamwork. It also allowed students to explore and understand the power of diversity in creative endeavors.

ELEMENT F: Teachers model and promote effective communication.

Rationale:
Unfortunately, I did not have access to Google Classroom or any other apps and programs teachers at Iale used in the classrooms because the technology coordinator decided not to grant me access. This made it hard for me to communicate specific things to students without relying on my mentor teachers to get it done. However, in all of my lessons, I made it a habit to give students my email address so that they could reach out with any questions or concerns that they may have.

This Artifact is a screenshot taken from one of the documents I created for students, reminding them to contact me if their video playlist didn't work while they completed homework. This is an example of how I was able to promote effective communication with students outside of the verbal interactions we had during the semester.