For the modules, one highlight I saw was the strategy involving rubrics. My students have needed a rubric once this year. With one class I put it up on the board and discussed it, and with the other I gave them a handout with explanations. In both cases, I feel like the students who paid attention to it gave the best performance because they knew what was required of them.
The Instructional Inquiry cycle seemed like a good way to help focus my instruction on my assessments, both formative and summative. My school is very data-based, so it's important to me that I find strategies that make assessment more valuable.
Lastly, I love what the module said about vocabulary lists. This was an area where I was looking for strategies, and I particularly like the tiered system the Powerpoint mentioned. It's similar to the QHT strategy from Springboard, but these tiers do a good job of ranking the words by importance and usefulness to the student, which I think will make material connect more with the students, which is an NEPF instructional standard in this state.
MMDI personality test
When I took this personality test, it said the results were close for different personality types. ISTJ was the highest score, but ISFJ was a close second.
I over E: 59-41
S over N: 56-44
T over F: 52-48
J over P: 58-42
How did your personality affect your choice of content area?
The test I took suggests that, when I am in an extroverted, people-oriented mindset (like I would have to be as a teacher), I like to tackle topics as they come up. Because the English language has so many interconnected parts, I have had many opportunities to go on tangents and talk about other topics, which would line up with this assessment.
Sensing personalities prefer concrete information over areas open to interpretation, which does make English, which increasingly becomes about interpretation, an awkward fit, which might explain why I prefer the middle school level, where the conventions of English are still somewhat controlled.
My logic vs. values section was nearly even, and the test indicated I may seek a balance between the two. This may explain my change in careers. While journalism necessitates truth and logic, it's a job that requires the person to take the emotion out of their work to maintain objectivity. While being objective and fair are values to me, I do like to add a personal touch when I pass on information.
My last section indicates I prefer things to be controlled over being spontaneous. I would agree, which would explain why I have enjoyed having Springboard to help me plan out lessons and set a class schedule and structure.
How does or will your personality affect your relationships with your students?
Based on these results, my classes will have plans laid out, but I may deviate if a question allows me the opportunity to connect the lesson to another area. I will need to be sure that if I do this, my thought process is clear so that the students are not lost. I will want a structure in the room, so poor behavior and chaos will be tolerated less. With that said, because I have a desire to understand people and provide solutions to problems, I should be able to separate the student from their poor behavior and not begrudge them after the situation has been managed.
One issue, especially in middle school, will be pushing myself to be a little more extroverted, if only to be cognizant of whether the students are emotionally invested in the class or not. If they are not, it will fall on me to bring the class back to focus.
Teaching and Learning Styles test results
Felder/Solomon learning styles: Active vs. Reflective - Reflective 11
Sensing vs. Intuitive - Sensing 7
Visual vs. Verbal - Verbal 7
Sequential vs. Global - Sequential 1
Teaching test (Grasha) - Expert: 3.875; Formal Authority 3.75; Personal Model 3.35; Facilitator 3.5; Delegator 2.75
Student learning (Grasha) - Independent 4; Avoidant 2.6; Collaborative 2.6; Dependent 3.5; Competitive 3.6; Participant 3.6
How will your teaching and learning style affect your teaching and your students' abilities to be successful?
Because I prefer to receive information and think about it, I have to make a conscious effort to plan group activities and active practice for the students who do not learn the way I would. I also may need to seek suggestions from other teachers on activities because I do not naturally think in a collaborative manner.
I like to be a resource to my students, so my teaching will probably cover material I know inside and out so that I can provide the best information to them. I like to make things as easy for my students as I can from a logistical point of view, so I should invest in becoming strong at differentiation.
