Pathwise Orientation

1. Pathwise Orientation Information for EDU 325 Practicum

2. Pathwise Has 19 Criteria organized into 4 domains The four domains are � Organizing content knowledge for student learning Creating an environment for student learning Teaching for student learning Teacher Professionalism

3. A Pathwise Observation Gives new teachers an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities naturally, in a variety of ways. Helps practicing and 1st year teachers recognize their strengths and their weaknesses. When weaknesses are identified, mentors can provide coaching to the teacher.

4. Doman A - Planning Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning Domain A focuses on how teachers use their understanding of students and subject matter to decide on learning goals. It is concerned with how the teacher thinks about the content to be taught and organizes instruction to benefit the students.

5. Doman A has Five Criteria Pat�s Evaluation Prior Knowledge (A1) Becoming familiar with relevant aspects of students� background knowledge and experiences. Articulation (A2) Articulating clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate to the students The Connections (A3) Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and the content that remains to be learned in the future Select Sources (A4) Creating or selecting evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson Evaluation (A5) Creating or selecting evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson

6. Criterion A1 How can a teacher find out about students� background knowledge and experiences? How can a teacher find out about students� foundation for understanding of the content? Why is it important to become familiar with students� background knowledge and experiences?

7. K-W-L

8. KWL Example

9. Understanding Students � Means Learning about MASLOW

10. A1 � Background Experiences Teaching entails building bridges between the content to be learned and students' background knowledge and experiences. Therefore, teachers must become aware of these experiences. The extent to which it is possible for teachers to become familiar with the various aspects of individual students' background knowledge and experiences may be affected by many factors, such as the number of students in the classroom and the amount of time each day that the teacher spends with a particular group.

11. A1 Positive Evidence Teacher gathers information on students' background and experiences from files, permanent records, and IEPs. Teacher communicates with parents or guardians to gather relevant background information. Teacher communicates with previous teachers and support staff to gather relevant background information. Teacher observes students in home environment (e.g., during home visits) to gather relevant cultural information. Teacher interviews students to become familiar with students' background experiences. Teacher is aware of cultural, language and socio-economic differences of his/her students.

12. A1 � Negative Evidence Teacher is unaware or ignores cultural or language differences of students. Teacher has not communicated with parents. Teacher has not solicited information from prior teachers or support staff. Teacher is unaware of students' background academic knowledge or experiences

13. Criterion A2 Articulating clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate to the students. Goals: The broad purposes or learning outcomes of a program. Objectives: Sub-goals or learning outcomes of a course within a program.

14. Characteristics of learning outcomes or goals They use verbs that indicate how the student work can be observed. They focus on what the student should do, not what the instructor teaches. They reflect what students should be able to do after a course or lesson ends, not simply what they do during the course. They usually can be assessed in more than one way. They can be understood by someone outside the discipline. Learning objectives specify both an observable behavior and the object of that behavior. For example: Students will be able to write a letter.

15. More on A2 � Writing Learning Goals Note that the verb you choose will help you focus on what you assess. The more specific a verb is the easier to assess than a more broad example. For very specific help on what types of verbs to use � turn to Bloom�s Taxonomy.

16. Bloom�s Taxonomy Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts as the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order which is classified as evaluation.

17. Bloom�s Taxonomy

18. A2 continued Regardless of the kind of goals involved, the teacher should be able to articulate how the students' actions, attitudes, knowledge, and/or skills will be modified or enhanced through their participation in the lesson.

19. A2 Positive Evidence Teacher states clear, specific goals for the lesson. Teacher goals state clearly what the students are to learn and are not activities (what the students are to do). Teacher goals are appropriate for the lesson, ability levels, class size and planned activities. Teacher goals are appropriate for groups and individual student needs. Teacher can state how the students' actions, knowledge and/or skills will be modified or enhanced by participation in the lesson.

20. A2 Negative Evidence Teacher does not state clear or specific goals for the lesson. Teacher states an activity rather than a goal for the lesson. Teacher makes no modifications for individual students. ( learning levels, handicapping conditions) Teacher does not have goals that are relevant to the lesson. Teacher cannot explain why the goals of the lesson are relevant to the students.

21. A3 - Connections Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and the content that remains to be learned in the future. Here the teacher should SEQUENCE the lessons to show how the content relates to prior learning and future learning. If sequencing is outside the teacher�s control, the teacher should identify and explain connections and relationships.

22. A3 Positive Evidence Teacher states how the content of the current lesson relates to previous lessons and lessons to be taught in the future. Teacher can explain how the content of the current lesson fits into the subject matter as a whole. Teacher sequences the lesson appropriately and may use task analysis or forward chaining/backward chaining. Teacher can explain how the lesson meets the needs of the students (fits with goals, IEP, pretest results). Teacher develops and uses long term planning.

23. A3 Negative Evidence Teacher did not explain how the content of the lesson relates to previous or future lessons. Teacher does not summarize and tie the lesson into future learning. Teacher cannot explain how the current lesson fits into the subject matter as a whole. The lesson is not logically sequenced (such as a chapter is skipped in history which makes the lesson chronologically incorrect).

24. A4 � Methods, Activities, and Materials Creating or selecting teaching methods, learning activities, and instructional materials or other resources that are appropriate to the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson.

25. A4 continued Methods � various ways in which teachers can structure learning activities. What teachers do. Activities are concerned with what students do. Activities can range from large group to small group to individual activities. They should enhance the learning experience regardless of the format. These can be created by the teacher or come from a book, but the teacher should be able to give a rationale for why they are being used.

26. A4 continued Materials � are concrete resources that students use to learn the content of the lesson. However sometimes, no materials are needed. Methods, materials, and activities must be aligned with each other and with the goals of the lesson.

27. A4 Positive Evidence Teacher uses a variety of methods/materials to accommodate different learning styles. Lessons and activities are developmentally appropriate. The resources, materials, activities, methods, and size of groups relate to content, goals and objectives of the lesson. Accommodations are made for student differences/disabilities (written test on tape for a visually impaired student). When using a single activity or lesson the teacher is able to explain how the individual needs of the group are met through this lesson.

28. A4 Negative Evidence Teacher does not use methods/materials to accommodate different learning styles (teacher reads the material in English and 50% of the class speaks only Spanish). Teacher uses limited materials and teaching methods. Lesson is not developmentally appropriate to the needs of the students. Teacher does not make modifications for students with differences/disabilities (hearing impaired student is seated in the back of the classroom). Teacher cannot explain why the activities or materials/methods are appropriate for the class as a whole or for individual students.

29. A5 � Evaluation Strategies Creating or selecting evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson. If the goals of relate to individual student learning, then the evaluation should too. If the goals relate to small or large group outcomes, then evaluation should also.

30. A5 � Evaluation continued Evaluation can take many forms � Teacher made tests Student portfolios or work sampling Chapter tests from a book Observation Self evaluation Peer Evaluation Whatever the strategy, it should be systematic and provide the teacher with useful information about the extent to which the instructional goals have been met.

31. Work Sampling Let�s take a look at a handout on the Work Sampling method of evaluation. We�ll also look at the related method evaluation by portfolios.

32. A5 Positive Evidence Teacher uses evaluation tools that match the goals of the lesson. There is evidence of curriculum based assessment. Teacher evaluates on a frequent and on-going basis. Evaluations are presented in a variety of formats (written and oral) and are well designed. Teacher uses the results of the evaluations to plan for future instruction, to re-teach, or to group students.

33. A5 Negative Evidence Teacher does not evaluate student learning. Evaluation does not match the goals of the lesson or does not test the original objective. Teacher does not evaluate on a regular basis. Teacher only uses one type of evaluation method. Teacher does not act upon the results of the student evaluation in her future teaching. (Testing shows that students have not mastered a concept but teacher moves on to the next concept.)