The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Artifact:Classroom and PTO Websites
Date: Fall of 2009 and Winter of 2010
Rationale: It is my belief that teachers need to provide parents quick and easy access to the classroom through media communications. Accordingly, it is my priority as a teacher to create and maintain a classroom website. During my student teaching semester and for the long-term guest teaching job in the same classroom afterwards, I created and maintained a website for my cooperating teacher to foster communication with families. Prior to student teaching, I created and maintained the PTO website to foster school-wide communication. The below note was sent to parents to introduce the website.
Rationale: I believe that communication with parents is essential to a successful learning environment. Accordingly, I am including a sample letter written to parents.
Rationale: Classroom where all of the students have work displayed communicates that all children share the room and are valued. I am including some examples of how I displayed student work in our classroom and school. One of the bulletin boards is “Hanging Around in History” and reflects character analysis as part of a reading historical fiction genre. Another display of student work is “Our Class Looks Back.” This display was done during a personal narrative writing unit when students wrote about an important memory.
