Proposition 2: Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Students
NBCTs have mastery over the subject(s) they teach. They have a deep understanding of the history, structure and real-world applications of the subject.
They have skill and experience in teaching it, and they are very familiar with the skills gaps and preconceptions students may bring to the subject.
They are able to use diverse instructional strategies to teach for understanding.
Artifact 1: Multi Modal Writing Portrait
Science instruction is as much about the skills as it is about the content. Science is done by scientists, and students must learn about science by doing science like scientists. One of the key skills in science is communication. Scientists write their findings and share information with one another. Artifact #1, the Multi Modal Writing Portrait, is a Padlet project that shows how I teach writing within the context of my science classroom. This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of how to teach scientific skills to my students and reflects my understanding of the application of this skill to the real world. The Multi Modal Writing Portrait provides evidence that my instructional practices include a wide range of strategies, including white boarding, modeling concepts with numbers and graphs, written communication, frequent feedback, peer collaboration, and dialoguing among students and between students and the instructor. There is evidence for all three indicators of proposition 2 present in this artifact.
By completing this Multi Model Writing Portrait, I had the opportunity to reflect on my writing instruction. I recognized areas that need strengthening in my writing instruction. Students need more direct instruction in writing. Since then, I have created more samples and exemplars to assist students in learning the style and format for technical writing. It was also revealed that student writing could be improved by involving students in peer reviewing. I am currently creating the classroom conditions and protocols for that to take place this year. A third area for improvement I uncovered is in the use of digital lab notebooks. I have not yet resolved this, but it is still a goal I will work toward as I am learning about the available technology at my new school. Even today I learned about a digital lab interactive technology that will help me move students in the direction of digital lab notebooks. In science, professionals must adjust their methods as new technologies become available. It is appropriate that I do the same as a teacher of science. This attitude is at the heart of proposition 2.
Rationale 1
Reflection 1
This is a video I created about the chemical concept called Le Chatellier's Principle. I made it so students could watch the chemical demonstration multiple times to gain a better understanding. There are written guiding questions that accompany the video so it can be used by other teachers as well. It is also helpful for students who are absent on the day of a demonstration. A student helped with the demonstration as an independent study project. This video provides an example of both knowing the subject and also how to teach the subject to students.
Artifact 2: Chemistry Learning Plan
Rationale 2
Artifact Two is a sample learning plan for a unit of chemistry. This unit addresses the big idea, "What is matter made of and how do we know?" This unit introduces learners to thinking at chemistry's small scale, which is an abstraction that challenges students at this age. Instead of having students learn only what the current model of the atom is, students learn the historical progression of atomic models. This gives students an opportunity to consider how science is done and how beliefs and technology influence and are changed by scientific discoveries. In this learning plan there are activities in which students read about historical events, watch videos about how chemistry problems are solved, collect data and make first-hand observations that support the atomic models used, and reflect on how data can be used to make an argument. The variety of activities included in this learning plan addresses the needs of a variety of learning styles. There are activities that support learners who need additional practice and for those who need additional challenge. For these reasons, Artifact Two demonstrates all three indicators of Proposition Two.
Reflection 2
Reflecting on this Artifact reminds me of the importance of establishing the interconnectedness of the subjects we teach. While it is possible to look at chemistry as a separate subject, it is a richer and more meaningful experience to consider chemistry in the context of history, mathematical applications, technology, ethics, the environment, medicine and all types of current areas of research. By including readings, videos, and in this unit, audio links to special topics in each unit, students are guided in understanding the real-world applications of the content and can build meaning that is relevant to their own interests. This year, a student approached me about starting a science club. The main purpose of the club is to read and share about current scientific research and to invite guest speakers to talk about their research or work in scientific fields. We have scheduled a speaker to come to our school to talk about his research in precision medicine, which connects to our biology and chemistry curricula. There are forty students signed up to attend the after-school event, indicating that students are interested in learning about the relevance of their studies.