CSTP Growth & Development
Strengths
Professional Growth Goal: I will regularly communicate and partner with families to support student success and engagement.
CSTP 3
Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning
During my initial assessment, CSTP 3 ranked as my top strength. In particular, I believe my strengths are tied to my time working in the industry prior to teaching. Most of my curriculum is based on projects that I think students can relate to or have seen in the real world. For example, we have made buttons, stickers, and even t-shirts because I know that student engagement is imperative to learning. I also integrate different modalities to showcase understanding that helps me better understand where the learning is and isn’t happening. Variations in modalities have included the artwork, written responses, verbal discussion, etc. These modalities are designed to help my various learners (EL, SPED, etc).
CSTP 5
Assessing Students for Learning
While I initially rated lower on CSTP 5, I have found that this was my greatest area of growth this year. In particular, providing feedback to students as a means of continuous improvement and communication. I started the year by providing feedback mostly on Canvas (our LMS). During my inquiry, I took a survey to see which feedback students were responding to the most, and the students all had varying responses. What I learned from this was that I needed to expand the idea of how I execute feedback so that students and parents can get the information. During the inquiry, I expanded my feedback to be included on physical assignments as well as integrated more 1-1 conferences with students. The new methods of feedback will be in addition to the written feedback on Canvas, because it is one of the ways for me to communicate with parents.
Opportunities for
Continuous Improvement
One area I can improve on is CSTP 4, Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for All Students. While I understand the concepts of differentiated instruction, I have little experience with putting these concepts to practice. I am particularly interested in culturally responsive pedagogy. In order to expand my knowledge on the topic, I have signed up for an AVID summer conference so that I can network with other art teachers. I am excited at the opportunity to learn more about strategies to help support all learners!
Proud Moments
The best moments are those light bulb moments in students when they realize how they can connect these skills in the real world. Many of my students have an entrepreneurial interest - whether that is a business they want to start in the future, the small business that their family owns, or a current side hustle. Some students have taken the opportunity with each project to further build their company brand. From logo design, button marketing, t-shirt printing, and website design, the students get really excited when they can make their business look more professional. I constantly hear students talk about how their parents love the designs for the family business. One goal of mine was to make sure the content is always relevant. With the reactions I have seen, I am really proud that the students are immediately seeing the value of the skills they are learning in class. I am also proud of their ambition to work in order to build out their dream businesses.