TPA Lesson Plan Response

I think that the most valuable item in the edTPA is the Formative Assessment process. More specifically the question targeting how we know that our students are learning the material. I could lecture all day in the best way that I know how, but if I am unsure that my students are grasping the material being presented to them, I am not fulfilling my responsibility as an educator. Secondly, I believe that the content of the lesson is very important, in the fact that it needs to be relevant and also relatable to the students. I think that for every lesson we as educators teach, we need to find a way to build on the student’s prior knowledge to assist them in connecting what they already know with new ideas, concepts and material that are going to be taught. Just a thought that I had about the academic language is that I have to sometimes remind myself that I am teaching a middle school classroom. I can’t just assume that they know what certain words mean, so what I have been trying to allow extra time within my lesson to have side discussion on words or phrases that the class may not understand. I have noticed that it helps immensely with the class’s comprehension and also keeps them more engaged taking breaks for side discussions.

The only important thing that seems to be missing in this edTPA is how we would/should assess those students with specific IEP or Section 504 accommodations. I have several students with IEP’s in my class and they sometimes require a different format of the test to accommodate their specific needs. I think that it is important that it is addressed in the lesson plan, so not to be looked over or forgotten. Sometimes certain students even need to be read the test questions; otherwise they won’t have enough time to complete the test in the allotted amount of time.

I have been using basically this same format when completing my own lesson plans, so nothing is really surprising. However, the very first time that I was introduced to this format a couple of quarters ago I was completely shocked and overwhelmed with the thoroughness and attention to detail that is has. I think that it is a great format, and am still getting used to using it, but would have never imaged the amount of work that goes in to each specific lesson. And yes, I know that this is a new format that is being introduced and many veteran teachers don’t necessarily agree with it. But in my opinion I think that even though it is more time consuming to prepare, it definitely has the student’s best interests in mind. It also ensures that the teachers are being thoughtful and thorough in their preparation. I really appreciate the step by step format that this example is in; it helps to see it as a layout, rather than a template of what to do. I think that this is easier to use when creating a lesson plan, because I can go down a list checking items off one by one, rather than the block format that I have been using.