Bryan Van Pelt's bportfolio

Course goals/Program Standards:  Standard #9:  evaluate and use effective curriculum design Prior Thoughts:         Prior to this course I had two main thoughts.  First, I knew I had a lack of comprehensive unit planning, specifically in the middle school area.  My training and coursework thus far in my career did not prepare me for middle school general music, something that is uncommon. I have been designing the curriculums in a “trial by fire” method and relying on student feedback to implement necessary changes.  Second, I reflected on my assessment methods and realized I rely too heavily on a couple of assessments.  My methods are not diverse enough to ensure all students have an opportunity to display their learning in a manner that suits them.  Reflection: Through completion of EDU6524 I have gained new perspective on curriculum design.  The three big takeaways I will implement within my teaching are as follows...

Course goals:  1) to develop a sense of assessment vocabulary and conversation, and 2) to define and implement a strong understanding of sound classroom assessment practice and experiences within an authentic classroom context. Teacher Leadership Standard: Standard 11: Utilize formative and summative assessment in a standards-based environment Response : Prior to EDU 6613 I knew my assessment practices needed some adjustments.  The school in which I work, already uses standards-based grading, and we have received quality instruction prior to implementation, on how best practice principles regarding this assessment style however I still did not feel confident in the ways I assessed students.  Even though the two areas of weakness come before and after the assessment, these two areas of improvement are apart of the larger assessment field.  These two areas are: 1) Communicating learning expectations to students. 2) Giving effective feedback in d...