​Teacher Work Sample
by: Christine Wiegel
Instructional Decision Making
Throughout the teacher work sample, I was constantly observing students pace of learning and interest in order to alter and redirect my instruction to ensure I was catering to the students learning needs and interests. There were several decisions I made throughout the course of the week that enhanced the students learning.
Instructional Decision 1
Instructional Decision 2
It was the day before the students would be participating in the taste testing and I noticed a child creating a list and putting checks next to their pictures. They were creating this checklist in the morning when they are in centers. Seeing this interest, and knowing how helpful visual representations are for English Language Learners, I decided to create a picture checklist to aid with students taste testing experiences. This decisions was a great addition to the lesson and I believe it really deepened the learning experience for the children. By observing students and seeing things that interestsed them, I was able to create an addition to a lesson that kept the students focused, and gave them a task while tasting the foods.
After the read aloud, I had planned for students to return to their desk and draw a picture of their favorite animal and watercolor it. The students were very engaged in the read aloud and were excited to create their animals. However, I noticed they were loosing interest after they had drawn their pictures. Instead of having students continue with their paintings, I gathered their drawings and dismissed the students to centers. I saved their drawings and allowed them to watercolor in centers for the rest of the week. This worked out very well. Students would come over to the watercolor table, in groups of 3, and spent more time on their paintings and gave more attention to detail seeing as they were not bored with the activity. I was able to read the students energy and interest level and adjust my plans to address their needs.
