inal Project Instructions
Final Project Instructions
Final Project: Achieving Standards-Driven Professional Practice
Overview:
The final project is your reflection on your professional practice of planning and implementing instruction. After reading the final chapter of our text and reviewing national and state standards, you will turn in an essay that includes a T-chart of your own professional practice alongside research-based practices and a self-assessment on a given rubric.
Effective teachers are continually self-assessing their practice as it relates to standards of best practice, critically reflecting on ways their practice could better reflect the existing research and educational theory, and refining their practice to provide students with the best education possible. (Herrera & Murry, p. 357)
Instructions:
STEP 1:
Course texts. Read chapter 10 of our Herrera & Murry (2016) text. Pay special attention to the purposes of aligning instruction to standards using research-based practice (pp. 358-360) and the section on planning, implementing, and managing instruction (pp. 367-372). This assignment loosely follows Herrera & Murrys text but has been modified to use updated TESOL standards. Follow these instructions, not the textbook. NOTE: At a later time you should complete a self-reflection of all 4 facets of the fundamentals of a platform for best practices with CLD students because of the close correlation to TESOL teacher preparation standards, but the final project for ESOL 884 is limited to facet 3: planning, implementing, and managing instruction
Guiding Questions. Read and reflect on the guiding questions below from Herrera & Murry (2016, p. 366)
Do I know the national, state, and local teaching standards and benchmarks for my content area, as well as those that apply to the appropriate instruction of CLD students?
In what ways do I use national, state, and local content and second language teaching standards and benchmarks as I plan instruction?
Which instructional method do I use to teach my students? What is the research basis or rationale underlying my chosen method?
How do I select the most appropriate strategies and techniques to differentiate instruction for students with varying levels of English and native language proficiency?
In what ways does my instruction build on the preferred learning styles of my students?
To what extent are my CLD students actively involved in classroom instruction?
In what ways do I support my English learners in reaching grade-appropriate content standards?
How and to what extent do I integrate language and content instruction?
What kinds of opportunities and support do I provide for my students as they develop their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in my class?
What kinds of supplementary materials do I use to support the cognitive, academic, and linguistic development of my English learners?
In what specific ways do I ensure that my CLD students have access to the same challenging curriculum as other students?
STEP 2:
Content area standards. Review the latest state standards for your content area. For Kansas, search KSDE.org
STEP 3:
National Standards for CLD Students. Read TESOL Standard 3 (below) regarding planning and implementing instruction. Note that the 2019 TESOL Standards for Initial TESOL Pre-K-12 Teacher Preparation Programs standards are more recent than our Herrera & Murry textbook. The newer standards are less prescriptive than the 2010 standards on which the textbook is based. Rather, they describe general required knowledge and applications, and are more reflective of the assumption that candidates act as highly-prepared professionals. (TESOL, 2019, p. 5)
2019 TESOL Standard 3 for Initial TESOL Pre-K-12 Teacher Preparation
Candidates plan supportive environments for ELLs, design and implement standards-based
instruction using evidence-based, ELL-centered, interactive approaches. Candidates make
instructional decisions by reflecting on individual ELL outcomes and adjusting instruction.
Candidates demonstrate understanding of the role of collaboration with colleagues and
communication with families to support their ELLs acquisition of English language and literacies in the content areas. Candidates use and adapt relevant resources, including appropriate technology, to effectively plan, develop, implement, and communicate about instruction for ELLs.
Standard 3a. Candidates plan for culturally and linguistically relevant, supportive environments that promote ELLs learning. Candidates design scaffolded instruction of language and literacies to support standards and curricular objectives for ELLs in the content areas.
Standard 3b. Candidates instruct ELLs using evidence-based, student-centered, developmentally
appropriate interactive approaches.
Standard 3c. Candidates adjust instructional decisions after critical reflection on individual ELLs learning outcomes in both
