Domain IV: Professional Development and Growth
Demonstrating professionalism in manner, speech, and actions
Fulfilling professional responsibilities
Asking, receiving feedback and acting on feedback
Proactively seeking professional growth activities
Assuming responsibility
Strengths in my practice:
Displays professionalism in speech, interactions, and presentation
Is respectful to students, parents and colleagues at all times
Prompt and responsive
Responds to parent concerns and needs with professional manner
Promptly responds to advisors concerns about students
Seeks professional growth within the community
Takes classes when available to further knowledge and skill of subject matter
Goals for professional growth:
Expanding my abilities in my subject matter, as well as in understanding the best way to teach it
Continue to research and innovate the music workshops in order to better serve our students and families
Continue to seek out community partnerships to improve our program
Continue to research available technologies to help assess and teach, and aid student learning
Continue to familiarize myself with new musical styles and developments
Continue to develop cross-curricular connections, in order to aid students in seeing the importance of their understanding.
Evidence:
Self-evaluation:
In the area of Professional Development and Growth I am at a Level 2, Application. Prior to my days at PACT most of my professional growth was aimed toward music making and performing. As I am at PACT I have enjoyed learning more and more about education and music education in particular. The guitar class I took after my first year at PACT helped me to overhaul my method of teaching guitar. Working with CYT helped me try out a class on teaching vocal solo techniques in a class setting. I am constantly seeking information and advice from my colleagues on how best to approach my subject matter in the framework of a homeschool community.One of the innovations to my teaching this year, has been exploring some of the Suzuki methods of teaching, in violin. It is interesting to see how this is received by different students. I am looking forward to further developing this into a hybrid of musical approaches. It is exciting to me to be working with so many exceptional teachers, and I thrive on the collaboration and the input I receive. I am actively assuming more responsibility when it comes to developing new workshops for students, and finding new resources in the community to help me improve my skills. This year my participation in local drama, music and performance groups have given me new contacts into the professional community, and new opportunities for professional growth. The recent classes I have taken in Jazz Education, and in Folk Dancing, have given me new areas to teach.
Looking ahead to the future I am looking forward to finding more cross curricular opportunities that can meet students needs, and help them to see connections between disciplines. I look forward to studying new and different methods of teaching, especially in teaching the non-reading student. I am also looking forward to researching the Orff musical teaching and developing a way to connect it to Jazz and improvisation.