Ashley Blackwelder: Video Selfie Analysis

		Score (6/8/10)
Identifying What’s Important	I do a LOT of repeating, restating expectations. I came across as very impatient at times. Kids are quiet, respond to directions, but not always focused. I do a decent job of validating students' answers, even when I need to give them a little more guidance towards the topic at hand. Our expectations for this group and their assignment are pretty high. This min-lesson involves way more "stand and deliver" time than I usually like to have.	Proficient (8 Points): I focused mainly on my teaching practice, but did have to fight the urge to nitpick the superficial things.
Making Connections	Science Standard 3.L.5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how the characteristics and changes in environments and habitats affect the diversity of organisms. Social Studies Standard 3.2; 3-2.1 Compare the culture, governance, and physical environment of the major Native American tribal groups of South Carolina, including the Cherokee, Catawba, and Yemassee. ELA Inquiry Standards 1-5; Writing Standard 3 Theatre Anchor Standard 1: Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.	Proficient (8 Points): I mostly made connections between my teaching practices and the standards that I was trying to address through my instruction. It was hard at times to not try to justify WHY I sounded the way I did, because I knew about the students' behaviors leading up to the video clip.
Incorporating Contextual Knowledge	This group of 3rd graders has completed a lesson on tableau and explored a text set of Native American legends. Mrs. Register (reading coach) and I are working along with the music teacher to create an arts-based mini unit on creating their own legends. The students are researching odd animals of their choice and composing their own legends about the animal’s adaptations. They will share their stories through text and tableau. On this particular day, the students had completed a shared reading of the “Wise Old Owl” legend and designed their own tableaus for their classmates to analyze. This is not my class, and this group of students likes to push limits as far as trying to get out of work and wasting time. Mrs. Register and I both spent a great deal of time redirecting. We were also running short on our time with the class, and that shows in my pace and lack of patience for “wandering” students. This is a challenging task, and we are incorporating social studies and science content, creative writing, and application of our new design process. The students are mostly interested (because their animals are weird and acting gives them a chance to move and play), but the research and writing will be frustrating to some.	Advanced (10 Points): I can easily explain why I am approaching the topic/task the way that I am, along with my expectations for the students, because I am very familiar with the lessons leading up to this one, as well as the personality/behavioral diversity of this class.
Drafting Next Steps	Slow down and adjust expectations as needed. Some students will struggle and attempt to avoid the harder work that will go into the project. I need to remember that this is a LOT of new content/procedures at once, and be patient with them AND myself. We may get behind, schedule-wise, and that’s ok. Work with students to plan their stories and tableau performances. We are helping them to find interesting, factual information and turn that into a creative story. Celebrate the positives in the finished products. Remember that there will be all levels of writing and performance, and this is their first attempt. Remind the students of this as well, when we share. The process is just as important as the product here.	Advanced (10 Points): I began to adjust my expectations as I watched this video, because I realized just how challenging this task is. The activity itself is very much doable for these 3rd graders, but I have to remind myself that the process is more important than the product on this go-round. We've got our lessons/timeline planned out in a pretty manageable way, but it will also be important for me to adjust my approach and be sure to validate every student's attempts to tell their story in a creative way. They're doing great on the researching and recording information parts. The creating and presenting parts are still very much an experiment for all of us.

Total: 36 Points

This was actually not as painful of an experience as I expected it to be. Like most of us, I REEEEALLY don't love watching myself on camera, but I found it easier than I expected to really focus on my teaching practices and see areas of strength and those in need of growth. It was interesting to see if I'm doing a decent job of "practicing what I preach" to my fellow teachers...for the most part, I felt pretty good about what I saw. It also helped me to have a little more compassion for colleagues who complain about not having enough time, keeping students focused, etc. I'm fortunate enough to spend plenty of time in the classroom, so I get those constant reminders (and can now see the evidence!) that the struggle is real!