Professional Growth Plan Reflection

Goal #1
At the beginning of the semester, it became apparent very quickly that I would have to learn to
differentiate at a much higher caliber so that my students would be given the opportunity to
learn at the top of their potential. I began researching different ways that classes and lessons
could be differentiated for, and eventually completed my professional inquiry project on
differentiation. Within my science classes, the largest obstacles I faced were learning to
differentiate for varying levels of readiness, and differentiating for English language learners.
Some of the strategies I used within my science class included leveled notes, group work,
hands-on learning, extended time periods and extension activities.
Within my science class, I had two students who refused to write notes. They also struggled to
stay on task and engaged. As I proceeded through the semester, I discovered more ways that I
could engage them within the lessons. I began using leveled notes with them, by printing off
copies of the smartboard notes and having them highlight the important definitions. I found
soon after that this version of note taking was too simplistic for them. I altered the notes by
removing the important words and having them fill in the blanks. This strategy worked
extremely well for the students. It allowed them to follow along and learn the information,
without stressing them out or causing them to become frustrated with the arduous task of
copying down pages of written word.
In addition to leveled notes, I also modified the unit tests that the students wrote. I had three
different levels that I had to achieve. I modified the program for one student as he was on a
separate program than what we were learning. I then created a standard test for the unit, and a
shorter test. The shorter tests included the same outcomes and blooms taxonomy levels,
however they included less questions.
I also found that using activities that catered to my students learning styles was key. For every
major topic, I focused on using three different learning activities to teach the topic so that all of
the learning styles were covered. Oreos were a favorite in the class when talking about plate
tectonics and earthquakes, I had the students write notes from the textbook and smartboard,
and I always talked the students through the notes and several examples.
Finally, I wanted to include activities that challenged the students and forced them to think
about science in a different light. I developed bonus activities that students were able to
complete. The students could pick a topic of their choosing within the unit we were learning
about. The entire project had to be completed in their own time, and then presented to the
class. Anyone who completed the assignment was entered in a draw for a prize at the end of
the week. I found this activity worked well to keep my top students interested in the unit.

Goal #2
The second goal that I set for myself this semester was to better inform students of how they
would be assessed on assignments, activities and exams. In order to succeed at this goal I began
to provide students with rubrics and marking sheets as the assignment was being explained. I
wanted to ensure that they understood exactly where their marks were coming from. I
provided rubrics for all experiments and performance tasks. I also had students fill out sheets
for self and peer evaluations. All of the marks were verbally and visually presented before work
on the assignments began.
Finally, when students were writing exams, I made sure to include how much each question
was out of and how they were to receive the mark, whether it was 1 mark for the definition and
1 mark for an example, or 2 marks for listing, etc.
I believe that by focusing on these two goals for my professional development, students were
able to succeed at a high level within my science and physical education classes. Students were
engaged and excited during learning, and they completed high caliber work during
assessments.