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Bjorn Hansen
TELLING MY STORY WITH MY PDQP 2
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to address my progress in understanding Domain A of the California
strengths and needs in this domain, what I can potentially change to become more competent,
and my rationale for picking each artifact in my PDQP for Domain A. Here is the link to my
The first thing I would like you to notice is that I have titled this section as Progress
Towards Competencies. I want to emphasize the word “progress” as it is key to being a teacher.
We never will be perfect but we can continuously push ourselves and progress to be the best
version of ourselves (Costantino & De Lorenzo, 2009). Now as we get into the California TPEs
we see that in Domain A there is one TPE. The Domain discusses “Making Matter
Comprehensible for Students” with TPE 1 emphasizing this through “Specific Pedagogical Skills
for Subject Matter Instruction” (California TPEs, 2013). At first I was a bit confused on what I
needed to do for this domain in terms of picking my articles as I was thinking too deeply into the
matter. After a while it just clicked, I looked at the bigger picture and realized that it is asking me
students understand the content material. Once I had this down I was able to quickly choose my
artifacts.
For Domain A I have three artifacts to showcase, with one of them being this paper. This
paper will allow me to show that I understand the language of what TPE 1 is expecting of me.
Another article I have included is a literature review. I choose the article titled The Matter of
Subject matter by Lederman and Flick, that talked about the importance of teachers
understanding the content that they will be teaching and at what level their understanding needs
to be at. It also discusses how it does not matter how well a teacher knows the content if they are
unable to use pedagogical skills, understand their students’ needs, and know the curriculum they
are teaching. The third article I have included is a basic lesson plan that I have taken and
differentiated in as many ways as possible. I think that this piece really shows my ability to see
where my students may need help and how I can change the lesson/instruction to fit their needs
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in being able to comprehend the material. As I continue to get more and more experience in the
classroom I am hoping that I will continue to grow in this area of teaching as it seems to be one
As I look at what I have included as my Domain A articles and think about my past
teaching opportunities I notice there are some things I do well and other things that I can
improve on. One of my strengths is my ability to identify where and when my students may get
confused. I think being able to predict and see points in my lessons that may be tough for my
students allows me to think of ways to differentiate the instruction and give multiple
explanations in various ways. I have a very student first mindset that I feel is necessary in
becoming a great teacher. I want to continue to have this priority in my mind as I continue down
my path.
One thing I think I could work on is really working with the material in the lesson before
teaching it. I have not done my student teaching yet, so most of my teaching experience is
through substitute teaching and asking personal mentor teachers if I can do a lesson in their
classroom. When I don’t write the lesson I seem to be a little bit disconnected from the content
as I focus to much on myself making mistakes of skipping over something. I think that as I get
more time writing my own lessons and getting in the classroom on a more consistent basis I will
Potential Competencies
As I read through the subsection for Teaching Science under TPE 1, I felt that I was able
to do everything that was listed. However, there is one area that I feel strongly about that I could
TELLING MY STORY WITH MY PDQP 5
argumentative and expository text in the content area.” (California TPEs, 2013). I feel that this
was something that was overlooked in my high school science experience. I was in for a rude
awakening when I got to college and was asked to read and write in a scientific manner. I know
first hand how important it is to be able to read a scientific paper and lab manual and to also be
able to write lab reports and scientific research papers. Teaching the basics will give students a
stepping stone into more complex reading and writing that they will experience in higher
education.
Rationale
professional development towards becoming a full time teacher. I have enjoyed reflecting on my
previous work and teaching ideologies. I think it is good to be able to look back and evaluate
what I think I do well and where I can improve. I want to continue to differentiate my instruction
to best suit the needs of my students. I want to work on developing scientific writing and reading
skills as they are vital for students who want to pursue a degree in science or even as a career.
Lesson planning and being confident in myself to teach will come with practice over time, but I
will make a conscious effort to work on it. Overall, I think that Domain A is the most important
aspect of being a teacher and I feel that I am on a good path to being competent in this area.
TELLING MY STORY WITH MY PDQP 6
References
prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf
Guide For Success. (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.