Standard 3B: Implementing and Managing Standards-Based ESL and Content Instruction
The artifact I chose for Standard 3B is from of ESC 790: Workshop Curriculum and Materials Development. Again, this class served as my edTPA seminar, so all of the artifacts that I share from this course come from some part of the required materials needed to complete the edTPA. In this case, I’ve shared my instructional commentary. This artifact demonstrates my ability to manage and implement a variety of standards-based teaching strategies aimed at all four modalities.
The instructional commentary required the most work of the edTPA documents and was also the most useful. In creating this commentary, I was required to go back and watch over three hours of video of myself teaching a small group of ELLs. This process showed me what I do well; it also showed me some of the holes in my classroom management and teaching.
Watching the video of my instruction was enlightening. I had a group of five ELLs during my edTPA and, as an ENL teacher, I work in a lot of small groups. I realized that my students were spread out throughout a room built for 30 students during my first lesson. Something that is obvious and necessary, seating a small group together, hadn’t occurred. This reminded me that everything needs to be explicit, including the use of space in a classroom, if I want my lessons to be as meaningful as possible.
Writing the commentary itself was tedious, but useful. It forced me to think critically about my instruction and it confirmed my belief that I have a strong rapport with my students. In reviewing the video and writing, I am reminded that the strongest aspect of my teaching is my ability to elicit and build on my students’ responses.
The pressure of the edTPA showed me that I knew less about teaching ELLs than I had thought because I was forced to provide a justification for everything I did. The instruction commentary is where this doubt manifested itself most clearly.
At times, I realized that I could have been even more purposeful in my use of time and resources, i.e., I had multiple opportunities to engage my students using realia and I could have provided a worksheet that was differentiated even further. Yet, the process also made me a more confident teacher. I feel more purposeful in my lesson planning and instruction having completed the instruction commentary because I was forced to think about things that I’d never given such brainpower to before.
