Domain 3 - Instruction  

     “A good teacher, like a good entertainer, first must hold his audience's attention, then he can teach his lesson.” - John Henrik Clarke 

3a: Communicating with Students

3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques

3c: Engaging Students in Learning

3d: Using Assessment in Instruction

3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

     For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is watching students grow and progress. I love seeing that “light bulb moment” when a child suddenly grasps a new concept, or makes a relevant connection. Of course, the ultimate goal of instruction is to reach mastery in understanding. I practice constructivist techniques when creating my lessons. I believe that children constantly develop new knowledge based upon what they already know. I understand the importance of helping students access background knowledge, and relating new material to their everyday lives. I feel that hands-on, activity-based teaching is essential to provoke new learning experiences. Therefore, I form my lessons by creating an exploratory activity to supplement the instruction of each concept. Expectations are modeled and practiced in full group, small groups, and indepdenent work. In my opinion, it is important for every student to be actively engaged in the learning process, and have fun while learning. In catering to multiple learning modalities, I work to incorporated a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representation of each topic. As John Henrik Clarke indicates above, if I expect my students to remember the lesson, they must first be drawn into the content that is being taught. Instruction should never be boring. It is should instead be designed to feed curiosity, and inspire new ideas.