Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Merry Christmas



If you would like to share something with the cohort, send it to me and I'll guest post it for you.  :-)

Monday, December 7, 2015

A Teacher Answers Questions about NB Certification

I thought you might like this blogpost…  Especially the FAQ near the bottom of the page.

Enjoy your day!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Our Questions; Your Answers

At the November 19th meeting we asked some questions and here are your answers (Our commnets are in red):

How are you feeling?  Anxious, overwhelmed!!!  Scattered.  Disillusioned--I still don't know what I'm supposed to do! You do just need to choose an activity that we have suggested and start.  Bring a video recording to the December 15th meeting.  The questions I have aren't being answered.  Mentors have been trained and we aren't allowed to tell you exactly how to do this; it would be unethical.  We have to allow you to develop on your own time.  We can guide you but you do actually have up to three years to "get" this.   Tired.  Unsure if I'm National Board quality.  You WILL be by the time you are done with this growing process!   I have a lot of problems with students right now.  Stressed.  Behind on the timeline.  Remember that these are guidelines to help you and that you should stay as close to them as possible, but you do get to make your own choices.

What questions do you have?

*Where should I begin?  Do I have to have a lesson plan right now?  
*Are we going to get more feedback?  1.  Grad class assignments, yes.  2.  Video Recordings December 15th from your cohort members and mentors  3.  Component 2 rough draft--January 26th from mentors and cohort members.
*What should I do now?  Follow through on the "next step" answer you gave below.
*Where do I find component 3?  http://www.boardcertifiedteachers.org/certificate-areas
*Can I practice the test on the computer?  http://www.pearsonvue.com/nbpts/
*Is this really going to come together?  Yes.
*Can the video be from different days? What do your Component 3 Instructions say about this?   
*How do we get reimbursed for expenses? You should have received an email about this on November 20th.

What do you need now?  Video equipment.  Someone to video record me.  I need to download component 3.  I need to change the classroom I wanted to use.  I need more time.

What is your next step?  

*I need to borrow a classroom and decide if I'm in the right certification area.  

*I need to really dig in and do this--I find the format of the work boring and maybe I'm being distracted by the graduate course work, but I do think I'm already a better teacher.  

*I have to re-learn to be an elementary teacher.  I need to formulate meaningful questions and make a plan.  I need to decide whether to focus on learning or behavioral changes with my featured students.

*I need to get caught up on the grad class work.  I need to decide if I can even do this component 2.  I feel stuck because I don't think I'm using the right students.

*I'd like to find someone else in my certification area to talk with.  I'm floundering and trying to find my place.

*I need to get into the components.  I might only do Component 3 this year because there has been a lot of family illness, etc. to deal with.  I feel good about my ability to do the actual reflection and requirements.

*I'm working on Component 2 and can't really think about Component 3 yet (and I'm assuming that's okay because you all keep saying we can differentiate.)  I taught the lesson and now I need to type the answers to the Component.

*  I need to collate my permission slips, choose the best class, and work on both components over Thanksgiving.  I am almost ready to video record.

*I'm analyzing the student writing right now.  I don't know which students I will use as my featured students yet.  And I need to start video recording soon.

*I'm analyzing student work--where they are since my baseline data.  I'm practicing video recording already.  I'm making progress on Component 2 and I'm thinking about how to incorporate writing into math.

*  I'm been analyzing as I go along and now I'm planning my next unit of instruction to do a better job with Component 2 because I've learned a lot from my first attempt.  I'm revamping my unit plan and I'm also video recording this week.  One day I'm going to go to Starbucks to use their speedier internet!

*I'm not sure how much I should be involved in the tape of the students.  I'm focusing on Component 2, but I think I can get a video done this week.  

*I haven't even looked at Component 3, but I'm making good progress on Component 2.

*I am diving into both Components as you suggested.  I'm a little worried about the end product that I want to use for my assessment and I need help talking through this.


Keep up the good work.  You can do this.  You are already doing it.  :-)

Thankful for the Break

Good morning, NBCT Candidates!  I was thankful for the break--I hope you were, too.  Our next meeting is December 15th and you are supposed to bring a 5-15 minute video for your cohort members to help you analyze.  Melissa Lampinen will be modeling the analysis process and then you all will do some analysis yourself.

If you don't have a video to bring, come anyway.  Your cohort needs your feedback!  :-)

If you hate your video, join the club--I never had one I liked!  But the assessors liked them fine for what they were supposed to showcase.

Make yourself do the video, and if you need me to record you, let me know.  Even a student can record for you.  I used the iPad to record Mary and the sound quality is fine.