Characteristics Of a Novice Teacher #5

The artifact I chose for this post is my learning cycle I developed for the science methods course last Fall. The learning cycle involved topic development, student interviews, and development for activities for all five phases; engagement, exploration, explanation, expansion, and evaluation. My mentor teacher I and developed a topic together (Natural Resources) as it was something the students don't get to spend much time studying. After the topic was decided we conducted interviews to get a sense of students' prior knowledge about the subject. We used the interview information to develop lessons and activities to introduce the topic, hook the students, expand and apply their knowledge, and assess their progress. I have decided to file this artifact under characteristic #5: "We believe the novice teacher should have an in depth knowledge of Pedagogy." I believe this artifact is a good representation of this characteristic because a major portion of the assignment was development of the teaching methods or strategies we would need to use in order to ensure student learning. Each phase demanded different types of strategies in order to be most effective. Sometimes I used cooperative learning groups, other times it was direct instruction. Each phase required me to use my knowledge of management skills to effectively monitor and evaluate the learning process. The learning cycle project was a great experience that helped me to further develop my pedagogy.