Summative Evaluation of Practicum

Master of Teaching

Teacher Candidate: Nehan Afreen

Year: 1 Practicum Session: 2
Dates: February 13, 2017 to March 10, 2017

Associate Teacher: Maria Ugwu

Grade level and/or subjects: 4
School: Britannia P.S.
Board: PDSB

PROFESSIONALISM
Nehan consistently demonstrated a high degree of professionalism throughout the practicum. Each day she
arrived ahead of time to ensure that she was adequately prepared to carry out the days responsibilities. Nehan
immediately committed the timetable to memory, and was always prepared to provide supervision at e-breaks,
carry out bus duty, take attendance each morning, and take care of other housekeeping items. She was very
flexible when helping to coordinate the daily schedule, and she was able to easily adapt to any unexpected
changes and/or challenges. Nehan was readily available both at lunch time and after school to attend meetings,
assist students and other teachers, and help oversee extra-curricular activities (i.e., an inter-mural basketball
tournament). When planning lessons and providing instruction, Nehan fully engaged in the practice of responsive
teaching, and using both her own conclusions and feedback provided by her associate teacher, she w as able to
improve subsequent lessons, thus enhancing her development as an educator. Nehan worked collaboratively
with a variety of support staff (i.e., teaching assistants and ISSP teachers), in addition to the assessment and
planning she carried out with her associate. During staff and grade level meetings, she listened attentively and
was able participate in much of the professional dialogue using her experiences as a teacher candidate and
student of OISE. Her hard work and dedication enabled her to achieve a great deal of overall success.

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

Nehan demonstrated great deal of sensitivity to the range of abilities present in our classroom, and was
determined to plan and organize activities that would allow each of the students to experience success.She
always displayed a friendly disposition and showed a genuine interest in each and every one of the students.She
took note of each student profile, which included learning disabilities, autism, and students learning English as a
second language. Nehans lesson plans clearly outlined special accommodations in both the delivery of the
lesson and her assessment of student work. When uncertain of how to approach the unique learning challenges
of some of the students, Nehan would seek feedback from her associate teacher with regards to the type of
materials that would work best for her instruction, and what she should take into consideration when evaluating
student work. She also created a Student Learning Inventory by which she was able to gain a better
understanding of the strengths and weakness of each student.

INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL / COMMUNITY LIFE

Nehan developed positive relationships with staff and students in a wide variety of settings within the school.
She continuously took it upon herself to seek out opportunities to not only enhance her experience as a teacher
candidate, but also to make significant contributions to the general school community. Nehan interacted with
other teachers in the school and offered to help plan and organize activities for grade 1 students, setting aside
time during the e-breaks to do so. She also helped supervise students in an FDK classroom, assisting the
students as the prepared for outdoor play and tended to any of their needs. She looked for opportunities to
become an active part of the school community (i.e., assisting student scorekeepers during a basketball
tournament). She also showed a keen interest in learning about different programs by actively participating in
professional development workshops (i.e., a collaborative inquiry with a focus on consolidation as an integral
part of math learning).Nehan also created and opportunity to communicate with parents, drafting a professional
letter in which she introduced herself and described her role as a teacher candidate. This demonstrated her
willingness to establish communication with family members, further solidifying her rapport with the students.
UNDERSTANDING CURRICULUM AND THE LEARNER
Nehan demonstrated a great deal of knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. She was able to scaffold lessons,
progressively moving the students toward a stronger understanding of topics such as persuasive writing. Nehan
understood the importance of providing a concrete example of a persuasive letter that was pre-created, writing a
letter together as a whole group and then using activities such as debates to help strengthen the students
persuasive writing skills. Nehan also used the computer, document camera and projector as effective teaching
tools. She took time to carefully create visual aids in an effort to support student learning (i.e., creating a sample
power point presentation about a physical region of Canada). Nehan consistently used a variety of teaching
strategies that were sure to keep the students engaged, thus developing their understanding. The use of games,
whole group discussions, one to one conferencing and the use of graphic organizers all proved to be very
effective strategies throughout her practicum.

ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION

Nehan placed emphasis on specific ideas during each of her lessons, ensuring that each student understood the
concepts before moving on to the next stage of the lesson. She made use of a wide range of strategies in an
effort to meet the needs of the student. This included hands on activities, partnered activities, whole group
discussions and the use of technology. She ensures student completion of assigned work and readily assessed
student progress. She has been consistently involved in daily marking and independently developed assessment
tools. Her ability to mark student work quickly and efficiently, and provide quality feedback, left quite an
impression. Before leaving at the end of the day, Nehan ensured that all materials were prepared, the date was
written on the board, and the schedule was on display. Nehans exceptional effort throughout her practicum
sustained a very efficient classroom dynamic.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Nehan was able to effectively use existing classroom routines and management strategies, throughout the
practicum. The students responded very well to her requests and demonstrated an appreciation for the work that
she completed with them. When attempting to gain the attention of the students, she counted down, asked the
students to show her that they were ready , and used language that was respectful and caring when giving
instructions. She quickly recognized the importance of upholding high expectations with regards to student
behaviour, thus establishing an effective teacher-student relationship. She developed an excellent rapport with
the students, formed immediate connections, and gained their trust and respect. This resulted in smooth lessons
and an increase in student productivity.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Nehan has been a wonderful addition to both our classroom and school community. The staff, students and I
have thoroughly enjoyed working with her. She has a thirst for knowledge and it is clear that she enjoys teaching
and interacting with students. Her creativity, strong work ethic, and initiative all make her an excellent candidate
for the teaching profession. She has expressed an interest in continuing to develop her skill set by way of
volunteer work and we are all hoping that she chooses our school for that experience! Her future career as an
educator is sure to be a successful one!