Student+Teaching+Competencies

School of Education Student Teacher Competencies Here is an html file to use in your portfolio =Version 3: May 2, 2003=

The William and Mary Student Teacher Competencies represent the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through courses and clinical experiences in their professional preparation, culminating in the student teaching internship. There are 30 competencies, which are grouped into the following six domains:

1. Foundational Understanding 2. Ability to Plan, Organize, and Prepare for Teaching 3. Teaching Skills 4. Assessment and Evaluation for Learning 5. Classroom Management Knowledge and Skills 6. Professional Knowledge and Skills Within each of these six domains, there are 3 - 7 competencies. Competencies describe the core knowledge, skills, and dispositions that can be assessed in the practice of pre-service teachers. Accompanying each of the 30 competencies is a list of performance indicators. The performance indicators are intended to be illustrative--but not exhaustive--of specific actions that may be observed in the field.

Foundational Understanding
1. Demonstrates understanding of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge for instruction · Reflects knowledge of subject matter appropriate for grade level in lessons · Reflects understanding of pedagogy appropriate to subject matter · Understands the interrelatedness of subject area content

2. Demonstrates understanding of how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social**,** and personal development. · Demonstrates understanding of students’ cognitive, social, and emotional levels · Promotes student self-regulation · Promotes creativity and novelty in learning

3. Demonstrates understanding of the central role of literacy skills in student learning. · Understands the role of reading in student learning · Understands the role of writing in student learning · Understands the role of speaking in student learning · Understands the role of listening in student learning · Understands the role of viewing (i.e. interpreting visual representation) in student learning · Understands the roles of multimedia in student learning

4. Demonstrates understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning. · Creates instructional opportunities that accommodate diverse students (cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity) · Differentiates instruction to accommodate multiple ability levels (including special education and gifted education students)

5. Demonstrates an understanding of the purposes and roles of K-12 education. · Understands recent reform policies and expresses awareness of how these policies impact schools · Develops and expresses awareness of the vocation of teaching · Understands and expresses the roles and relationships among families, school personnel, and other community members

Ability to Plan, Organize, and Prepare for Teaching
1. Plans lessons that align with local, state, and national standards. · Clearly identifies intended learning outcomes for individual students. · Engages in day-to-day and long-range planning · Seeks innovative and creative ways to deliver the curriculum · Uses scope and sequence information to guide lesson design · Develops focused lessons

2. Selects appropriate instructional strategies/activities. · Accommodates regular, exceptional, and culturally diverse students · Identifies appropriate grouping (large/small) to facilitate learning · Identifies and selects activities/strategies that engage students · Plans effective homework and extension activities that enhance student learning and the home-school collaboration · Selects or creates appropriate assessment methods or tools that align with planned objectives

3. Selects appropriate materials/resources. · Accommodates regular, exceptional and culturally diverse students · Selects material that enhances the learning process · Uses outside resources as needed · Uses a variety of supplemental materials · Adapts and modifies materials as needed · Incorporates multi-media instructional technology

Teaching Skills
1. Teaches based on planned lessons. · Communicates objectives of the lesson clearly · Explains content accurately · Provides clear directions for student activities · Provides guided and independent practice of skills · Summarizes/Reviews major concepts of lesson · Modifies and improvises the lesson during instruction

2. Provides for individual differences. · Accommodates exceptional learners (special education, limited English proficient**,** and gifted) · Differentiates instruction to accommodate students’ multiple intelligences · Differentiates instruction to accommodate multiple ability levels · Respects and accommodates individual differences in culture, experiences, learning styles, and levels of motivation · Uses materials/activities sensitive to various types of diversity

3. Uses motivational strategies to promote learning · Employs extrinsic and intrinsic motivational strategies · Assesses motivational issues affecting student learning · Diagnoses individual motivational problems

4. Actively engages students in learning. · Generates enthusiasm and/or appreciation for the lesson · Helps students understand the relevance of the lesson to them · Paces the lesson to maintain interest · Uses learner-centered activities and assignments that give students multiple opportunities to respond

5. Uses a variety of effective teaching strategies. · Helps students link new information with prior knowledge · Uses cues and advanced organizers · Uses questioning strategies effectively · Helps students generate and test hypotheses · Uses cooperative learning strategies effectively · Includes nonlinguistic representations · Uses technology appropriately to facilitate learning

6. Helps students develop thinking skills that promote learning. · Promotes critical thinking strategies through questions and other inquiry-based activities · Promotes creative thinking skills through brainstorming, flexibility, and elaborative strategies · Uses problem-solving models and approaches that encourage student-initiated thinking

7. Monitors student learning. · Checks student understanding before, during, and after instruction · Provides timely and meaningful feedback to students about progress and performance · Adjusts instruction in response to student performance and progress

Assessment and Evaluation for Learning
1. Creates and selects appropriate assessments for learning. · Uses both formal and informal means of assessment · Uses oral, nonverbal, and written forms of performance assessment · Creates/selects assessment techniques that provide a reliable representation of student learning · Creates/selects assessment techniques that provide a valid representation of student learning

2. Implements assessments for learning. · Uses a variety of assessment techniques · Provides ongoing and timely feedback · Assesses achievement of local, state, and national curricular standards

3. Interprets/uses assessment results to make instructional decisions. · Diagnoses students’ prior knowledge and learning needs · Provides oral and/or written feedback to students and family members · Uses acceptable scoring and grading practices to evaluate and report student learning · Understands and uses student records to guide instructional decisions

Classroom Management Knowledge and Skills
1. Builds positive rapport with and among students. · Promotes positive classroom environment · Communicates enthusiasm**,** encouragement, and support · Models caring, fairness, courtesy, respect, and active listening · Exhibits professional demeanor with students · Fosters a sense of classroom community

2. Organizes for effective teaching. · Groups children for optimum learning · Organizes classroom for instruction · Has all materials needed on hand

3. Demonstrates use of effective routines and procedures. · Maintains appropriate pace · Transitions between activities in an organized manner · Implements efficient procedures for use of materials · Uses effective procedures for managing individual, small group, and whole class activities

4. Demonstrates efficient and effective use of time. · Uses discretionary time wisely · Demonstrates ability to use unexpected moments to enhance learning

5. Maintains a safe learning environment. · Maintains respect for rules and policies · Sets clear expectations and responds consistently · Intervenes when necessary to manage disruptive behavior · Models strategies for problem solving

6. Responds appropriately to inappropriate behavior. · Teaches appropriate behavior · Provides positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior · Redirects off-task behavior · Uses a variety of discipline approaches

Professional Knowledge and Skills
1. Demonstrates professional demeanor and ethical behavior. · Shows initiative and self-direction · Demonstrates effort and enthusiasm · Maintains confidentiality · Is punctual and reliable · Maintains professional appearance

2. Participates in and applies professional development. · Use educational research to inform teaching decisions · Actively and reasonably applies new knowledge of content or methods · Sets and acts upon professional growth goals · Attends school functions (e.g., PTA, faculty/team meetings, extra-curricular activities) · Holds membership in professional organizations · Shares professional learning with colleagues

3. Demonstrates effective oral and written communication. · Communicates effectively and appropriately with students · Communicates effectively and appropriately with supervisor, cooperating teacher, and other professionals · Communicates effectively and appropriately with families and other members of the school community · Initiates communication with family members and responds promptly to concerns

4. Actively and continuously reflects upon practice, leading to enhanced teaching and learning. · Demonstrates the ability to make informed instructional decisions based on continuous reflection upon past experiences, present instructional situations, and future instructional goals · Demonstrates the ability to make informed professional decisions based on continuous reflection of his or her knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes · Attends to the intellectual, emotional, and ethical aspects of the profession

5. Cooperates, collaborates and fosters relationships with members of the school community. · Shares innovative teaching strategies and materials with colleagues · Initiates and responds to offers of professional cooperation and collaboration · Productively participates in school-based teams, committees, and/or departments · Demonstrates awareness of school-community connections. · Demonstrates cultural competence in collegial interactions

6. Demonstrates potential for teacher leadership. · Has a whole-school perspective · Demonstrates basic knowledge of school administration and organization · Serves students and/or the school beyond the classroom