InTASC Standard #4

Artifact/ Rationale

Standard #4: Content Knowledge

“The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content” (InTASC, 2013).

Brief Description of Evidence:

In the spring semester of 2022, in my EDUC 233 Literacy Development Through Children's Literature class, I constructed a slideshow presentation on the central concepts of phonemic awareness which is one of the five pillars of literacy. The purpose of creating this artifact was to teach me as an educator how to improve my teaching by understanding different learning tools. I conducted research about what phonemic awareness is, signs that students are struggling, the importance, ways that can help teach this skill, and the age/grades that it should be taught.

Analysis of What I Learned:

Throughout designing and presenting my pillar of literacy slideshow on the topic of phonemic awareness, I learned about all five pillars of literacy through watching and listening to my peers present their own research. The five pillars are Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency Skills, Comprehension Skills, and Vocabulary. I had never heard of the five pillars of literacy therefore listening to my peers and conducting my own research I was able to learn how I can include these topics in my future classroom to make me the best teacher I can be by focusing on breaking down individual letters to understand what sounds they create on their own and when blended with other letters. One example of how I can do this in my classroom is by having a bin full of letters and a bin full of laminated objects in which the students can sound out the picture and match it with the correct letter, then they may flip it over to check their work!

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the InTASC Standard:

During my pillars of literacy slideshow, I was able to see all the important central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of discipline I needed to add to assure my students are able to master the content given. The central concept of my slideshow topic, phonemic awareness, is simply the ability to identify and recognize individual sounds in words. The tools of inquiry included asking questions, gathering knowledge, listening to experts, considering alternatives, and working together to plan for mastery (What Are the Tools of Inquiry?, 2022). I wanted to make sure my activity was well educated or well disciplined by being able to ensure my instructions were accessible and meaningful for all learners. I believe the theorist that best ties in with this artifact is Neil Fleming and his VARK theory. His theory focuses on all different types of learning styles (Cherry, 2019). Using Neil Fleming's VARK theory future learners will be able to visually see how to break apart sounds, auditorily hearing the syllables of words, and kinesthetically being able to manipulate and dissect the words, and read them by building their phonemic awareness. By using all four learning styles I can assure mastery in my learners before challenging them on more advanced content. As a future educator to expand my knowledge on different learning experiences to make sure all of the material is accessible and meaningful for all students to assure there is mastery of content. Once I researched my material and constructed my slideshow I then was able to present it in front of the class to teach my knowledge to my other peers to assure they are able to master the content in teaching future students in their classroom.

Citations:

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2013, April). Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0: A Resource for Ongoing Teacher Development. Washington, DC: Author.

Cherry, K. (2019, November 27). Are You a Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, or Tactile Learner? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/vark-learning-styles-2795156

What are the tools of inquiry? (2022). FIND ANY ANSWER. https://findanyanswer.com/what-are-the-tools-of-inquiry

Slideshow