Master of Arts in Teaching Portfolio

1. Master of Arts in Teaching Portfolio Bethany Barnhart

2. A little background • I received my bachelors from the University of North Texas in 2009 with a degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. • I then worked as a special education aide. • It was because of my time with these students that I made the decision to go back to school. • I chose the Master of Arts in Teaching, because I felt that this program would challenge me and complement the degree I had already obtained.

3. Presenting Behavior System Reading Practicum

4. Behavior System

5. Responsibilities Teacher Student Follow classroom guidelines Be respectful of fellow students and the teacher, so as not to impede on another students ability to learn. Actively listen and participate in class activities. Ask questions when they arise. When issues occur students will use critical thinking skills to brainstorm, with the teacher, over what can be done differently in the future should the problem arise again • Design a classroom management plan and share • Provide Positive Reinforcement • Through a reward system and affirmation • Give clear instructions and check for understanding. • Encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills. • Build relationships • Be a life-long learner. • Provide an environment that encourages learning.

6. Guidelines • By using guidelines students will be able to understand what we should strive to do in the classroom; instead of being given a list of what not to do. • Guidelines would be similar to the following: • 1) we will be respectful of our fellow students and their learning; • 2) we will listen quietly as directions are given; • 3) it is appropriate for us to keep our hands to ourselves; • 4) we will encourage each other.

7. Incentives & Interventions • Incentives: • A reward system will be in place for good behaviors such as • following directions • showing kindness to others • hard work in the classroom. • Students will be able to earn “good citizen” bucks, which may be redeemed. • These may be redeemed throughout the year at specified times. • Intervention: • Call attention to the class guideline that needs to be addressed, in a quiet manner so as not to embarrass or disrupt the entire class. • Redirect- prompt the student and help them to use problem solving skills to correct the behavior on their own. • Approach the student to address the behavior in a face-to-face manner while classmates are busy with other activities. • Remove the student from the immediate classroom to access the situation together. We will discuss what the appropriate consequences are for the continued disruption. • Discuss what the better choice would have been and then what might be done differently in the future. • As a last resort, the principal would be called and the student would be referred to the office, in a process that is consistent with the school.

8. Experience in the Classroom • During my student teaching there were a few areas in which I had to stop and think about how I needed to approach the situation. • As I said in my behavior management plan, each situation needs to be treated as its own. Each student is unique and so will respond to reinforcement and intervention differently. • With a school wide intervention plan I struggled to see how I could approach my students’ situations individually as I had planned. • I feel that I will learn effective strategies while in the field to determine how to effectively accomplish this. • ***Each day is a fresh start, the previous day’s struggles need to be left in the past.

9. Reading Practicum

10. Reading Analysis & Making a PLan • Lawson had some struggles in fluency during the miscue analysis and showed some struggle in the areas of comprehension during the retelling portion of the analysis. • He views a good reader as one that reads fluently. • His mother was concerned about his comprehension strategies for Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes at school. • From the data collected in the interviews, miscue analysis, and retelling, I decided to focus on helping Lawson to improve upon his comprehension skills and fluency.

11. Lesson Plans Making Inferences & Personal Connections. Story Mapping I modeled fluent reading Lawson will read the story aloud to me. Lawson and I filled out a story mapping poster boards. Identified the setting, characters, the problem, and the solution. Lawson read fluently and was able to answer all follow-up questions. • I modeled fluent reading by reading to Lawson. • Throughout the reading we will pause to make inferences or personal connections Following the first reading we will discuss our inferences and connections with one another. • For the re-reading of the story, Lawson read aloud to me. • Lawson retold the story and we will discuss anything new that we noticed in the story. • Lawson successfully made connections and to make predictions.

12. Final Lesson, Comprehension Strategy • Lawson’s favorite activity is art. And so for the final lesson, we did the following… • Reading: • I modeled fluent reading to Lawson • Lawson then read the story to me. Following the 2nd reading of the story: • Lawson and I each drew a picture depicting a meaningful part of the story. • Once we had drawn our pictures, we wrote down a few thoughts on Post its to place on the 2nd poster board. • Once the task completed, we interpreted each other’s pictures and the part of the story that they come from. • After discussing each other’s pictures we revealed our notes made on the 2nd poster board and discussed why we personally chose that particular part of the story. Did we connect with the character? Why was this part important to the story?

13. Reflection Outcomes • Before beginning our lessons, Lawson’s mother discussed a concern on comprehension and his grades on Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes. I followed-up with her after our lessons to find out if she had seen any improvement. She reported that Lawson had passed all AR quizzes that week, 2 out of 3 being 100s. • He showed an increase in fluency and began reading more often in the evenings with his parents.

14. Final Thoughts MAT Reflection

15. And so… • I chose these assignments because they encompass all of the Texas Teacher Proficiencies. • Reading practicum: • Learner-centered knowledge: I was knowledgeable of the content being learned and the activities that were to be implemented so as to guide my student. • Learner Centered Instruction: I identified what my student’s needs were in reading and implemented lessons that would meet these needs. Behavior System: • Equity in Excellence for All Learners: Each student is an individual and each situation should be treated as such. • Learner-Centered Communication: Effective communication with students, parents, and principals are essential for a behavior management plan to work. • Learner Centered Professional Development: A responsibility of an educator is a commitment to being a life-long learner.

16. Questions? http://bethanybarnhart.wordpress.com/