Providing "Clear and Convincing" Evidence

 

Do not assume that the assessors will see and understand things from the video, student work or documentation. They look for what you tell them to look for. If you don't present it, they cannot count it as evidence.

The assessors are not in your brain to understand the teaching choices that you are making. Remember you must “set the scene” for the assessors. You need to give them a peek into your teaching choices.

Analysis and Reflection

Analysis and reflection overlap, but are not identical.  Analysis deals with reasons, motives, and interpretations and is grounded in the concrete evidence provided by the materials you submit.  Analytic writing shows the assessors the thought processes you use to arrive at the conclusions you make about a teaching experience.  Analysis illustrates the significance of the evidence you submit.  Reflection is the thought process that occurs after the teaching experience.  This is the thinking that allows you to learn from your practice about your content, teaching strategies, your students learning needs, etc. – How will this new information inform your teaching.

Analysis involves interpretation and examination of why the elements or events described are the way they are.  Reflection is a particular kind of analysis; it always suggests self-analysis, or retrospective consideration of one’s practice, in the terms of assessment.  Analysis is called for when a prompt asks how, why, or in what way(s).

When you are asked to identify a particularly successful moment in a sample of teaching and tell us why you regard it as successful, you must analyze.  When you are asked for a rationale, you must analyze. 

When you are asked what student performance suggests about your teaching, you are asked to analyze and interpret.  This means you are to use the evidence of student work to explain and illustrate your practice and to use your practice to explain and provide a context for the student work.  Ask yourself:

  • ·What did my students know before this teaching experience?
  • ·What did my students learn because of this teaching experience?
  • ·What did I know about my students and their knowledge before this teaching experience?
  • ·What did I learn about my students and my practice because of this teaching experience?

When you are asked what you would do differently, you are reflecting on and analyzing your practice.

Video Entries

Watch your videos carefully several times.  The first time you watch, watch with the sound off and concentrate on body language and facial expressions.

Choose the 15-minute portion to submit by gauging the amount of evidence a particular part of the videotape offers considering the NBPTS Standards on which you will be assessed. All video clips must be continuous and uninterrupted.  

When you have finished answering the questions, review your writing.  Reread what you have written with as fresh a view as possible.  Imagine as you read that you do not know anything about the unit or the students you have selected.  Is your writing clear?  Can you follow your thinking?

The video entries ask a question that focuses on the engagement of the students. It is very important that you cite specifics from the video that address the question. For example: Mary, girl in blue, could be heard to say, "Well I think we should try blah blah because...." This shows that Mary was applying the skills I had taught about....

Or... As the discussion was going on Colin, in hoodie, can be seen giving eye contact and nodding his head as the other students were presenting. This body language shows that he was applying listening skills that we had blah blah blah....

or.... Sarah turns to me and asks about...blah blah.. Based on my observation of the group and of Sarah I felt she knew the answer to this so I re-phrased her question and asked, blah blah. Her response shows...so I chose to...

Student Work Entries


You need to tell the assessors what they are looking at and what is important for them to see as evdience of your work. For example if your entry is about writing you might say: Initially, Mike had a problem with sentence fluency so I taught a mini lesson on using time order words.. On Mike's second draft, he edited his work to begin each sentence with different time order word. This shows that he was applying what he had learned from...

 

 

Thanks to all the great teachers on the MC-GEN-NBC yahoo group for these great suggestions!