I spent my EDUC 350 practicum with the orchestra at Webber Middle School in Fort Collins every Tuesday and Thursday in the fall semester of 2024. I taught sectionals and individuals on all string instruments and conducted the whole orchestra several times.
At the end of the EDUC 350 course, each preservice teacher chose two teacher quality standards from the CSU Center for Educator Preparation, and chose an artifact for each to demonstrate how we learned to meet those standards during the course. I chose standards 1 and 3, detailed below.
Quality Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.
Artifact for Standard #1: “Daily Warm-Ups for String Orchestra” by Michael Allen
I have included this artifact because it represents the progress that I have made in proficiency in playing and teaching string instruments, and my string pedagogical knowledge.
I spent much of this semester focusing on my playing proficiency of string instruments. This is a critical part of my mastery of the content, and prepares my to be an experienced and expert string pedagogue. I had so much practice teaching and playing, and texts such as these warm-ups were instrumental to this development.
Quality Standard 3: Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction and create an environment that facilitates learning for students.
Artifact for Standard #3: 8th Grade Orchestra Lesson Plan
I chose this artifact because it represents my development in creating a positive learning environment for the students in the Webber Orchestra.
I struggled early in the semester with making a sub-optimal learning environment where students failed a lot before succeeding. I primarily learned that middle school students (and students in general) need smaller chunks with small successes. This lesson reflected my ability to create that environment where students are set up to succeed at each small step of the way.