Summative Evaluation of Practicum

Master of Teaching

Teacher Candidate: Katelyn Kurnik

Year: 1 Practicum Session: 1
Dates: October 31, 2016 to November 25, 2016

Associate Teacher: Lori-Ann Swanek

Grade level and/or subjects: Gr. 1/2
School: St. Dunstan Elementary School
Board: DPCDSB

PROFESSIONALISM
Katelyn presented herself in a professional manner at all times within the classroom and school environment.
She readily greeted and welcomed the students at the beginning of each day. Katelyn was punctual and always
prepared with her lessons and activities, and willing to shadow on regular teacher duties. She showed flexibility
and adaptability, as she willing accepted advice and shared her ideas and learning experiences with others. She
was able to adapt readily to changes in scheduling, often with little notice. Katelyn was able to realistically look
at the strengths and weaknesses of her lessons and took feedback well, applying new ideas and suggestions to
enhance her development as a teacher and lifelong learner.

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

Katelyn created an atmosphere of mutual respect and caring in the classroom by treating all students with
genuine kindness. Her warm personality, friendly disposition and genuine interest in the children enabled her to
develop rapport with all students. She was sensitive to the needs of a range of abilities and personalities in the
class. As she became more aware of the needs in the class, she made accommodations to her plans. She
grouped the students in ways that supported their varied learning styles, as well as interests, and used
instructional strategies that were inclusive, equitable and empowering.

INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL / COMMUNITY LIFE

With her genuine interest in the students, Katelyn has become involved in the daily lives of the children. She
shares in their stories and concerns. Katelyn had the opportunity to participate in the Staff meeting discussing
the All About Me-My Blueprint initiative. Katelyn observed and contributed her findings to a few parent-teacher
interviews. She also participated in our weekly Green Team Meetings and any incidental divisional discussions
that arose.

UNDERSTANDING CURRICULUM AND THE LEARNER

From personal experiences, Katelyn demonstrated her knowledge and comfort level with the primary
classroom. She was very comfortable with her interactions with the students at this age level. Katelyn worked
diligently to identify all key components of the curriculum she was responsible for, and to create learning
opportunities that best suited the students of the class. When she was unsure, she willing ask questions to
clarify what was expected. She worked very hard to adjust her lessons to incorporate the 6 year old learner.
Throughout all her plans, Katelyn demonstrated a thorough understanding of the importance to reach the
visual,auditory and kinesthetic learner. She used co-operative learning strategies, whole group and small group
discussion, one to one conferencing, games, manipulatives, oral presentations, and open-ended assignments.
The students responded positively to her teaching style.

ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION

Katelyn is a very dedicated and hard-working teacher candidate. She demonstrated a growing understanding of
the Ontario Mathematics curriculum and the diverse learning styles in a grade one class. Her plans were well
thought out and highlighted the big ideas and key concepts. Her plans reflected both daily outlines and long-
term goals that always considered where the students are at, and where they needed to get to. Katelyn
understood the need for flexibility in her plans and was always willing to adapt them, according to the needs of
the students.
Katelyn has been exposed to various planning and teaching situations during her block. She worked on 3 part
math lessons, Smart Board and Inquiry based lessons. She consulted and incorporated a wide variety of
resources to enhance her lessons and produced highly effective and creative visual aids that motivated the
class. Katelyn also worked daily with a small group of emerging readers and planned lessons using the Leveled
Literacy Intervention Program.
Throughout her teaching block, she embraced the importance of hands-on experiences in all subject areas and
the students responded in a positive manner. She is learning to pay attention to the many time constraints that
influence our day and starting to accommodate her pace and expectations accordingly.
Katelyn has developed and implemented a range of assessments for, of and as learning to coincide with the
units she planned. She ensured student completion of assigned work, and readily assessed student progress.
Katelyn co-created the success criteria with the students to ensure they understood what was expected of
them. She has developed assessment tools that included the students, e.g. conferencing, descriptive feedback
and rubrics that are directly correlated to the curriculum on daily basis. She is well on her way to incorporating a
variety of assessment strategies throughout the course of unit planning and delivery.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Katelyn's caring and calm manner, along with her patience and respectful nature, helped her create a positive
learning environment and a good rapport with the students. She used positive management techniques that
included verbal phrases and one-to-one conferences. She used praise for appropriate behavior, making use of
proximity and various attention signals effectively. Katelyn ensured that materials were always organized and
prepared ahead of time. She was aware of meeting not only the cognitive needs of the students but also dealt
with the emotional needs as they arose in a positive and professional manner. She did not hesitate to intervene
with individuals, small groups, or the whole class when it became apparent that clarification or further
demonstration was required.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Katelyn was a pleasant and valuable addition to our classroom. Her ability to adapt to the grade one learner and
the hands on approach to teaching has been a pleasure to watch. She quickly established her role as teacher
and promoted and safe and nurturing environment that the students responded to. I enjoyed working with
Katelyn and I am confident that she will be a welcomed addition to any staff team and a wonderful teacher to a
fortunate group of students.

Overall appraisal: Pass Fail