TELLING MY STORY p.

Telling My Story

William Pomfret

National University
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Telling My Story

Domain A contains the TPEs:

 TPE 1: Specific Pedagogical skills for Subject Matter Instruction

 TPE 1A: Subject-Specific Pedagogical Skills for Multiple Subject Teaching

Assignments.

 Teaching English-Language Arts in a Multiple Subject Assignment

 Teaching Mathematics in a Multiple Subject Assignment

 Teaching Science in a Multiple Subject Assignment Teaching History-Social Science in a

Multiple Subject Assignment

 TPE 1B: Subject-Specific Pedagogical Skills for Single Subject Teaching Assignments

I believe that I am working towards mastery in TPE 1 and TPE 1B. Although, I am always a

work in progress, I see growth in myself every year on the job. Pedagogy has always been a

strength for me. I understand the material well and understand what material needs to be

covered so that students can become proficient in the subject matter. I typically am very good at

making the content relatable to the students so that they can understand the material. I try hard

to always include audio, visual and written aids for students to understand the material. This

school year, I have also worked hard to create accessible backups of all material covered in class

so that students can reference them any time they need to. The area where I could definitely

show more improvement is in relatability of material towards individual student interests. I

know how to make material relatable in a way that is understood, but tailoring it to student

interests is even better because it increases student engagement, which is one of the areas I most

want to improve.
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Making subject matter comprehensible to students can be an uphill battle at times,

especially when you are a high school mathematics teacher. The best solution I have found is to

make the subject important to the students. Believe it or not, grades are still not enough of a

motivator in today’s instant gratification world. Students don’t just do work because it is what

they are told to do. That is why it is so important to make the material matter to the students.

This is why I spend so much time structuring and restructuring my lessons to match, not only the

individual needs of the students but also their individual interests. One of the thing I do at the

beginning of every semester is give the students a student survey in which they answer personal

questions about themselves so that I can create questions and topics, within the class structure, to

engage those students. I truly believe that the key to getting students to understand material is to

make the material engaging to them. I realize there is a different TPE that covers engagement,

but I believe the two go hand-in-hand. Students complete high-level work when they care about

what they are learning and are engaged in the material. Likewise, students are engaged when

they believe they are capable of completing the work and being successful at it. Students that

feel that the work is too difficult for them to be successful often times become disengaged and

their effort level drops.

I believe that I know how to make the material comprehensible. I am very good at

translating mathematical language into language that can be easily understood and connections

can be made. The area I need to grow in most is in my ability to engage the students and create

an environment that makes students want to learn and believe they can learn. I believe that if I

can do that, I will see greater growth in my students’ ability to comprehend the material, which

will allow them to be more successful in the class.