Summative Evaluation of Practicum

Master of Teaching

Teacher Candidate: Katelyn Kurnik

Year: 1 Practicum Session: 2
Dates: February 13, 2017 to March 10, 2017

Associate Teacher: Suzanne DiMauro

Grade level and/or subjects: 4,5
School: St. Dunstan Elementary School
Board: DPCDSB

PROFESSIONALISM
Katelyn demonstrated a high level of professionalism and dedication at all times within the classroom and
school environment. She went above and beyond the expectations that were imposed on her. Katelyn was
always eager to try new things capitalizing on any opportunity in order to enhance her skills. She arrived at the
school well before the start time each day, always dressed professionally, interacted with staff members in the
staffroom and around the school on a daily basis, and had a huge presence in the school. Her punctuality and
careful preparation of lessons enabled her to achieve success. She stayed after school every day to ensure
lessons were properly planned for the next day. She was very flexible and adaptable, ready to make changes in
her scheduling when necessary, and often with little notice. Katelyn and I developed a strong, positive, and
professional relationship. We planned lessons together, talked about assessment, and on many occasions
worked after hours together. We worked very well collaboratively. Katelyn always had great ideas and
implemented many of them to the school environment. Katelyn was easily approachable and interacted with all
staff members. She was always open to trying new things, taking risks, and she was adaptable and very
respectful at all times. She reflected on her teaching practice and implemented improvements throughout her
practicum. During our daily feedback meetings, she was able to self-reflect and applied new ideas and
suggestions in subsequent lessons. These practices enhanced her development as a teacher and a life-long
learner.

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

Katelyn has a friendly disposition and a warm personality. She has a genuine love for children, and created a
warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all students in the classroom. This same disposition was
transferred to all students enrolled in the extra-curricular program that she created and ran for the duration of
her practicum. She greeted every student each morning with a smile, and treated all students with respect and
care. She was able to reach and connect with students who were reluctant and shy with other adults. She was
sensitive to the needs of all students and their diverse abilities. She used visuals, manipulatives, and technology
effectively in her lessons, meeting the needs of visual learners, students with special needs, as well as English
Language Learners. She attained her personal goal of accommodating students with special needs during
lesson delivery and assessment, ensuring that all students could succeed in the classroom. Katelyn carefully
chose groupings according to academic abilities, learning styles, as well as interests. She used instructional
strategies that were inclusive, equitable and empowering. She worked closely with individual students as well
as with small groups, particularly during independent practice in math. This practice helped reinforce the
concepts taught. She was cognizant of which students had modifications and/or accommodations on their
IEPs, and made the appropriate adjustments to her lessons and assessments. Her unit in Dance incorporated
dances from around the world, teaching the students about other cultures and traditions. During Black History
Month, Katelyn read and discussed realistic fiction stories to the students, and in Social Studies, she taught an
art lesson inspired by Metis traditional artwork. She took these opportunities to discuss important events in
history and how they shape who we are today. During Family Life lessons, Katelyn had students role play
scenarios that demonstrated the uniqueness of individuals. Katelyn is sincerely devoted to the success of all
students. She has become more aware of differentiated instruction and universal design and has incorporated
many of these strategies in her day to day practice.
INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL / COMMUNITY LIFE
Katelyn was recognized in the whole school as a contributing member of our staff. She started a junior girls’
club called “Power Girls,” focusing on positive body image, building self-esteem, healthy living, and healthy
eating. About 30 girls signed up for the club and looked forward to returning each time. New friendships were
made, and Katelyn was able to reach out to the girls and create a safe space for them to speak freely and
openly. She planned meaningful, engaging activities each week. Through this club, Katelyn was able to meet
many other students in the school. Katelyn was also involved in judging the intermediate speech competitions
at the school. She worked alongside the school principal and other teachers. This gave her an opportunity to
not only work with other staff members, but to meet and interact with the intermediate students in the school.
On other occasions, Katelyn took time out to sit and read with the primary students in grade 1. Katelyn created
two interactive bulletin boards within the school and assisted with creating announcements about spreading
kindness within the school. She attended our monthly staff meeting and shadowed me during yard duties. She
acted as a contact for her colleagues from OISE, coordinating meetings, scheduling visits, and communicating
information. Katelyn was recognized as a very active member of our school community during her practicum.

UNDERSTANDING CURRICULUM AND THE LEARNER

Katelyn took the time to get to know the grade 4/5 curriculum, as well as the different learners within the
classroom. She recognized that she would need to differentiate instruction in order to be successful. Katelyn
varied her teaching strategies in order to create exciting activities for the students. Knowledge of subject
content was demonstrated with excellence. She reviewed the Ontario curriculum documents and ministry
guidelines regularly. She was very comfortable with using technology every opportunity she had. She posted
morning instructions on the Smartboard, and used the Smartboard interactively with the students during family
life lessons. She created many short PowerPoint presentations full of visuals, and sometimes embedding videos
when appropriate. She used a digital timer on the Smartboard during lessons, and she had students work on
inquiry based research projects on iPads, creating Book Creator files, which they then presented to the class.
She created a Jeopardy Game on the Internet as a science review for the grade 5 students. She provided an
assortment of visual aids to support student learning. The Lenten season and the virtue of kindness were
highlighted by bulletin boards that were on display in the school hallways. Inside the classroom, a science and a
math bulletin board were created, displaying student work and giving them visual cues of concepts covered.
Her knowledge of concepts and her teaching strategies reflected an excellent understanding of the curriculum
and different learning styles and multiple intelligences. Her lessons incorporated co-operative learning
strategies, oral presentation opportunities, open-ended assignments, three-part math lessons and math
manipulatives. The students responded very positively to her style of teaching.

ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION

Katelyn demonstrated a sound understanding of the Ontario curriculum and the diverse learning styles of
students in the class by planning lessons that were engaging, effective, and purposeful. She looked at not only
overall ministry expectations, but also the specific expectations from the curriculum documents. She presented
students with lesson learning goals and big ideas. She used all planning times efficiently preparing upcoming
lessons with me. She also planned at home for subsequent days. She planned the grade 5 social studies unit
on First Nations and European Explorers. She also implemented unit plans for dance, family life and religion.
She taught math lessons and cross-curricular language lessons to the grade 4/5 class. She taught 3 part math
lessons with a Basho component. She also taught a science structures unit to the grade 5 students,
incorporating hands on experiments and a culminating task of building bridges. Katelyn helped create and mark
a science test. She made use of a wide range of teaching strategies to address the differentiated needs of
students, including implementing small group activity stations, paired work, and whole class discussions.
Katelyn assisted with a fractions scavenger hunt, in which the students performed math activities around the
school. She effectively linked concepts within and across curricular areas and was able to successfully teach
material in a progressive, focused, and organized fashion. She used both diagnostic and summative
assessment strategies, including math pre- and post-assessments, rubrics, observations, anecdotal record
keeping, unit tests, and summative assessment tasks to track student progress and assess student learning.
She created cross-curricular lessons, such as an art lesson for the social studies unit, and dramatic skits and
oral presentations for family life and religion. She used think pair shares to generate ideas during discussions.
She created lessons and activities that kept the students engaged, focused and eager to learn. She constantly
praised students for their efforts. Katelyn has demonstrated an excellent understanding of the learning needs of
students at the junior level.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Katelyn’s positivity and warm presence helped her to maintain a positive rapport with the students. By using
praise to encourage positive behaviours, making use of various attention signals, and assigning roles to group
members in co-operative learning activities, Katelyn demonstrated growth and effectiveness in engaging,
motivating, and managing students. In order to maintain order and to get students’ attention, she incorporated
strategies in her teaching practice from the beginning. Katelyn’s organizational skills were evident as she
adopted the established routines in order to facilitate her program. She was able to utilize existing classroom
rules. Strategies such as “Hands on Top,” counting to 5, and saying, “I’ll wait,” helped with keeping calm in the
classroom. Katelyn was cognizant of the fact that the students could not sit quietly in a gathering area for more
than 10 minutes. She planned her lessons around this and engaged the students in the gathering area by giving
them many opportunities to interact and answer questions. She ensured that independent work as well as
group work were incorporated in her lessons. Katelyn used excellent co-operative learning strategies to ensure
full participation by students and to maximize student involvement in all activities. She fostered a climate of
mutual respect and caring for each individual in the class. In order to facilitate smooth transition from one
activity to another, Katelyn ensured that materials were always organized and prepared ahead of time. She used
effective strategies in dealing with a range of different behaviours. Katelyn was always firm, courteous and fair.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
It has been a pleasure working with Katelyn throughout this practicum block. Her genuine love for children, her
commitment to the students, as well as her enthusiasm for learning all make her an excellent candidate for the
teaching profession. I wish her the best in her next placement and I am confident that she will be a welcomed
addition to any staff. Katelyn is dedicated and devoted to the success of all learners. She quickly established
her role as the teacher and built strong relationships with the students. She was confident and comfortable
within the classroom routines and I enjoyed working with Katelyn as a collaborative team. Katelyn took every
opportunity to assist in various activities around the school. Her enthusiasm and drive for student achievement
will make her a tremendous classroom teacher and a wonderful member of any staff.

Overall appraisal: Pass Fail