InTASC Standard: The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner. (InTASC, 2013)

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Brief Description of Evidence:  For this standard, I have chosen two pieces of evidence. The first piece I have chosen is a suicide prevention training I attended during my EDUC 250 Educational Psychology class in the spring of 2022. In this training, we were able to learn about the signs to look for if we believe someone may be suicidal and how to deal with it. The training allowed us to practice with a partner, and respond to scenarios in which we would have to ask about their feelings, and if they had a plan to attempt suicide as well. 

The second piece of evidence I have chosen for this standard is the event “Potatoes and Portfolios” which was an event where current Ivy Tech education students were able to work together on our portfolios and gather feedback on what could be improved. This event happened during an evening of my spring 2022 semester while enrolled in my EDUC 250 Educational Psychology course. We began the event by eating baked potatoes and reintroducing ourselves, in case there were new faces. We also had the opportunity to talk with former graduates who had been through the efolio process and ask them questions about their experience. 

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Analysis of What I Learned: 

Throughout these opportunities, I was able to learn a lot. Beginning with the suicide prevention training, I learned how I can effectively help future students deal with suicidal thoughts. As educators, we will spend a lot of time with the learners and become familiar with their attitudes and tendencies, this training brought forward that if we begin to notice dramatic changes this could be a sign something is wrong. For example, our trainer spoke about a student who ordinarily did not like to be touched and very much appreciated personal space. The trainer continued to tell us how the student had hugged their teachers one day, and they thought they had just done a really good job with them that day. Unfortunately, that following week the teachers found out the student had unfortunately taken their own life. This scenario made me realize that a person doesn’t just have to act sad or seem depressed, any out-of-character action can be a sign so it is important to always be open to talking with, and checking in on your students. I also learned how important knowing what resources are available can be. Sometimes, you may not have a lot of time to talk with someone, but if you’re able to de-escalate them enough, you can provide them with phone numbers to text/call or local opportunities for therapies. It’s also important to check back in on them and make sure they know you truly care about them. 

During Potatoes and Portfolios, I was able to learn more about how collaborating with colleagues can improve presentations. We are all going for similar degrees and have similar goals, so being able to work with each other in a relaxed environment allowed me to not only get to know my classmates better but receive their feedback in an unguarded manner. I was also able to learn how helpful it can be to get feedback and tips from people who have been in my position before. 

I found I was able to connect these opportunities to the theory of Carol Dweck. Specifically, her theory of growth mindset. According to MindsetWorks, “When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement.” This relates to my experiences here because I was able to put in effort to better myself and my knowledge of a certain subject. I had very little knowledge of suicide prevention, but through my efforts to do better, I was able to learn and am now comfortable with seeing the potential signs.

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How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the InTASC Standard:

These artifacts demonstrate my competency in this standard because they show my continued learning on separate occasions. I was able to work with my classmates and other professionals (the suicide prevention trainer) to increase my knowledge of specific subjects. I am now able to take that knowledge and apply it to my future students to be more prepared to help them. In regards to the suicide prevention training, I am now able to comfortably talk with someone who may be thinking of suicide and know ways they may help them, based on the information they provide to me in regards of why they are feeling that way. From my time with the potatoes and portfolios activity, I have learned different approaches to help people edit their work in a constructive manner, based upon their questions and needs. 

 

Citation: ​

Growth Mindset. (n.d.) Mindset Works. Retrieved April 19, 2022 from https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/

 

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2013, April). Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0: A Resource for Ongoing Teacher Development. Washington, DC: Author.