5.1 - Needs Assessment
Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
Artifact: ITEC 7430 - Unstructured Field Experience
Choose Your Path Survey
Choose Your Path Survey Results (Screenshot)
Reflection:
In this experience, I began by discussing the needs of the faculty with school administrators. We felt that one need in their school was for teachers to have guidance in lesson planning but that teachers first needed to see a bank of lessons to guide them in asking questions and formulating technology-infused lesson plans. The session began with a short video on the need for technology as a part of student learning, a short discussion about the video, and then teachers were asked to choose a station that suited their interest or needs most closely. Each station contained a QR code that would guide teachers to a lesson bank on that topic or to articles with suggestions on how to implement particular strategies. Choices for stations were as follows:
In this experience, I began by discussing the needs of the faculty with school administrators. We felt that one need in their school was for teachers to have guidance in lesson planning but that teachers first needed to see a bank of lessons to guide them in asking questions and formulating technology-infused lesson plans. The session began with a short video on the need for technology as a part of student learning, a short discussion about the video, and then teachers were asked to choose a station that suited their interest or needs most closely. Each station contained a QR code that would guide teachers to a lesson bank on that topic or to articles with suggestions on how to implement particular strategies. Choices for stations were as follows:
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Once teachers and support staff had browsed the lesson plans and strategies at their station, teachers were asked to complete a Google Form about a lesson idea or strategy they would like to implement in their classroom and what support they would need to implement the lesson. Once this was complete, I used the needs assessment to follow up with each teacher and set up a time in which we could work together to create the lesson plan and then implement it.
Standard 5.1, Needs Assessment, asks that candidates demonstrate the capability to “conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning program” (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a). This artifact demonstrates my ability to do so. Though I have conducted needs assessment surveys to assist in technology integration in the past, this one was far more effective because it was not as general and I had given teachers a foundation with the station topics. Prior to this needs assessment, teachers were unsure of how to identify strengths and weaknesses in the lessons they were already implementing and hesitated to ask questions or asked questions that were too broad. Teachers were able to identify specific areas in which they had strengths or weaknesses and I was able to use these results to inform the content and delivery of the technology-based professional learning program that would directly meet their needs.
In completing this experience, I learned the true value of a needs assessment that was specific and timely. I had been working with this group of teachers for several months but the needs assessment up to this point had been far too vague. It helped guide my face-to-face coaching sessions for the remainder of the school year. If I were to go back and do this differently, I would keep the method the same but introduce it much earlier in the school year. I was not able to assist everyone since it was later in the school year.
I think the biggest impact from this learning experience was for me. It will positively impact faculty development because I will now use more specific needs assessments to inform professional development goals for the year. Once teachers begin to use these lesson banks to assist them in the development and implementation of their own lessons, student learning and school improvement will be positively impacted.
Standard 5.1, Needs Assessment, asks that candidates demonstrate the capability to “conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning program” (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a). This artifact demonstrates my ability to do so. Though I have conducted needs assessment surveys to assist in technology integration in the past, this one was far more effective because it was not as general and I had given teachers a foundation with the station topics. Prior to this needs assessment, teachers were unsure of how to identify strengths and weaknesses in the lessons they were already implementing and hesitated to ask questions or asked questions that were too broad. Teachers were able to identify specific areas in which they had strengths or weaknesses and I was able to use these results to inform the content and delivery of the technology-based professional learning program that would directly meet their needs.
In completing this experience, I learned the true value of a needs assessment that was specific and timely. I had been working with this group of teachers for several months but the needs assessment up to this point had been far too vague. It helped guide my face-to-face coaching sessions for the remainder of the school year. If I were to go back and do this differently, I would keep the method the same but introduce it much earlier in the school year. I was not able to assist everyone since it was later in the school year.
I think the biggest impact from this learning experience was for me. It will positively impact faculty development because I will now use more specific needs assessments to inform professional development goals for the year. Once teachers begin to use these lesson banks to assist them in the development and implementation of their own lessons, student learning and school improvement will be positively impacted.