Foundational Understanding is characterized by the following competencies:

1. Demonstrates understanding of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge for instruction.

Reflection - Part of my effectiveness as a teacher is my ability to provide my students with valid and reliable information.  Frequently they ask my questions that expand beyond the basic material and my broad liberal arts training has prepared me to adequately discuss a wide range of content material.  In addition, I am aware of the numerous resources I can use to find any information I may lack.

Artifact - In one of my Shakespearian courses, I was required to read a supplementary text that contained criticisms and commentaries on the plays.  Based on the play Romeo and Juliet and the supplementary text I wrote this paper that exemplifies mastery of the play content as well as the literary devices and thematic nuaces. (This artifact also fulfills NCTE standards 3.1.4, 3.1.6, and 3.1.7)

2. Demonstrates understanding of how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.

Reflection - My educational psychology course dealt with many different schools of thought regarding the mental, physical, and emotional development of students.  As a culminating project for the course, we created a hypothetical piece as a first year teacher in which  we discussed our philosophy of teaching based uponthe teachings of theorists like Vygotsky, Freud, and Erikson. 

Artifact - Educational Psychology Synthesis Paper (This artifact also fulfills NCTE standards 1.3, 2.1-2.6, 3.1.1, 3.1.4, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.3.1, and 3.4.1)

Additional Artifact - Power Point Presentation on Romeo and Juliet that is designed for interactive learning

3. Demonstrates understanding of the central role of literacy skills in student learning.

Reflection - Literacy skills for students of the twenty-first century include textual literacy, visual literacy, auditory literacy, technological literacy, and probably a number of other classifications.  As their teacher I view it as my responsibility to enable them to interpret various mediums and appreciate their value.

Artifact - In my first lesson plan from the Of Mice and Men unit, we focused on appreciating lyrics for meaning as they related to the Dust Bowl.  Then we actually listened to the song while students read the lyrics.  Finally, we began an oral reading of the text. (This artifact also fulfills NCTE standards 1.1-3, 2.1-6, 3.1, 3.2.5, 3.3, and  3.5.1)

4. Demonstrates understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning.

Reflection - Every student learns differently and therefore it is my job as their teacher to present material a a variety of formats.  Some students are going to excel as visual learners while others function fine with auditory instructions.  Some students are highly artistic and therefore giving them the opportunity to express themselves through art can reinforce their comprehension and retention of a lesson.

Artifact - As a conclusion to our unit on Romeo and Juliet, I allowed students to select a project from a list of suggestions.  They also had the opportunity to design their own project.  One of my students selected the option to create a soundtrack for the play and then write a reflection on each song describing the pairing of songs with scenes.  This project allowed her to explore her musical intelligence while others chose to create blue prints, design comic books, or create their own films. (This artifact also fulfills NCTE standards 1.1-3, 2.1-2, 2.5-6, 3.1.2, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5.1, 3.5.3, 3.6, 4.2, 4.6, 4.8, and 4.10)

5. Demonstrates an understanding of the purposes and roles of PK-12 education.

Reflection - I recognize that I am trying to create students who achieve all local, state, and national requirements.  However, I also want to help shape young men and women who can become successful and happy in their lives. 

Artifact - My paper from the Foundations course addresses my beliefs about the process of becoming a teacher and the value that exists in that role. (This artifact also fulfills NCTE standards 2.3 and 2.5)