Goals and Objectives

Goals

  1. Candidates understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) they teach.
  2. The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
  3. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills.
  4. The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
  5. The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
  6. The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual and social development of the learner.

Objectives

  1. The teacher effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of disciplinary concepts that capture key ideas and link them to students' prior understandings.
  2. The teacher can create interdisciplinary learning experiences that allow students to integrate knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry from several subject areas.
  3. The teacher identifies and designs instruction appropriate to students' stages of development, learning styles, strengths, and needs.
  4. The teacher creates a learning community in which individual differences are respected.
  5. The teacher uses multiple teaching strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities.
  6. The teacher uses multiple teaching strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities.
  7. The teacher knows how to use a variety of media communication tools, including audio-visual aids and computers, to enrich learning opportunities.
  8. The teacher plans for learning opportunities that recognize and address variation in learning styles and performance modes.
  9. The teacher uses assessment strategies to involve learners in self-assessment activities, to help them become aware of their strengths and needs, and to encourage them to set personal goals for learning.
  10. The teacher monitors his or her own teaching strategies and behavior in relation to student success, modifying plans and instructional approaches accordingly.