INTASC Principles

The following principles were developed by the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium.

PRINCIPLE 1: CONTENT PEDAGOGY
 The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
REFLECTION: One of the most important characteristics of an excellent teacher is that he is passionate about his content area; if a teacher does not have a certain fire for that content, it is nearly impossible to cultivate interest in students about that content.  With this passion, teachers must strive to illustrate the real world connections of the material through meaningful instruction, activities, and assessment.  These connections remind me of a ball of rubber bands. The ball begins as a small core upon which we can build without end.  Each rubber band represents an area of knowledge that can be pulled and stretched in all directions to meet the needs of diverse learners.  As we pull and stretch the rubber bands, they all become entwined with one another - the connections we make in the classroom help students make further connections in the real world.  The teacher is in control of how much or little the bands stretch and also ensures that they never snap.
ARTIFACTS: Finding Your Way Around A New City This is a lesson plan I created for Spanish I students to orient them with basic directional vocabulary.
Spain and Shakespeare A lesson plan developed as a response to a performance assessment in a graduate class. Each "team of middle school teachers" were given a random topic to adapt to their individual content areas, as part of a thematic unit.

 

PRINCIPLE 2: STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support a child's intellectual, social, and personal development.
REFLECTION: All learning activities must be appropriate to students' grade level and emotional/psychological readiness.  Teachers can assess this through simple interaction with the students and by learning about their academic and personal backgrounds.  Students should always be challenged to stretch their abilities to the limits and push themselves farther than they thought they could go.  This can be achieved through the use of differentiated instruction and by the teacher providing extra enrichment and remediation activities related to the topic being studied.  Cooperative learning helps students to foster interpersonal relationships, to take on roles outside their comfort zone, and to benefit from and participate in peer teaching.  Differentiated grouping allows students to work with others of varying ability and to learn and benefit from these other students.  Students working with their peers enhances all aspects of their lives and increases their tolerance for others from diverse backgrounds and with different academic needs.
ARTIFACTS: Information from the Child Development Institute on Intellectual, Socio-Emotional, Temperament, & Personality Development

 

PRINCIPLE 3: DIVERSE LEARNERS
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
REFLECTION:  Teachers must understand that all children have strengths and weaknesses that lie in different areas.  These attributes affect the learning styles of children and may lead to their educational demise if teachers are not sensitive to these differences.  Dr. Howard Gardner has established what he calls "multiple intelligences" - 8 different areas of intelligence or styles of learning. All teachers can implement these learning styles into their classroom through various learning experiences that reflect these practices.  For example, I might use native music to demonstrate a facet of Mexican culture or have students create a multi-colored mosaic to represent the same thing. Students may have group work, followed by individual reflection.  A good teacher incorporates diversified learning activities in the classroom, and incorporating the 8 intelligences should be a logical extension of this.
ARTIFACTS: Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners A short essay I wrote on accommodations and strategies for dealing with ELLs.

 

PRINCIPLE 4: MULTIPLE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
REFLECTION: A classroom in which a teacher uses one instructional strategy every single day is a classroom in which students become disengaged, withdrawn, and bored.  They go into the classroom knowing exactly what to expect, and it is not exciting to them.  Students should walk through the door to your classroom everyday looking forward to your class and what might happen today.  Teachers that vary instructional strategies and gear them towards student interest and learning styles of the classroom captivate their students and leave them wanting more.  In a classroom with diverse learners, teachers must challenge all levels of students in ways that aid in the enhancement and development of these higher order thinking skills. Through the use of diversified instruction, this can be accomplished. Teachers may also provide students with supplemental activities to further develop these skills outside the classroom.
ARTIFACTS: Two excellent website resources for instructional strategies: Glossary of Instructional Strategies and Instructional Strategies

 

PRINCIPLE 5: MOTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
REFLECTION: Motivation - both internal and external, both group and individual - is a large contributor to the success or failure of students.  If there is no motivation to do well, students may tend to slack off or just do enough to get by.  Teachers must know their students well enough to know what motivates them and incorporate this into their classroom management strategies.  Internal, self motivation is what teachers should strive to create through a learning environment that fosters positive social interaction and active participation in class activities.  Teachers should want all of their students to do well and to provide them with as many opportunities to succeed as possible. Teachers can increase this chance of success through the implementation of a classroom management plan based on theory and experience, along with student input in devising class rules and consequences.  When students take part in the creation of the management plan, they are much more likely to abide by the plan, and both students and the teacher are working in harmony towards the creation of a learning environment conducive to success.
ARTIFACTS: My Classroom Management Plan

 

PRINCIPLE 6: COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
REFLECTION: In an age where technology permeates every aspect of daily life, it is essential to incorporate the use of multimedia in the classroom.  I am proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  I have created numerous documents and slideshows using these programs for use in classroom presentations and research projects.  I have also created this webpage as a resource for my future students as well as their parents, guardians, and anyone interested in their academic life.  Students can use this webpage to learn how to execute effective internet searches, to link to useful resources pertinent to the subject matter, and to complete webquests as an enhancement to their classroom learning.  In addition to multimedia, teachers must be clear communicators that explain subject matter in an accurate and concise manner.  At the same time, the teacher must be willing to rephrase or revamp instructional styles to meet the needs of all learners.
ARTIFACTS: Power Point presentation for Day of the Dead Lesson

 

PRINCIPLE 7: PLANNING
The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
REFLECTION: Teachers should always plan quality instruction and be prepared to explain to students why the knowledge is important and how it relates to their lives.  This gives the teacher and the subject matter validity and credibility.  Effective teachers are able to tie together the interests of their students with curriculum goals related to their subject matter and then relate all of this to the community at large.  When this happens, students can see the real world connections of their learning instead of memorizing for the sake of a test.  Students will retain this knowledge for a longer period of time and will be more prone to apply it in their everyday lives.  Teachers can further this application of material through the use of authentic assessment that shows them what the students can do with the knowledge they have gained and how they can apply it to the real world. 
ARTIFACTS: Day of the Dead Lesson Plan

 

PRINCIPLE 8: ASSESSMENT
The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.
REFLECTION: Students should be assessed often and continuously.  Teachers may use pre-assessment to find out what students already know about a topic and to assess their readiness to move into a new topic by including questions from the previous unit.  During instruction, teachers should informally assess students through question and answer sessions, discussion, observation, conferences, exit cards, and response boards.  Teachers should use this feedback to drive the course of instruction whether it be to move forward, to reinforce, or to backpedal.  This continuous assessment during instruction ensures that students are receiving the proper instruction and attention they need to fully grasp the material being presented.  Once the teacher has completed a certain amount of instruction (determined by the teacher in respect to class goals and ability), it is time for formal assessment.  The formal assessment should not be a surprise nor should it try to trick students; instead, the formal assessment should reflect the learning objectives of the unit.  By continuously and systematically assessing students, teachers reduce the chances of intellectual or social harm caused to children that come from not understanding or grasping the concepts.  A teacher would see that a student needed extra help and would be able to provide this help before the child became hopeless and disengaged.
ARTIFACTS: Here is an example of authentic assessment, using an analytic rubric, that I have created. (The document is in Spanish.) Summer Activities

 

PRINCIPLE 9: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE - PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
REFLECTION: As teachers, we are also eternal students, growing and learning each day from our colleagues, our peers, our community, and our students.  Following each day, the teacher should take some time to reflect upon that day's lessons and activities and to make improvements and changes based on that reflection.  There is no such thing as a perfect lesson because there is no such thing as a perfect teacher - there is always room for growth and improvement.  A teacher should not be afraid to admit when he/she is wrong and to take necessary measures to correct the mistake.  When a professional development opportunity presents itself (a seminar, a conference, a speech, or even a conversation with a colleague or student), you should grab it and squeeze it for all it's worth.  It is through these planned and unplanned events that we, as educators, strive for personal and professional growth.  These new insights and ideas help us to better serve our students and contribute greater to their academic and social well-being.
ARTIFACTS: Reflection on Day of the Dead Lesson (Completed with a graduate professor)

 

PRINCIPLE 10: SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.
REFLECTION: A school is not only a community of students, but it is also a community of teachers, aides, administrators, and many support staff.  It is important to cultivate an environment that is conducive to learning.  When teachers have positive relationships with one another, with parents, and with other staff members, students can sense these strong ties and benefit from them.  Teachers can benefit greatly (professionally and personally) through interaction with their peers.  They may encounter new ideas, opinions, instructional strategies, technologies, and assessment instruments that will enrich their style of teaching.  Teachers can benefit personally by meeting people of diverse backgrounds and learning about them.  As teachers, we do teach students, but we are also eternal students always looking for new insights and knowledge to expand our personal and professional growth. 
ARTIFACTS: Creating Effective Teacher-Parent Collaboration, an article from Teaching Today.