SelfAssessMcLaughlinHatch

Amy McLaughlin-Hatch

May 2018
CCT program, regular track
Exit Self-Assessment

I. "MY SYNTHESIS PRODUCT SHOWS THAT..."

A. I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose).

Art lessons in my Facing History Holocaust classroom enhance and deepen my student learning experience. I would like to influence the Facing History teachers in my history department, English teachers at my school and my students. I am a teacher leader and mentor of the four other Facing History teachers at my school and my curriculum affects them as well as their students every day.
I am planning to create additional student centered art lessons for my curriculum. I will create new art new art lessons for my Holocaust course, as well as collaborate with the new Facing History teachers for the new Facing History civil rights course and the English department lessons using the Facing History pedagogy.

B. I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now.

I am planning to always evolve and improve my current lessons with feedback provided by my students as well as from teachers I mentor and share my curriculum with.
I will continue to research, create and collaborate with history teachers in my department, English teachers at my school as well as other Facing History teachers. I look forward to sharing my lessons with Facing History and Ourselves and possibly sharing my lessons on their blog, Facing Today or with the curriculum development department.

C. I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide the most important direction.

I have expanded my view of my art lessons in a Facing History Holocaust classroom and will continue to research additional lessons and materials about the Holocaust through my professional development as well as through my affiliation with educational institutes that produce curriculum. I will continue to collaborate with teachers at my school and hopefully Facing History teachers in other school districts.
As a mentor, I have become a reflective practioner and looked at my curriculum through the lens of the new Facing History teachers I am mentoring. It is my desire to examine critically not only my art lessons but all of my curriculum to improve and refine my lessons. Working collaboratively with all Facing History teachers to make the curriculum the best it can be for our students.

D. I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.

I have taught my Facing History curriculum without art lessons and currently with art lessons. I have come to the conclusion that a curriculum without art may not provide students with the ability find a deeper meaner about this complex topic. Art and creativity open learning avenues not found in a traditional classroom environment.
I will continue to research all areas of curriculum development to teaching the Holocaust and examine the outcome on my students learning. Through year end student evaluations, I receive valuable information from my students about the impact my lessons have made on their learning.

E. I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence (with realistic deadlines) to realize these objectives.

I have produced art lessons in a Facing History Holocaust curriculum over the past five years of teaching this course. I have assessed, changed and improved my lessons with feedback provided by my students. This year, as a mentor of four other Facing History teachers their feedback is valuable in reflecting and improving on my art lessons.
I will continue to evaluate my art lessons and make changes and improvements as feedback is provided.

F. I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources.

I have dedicated the last five years of my professional development to learning as much about the Holocaust as possible. My professional development trips and visiting Holocaust museums in New York, Washington, D.C., Germany, Poland and Israel have provided me with first hand knowledge and materials. I have received inspiration from these experiences and know the power of experiential learning. Sharing these experiences with my students and colleagues is invaluable.
I will continue to enroll in professional development opportunities in person as much as possible. I also know if travel opportunities are not available, I will continue my professional development through online courses and personal research to continue to be inspired and create new lessons.

G. I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports.

My creativity and student centered art lessons have grown from one lesson to currently eight lessons. The Facing History curriculum at my school has grown from me as a single teacher designing my own year long curriculum to now five teachers. The program has also expanded to two curriculums, my original Holocaust course and a Civil Rights course.

I will continue to work with new teachers as their mentor and improve my curriculum with their feedback as they teach my lessons.

H. My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to.

My paper begins with my journey to become a teacher, includes my journey to become a Holocaust scholar and completes with my journey as a mentor and my desire to share my work. It is my hope my journey will inspire others to achieve the goals they have set for themselves and to share their work.
I will continue with my mentoring and sharing my work with others at my school as well as other Facing History teachers through Facing History.

I. I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.

My Facing history course began at my school with one teacher and one curriculum developed by me and taught to one hundred and thirty students in the first year. It has grown to five teachers, two courses and taught to over one thousand students. Facing History has become an transformed the history curriculum at my school.
Moving forward I will continue to mentor new teachers and improve and add additional art lessons to my curriculum. I will share my lessons with other Facing History teachers. Finally, I see the possibility of a career change and sharing my curriculum and knowledge with educational institutions on national and international platforms.

J. To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing.

My Facing History curriculum and art lessons have been working well at my school. History teachers in my department love my course and the majority of them would like to teach it. My students based on their year end evaluations also love my course. And most importantly, I love teaching my course and what I have created.
I believe using the tools of critical and creative thinking we remain open to all possibilities, especially change. It is my desire through the feedback provided by the teachers I mentor, I will take note of improvements made to my curriculum by them and incorporate them into my lessons. I plan to reflect on my lessons and seek their input to grow as a teacher leader and mentor.

II. DEVELOPING AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER, INCLUDING TAKING INITIATIVE IN AND THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS

1. I have integrated knowledge and perspectives from CCT and other courses into my own inquiry and engagement in social and/or educational change.

On a daily basis in my classroom, I integrate the knowledge I have learned in my CCT courses, especially critical thinking, creative thinking and dialogue. In my synthesis, I demonstrated I use creativity and creative thinking in my student centered art lessons.
I plan to continue to incorporate creativity and critically thinking along with dialogue into my classroom lessons and in my daily interaction with my colleagues and family and friends. My goal for all of my future professional development is to use the skills I have learned.

2. I have also integrated into my own inquiry and engagement the processes, experiences, and struggles of previous courses.

Chapter one in my synthesis documented my journey of self-discovery to become a history teacher. Chapter two detailed my journey to become a scholar of the Holocaust. My CCT courses provided the platform to embark on my challenging journey and persevere to have a career in education.
I will continue to use the knowledge I have gained from my CCT course and in the writing of my paper in my teaching as well as any future careers.

3. I have developed efficient ways to organize my time, research materials, computer access, bibliographies, etc.

It is through my CCT coursework, especially the writing of my synthesis; I gained the ability to dedicate my time outside of work to complete my paper and course requirements. I had the discipline to resist my desire to spend time with family and friends on the weekend and complete my coursework. Finally, I was able to ask for help from a friend to be my editor and coach to assist me in completing my paper.
In the future, I know I have the skills and tenacity to complete lengthy projects while working full time. I have learned to ask for support from my family and friends and know I can be successful.

4. I have experimented with new tools and experiences, even if not every one became part of my toolkit as a learner, teacher/facilitator of others, and reflective practitioner.

I have experimented with the new tool of the use of a coach. I have realized collaboration on my project was beneficial and enhanced the enjoyment of my work. I had always believed other people would not be interested in my papers and projects and kept my coursework to myself.
I will continue to ask friends and family members to listen to my ideas and comment on my projects.

5. I have paid attention to the emotional dimensions of undertaking my own project but have found ways to clear away distractions from other sources (present & past) and not get blocked, turning apparent obstacles into opportunities to move into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory.

I paid special attention to the emotional dimensions of my paper and enlisted the help of a friend to serve as my coach and editor. As I stated in my dedication page, “I could not have done without you.” I have discovered that friends may provide support and inspiration in my work. Sharing my project and journey with my editor has provided valuable insight into my CCT work and my life’s work. Sharing my struggles over the years and acknowledging them was deep and difficult work. I realized sharing provided me with understanding and allowed me to move through blocks I had held onto for many years.
In my future coursework and professional work, I will enroll friends and family in my projects and ask for their support and ideas.

6. I have developed peer and other horizontal relationships. I have sought support and advice from peers, and have given support and advice to them when asked for.

One of the best parts of the CCT program and courses are the collaborative nature. I immensely enjoyed sharing my work and providing feedback on my peer group and other classmates work. It is rewarding to know the feedback I provided was valuable and may be incorporated into my classmates work.
Moving forward I will continue to seek advice and assistance from peers and colleagues in my coursework and professional projects.

7. I have taken the lead, not dragged my feet, in dialogue with my advisor and other readers. I didn't wait for the them to tell me how to solve an expository problem, what must be read and covered in a literature review, or what was meant by some comment I didn't understand. I didn't put off giving my writing to my advisor and other readers or avoid talking to them because I thought that they didn't see things the same way as I do.

I adhered to all the draft deadlines and peer group sharing to get feedback on my paper. After formal feedback was provided, I incorporated all the suggestions and changes to improve my paper and make it the best it could be. I believe I spent as much time creating original writing as I did in editing and rewriting.
I know feedback and collaboration are an integral part of creating quality writing and I will continue to be open to them for all of future projects.

8. I have revised seriously, which involved responding to the comments of others. I came to see this not as bowing down to the views of others, but taking them in and working them into my own reflective inquiry until I could convey more powerfully to others what I'm about (which may have changed as a result of the reflective inquiry).

I know that one of the most important parts of writing is the revising and editing portion. I spent equal amounts of time on creating and writing, and revising and rewriting my paper. In each iteration of my paper, the quality of my writing and conveying my message became more powerful for my readers.
The readers of my paper will benefit from my ability to be a reflective writer. I have incorporated what I learned from the comments provided my peers, colleagues and editors.

9. I have inquired and negotiated about formal standards, but gone on to develop and internalize my own criteria for doing work—criteria other than jumping through hoops set by the professor so I get a good grade.

I have followed the rubric, incorporated the phases of research and engagement and completed all the tasks associated with my coursework. I have fulfilled all of these tasks to the best of my ability not to get a good grade but to have the most positive and fullest course experience.
I will continue to produce work I am proud of will and will enjoy the process of creating.

10. I have approached the CCT synthesis course and the CCT program as works-in-progress, which means that, instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the fact, I have found opportunities to affirm what is working well and to suggest directions for further development.

I view my CCT synthesis and the CCT program as the journey of my life. My CCT journey of self-discovery gave me my professional identity and lead me to become a teacher. My students benefit every day from my CCT journey. All of my lessons reflect my CCT coursework and include critical thinking skills, dialogue and creative art lessons.
I believe life is a work-in-progress and I will continue to move forward with intention to share my knowledge gained in CCT with those around me. I have learned many valuable life lessons of perseverance and never giving up. My journey has been long and my struggle has been real. I have the knowledge moving forward that I can accomplish any task or project even if at first may seem impossible. I can do it! I have done it!