Making Good Choices with the EdTPA




The Making Good Choices handbook is an essential tool for the teacher candidate. My most commonly occurring question when writing lesson plans for both myself and my program are "what do my instructors want?". This handbook has shown instead that what I should be asking myself is "what do I need to put into my lesson plans that shows that I understand how my students learn through identifying what helps them engage in material and acquire content and analyzing the evidence of their learning?" It is less about simply constructing a play-by-play of the lesson and more about making an important resource that really considers all aspects the lesson will, and could, address. I've never been afraid of having no control over my curriculum past choosing the books I wanted to use in the classroom, but this handbook addresses that as long as I can justify modifying or adding materials just so long as I include my rationalization in my own lesson plan. If ever called into question, I have something I can pull out and fall back on. 
Creating differentiated assessments for students was also addressed, and wrapping my head around this concept was a bit challenging at first. What I would like to see, for modeling's sake, are example assessments that instructors chose based on the specific needs of students. I'm told that "the modified, differentiated versions of your selected assessments must still measure how well students understand what they are learning relative to the central focus, while reducing barriers to demonstrating learning and allowing students with specific needs to express their understanding in alternate ways." (20).  However, I've never really been shown how. Perfect teaching may not be expected or possible, but I would certainly like to see more models of what I should be striving towards

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