Edtpa instructional commentary in special educationÂ
Instruction Commentary Directions: Respond to the prompts below (no more than 8 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts; both the prompts and your responses are included in the total page count allowed. Refer to the evidence chart in the handbook to ensure that this document complies with all format specifications. Pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored.
1. Which lesson or lessons are shown in the clips? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan number. Describe any changes in the lesson plans for the lessons shown in the clips and the reasons for those changes.
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2. If applicable, provide any additional information (beyond that provided in Task 1 needed to understand the learning environment or interactions seen in each clip.
a. Identify the district, school, cooperating teacher, or student teaching requirements or expectations that affect your instructional delivery (e.g., prescribed reading curriculum) described in Task 1.
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b. If more than one learner appears in a clip, provide information to identify the focus learner (e.g., clothing, position in setting).
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3. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clips where you provided a positive learning environment.
a. Describe how you demonstrated respect for, and rapport with all learners.
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b. Describe how you provided a positive learning environment that both supported and challenged your focus learner in relation to the primary learning target, moving the focus learner toward self-determination.
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4. Engaging and Motivating the Focus Learner
Refer to examples from the clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how your strategies engaged and motivated the focus learner to develop and apply the knowledge and skills related to the primary learning target.
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b. Describe how your instruction linked the focus learner’s prior learning and personal, family, cultural, and/or community assets with new learning related to the primary learning target.
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c. Describe the strategies you used to move the focus learner toward independently initiating and/or maintaining active engagement in learning tasks related to the primary learning target.
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5. Deepening Learning
Refer to examples from the clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how you elicited and responded to the focus learner’s performance to promote application of learning related to the primary learning target.
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b. Describe opportunities provided to the focus learner with opportunities to apply feedback to improve performance related to the primary learning target.
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c. Describe how you moved the focus learner toward self-evaluation or self-correction to improve performance related to the primary learning target.
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6. Supporting Teaching and Learning
Refer to examples from the clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how your materials, supports, and instructional strategies supported the focus learner’s progress toward the lesson objectives for the primary learning target and how they reflected the learner’s development, age, strengths, and needs.
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b. Describe how your instructional strategies, supports, or materials facilitated the development or application of a self-directed learning strategy.
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7. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the clips in your explanations.
a. What would you change about the teaching seen in the clips to better support or extend the focus learner’s performance and/or move the focus learner toward maintained, generalized, or self-directed use of knowledge and/or skills related to the primary learning target?
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b. Why do you think these changes would improve the learning of the focus learner in relation to the primary learning target? Support your explanation with evidence of the focus learner’s performance related to the primary learning target, as seen in the clips and principles from theory and/or research.
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