Voices from Former Candidates: John Kelly & Ginny Walters

Surviving and Succeeding in the edTPA Voices from Former Candidates: John Kelly & Ginny Walters

Who We Are

We successfully completed a pilot of the edTPA, then known as the TPA,1 for secondary English-language arts during our student teaching in the fall of 2011. Since then, we have presented our experiences with the assessment to fellow teaching candidates, teacher educators, and university faculty, seeking to amplify the voices of candidates, often under-heard in the policy environment, by sharing the lessons we learned. On this web page, we digest much of those lessons for candidates and the various teachers that support them as they undertake this challenging but rewarding assessment.

What Candidates Need to Know

The edTPA is demanding work, not to mention that you are required to complete it at one of the most trying and exhilarating, we hope, times on your path to licensure. We recognize that a lot of our advice may be difficult to hear during one of the busiest, most stressful, and most important times of your educational life, but we must remind you: We have worn your shoes, we know how tight their fit can feel, and we are better teachers for having walked in them.

Above all, what helped us survive and succeed in the edTPA was its educative power. It is difficult not to dismiss the edTPA given candidates’ responsibilities to their students, writing it off as another “hoop to jump through”—a hoop that feels irrelevant to the real and lived concerns of teaching. It is also hard not to succumb to the pressure of “making the grade,” prioritizing a great edTPA performance over teaching actual students. Although we did not fully realize it while in the thick of the edTPA, we discovered upon reflection that the assessment made us better teachers. It compelled us to reflect specifically and strategically on how we plan, implement, and assess for student learning, including how we support students’ development in the language of schooling and the language of our discipline. In other words, the edTPA made us systematically think through what, how, and why we were making the decisions we did for learning—in the context of a real classroom with real students and real consequences. As a result, the edTPA helped us become more reflective practitioners. This, in turn, let us see that the edTPA is an opportunity to become a better teacher, which boosted our self-efficacy by completing it.

1 Please note that, since this pilot, significant changes have been made to the edTPA, including revisions to the writing prompts and the addition of a section on classroom learning environment. While our advice is general and remains applicable, be alert to discrepancies and interpret accordingly. What We Hear from Current Candidates: Your Real FAQs

In our conversations with candidates as they approach the edTPA or are in the midst of completing it, a number of questions consistently arise. We think these questions involve some urgent topics. We would like to treat them here to help you navigate some of the more stressful challenges that arise in the process.

1. How do I balance the demands and responsibilities of my student teaching and of the edTPA?

John: The best advice I can give is to make your edTPA work for your student teaching, not the other way around. If you see the edTPA as something you have to do on top of or apart from your student teaching, this friction will only cause stress, hurting both your teaching and your assessment. If you see the edTPA as an opportunity to become a better teacher by designing and delivering a learning segment based on what your students really need, this alignment, I promise, will serve your students and your own professional growth.

Ginny: Like John said, the best way to balance the edTPA and your student teaching is to conceptualize your edTPA as part of your student teaching. There is nothing that the edTPA asks you to consider that you should not already be taking into account when planning and implementing your teaching. If anything, the edTPA forces you to explain these considerations, which has the potential to be a very educative process.

2. What do I do if what I plan is not what I end up teaching?

Ginny: One of the hardest lessons for me to learn as a student teacher was that I rarely taught something precisely the way I planned to teach it. This is because we adapt our instruction to our students and their responses to what we’re doing. If something isn’t working, we change it, even if it’s halfway through the lesson. Use this opportunity to show your maturity as an educator. Explain why your lesson differs from your plans. Showcase your ability to adapt your instruction to your students’ needs and feedback. Analyze what you could have done differently and how this will positively affect your future instruction.

John: The designers and assessors of the edTPA know that what we don’t always— and early on, seldom—teach what we plan. This is often a good thing because it means we are adapting instruction for students, as Ginny explains. Now, if you feel there are significant differences between what you planned and what you teach, consider revising your planning commentaries. If differences are less significant, you might also consider documenting why you made changes; this demonstrates mature reflection. That said, edTPA scorers submit scores for your planning commentary before they move on to other tasks. 3. How much should I film? What should I film?

John: I recommend you film as much as possible. My learning segment covered four instructional days and I filmed all of it. When reviewing my tape, I discovered some interactions with students that really featured students using the focal academic language and showed me using questioning techniques to deepen their understanding. I had initially anticipated drawing on different sections of my lessons for the video requirements, but I am sure glad I had these on tape. That said, make sure you film (and therefore plan for) a variety of groupings, especially a small group setting and a setting that features you interacting with the whole class. Now, what clips should you pick? Keep referring back to the rubrics for that.

Ginny: Film much more than you need. You never know when a student is going to surprise you with academic language or, on the flip side, when students are going to act out or not respond positively to your instruction. John’s experience is an excellent example of this possibility. Don’t assume that you know what clips you are going to use prior to the filming. Be open to change.

4. What if my mentor is too hands-off? What if my mentor is too involved?

Ginny: My mentor was interested in what I was doing, but she was by no means overbearing. She offered to help me think through some of the questions the edTPA asks, and we had some excellent conversations around academic language and how to deepen student understanding. She provided me with a good support system while still instilling her trust in me and allowing me enough freedom to do what I needed to do. If you are having serious issues, whether it’s your mentor being too involved or not being involved enough, let your supervisor know as soon as possible. Your supervisor can help alleviate the stress of the situation without putting yourself in a precarious position with your mentor.

John: My mentor was very hands-off, trusting me to carry out the demands of the edTPA alongside the normal demands of teaching. That is not to say my mentor wasn’t supportive. She provided the right kind of support for me, i.e., giving me the space to practice in practice while available for more hands-on support only if I explicitly asked. So, reflect on your relationship with your mentor. Of course, your mentor can neither do the edTPA for you nor prevent from completing it, but, if you are encountering serious obstacles of commission or omission, contact your supervisor right away. That’s what they are there for.

5. How do I handle student behavior on camera?

John: First things first, do your own attitude check. Are you operating from a deficits model, i.e., locating problems in students rather than in instructional practices and seeing students as lacking key skills while overlooking the abilities they do bring to the classroom? So, if the class you have selected presents you with some behavior challenges, I advise that you touch base with your classroom management and seriously reflect on what you are doing (or not doing) as opposed to what students are doing (or not). That said, if a student “acts up” while you are filming or you find some students off task when reviewing, see if you handled it particularly well on camera. If you did, you might document in your commentaries on how you redirected a student back to learning; if you did not but the disruption was not severe, you might document in your commentaries how you could have redirected the student. Students don’t make you look bad on camera; you only make yourself look bad in how you interact with students.

Ginny: One of the inherent strengths of the edTPA is that it allows you to display real teaching. You are no longer in the bubble of your teacher preparation program; this is it. The reality is that students act out sometimes, and we have to be prepared to deal with it in the best and most appropriate way. The self-reflection John mentions is essential. With all of that being said, choose your class wisely. If you have a class with a lot of behavioral issues and you have serious classroom management issues with that bell, don’t choose them to be on camera. Your edTPA scorers don’t know what you don’t show them. If, despite all of this, a student acts out during the clip you want to use, heed John’s advice: Use it as an opportunity to show your maturity and growth as an educator in your explanation.

Where You Might Want to Visit

Official edTPA website Ohio Higher Ed Ohio TPA AACTE FAQs Pearson edTPA: University of Cincinnati, Student Technology Resources Center

What We Learned

For a presentation to the Ohio Confederation of Teacher Education Organizations, we organized our advice into two heuristics, conveniently abbreviated as T.P.A. We have made this handout available to teacher educators and the Ohio TPA. It is only appropriate that it gets in your hands. Click the link on the Assessment Forms page for this handout.

What You Can Watch: Video Commentary on Our Experience

Where You Can Reach Us

John Kelly: [email protected] Ginny Walters: [email protected]