First-Year ePortolio Sample - Alma Meza

I believe that teachers and students should value diverse perspectives, seek meaning through various contexts, and appreciate contributions made by the different disciplines.  In High School 21+ courses especially, students often enroll with ideologies and perspectives already entrenched, as well as a heightened sensitivity to certain issues.  An instructor who demonstrates an ability to understand and explain multiple perspectives can help students consider viewpoints beyond their own.  Similarly, an instructor who can show the students how to think critically opens the door to creativity and in-depth analysis. One of my students said: “I wish I knew about critical thinking before, I would have been a better employee, better father and better communicator”.  When he made the comment, I could see the “aha" moment in his body language. It was encouraging for me and for those students who could perceived his joy.

While a critical component of teaching is to assure that students acquire the core knowledge of a topic, making that core knowledge dynamic and relevant excites students and makes them eager to learn. 

The door to my office is filled with words of wisdom from  students, coworkers and visitors.

I regularly draw from different disciplines—such as Historical Studies, Sociology, Human Rights, Criminal Justice, Math in the Science and in the Social Studies, Health, English, and the Fine and Performing Arts—to expand student’s understanding.  Having a broad understanding sets the stage for self-development as students, refines their viewpoints and gets them to start thinking of course topics in larger and more personally-relevant terms.  Guest speakers are also opportunities to help provide context to the ideas, allowing for the integration and application of knowledge.

I also value multicultural perspectives in the classroom and attempt to integrate these into my work.  I dedicate a significant segment of the course to the topic of Human Rights and Liberties.  Here, we discuss issues of racism, gender discrimination and religious intolerance, among other important civil rights topics.  I also use this opportunity to show videos or films that utilize historical documents and photographs.  

When students see the real-world applications of textbook examples, they gain a higher understanding of the topic. 

I believe that student learning occurs in a classroom that is sensitive to diverse viewpoints, fosters productive learning environments, and pursues a track of regular feedback, evaluation and improvement.  I feel that I am effectively engaged in student learning and I am helping to build confidence, trust and the desire to pursue a College career.  

Drawings by students:

Achievements:

I have been awarded the Title III Mini Grant - Award and  Nominated for the Renton Chamber's Ahead of the Class - Excellence in Education Award.

The following list shows the areas of focus mentioned in the first report. The actions taken can be seen below. 

1. To reduce interruptions and distractions in the classroom and during office hours.

2. Increase students’ ability to initiate tasks independently.

3. Increase participation of students in campus activities and program visits.

4. To learn more about Reading Apprenticeship strategies, Universal Design of Learning, Contextualized Lessons and Projects Based Learning.

5. Networking with other instructors/programs in campus.

I have been taking small steps towards the following areas, they do require more time and it will be my focus for the third year to complete them.

6. Develop a clear vision about how to best serve the common good using well-defined expectations.

7. Diversify classroom materials in order to meet the needs of a wide variety of skills level.

8. Continue the creation of rubrics, assessments and outcomes.

In efforts to manage time more efficiently, I subscribed to an application to have my students self-schedule appointments. The application can be access via phone or through a computer with internet access. 

Here is the link: https://ameza.youcanbook.me/ Links to an external site.

Some students have difficulty with task initiation, they often do not begin their work right away and/or are unable to start pre-planned tasks on time.

The student often “just sits there” when the other students have started working. Often the student can complete the task successfully, once they get going

A student with difficulties with task initiation will often:

• Need constant reminders to get started on class work or homework
• Be slow to start a second task after the first is completed
• Wait for someone else to begin in group activities
• Need cues to begin over-learned routines

To help those students I began to hand out rubrics that include what is expected for each activity. Each student does a self-evaluation and gets a final score after completing the task.

I send out frequent announcements through Canvas sharing the class agenda and expectations.

I write down the objectives on the white board and I mention the goals at the beginning of each class, closing each class sharing what to expect the following day.

I have been diligent about consistency when forming new habits or learning strategies.

 The pictures below are part of the Science Fair.

3. Increased participation of students in campus activities and program visits.

Classes with other instructors and programs.

We participated in the Transitions Fair during winter quarter. Visiting three programs. I participated as a tour guide and visited the major Appliance & Refrigeration, Computer Network Technology and the Computer Science Programs.

I have joint classes with other HS21+ instructors.

Students are encouraged to participate in RTC passport activities, where they can get a stamp in every department they visit and once they have a fully stamped passport, they turned that in to Haleigh Phillips.

Jessica Supinski, Haleigh Phillips, Vivean Muna, Samantha Nelson, Adela Saenz, Jen Gonthier,  and Anna Bennett have visited our class to provide information about programs and services.