Natalie Hatfield
Teaching Portfolio
Innovative Practitioner
One of the most important lessons I learned from my teaching experience is that the more creativity I can bring to my classroom, the more likely I am to engage my students in meaningful learning. Innovation and creativity are a part of my teaching philosophy and it is also part of who I am as a person. Teacher innovation is essential in every kind of classroom in order to ensure that the diverse needs of each student are not only met, but exceeded. It has long been my goal to practice new, effective instructional approaches and methods in order to enhance student learning outcomes. I believe that the Spanish language and culture is the perfect context in which to apply these innovative techniques. I want my students to continue to enrich their lives and broaden their knowledge by means of cultural and linguistical exploration. Effective Urban Educators are Innovative Practitioners who are able to demonstrate the ability to problem solve, develop ideas, and use creative methods.
Innovative ways I motivate and increase student learning:
The following artifacts demonstrate different strategies I have used to keep students interested and engaged.
This unit plan demonstrates the use of various creative methods to span across different learning abilities. It was used with Spanish level 1 classes many of whom are novice low language learners and also possess IEPs or a 504 Plan. I specifically sought creative ways to make Spanish grammar more interesting and innovative while also assisting each student in their learning. The unit plan was implemented over the course of a week and culminated in a mini-quiz to assess overall student comprehension.
An easy and fun way to quickly assess for student comprehension is to play Tablas Blancas. For this activity, students work in pairs to correctly conjugate different Spanish verbs. After each pair has written their answer, they must hold up the board for a spot check. This activity quickly allows me to check for overall student comprehension and gage what topics or areas may need more instructional time before moving on. The other great quality about this activity is that it’s easily transformed into any teaching method I feel would be most beneficial for student learning—individual work, group work, partner work, or a competition (to spice things up)!
Innovative ways to integrate content across curricular areas:
Different ways I have integrated Spanish across the curriculum include writing short narratives, incorporating art and culture within lessons, and tying in history and politics. Most students usually have access to the internet so I blended my lessons with technology and make great efforts to communicate via social media in order to develop relationships with my students and their parents/guardians.
I recently discovered Edmodo and it has become my new favorite educational tool. Edmodo allows for effective communication with students, parents, and other teachers. Additionally, I am able to post assignments, open up discussions, and assess students. This technology tool has become a staple in my classroom and will be around for many school years to come!
Univision is an American Spanish language broadcast television network. The network's programming is aimed at Hispanic Americans in the United States and includes telenovelas (soap operas) and other drama series, sports, sitcoms, reality and variety series, news programming, and imported Spanish-language feature films. I utilize this website to help inform my students of current events taking place throughout Latin America. By incorporating Univsion into my lesson plans, I’m able to merge culture, current events, language, history, sports, and even technology. It’s an excellent tool for cross-curricular activities and is a frequently visited website in my classroom!
I use my Pinterest account to keep track of and discover more innovative ideas to use in my Spanish classroom. Additionally, I am able to use Pinterest to keep in touch with other educators, learn more about education, and be creative with my students!
