Useful Theorists and Support Guides for the edTPA

Lev Vygotsky

1896 - 1934

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Summary of Theory

Vygotsky established that learning is a social process involving people close to the child and the encompassing society and culture, called Socio-Cultural Learning. Despite his relatively short life, Vygotsky was extremely prolific. He worked with Alexander Luria on his studies of human psychology. Vygotsky developed the concept of the "Child in Societal Context" paradigm of study. There is mutual interaction where the environment shapes the child's development while the child influences the encompassing environment. Children learn communication skills through social interactions.

Vygotsky developed the notion of the "Zone of Proximal Development". In the ZPD, the child is able to learn how to handle the task with appropriate help and support. He observed that sometimes children do not need to be instructed directly by adults in the ZPD but rather can learn from adults at a distance. The children can also learn by observation when there is no intention to teach them. Jerome Bruner used Vygotsky's ZPD as the "place" where scaffolding is built.

Other useful terms that Vygotsky developed include spontaneous concepts and scientific concepts. Spontaneous concepts refer to intuitive concrete concepts based on daily experience. Scientific concepts do not specifically refer to science but rather to logical concepts that are more distanced to the child. It is tempting to use the term abstract to describe scientific concepts but this may be situational and age-differentiated. For example, for a 5-year-old, "supermarket" as a spontaneous concept is that "mommy takes me there, I see lots of food". However, "supermarket" as a scientific concept at that age involves understanding that it is a place for buying food and goods. Vygotsky indicated that through learning, students formalize their preexisting spontaneous concepts with scientific concepts and they interchange (scientific concepts become spontaneous concepts and vice versa).

Contemporary research in sociocultural learning includes collaborative problem solving. One example of research involves an adult working with a child. In these studies, they analyzed how the child develops responsibility with work that they can handle at their level. This is a notion of guided participation where the adult guides the child in learning and the child stretches concepts in the ZPD. Other research includes peer collaborations. In studies of peer collaborations, two children who usually have roughly "equal competencies" work together to solve a problem. It was shown that such peer collaborations did not always generate positive outcomes if one was not acceptive of the other's ideas. Shared understanding and common goals were necessary to produce positive results.

Vygotsky's contributions are too numerous to describe. Much of what he researched and formalized can be applied to many age levels. If you wish to research them, take time to consider which ones will be applicable to your situations.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Classroom Environment/ Societal Environment

Your kids are in a classroom where they learn with each other. They are also part of a larger community where they live and take part in. The social context contributes to who they are and they themselves are contributors to their environment. Teachers pre-create the environment of the classroom while the school and community are the settings of the larger environment. If there are any large-scale community activities (such as assemblies, video announcements, school movie nights, etc) that are highly important to building the environment, it is wise to discuss such activities in the context of the school environment.

Human Interactions

Discuss the importance of interaction. Small group interactive activities such as jigsaw activities and large group activities such as Socratic seminars are great examples of this. Don't forget interactions with adults in the classroom too! The students are contributors to their own ZPDs while the other humans help them build that ZPD.

Shaping the Environment

There are many ways students can shape their environment around them. Their contributions to discussions and presentations is only one example. One way that you, as a teacher, may contribute to this is by taping/stapling their work and projects to walls and bulletin boards in the classroom. How the classroom is arranged for interaction and decorated to create an environment is also an important part of this.

Online Environment!

Keep in mind the online environment in which surrounds them is also an environment to consider discussing! (People don't often think too much about this environment.) Chances are your students have recently transitioned from distance learning to in-person learning and this is a factor to consider in regards to learning environments and human interaction. The online chats in Google Classroom is an environment to consider. Furthermore, social media and web usage are environments that students are involved in.

Concept Formation

Vygotsky's spontaneous and scientific concepts can often be characterized with the words concrete and abstract but this can be erroneous and varies with age. Classifying concepts as abstract and concrete is one thing but classifying them as spontaneous or scientific refers specifically to their age level and understanding. Such concepts may also be characterized with academic vocabulary but remember to emphasize on their personal understandings. Start with their preexisting knowledge and decide what understanding they should attain by the conclusion of the lessons. Teachers are facilitators to help them bridge and obtain those concepts and create that interchange between spontaneous and scientific concepts.

You should collect evidence of their understanding of concepts. For example, a student's spontaneous concept of "war" may just be soldiers shooting at each other. However, there is a lot of depth to the concept of war as a conflict that includes politics, levels of leadership, experiences, soldier experiences, civilian experiences and more. When a student writes a more detailed response it is observable that he/she has attained a scientific concept. However, when going to the next level, you must consider what are spontaneous and scientific concepts for their age.

For assessing learning, from your instruction, you want to see if learners have built scientific concepts from their initial spontaneous concepts. If the assessment shows that such concepts have not been attained, help the learner see deeper into the scientific concepts and get a more thorough understanding of those concepts.

Collaborative Problem Solving

Partner work and Think, Pair, Share activities are a great opportunity for collaborative problem solving. As mentioned, peers will have more equal competencies. Make sure you set them learn to listen and consider each other's ideas while working in pairs. This demonstrates that you have put in the steps to set them on paths to success and mutual cognitive development.

Vygotsky developed many more theories on cognitive development and science that I hope you continue to explore.

Jean Piaget

1896 - 1980

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Summary of Theory

Piaget established that learners actively construct knowledge through schemes and schemas. The brain organizes information in schemas. Schemata (a plural form of schema but schemas is also a plural form) refer to basic building blocks of intelligent behaviors and as linked mental representations. Sometimes they can be represented as "scripts". Students actively build their knowledge and behaviors from their knowledge as they learn. As a teacher, you have to utilize their prior knowledge and behaviors and have them build their learning level by level.

Piaget had also established a Stage Approach to learning. This is also referred to as the Cognitive-Stage Theory or Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Each stage derives from a previous stage and prepares for the next stage. The stages must follow in order. You cannot skip any stage etc.

Piaget's four factor formula for development is as follows.

Development = Physical maturation + Experience with the physical environment + Social experience + Equilibration

Piaget emphasized logicomathematical experience with the physical environment or actions with objects (like rearranging tangrams on the table). Social experience refers to the human and cultural interactions that the learner partakes in.

At the end of each stage there is an equilibration. Equilibration refers to a state of equilibrium in the "final level of achievement" within each stage. At this point an equilibrium state is achieved followed by a disequilibrium state to begin a new stage. For example, equilibration with muscular motion in the sensorimotor period is followed by a disequilibrium in operations.

Neo-Piagetians continue to build off his work today and analyze more details on learning stages.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Learning Schemes and Schemata

As you design an instructional unit, consider the schemata they will develop. They develop behavioral actions from classroom routines and from what they do when presented something. Identify what the schema is. For example, when students are instructed to go to Google Classroom, they follow a "routine" to navigate to the proper places to find the most recent assignment(s). This is a schemata that they learn to carry out when instructed to. A more complex example would be for math class, when they find out what is an unknown quantity, they set that as a variable to set up an equation. In this schema they develop a behavior of what to do in this unit. When you provide reviews to reinforce their previously learned skills, you are helping them develop and solidify schemas in their brains. As you plan your instruction, make sure that you are referencing previous knowledge. This does not just include previous chapters and units of learning but also from their daily lives. In your instruction, make sure you have checkpoints to make sure students are understanding and are able to continue. If a quiz or other assessment shows they have not attained the concept, then you need to step back and help them redevelop those schemas.

Stages/Periods

Reference the stages of learning they should be in based on their age levels and the characteristics they are displaying. How are their in-class activities explained based on the stages they are in? Why are the materials and activities appropriate? What knowledge should you be shaping as a teacher? Consider what you would expect them to think about during their stage. Students in the preoperational stage may end up thinking only about one feature of something you want them to describe. If you teach students at that age level, consider whether in your activity you want them to focus on one "feature" or consider multiple features of something. Cite this stage regarding how your students think and how you will guide them either to focus on one feature or to slowly expand their thinking to more features. In your assessments, you want to see if they are formalizing age expected schemata and applying them. In their appropriate ages/stages, they should be progressing to equilibration with these schemata and being comfortable with age expected skills.

Operations refer to transferring their "mental representations" into observable action. Role play is an example of this. Being able to play pretend is important. They transfer their mental representation of perspectives and execute how such roles would look like. (Note that role play is a little difficult for students younger than age 7. For most of them, they have not quite expanded their thinking to be able to fully put themselves in other peoples' shoes.) Notice how literature for children at age 7 begins to force them to think from deeper perspectives of the characters. For example, in the story of "Charlotte's Web", the reader has to consider perspectives of both the humans and the farm animals while also taking a deeper look at human ideas and themes such as friendship and community.

For older students, consider the importance of logic and related skills as a lot of learning and life requires the ability to think a few steps forward. For example, the ability to write an argumentative essay requires logical organization of evidence and proper incorporation of quotes. Describe what abstract knowledge you are helping them develop. Abstract concepts are not hard to find at those ages. For example, ideas such as "literary devices" are abstract but students at the appropriate ages can comprehend them and realize that they have just encountered one in a text they are reading and that they as writers have to be able to create literary devices such as simile, metaphor, foreshadowing, etc. Adolescents also begin to think in a manner similar to the scientific method and formulate hypotheses and experiments. Piaget commonly observed how learners approached these problems. Focus on and describe the "problem solving process" rather than the result. Furthermore, at this stage they can comprehend the future. They understand what longer term consequences are. Utilize that to help them see what longer term consequences to expect from current actions, mentalities, and behaviors. They also understand the concept of college, career, and independent living.

Abraham Maslow

1908 - 1970

Image Source: Public domain, via uwalumni.com by Bettmann retrieved from https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/honor-roll/the-path-to-self-actualization/

Summary of Theory

Maslow is most known for developing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. These human needs must be fulfilled in proper order from base level to top. Researchers have maintained this general structure but have also expanded more levels of needs. On this list, the five original levels of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy are ordered and not indented. Newer levels are indented on this list. There will possibly be new developments in this field.

Basic Needs

Psychological Needs

• Cognitive Needs is a new level that refers to fulfilling human curiosity, exploration, and discovering and predicting the unknown.
• Aesthetic Needs is a new level that refers to appreciating and fulfilling beauty and observational balances.

Self-Fulfillment Needs

• Transcendence Needs is the new highest level in which the learner is motivated by values or avocations that transcend beyond oneself.

Abraham Maslow also became a founding father of humanism. Humanism is a learner-centric approach where the learners' potential is at the core and the learner aims to self-actualize. Under humanism, humans have inherent goodness and strive to reach their best potential. Through meeting their own needs, learners set their own goals and the teacher's role is to assist in helping students meet those goals. Carl Rogers collaborated with Maslow and developed theories about the fully-functioning person.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Here are some questions to think about. Have the students have their Basic Needs met? Lower-level needs need to be fulfilled prior to meeting the higher level needs. I.E. Students should not feel hungry, cold, and fearful before learning. All teachers are expected to be knowledgeable about this. Remember that growth does not start from the lack of a need but rather from the desire to move up the hierarchy. When lower-level needs are disrupted, growth is disrupted.

As a teacher, how are you fulfilling their needs?

Based on your initial lesson plans, what skills are the students developing and what level do those skills fulfull? On what levels of his hierarchy is your instruction providing for to the students? The answers to these questions will vary depending on the subject and content that you are teaching. The answers to these questions also depend on the current knowledge and abilities of your students. It is arguable that helping them obtain success will be on the level of esteem needs. In general, any assignment that has them create a drawing or artwork will likely be fulfilling their aesthetic needs. If you know a student or many students have an interest in something and you have your activities and assignments help them obtain the knowledge, consider that fulfilling cognitive needs.

Longer Term Needs

What are you providing for in terms of longer-term needs? Often these skills involve life, college, and career skills as well as helping the students develop skills for independent learning. You may be expected to discuss how you are fulfilling their future interests and aspirations. If your content is highly complex, consider thinking about the college and career applications of the content and skills you are teaching as well as the transferability of skills you are teaching them.

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Albert Bandura

1925 - 2021

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Summary of Theory

Albert Bandura and other theorists developed Social Learning Theory which developed from behavioral theory. Bandura had outlined Observational Learning. Observational learning is outlined with the following stages. These processes are as follows.

In social learning theory, Bandura describes three types of environments. An imposed environment is forced on to the person. He/she cannot control the environment, but he/she can control how he/she interacts with it. A selected environment is the part of the environment that people experience and experiment with. A created environment is constructed by children through their behavior.

A perfect example of the three environments would be a school. Learners cannot change the actuality of the school. It is imposed on them. They can select elective courses and extracurricular activities as well as their friend groups. They select these aspects and pathways. Lastly, a created environment is one set by behaviors. The children who choose to work hard and engage in social activities are part of such an environment. The children who learn to cheerlead for each other thus become part of a mutually supportive environment. Children who choose to act aggressively tend to create hostility in the environment, and rough behavior toward each other. Drug usage, alcohol usage, and unhealthy behaviors are also potential problems in a created environment.

Later, Bandura developed social cognitive theory as a more holistic approach.

Bandura had also emphasized self-efficacy, people's perception of their own ability to deal with the world around them and influencing the events around them. Self-efficacy is a necessary attribute for a person to have persistence to attain success. A person must have self-efficacy to have tenacity and persistence in the face of difficulty, rejection, and failure. Throughout history, many famous people who had a strong current against them yet ultimately succeeded, had high self-efficacy.

Bandura also developed four core properties of human agency. Intentionality is the formation of goals and the will to reach them. With forethought, the person thinks about the future and spurs the motivation to achieve the goals. Self-reactiveness is the regulation to achieve these goals. In self-reflectiveness, the person reflects on his/her goals, self-efficacy, plans, and actions and adjusts them accordingly to his/her will. These four properties illustrate human motivations and behaviors. For example, a child who wants a new fancy bike will think about being able to show it off to his/her friends. He/she will consider saving his/her allowance and earning money to buy it and thus have to give up spending money on watching movies at the theater and adopt other saving and earning practices. Internally, he/she will process those four properties of agency as he/she goes through the mental and emotional processes to get the bike.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Social Learning and Behavioral Modeling

Bandura's social learning can be used for justification for instruction for your report. Your students will observe and model behaviors around them. These include your behaviors (as a teacher and role model) and their classmates' behaviors. As teachers, we want our students to emulate and develop healthy behaviors, work habits, learning habits, time management skills, learning skills and more. Look into which of the four stage processes of social learning your students are in and how they develop healthy behaviors and habits in those processes. Note that the time you give them to synthesize what they learn will be in these steps. Observational learning can also be applied to the learning of specific actions such as learning to carry out a procedural task or create their own take to an expressional task (for sports, arts, music, performance arts, etc.).

With social learning theory, there is a lot you can write in an analysis on the environments and how they model behaviors and ethics. The imposed environment is difficult to change but can be modified mildly, such as the fact that students may not change their classroom, but you can alter the classroom appearance to build community. The selected environment to some extent is decided by the student(s). They choose their classes and their electives. Selected environments also refer to the aspects that they choose to interact with. They find directions they want and build a synergy of skill and interest. Sometimes it helps to make them feel like they had a choice that led them to success but in reality, it was "forced" on them. Created environments are most important because they are built on the choice of the student. Students who become entirely built on their own feelings and do not learn how to find comfort through facts will build an unrealistic "reality" and environment. Students who choose to be lazy and build that world around them will continue those unhealthy choices. As teachers, we guide students to their environments and push away building unhealthy ones. While we wish students to taste success, we do not want to encourage laziness and entitlement. We do not want that to become a created environment that not only is unrealistic but sets poor ethics into their mindsets.

Self-Efficacy and Learned Helplessness

Self-efficacy involves learners feeling and becoming independent with what they are doing and showing to others that they don't need help anymore. Bandura has indicated that sometimes children may have the necessary skills for mastering a task but if they do not perceive themselves as capable, they may fail to do it or not even try it. "Learned Helplessness" is a consequence of a lack of self-efficacy. This can have severely negative academic and behavioral consequences for the children. As teachers, we try to get students out of these cycles of helplessness. The first step to take is to help students develop a feeling of self-efficacy and break the cycles of learned helplessness.

Howard Gardner

1943 - present

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Summary of Theory

Howard Gardner developed the theories of multiple intelligences with the focus that intelligence is not a single entity but rather a multitude of entities that are quite independent of each other. He developed this after discovering that the arts, among other studies, were rarely, if ever mentioned in cognitive psychology.

The following seven multiple intelligences are as described.

The following two intelligences were not part of Gardner’s original seven intelligences. They were later added in his studies. They are being further characterized and explored.

It is possible that new intelligences will be developed in years to come.

Howard Gardner argued that people have a unique blend of intelligences. How to deploy and use them is a challenge people face. People use a blend of these intelligences to carry out tasks and solve problems. Since birth everybody will do this.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Self-Exploration

Each individual student has his/her own intelligences. As teachers, we aim to utilize their intelligences and help them develop and synthesize them even further. We should appeal to the intelligences of the students that struggle the most. Learning involves helping students utilize their intelligences to carry out tasks. We want to give opportunities for students to explore their intelligences. Furthermore, Gardner indicated that the intelligences, while existing independently of each other, are used together by the individual.

Amorality of Intelligences

Gardner also argued that these intelligences are amoral and they can be put to good or bad uses. As teachers, we wish for all students to take their intelligences to positive constructive use. Understanding students' intelligences may be useful for behavioral management and reshaping behavioral management. For example, a student capable of attempting risky physical kinesthetic behaviors like jumping off a table can probably carry out physical tasks well. Or a student who is inattentive in class and drawing beautiful pictures in class when he/she is not supposed to can transfer this combination of intelligences into an expressive drawing-based activity or assignment.

Testing and Grading the Intelligences

When looking at your assessments, consider this. How does your assessment suit the different intelligences? It might be tricky to accommodate all of them, but you can discuss what you do for assessments that suit the different intelligences and you grade them with fair weights. Although this particular unit for the edTPA might be heavily geared towards some types of intelligences, past and future unit assessments can be geared towards others. All learners have a blend of intelligences they can utilize, and you can justify that this assessment gears them to utilize a particular set of them.

Understand Your Own Intelligences!

It is also wise to acknowledge your own intelligences and consider how they play a role in shaping your teaching and personal preferences as well as how it shapes new ideas that you want to consider trying. If appropriate, you can discuss how you plan to develop yourself professionally in the future to adapt to different intelligences as well as how you will use your intelligences for positive growth and contribution. 

Benjamin Bloom

1913 - 1999

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Summary of Theory

Bloom was known for creating classification of educational objectives in the cognitive domain of learning. Bloom's Taxonomy is referenced when writing learning objectives. Benjamin Bloom's hierarchy organized levels of reasoning skills. They form a basis for setting formative and summative evaluations of student learning and progress. The following words in bold describe the cognitive levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

From lowest to highest, the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy are Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create.

Bloom created a hierarchy of cognitive reasoning that applies to all subjects. The lower levels require less cognitive action and critical thinking skills. However, the higher levels requires skills built up from the lower levels.

Each level has lists of verbs that are appropriate for use depending on the level you choose. Please research them for writing objectives. (Note that over the years, they have been revised from his original publications.)

Bloom also characterized the affective domain with the following theorist, David Krathwohl.

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Setting Learning Objectives for Instruction and Assessment

Bloom's work focuses on developing educational objectives and outcomes. Make sure to incorporate verbs and keywords appropriately from each level of hierarchy contingent when writing objectives on the learning plans. There are large lists of verbs that you should look for in scholarly documents. They are not listed here because they are too numerous. In the field of Instructional Design, correspondence between levels and tasks is critical. Verbs used for objectives have to be assigned from the levels determined. Graduate programs with emphasis on Instructional Design will guide you through this if this interests you. Setting objectives allows you to create measures to see how much the students have learned and how well you are teaching. Make sure objectives are clear and measurable. It is best practice to have some goals that can be quantified.

Characterizing Assignments and Tasks

If students work on an assignment, worksheet, task, you should cite what level of Bloom's taxonomy the work is on. Generally, educators want to build up to the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy as one moves further into the learning unit. Knowledge carries from activity to activity. Students build knowledge and abilities as they progress. They utilize their critical thinking skills. As teachers, we hope students can develop higher level skills and become self-motivated independent learners.

Your Final Portfolio Products

It is also important to think about the final products and work samples you will collect and how they will show if students reached the objectives. Bloom's taxonomy allows us to look at the ladder the students will climb with the content we teach. Plan how you will analyze the work and potential next steps you should take based on the results you see.

David Krathwohl

1921 - 2016

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Summary of Theory

David Krathwohl worked with Benjamin Bloom and coauthored resources as a researcher on the affective domain of learning. The affective domain refers to the emotional receptivity of the learner. This domain emphasizes a feeling, tone, an emotion, or a degree of acceptance or rejection. Some verbs are listed to give you ideas. Please research scholarly resources for lists of verbs in each domain.

From lowest to highest, the levels of the affective domain are as follows

Incorporation into Instructional Planning, Assessment, and Analysis

Age and Circumstance Considerations

The affective domain refers to the emotional, behavioral, and appreciative response whereas the cognitive domain (described above) refers to the cognitive, thinking, and reasoning aspects. Depending on the age and circumstances of the students, you may consider writing instructional objectives in the appropriate domains and analyzing to what extent they were fulfilled. For students with special or attentional needs, getting them to achieve these affective domain goals is likely already in their IEPs and other plans. For seniors who will be going to college or workforce, being emotionally and mentally prepared is important for them. They can be applied accordingly depending on the situation and contest.

Subject Applications

Every subject can most definitely utilize objectives on the affective domain, however for Music, Art, Dancing, Sports, as well as Home Economics and Industrial Tech, we believe setting such objectives and observing how they have been met is very suitable. Given that a level of emotional receptivity is needed to produce the most effective outcome for many of these classes, setting such objectives can help you decide how students are receiving the art or practice. Teamwork is often set under the Affective Domain. Levels of characterizing teamwork can range from physically taking part in an activity to fully seeing the role one takes in the team and why his/her role is essential. Other examples of affective concepts to consider include devotion, time management, responsibility, commitment. For Home Economics and Industrial Tech classes, we expect students to work with tools and equipment safely and sanitarily. This is a base level expectation. At higher levels, we expect them to fully immerse and interact properly with their tools and equipment to produce results.

Metacognition

It is reasonable to argue that an amount of metacognition can be measured in the Organization and Characterization by a value or value set levels of this taxonomy. The ability for people to think about and understand their own thinking process and perception is worth considering.

The Psychomotor Domain

The psychomotor domain is especially useful for Physical Education, as well as sports, dance, cheerleading, marching band, auxiliaries, musical theater, drama, home economics, and industrial technology and other related classes. We have a page dedicated to this domain because of multiple taxonomy classifications. Bloom and Krathwohl themselves did not publish formal verbs that currently characterize the Psychomotor Domain in their studies. Historically, in the 1970s, some of Bloom and Krathwohl's students worked on this domain. These subsequent researchers have characterized the taxonomy and created some verbs. However, given that the Psychomotor domain spans different actions and behaviors, verbs that may be appropriate for one subject may not be suitable for another. Developing muscle memory, coordination, fitness, stamina, and neuromuscular response are all encompassed in the Psychomotor domain. Our page contains the taxonomies, but we do not have verbs for each level.

Additional Considerations

COVID-19

Most schools have currently resumed in-person instruction in classrooms. If you are completing your edTPA with footage and/or transcripts from Distance Learning that utilized Zoom and/or Google Meets, make sure you still indicate how your instructional decisions were rooted in the theories you chose. We recommend submitting additional types of evidence of student engagement and learning such as online collaboration activities. Make sure you follow the guidelines as directed by www.edTPA.com for any Distance Learning.

Returning to In-Person Learning

Additional details worth discussing include how you and the school are helping the students readjust to coming back to the classroom after over a year of distance learning. Each school and teacher have taken unique approaches to helping their students adjust to the return. Take pride in your efforts and the school's efforts! Furthermore, it is wise to briefly discuss and indicate the measures you and your school are taking to ensure the safety and well-being of the students and adults in the school.

Taking Secure Notes

Take notes about the classroom, the students, your focus student(s), etc. while you teach because if you plan to write your TPA report a while after you completed your lessons, you may forget more than you think. You can write them in a physical journal but be careful not to lose it. Keep the entry date and class period on top of each entry in chronological order to keep things organized. We recommend having a Google Doc etc. on your personal account devoted to this on the cloud where you type down your notes rather than a physical journal. It could be a "diary entry" or bullet points but when you go back and look at them, make sure you can follow them.

Technology

Technology is an integral part of learning in today's world. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized its importance. The edTPA does not have sections devoted to technology but make sure that you incorporate technological use accordingly and indicate that you can adjust to using the available technology in class. Make sure you indicate that you are technologically literate and competent. This will be expected not only from teachers but also in many careers in the 21st Century.

Deadlines

Be wary of deadlines that you set for turning in the edTPA! Manage your time and energy wisely. Remember to follow the procedures expected of you from your Credential Program. Ask questions as you need. Do not forget to fulfill other requirements that you need to complete!

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