Notes and News (Last Updated 1.13.03)

Advice from one who has completed the process in a year:

• Find a group of NBC candidates who can be a support team for each other through this process and keep each other accountable to make progress.  Check the colleges of education at local universities; they often offer a set of Saturday seminars for NBC candidates.

• Line up useful video and audio equipment at your school at the start of the process

• Beg, borrow,  buy or otherwise  find a small collection of helpful books offering strategies for your portfolio entries.  I've listed my helpful book list below.

• Join the Yahoo list serv for AYA-ELA candidates.  NBC candidates from around the country, plus NBC teachers ask questions and offer suggestions every day to help you through your NBC journey. Here is the internet site to sign up:
          http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AYA-ELA/
  

Numerous folks wrote and asked for a list of books that were helpful to me during the National Board Certification process.

Every teacher will develop his/her own list particular to needs, but this is my list of most helpful resources:

READING REMINDERS by Jim Burke
TUTORING WRITING by Donald McAndrews
ILLUMINATING  THE TEXT by Jim Burke
A MEASURE OF SUCCESS by Fran Claggett
STRATEGIC READING by Jeff Wilhelm


ESL books that I read to get ready for the NBC ( in order of helpfulness to me):

FIFTY STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS by Adrienne Herrell

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: PRACTICAL APPROACHES FOR TEACHERS by J. Michael O'Malley

• Assessment Center Writing Exercises: Information online  from NBPTS about the make up  of the writing prompts.

6 THIRTY MINUTE ESSAYS:



1) literary analysis: teachers will analyze the connection between literary
devices and meaning.  They will be asked to read a poem, discuss theme and
effect, and use details from the poem to show how identified literary devices
affect the text.



2) universal themes:  teachers will demonstrate the ability to analyze and
understand text.  They will be asked to read a prose selection, determine its
theme, and relate it to the human condition.  They will also select a
nonprint text and connect it to both the passage and the theme.



3) teaching reading:  teachers will show their knowledge of the reading
process and ability to analyze student reading.  They will be asked to read a
passage, a student prompt, and a student response, and to determine the
reasons for the misconceptions in the reading.  They will also provide
strategies to correct the misconceptions.



4) Language study: teachers will demonstrate an understanding of language
study and their ability to determine patterns in a student's language
development.  They will be asked to read a second language learner's oral and
written response to a prompt, analyze patterns, and provide strategies to
further develop that student's language.



5)analysis of writing: teachers will demonstrate an understanding of audience
and purpose in writing and an ability to analyze techniques authors employ to
make a passage effective.  They will be asked to read a non-fiction passage,
discuss audience and purpose, and analyze techniques that make the piece
effective for the audience and the purpose.



6) Teachers will show an understanding of the writing process.  They will be
asked to read a student response, identify and discuss weaknesses, and
provide strategies for correction.

Purpose of This Web Site: 

I started the National Board Certification process myself  in September 2001 and completed the process on May 20, 2002.  I passed the NBC process in November 2002.  When I began the process, I  wanted a page on the Internet with easily accessible hypertext links for my own research as I moved through the certification process. Other teacher candidates are welcome to visit this site as they complete their portfolios and assessments.

• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website home page

Quote of the Moment:

Dare to begin! He who postpones living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses.        Horace (BC 65-8, Italian Poet)