TPA Guidelines - Response

I have been working with the TPA lesson plan format quite regularly for the past year, so this handout looked pretty familiar.  No matter how many times I see it, the TPA always looks overwhelming with its numerous questions.  Writing up a TPA lesson plan obviously isn't the most fun or exciting thing in the world, but I find this format very beneficial, and I understand why teacher candidates are required to create TPA lesson plans.  What is great about the TPA lesson plan is that it forces us to look at all the things a good teacher must keep in mind while planning and delivering a lesson.  There are certain things that a lesson just absolutely has to address, and the TPA lesson plan format holds us accountable for those things.  It helps us consider all aspects of a lesson that need to be considered.  We who are student teaching know that teachers don't spend hours filling out TPA lesson plans, which may make the TPA lesson plan seem like busy work for teacher candidates.  But in reality, teachers who have been teaching for a while have simply internalized all the things that are in the TPA lesson plan.  By filling out these lesson plans, we are drilling into our mind the importance of objectives, assessments, differentiation, standards, rationale, etc. for every lesson.  The TPA is a pain, but it will ultimately be worthwhile and make our teaching much smoother in the future.

I was very intrigued by one section of this handout- the section titled Research and Theory Evidence.  This section asks us "How is [our] lesson/instruction supported by research and theory?"  It would be difficult for one to have all of his or her lessons backed by solid research or theory.  Teaching is sometimes experimental, so I wonder if the TPA allows for experimental plans.  Can this section be fulfilled if your lesson is backed by your own research or theories?

The Content and Academic Language section was thorough and overwhelming.  It is interesting how it asks "What are students doing with language to express their developing understanding of the content you are teaching?"  It makes sense that all lessons should address this, but I don't believe I've ever consciously considered this when planning my own lessons.

Differentiated Instruction is one area of the TPA that is always a challenge for me.  It always seems to me that my lessons do provide equitable learning opportunities for all students, but it's hard for me to know for sure.  Also, after our class discussion on differentiated instruction and how we should attempt to design lessons that are differentiated from the get-go, I came to the conclusion that the TPA lesson plan should have the Differentiated Instruction section higher up on the lesson plan.  I think it is always the second to last thing, which I feel reinforces the notion of creating a lesson and then going back to it and trying to find ways to differentiate rather than making it differentiated from the beginning.