EdTPA Making Good Choices

So, the edTPA is this daunting thing that we all know one day we have to do if we want to become teachers. A conversation that usually surrounds this large task is why do we have to do it, what do we do, how are we supposed to do it as we student teach, and just overall a general abundance of complaining and concern surrounds the conversation about the edTPA. I was never really sure what it even was, or how it was completed, I honestly thought for most of my time in college that it was an actual test that you had to take, like a sit down, fill in the bubble exam pass, or fail test. I was wrong. It wasn’t until I had more friends in the program that were ahead of me that I realized how immense this “test” really was. This is not a test, but rather a portfolio of your work, your teaching methods, examples, artifacts and content that show your teaching style and how you will be effective in your teaching practices. After having a firm understanding of what the edTPA was I then had to figure out, how do you do this, do you complete it by yourself, do you have help, how are you supposed to navigate this task and be expected to pass it on your first try, all while student teaching? All of these questions and concerns are things that have worried me for a few months now as I watch my friends that are currently working on their edTPA get ready to turn it in for evaluation. Watching them navigate this process has made me feel better about how to get it done but after reading this edTPA making good choices guideline book has helped even more. It goes in depth about what I as a student teacher will need to get done, and how I will do that. What I appreciated so much about this book was that it broke it down based on the tasks you had to complete, and then went into specifics about those tasks, answered questions that come up as you are completing that task and overall really help guide you through those hard tasks you have to complete. After reading through this I feel so much more confident in my ability to complete the edTPA and do it really well. Knowing that there is source material to help me complete this and walking me through difficult questions and decisions that I will have to make reminds me that I am not alone in this task.