The edTPA (Educator Performance Assessment) is a significant hurdle for aspiring teachers, demanding meticulous documentation and insightful analysis of classroom practice. Successfully navigating the edTPA requires attention to detail in all aspects, and proper quoting is no exception. This guide will walk you through the essential aspects of quoting in your edTPA portfolio, ensuring your work is both accurate and effectively supports your claims.
Why is Proper Quoting Important in the edTPA?
Accurate quoting in your edTPA is crucial for several reasons:
- Maintaining Academic Integrity: Direct quotes demonstrate your understanding of the resources you've consulted and avoid plagiarism. The edTPA is a high-stakes assessment; any instance of plagiarism can have serious consequences.
- Supporting Your Claims: Quotes provide concrete evidence to back up your assertions about your teaching practices and student learning. Rather than making general statements, quotes offer specific examples that strengthen your analysis.
- Demonstrating Your Analytical Skills: Selecting relevant quotes and analyzing their significance shows your ability to critically evaluate information and connect it to your teaching context. This is a core competency assessed by the edTPA.
- Adding Depth to Your Narrative: Well-chosen quotes can bring your narrative to life, providing a richer and more compelling picture of your classroom interactions and students' learning experiences.
How to Properly Quote in Your edTPA
Here's a step-by-step guide to ensure you're quoting correctly:
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Identify Key Information: Carefully read your chosen sources (lesson plans, student work, classroom observations, etc.). Select only the most relevant passages that directly support your arguments. Avoid lengthy quotes; prioritize concise, impactful excerpts.
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Use Accurate Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within double quotation marks (" "). Use single quotation marks (' ') only for quotes within quotes.
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Provide Context: Never drop a quote into your text without proper introduction and explanation. Introduce the quote by explaining its source and relevance to your analysis. For example: "As stated in my lesson plan, 'students will be able to identify the main idea of a text,' this objective guided my instructional decisions."
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Cite Your Sources: Follow a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA) throughout your edTPA. The specific style may be indicated in your edTPA guidelines; if not, choose one style and maintain it rigorously. The citation should immediately follow the quote.
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Use Ellipses and Brackets: If you need to shorten a quote, use ellipses (...) to indicate omitted words. Use brackets [ ] to add clarifying words or to modify grammar without altering the meaning. However, use these sparingly, as excessive alteration can change the original intent.
Addressing Specific edTPA Components: Where Quoting is Essential
Quoting plays a crucial role in several sections of the edTPA:
Planning:
- Lesson Plans: Quotes from your lesson plans can demonstrate alignment between your intended learning objectives and your actual teaching practices.
- Learning Resources: Cite sources that informed your curriculum choices.
Instruction:
- Student Work Samples: Quotes from student work effectively demonstrate student understanding or misconceptions. Remember to obtain necessary parental consent where required.
- Classroom Dialogue: Transcribe selected portions of classroom conversations to highlight significant interactions and demonstrate student engagement.
Assessment:
- Student Responses: Use quotes from student assessments (tests, projects, etc.) to illustrate learning outcomes and inform your instructional adjustments.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-quoting: Avoid overwhelming your work with excessive quotes. Select only the most essential excerpts.
- Incorrect punctuation: Pay close attention to quotation marks, ellipses, and brackets.
- Inconsistent citation: Maintain a single, consistent citation style.
- Lack of context: Always introduce and explain your quotes within the broader context of your analysis.
- Misrepresentation: Never alter a quote to fit your narrative. Maintain the original meaning.
By following these guidelines, you can confidently integrate quotes into your edTPA to support your claims, demonstrate your analytical skills, and showcase your teaching expertise. Remember, the key is to use quotes strategically to strengthen your narrative, not to simply fill space. Good luck!
