Tamara L. Radtke

N6102 Fox Glen Road • Portage, WI 53901 • 608-745-4329 • radtket@portage.k12.wi.us

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    Educational Highlights 

    Master's Degree • University of Wisconsin-Madison • 2006

• Curriculum and Instruction in Literacy Studies
• 316 Reading Teacher License
• Content Area Literacy Focus

   Master's Degree • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee • 1994

• Curriculum Supervision
• Administrative Leadership

  Bachelor's of Science Degree • University of Wisconsin • 1985

• Named "Outstanding Graduating Senior in the School of Education"
• Pi Lamba Theta Award for highest grade point average
• Wisconsin Community Historians in Residence Project
• Elementary Education Certification Grades 1-8 Social Studies Concentration

  Brown Deer High School Graduate • 1980

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 Relevant Teaching Experience

Portage Community Schools • 2006-Present

• Currently 3rd grade classroom teacher
• Completed 13 credits in UW-LaCrosse master's degree program                                   researching differentiation in mathematics instruction
• Taught multi-age class of 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders
• Coordinated School-Wide Family Math and Reading Evenings
• Provided reading testing for K-4th grades
• Taught reading and math summer school classes

West Allis-West Milwaukee School District  • 1986-2006

• Teacher for 6th, 7th and 8th grades
• Experience teaching 8th grade self-contained class for students at-risk
• Mentor teacher
• Cooperating teacher with area universities
• Crystal Apple Award Winner
• Student Assistance Facilitator
• Member of Curriculum Steering, Reading, and Guidance Committees

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Other Experiences

River Haven Homeless Shelter  • Volunteer • 2006-2012

Casa Maria and Guest House • Volunteer • 1993-2005

Habitat for Humanity • Volunteer • 1992-1995

United States Army Reserve • Captain • 84th Division • 1981-1991

• Commander, 1st Brigade, Headquarters Detachment
• Administration Staff Officer
• Full Scholarship University of Wisconsin-Madison

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 References Available Upon Request

Vision Statement

My professional vision statement is to be a part of a just learning community that expands and equalizes opportunity and awakens a lifelong love of learning in students. I want to  provide a learning environment that consistently supports the individual needs of all learners and helps all of us find success.

The Power of Questions - Exercise 2

Journal of Classroom Wonderings, Puzzlements and Queries

.I am so busy each day that I don't think of the "how," the "what" and the "why" questions unless I am taking a class such as this.

.I examined my students' math and reading MAP scores before conferences. In addition, having students write goal paragraphs (including two school and one non-school goal), I also conferenced with each student to create an individual plan for reaching MAP Score Goals. It was decided that some students needed an algebra club so I could provide a higher level of instruction than students receive in my regular classroom.

.Some students also need to work on skills in math such as measurement conversions that are not really covered in our curriculum. Some students decided to make posters to remind us how we can do that.

.The poster idea caught on and students who are finished with their work have made posters for different types of notation (standard, expanded, scientific, etc.).

.As I read further in the book, I could see how MAP Scores, test scores and a skills checklist could provide me with triangulated data for a action research study.

.Students working as mathematicians, assistant teachers and tutors has worked extremely well in my classroom and has become somewhat of a routine.

.At the beginning of the semester, I was wondering about developmental math tests I could give my students, but during the last month, my questions have changed because I realize I already have a lot of data about what my students know and what they need to know. Now, I think about the following:

     -How can I differentiate math instruction?
     -How can I involve students in developing plans, data and ideas?
     -What resources should I use to teach algebra and other specific topics?
     -How can adults support students?
     -What are other people doing?

Six Hats Reflection

     After reading the book, Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono, and using the techniques the author describes, I find a number of positive results. For instance, using the white (facts) hat and the red (emotions) hat to evaluate a situation helps me to separate my emotions from the facts. In the past, I think I often used facts to justify my emotions. Another benefit of using the hats is that it forces me to actually think about a situation from a number of perspectives before I take action. Sometimes, I might otherwise act impulsively based on my natural yellow (positive) and green (creative solutions) hat orientation. Now, I take the time to think about both my emotions and the emotions of others. I also ask more questions and try to think of possible negative outcomes. Finally, I like when a group of people all wear the same hat at the same time. Instead of pursuing a number of often conflicting lines of thought, we are truly working together in sync during a discussion.
     Although I have found success using the red and white hats to evaluate a situation, I am not sure how effective the process would be with children. The author's applications are all business-related situations with adults. When conflict occurs during recess time, red hats become very large and white hats become stained with red very quickly. I have had much more success using all six hats with students to discuss the choices made by a character in a story or to identify what type of thinking a student is using at a particular moment. I will be interested to learn how other teachers effectively use the hats.
     While I will continue to use the six hats' process, I do find some possible areas of concern. For instance, even De Bono notes the perils of giving the black hat too much weight. I also worry that in situations with a superior, parallel thinking (which is already a problem) would become extreme. In addition, I find that almost any problem-solving paradigm if used by a group is quite effective. I am not fully convinced that using the Six Thinking Hats is more effective than The One-Minute Manager, Tribes, Student Assistance, Reality Therapy or a number of other methods. Overall, however, I have benefited from reading the book and will recommend it to others.

Reflection Is at the Heart of Practice

How will reflection help you to become a master teacher?

I believe reflection will help me become a better teacher. Teaching, observing, writing, reflecting, thinking, and integrating new insights into planning is a cycle. Every week for the past three years, I have included reflections about teaching into my lesson plans. In addition, throughout my career, I have conducted action research, written papers and studied trends while continuing my own education. Sometimes, I examine the small details of a lesson or unit and look for patterns or insights into my teaching. On other occasions, I examine a larger topic such as assessment, balanced literacy or changes in the profession and look for how that impacts my classroom practice. My experiences have made me realize that I will never be a master teacher, but I can always be a better teacher.

What gets in your way of reflecting?

At the present time, the biggest barrier to reflecting is the fact that my principal and other administrators read my reflections each week. Reflection is one of my favorite things to do when I begin my weekly lesson plans. Unfortunately, I have learned that I cannot examine failures or weaknesses. Each week I can only provide a success story, a question or a plan for the future. As a result, I feel as though I am a newspaper reporter who must continually self-edit my thoughts and the stories I pursue.

Another problem I often encounter is the fleeting nature of my reflections. I do not do enough reflection regarding my teaching over a whole year. While weekly reflections are valuable, I also need to look back and reflect over a longer period of time. Finally, my reflections should sometimes be based on quantitative rather than qualitative research.

What will you do to clear the barriers or get around them?

There are a number of ways I can overcome or get around the barriers to reflection. For instance, I have been writing deeper and more critical reflections, saving and printing them on my lesson plans, and then editing them for the lesson plans I email to my principal. Another method for improving my reflections is entering this master's degree program. Already my reflections have been influenced and improved by reading the dialogues of my colleagues in the Hudson Learning Community. I am also reading new articles, books and research on various topics in education. Finally, I look forward to conducting research over a longer period of time than just one week.