TAFE team takes first in state for classroom role play, delivery competition

Teachers would love to see their students try to teach a classroom for even 15 minutes, but the Texas Association of Future Educators team, under adviser Jessica Taylor, did that at state and won first place for their work.

Over the weekend the TAFE team, comprised of senior Kati Klakamp, senior Zach Wilson and junior Mary Jane Taylor, competed at the state level for the classroom role play and delivery competition. Klakamp acted as the teacher of the classroom role play while Wilson and Taylor acted as the students.

“This competition validated that I belong in a classroom and that teamwork is key to success. Especially in elementary education, teamwork happens every day and I’m glad to have practiced with Zach and Mary Jane,” Klakamp said. “I was very impressed and excited when they announced that we won. I didn’t even hear them call our names because I was so in shock and enthused.”

The competition provides the competitors with a box of supplies and a lesson plan for a specified subject, grade level and demographics including a case study that includes other challenges they must address as part of the instruction. The team has 30 minutes to plan and prepare a role-play where they will deliver and address all aspects of the lesson and situation. After the planning period, the team has 15 minutes to deliver the lesson and perform.

“Many times educators are required to think on their feet,” according to the official TAFE competition overview. “One reason is that teachers could encounter one or more challenges in the classroom. While encountering these challenges, the teacher still has to teach the lesson, but think and act quickly.”

During the state competition the team was given a science standard and had to prepare a lesson about the water cycle.

“I took on the role of a troubled student,” Mary Jane said. “It was challenging to go in blind, not really knowing what to expect, but as a teacher you almost never really know how students will act, so you have to be good at thinking and acting on the fly.”

Starting in late September, the team practiced showing competency in the lesson plan cycle, classroom management, teaching special needs learners and assessment. They incorporated skills from behavior management strategies they learned in Ms. Taylor’s practicum in education class, such as “Love and Logic” and whole brain learning.

“Planning the lesson in such a short amount of time was the most challenging part of classroom role play and delivery,” Klakamp said. “We had two secret weapons for the role play that I learned in my cooperating teacher’s classroom for Ready, Set, Teach. It’s something we spent time on beforehand that others wouldn’t have thought of.”

The team does not move on to nationals since the classroom role play and delivery competition is only in the pilot stage, but the team is still proud of the win.

“I was filled with excitement and happiness knowing we were not only the first ever at our school to win at state for TAFE but also for that competition,” Mary Jane said. “Ms. Taylor worked so hard to finally get this program off the ground and without her we would never have gotten this opportunity.”