Standard #1: Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Artifacts:
Reflective Statement:
Standard one states the importance of the teacher recognizing students as individual learners. Teachers need to recognize the stages of growth in individual learners, and accommodate their instruction accordingly.
The artifacts included for this standard are from my fall 2013 tutoring at Fulton Elementary School. At Fulton, I tutored two second grade boys. Both of my students were struggling readers, one more so than the other. When I first started working with my students, I knew that creating a good rapport with them would be very important. I began to get to know my students by using an interest inventory. As shown above, this document asked my students questions about their interests such as "What are your favorite books?", and other questions such as"Name things you do well when you are reading." This interest inventory helped me get to know my students better, and help me to tailor their learning to their interests. Furthermore, though both of my students were male, in second grade, and struggling readers, they were very different, individual learners. This was very important for me to understand because I would be tutoring them together, and I was aware that they may be progressing at different paces. In addition, one of my students was very outgoing and confident, while the other was more shy and insecure. Their personalities translated into their reading. At the beginning, my more outgoing student was more willing to try unknown words, and was okay with making mistakes. On the other-hand, my more introverted student was not as willing to attempt the more difficult words. Knowing their personalities helped me understand if they did not understand a concept, or if they were simply afraid to fail. Additionally, I was provided initial assessments of each student, which provided me with a baseline for their learning. These assessments helped guide me as to what concepts needed to be taught to progress their learning to the next level. Lastly, I included my final reports of both of my students, as seen above, for artifacts. In these reports, I discuss my day-to-day work with my students, assessments I administered, and my final recommendations as they move forward. These reports highlight my understanding of student growth and the importance of understanding individual learners.
These artifacts help demonstrate my growth as a teacher. They display my knowledge of the fact that every learner develops differently, and will need different accommodations. I have learned the importance of truly getting to know one's students, not only academically but personally. This individualized approach to learning will aid teachers in establishing a good working relationship/rapport with students and will enable teachers to make better decisions when considering his/her students' learning needs.
The artifacts included for this standard are from my fall 2013 tutoring at Fulton Elementary School. At Fulton, I tutored two second grade boys. Both of my students were struggling readers, one more so than the other. When I first started working with my students, I knew that creating a good rapport with them would be very important. I began to get to know my students by using an interest inventory. As shown above, this document asked my students questions about their interests such as "What are your favorite books?", and other questions such as"Name things you do well when you are reading." This interest inventory helped me get to know my students better, and help me to tailor their learning to their interests. Furthermore, though both of my students were male, in second grade, and struggling readers, they were very different, individual learners. This was very important for me to understand because I would be tutoring them together, and I was aware that they may be progressing at different paces. In addition, one of my students was very outgoing and confident, while the other was more shy and insecure. Their personalities translated into their reading. At the beginning, my more outgoing student was more willing to try unknown words, and was okay with making mistakes. On the other-hand, my more introverted student was not as willing to attempt the more difficult words. Knowing their personalities helped me understand if they did not understand a concept, or if they were simply afraid to fail. Additionally, I was provided initial assessments of each student, which provided me with a baseline for their learning. These assessments helped guide me as to what concepts needed to be taught to progress their learning to the next level. Lastly, I included my final reports of both of my students, as seen above, for artifacts. In these reports, I discuss my day-to-day work with my students, assessments I administered, and my final recommendations as they move forward. These reports highlight my understanding of student growth and the importance of understanding individual learners.
These artifacts help demonstrate my growth as a teacher. They display my knowledge of the fact that every learner develops differently, and will need different accommodations. I have learned the importance of truly getting to know one's students, not only academically but personally. This individualized approach to learning will aid teachers in establishing a good working relationship/rapport with students and will enable teachers to make better decisions when considering his/her students' learning needs.