InTASC 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.
To best show my competence in InTASC standard #1 (learner development) I will use a unit lesson that I have used in student teaching that incorporates multiple types of learning in one lesson. Standard #1 asks the teacher to understand that learners grow and develop in a large variety of different ways. It also asks the teacher to design developmentally appropriate experiences. I chose a unit lesson about studying protists because each day that my class progressed through the unit shows a different way to learn the content. It is a good representation of how my class grows and adds to their knowledge base after each day.
My first artifact is a PowerPoint I created that introduced the students to the basic concepts of protists. This is one that we would see later on in the unit. The slide show does a good job of helping those students that learn best by listening or by writing. Along with the notes, I include many pictures and videos that show the movements of the protists. This helps the students who are more visual to grasp the concepts they are learning about. Developmentally, this artifact shows that I teach the content to students at a level where everyone can understand the information being given to them. This is meeting the cognitive needs of the individuals in my classroom no matter which developmental level they find themselves.
My second artifact is a coloring page that I had the students complete. This is an excellent start to the subject because it shows the students many things in a very visual way. It helps those that learn kinesthetically, because as they color the protists, they begin to see how the cells work as a whole, and the jobs the different protions of the cell must complete. This proved to be a very useful activity in that it kept students engaged and it prepared them well for the next portion of the unit wherein they would be building on the skills they gained by viewing the cells in a controlled environment. This helps students that may be at different developmental stages of linguistics. With this activity, students who may not be as developed in linguistics will have a much easier time following along. This is because it uses a drawing to convey the content and not reading or lecture.
My third artifact is the second piece of the puzzle of the protist unit. In the “observing protists” lab we looked at live protists under the microscope. The students had previous knowledge on the structures they would see, and were then tasked to make observations and connect what they know to what they can see. The students were given a lot of time to make sure they found the protists. This is useful for developing proper physical laboratory techniques. Some students may have lower physical development and may need more time to finish and find the protists using the microscope; this lab allows them the time they may need to do so.
My last artifact is one of the final parts of the unit. “Life in a pool of water” had the students explore the life we can find all over in the most unexpected places. The Students went outside of the school and looked for water. They brought the water back and examined any lifeforms they found under the microscope. By using what we learned about protists on the previous days we could ask the question "what makes a protist, a protist?" We could infer that most of the life we saw did not quite fit the mold. This conversation at the end of the day is appropriate for students to develop their social skills. We can use the knowledge gained during the lab to help us to explain why we think what we think. We do that by talking to one another and coming to a conclusion.
Each of these artifacts shows a progression and growth for the class while also highlighting different learning styles; from a visual, to auditory, to a kinesthetic learner. This unit helped me to grow as a teacher because it showed me how valuable and useful it is for each student to be exposed to the information in a variety of forms. Though the development of the class as a whole is necessary, the development of each student as an individual is just as important. Considering student development is something I incorporate into my classroom each day.
My first artifact is a PowerPoint I created that introduced the students to the basic concepts of protists. This is one that we would see later on in the unit. The slide show does a good job of helping those students that learn best by listening or by writing. Along with the notes, I include many pictures and videos that show the movements of the protists. This helps the students who are more visual to grasp the concepts they are learning about. Developmentally, this artifact shows that I teach the content to students at a level where everyone can understand the information being given to them. This is meeting the cognitive needs of the individuals in my classroom no matter which developmental level they find themselves.
My second artifact is a coloring page that I had the students complete. This is an excellent start to the subject because it shows the students many things in a very visual way. It helps those that learn kinesthetically, because as they color the protists, they begin to see how the cells work as a whole, and the jobs the different protions of the cell must complete. This proved to be a very useful activity in that it kept students engaged and it prepared them well for the next portion of the unit wherein they would be building on the skills they gained by viewing the cells in a controlled environment. This helps students that may be at different developmental stages of linguistics. With this activity, students who may not be as developed in linguistics will have a much easier time following along. This is because it uses a drawing to convey the content and not reading or lecture.
My third artifact is the second piece of the puzzle of the protist unit. In the “observing protists” lab we looked at live protists under the microscope. The students had previous knowledge on the structures they would see, and were then tasked to make observations and connect what they know to what they can see. The students were given a lot of time to make sure they found the protists. This is useful for developing proper physical laboratory techniques. Some students may have lower physical development and may need more time to finish and find the protists using the microscope; this lab allows them the time they may need to do so.
My last artifact is one of the final parts of the unit. “Life in a pool of water” had the students explore the life we can find all over in the most unexpected places. The Students went outside of the school and looked for water. They brought the water back and examined any lifeforms they found under the microscope. By using what we learned about protists on the previous days we could ask the question "what makes a protist, a protist?" We could infer that most of the life we saw did not quite fit the mold. This conversation at the end of the day is appropriate for students to develop their social skills. We can use the knowledge gained during the lab to help us to explain why we think what we think. We do that by talking to one another and coming to a conclusion.
Each of these artifacts shows a progression and growth for the class while also highlighting different learning styles; from a visual, to auditory, to a kinesthetic learner. This unit helped me to grow as a teacher because it showed me how valuable and useful it is for each student to be exposed to the information in a variety of forms. Though the development of the class as a whole is necessary, the development of each student as an individual is just as important. Considering student development is something I incorporate into my classroom each day.