Standard Two: Knowledge of Human Development and Learning - The teacher understands how students learn and develop, and provides opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
Standard Two, Knowledge of Human Development and Learning, states that a teacher must have an understanding of how the students learn and develop to appropriately accommodate your students learning needs. Without gaining a sense of what your students need or want within the educative process, the students will not be successful in the education system. For an educator, this is important because you must be able to adapt your instruction to classroom needs, and individual needs. The artifacts that exemplify this are a handbook for classroom instruction that works, Integrated lesson plan on weather unit, and three different groups of leveled spelling list.
Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works
Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works
- This is a packet from my curriculum and instruction class. This packet had you reflect on your current beliefs and practices using various ideas like comparing, contrast, categorizing, metaphors, and analogies. Once you have reflected on your current belief, you had to change your state of mind and do a page from a student perspective. Finally you reflect on what background and ideas you need in order to complete what you wanted the student to do. This is a great packet because you may think a method would work, when your students will not fully understand what you are trying to do with that method of instruction. This relates to domain one because a teacher must be able to plan and prepare their lessons based on the students need. It helps you understand what steps are needed to get the students to use the method in the correct way, and in a way that they will be able to fully understand.
Integrated Lesson Plan on Weather Unit: Second Grade
- When I was planning a unit on weather and the different aspects of weather tools for second graders, I decided to do an integrated unit where it included various subjects and kinesthetic activities. I wanted all the students to be able to learn the material in a different way rather than sitting in a classroom setting. They were able to do art, go to the gym, sing songs, use technology, and create a water cycle song. There are so many different ways students learn, so why do we limit to certain activities? This unit proved that creating a well sequenced unit truly helped the students demonstrate their understanding in more than one way.
Leveled Spelling Tests: Fourth Grade
- Students all develop and learn in different ways. For my fourth grade students, I adapted their spelling list to where they struggled the most. For example, prefixes, suffixes, blends, digraphs, and much more. The students were all given a spelling inventory test, that was expected to be harder than what they were used to in order to place them on a certain spelling level. Once I determined where each student was, I decided that there would be different spelling lists because the students struggled in different areas. Once having started these spelling lists, the students have shown signs of improvement on their spelling inventory tests. Leveling the students spelling test demonstrated an understanding on how students develop at a different pace, and shows that students can demonstrate their understanding and grow at a different pace compared to other students. If the students are growing, we as teachers are successful.