InTASC+2



“We are all equal in the fact that we are all different. We are all the same in the fact that we will never be the same. We are united by the reality that all colours and all cultures are distinct & individual. We are harmonious in the reality that we are all held to this earth by the same gravity." - C. JoyBell C. (2m)

//InTASC Standard #2: Learning Differences//

As a teacher it is essential that I incorporate differences and diverse cultures into my classroom in order to teach understanding and create an inclusive learning environment. Beyond teaching students about differing cultures and imparting empathy and understanding, an inclusive learning environment enables students from all backgrounds to meet high standards.  The second InTASC Standard, “Learning Differences," states that the teacher should design instruction to build on learner’s prior knowledge and experiences (2c). Affective Education theory states that students are likely to retain information longer and develop a deeper understanding of content if the information is related to their lives (2d). The reasoning is that connecting the information to previous experiences causes them to be identified as relevant in the students’ mind. Additionally, multiple brain connections are formed to reinforce the retention.  To meet learning differences, differentiation is necessary between different classes and students. In order to become aware of student needs it is essential for me to conduct student interest surveys during the first week of school, look at student folders before the school year begins, and talk to students throughout the year. Regarding students with special needs, I should review their IEPs with a special educator before the school year begins, modify different class materials to meet their specific needs, post all assignments in the classroom and on an online resource like Edline, and consistently ask the student(s) how I can help them (2h).  In my internship at FMS I observed differentiation during every day across different classes. In the beginning of the school year, Student J’s IEP instructed that all materials be read aloud to him. In response, my mentor acquired audio-recordings of all texts to play for J’s class instead of the silent-reading that occurred in other classes. Reading checks, in the form of quizzes, were frequently provided for the lower instructional level classes whereas the higher instructional level classes received no reading checks in the form of quizzes as verbal responses sufficed. Regarding the higher instructional classes, one group was generally easily distracted and hyperactive. To cope with their differences, my mentor limited group work to pairs and assigned partners instead of allowing students to work with a peer of their choice; these minor changes presented students with fewer distractions.  My attention to learning differences will strongly impact my student’s comprehension and involvement in my classroom. By encouraging students to share their opinions and background histories in class, as well as personally modeling a view of acceptance and interest in differences, I will encourage collaboration while making students feel valued. By utilizing content integration and understanding how cultural assumptions influence how knowledge is constructed, I can model an acceptance and interest in the differences of others that I hope to impart to my students.

 Lesson Segment #1:

Artifact Description

 What is this artifact?  This artifact is a portion of a lesson on the usage of verbs and adjectives in Flowers for Algernon completed with my 8th grade Language Arts students. The lesson utilized two images that I incorporated in an ActivInspire presentation to increase the student's understanding of the concepts. In the lesson I implemented both teacher centered and student centered instruction. First, students were presented with one of the images; then, working in small groups the students constructed sentences that utilized verbs and adjectives to describe the images. In a whole class discussion the students shared the sentences they had created in order to reinforce the concepts and review each student's comprehension.  How does this artifact demonstrate evidence of my mastery of the InTASC Standard?  This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in //InTASC 2: Learning Differences// because in the lesson I intentionally selected two images that connected with the student's prior knowledge, experiences and interests. Additionally, the instruction of the activity varied depending on the ability of each class. In my two intervention classes, students were provided sample sentences in order to aid them in their understanding of the activity before they worked independently; whereas, in my gifted and talented class the students were able to engage in the activity without a modeled sample. By differentiating the lesson in this manner I was able to ensure that students had the necessary knowledge to engage in the activity and increase their understanding.  In what way did this artifact contribute to/relate to positive impact on student learning during my final internship?  This artifact was the first lesson I taught in my internship. As such, it demonstrated how active learning by the students not only increased their participation in class but that it also significantly increased each student's comprehension. Such an experience taught me to consistently design my lessons around student centered activities. How does this artifact demonstrate the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle? <span style="color: #ff4300; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">This lesson demonstrates the “judging prior knowledge,” “planning’” and “teaching” components of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I utilized the student's culture and personal interests to plan effective and active learning opportunities in my lesson through the incorporation of an image that related to Halloween and another that focused on Superheroes. Additionally, this artifact demonstrates the use of a variety of instructional strategies within one lesson which culminated in the student's self-discovery of the lesson's content. include page="zStyle_bground_green"