A teacher must understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse backgrounds and exceptionalities.
Description of Artifacts
Artifact 1: Demographics
These demographics were taken during my 10 week student teaching experience. This artifact highlights the background of each student and identifies how many students qualify for support in areas like academics or behavior. |
Artifact 2: Seating Chart
This artifact is a seating chart that I made during my 6-week clinical practice. I wanted to make sure the students were able to drive their own learning through discussion and learning from their peers. Therefore, I made pods arranged them around the classroom. |
Analysis
Artifact 1: Demographics
Knowing the diverse backgrounds and lifestyles of the students aids in understanding the differences learning styles between students. When lesson planning, instructing or facilitating a class discussion, I considered the background of the students and took into consideration the language barriers, learning styles and individual experiences. This helps create a continuous and personalized learning experience in the classroom. |
Artifact 2: Seating Chart
I wanted to seat the students in pods or groups to allow for students to collaborate, teach and learn from each other. I feel that sitting in groups collectively unifies the classroom community and enhances each student's learning experience. When grouping these students, I considered the English Language Learner placements, and put them together and in the front of the room, closer to the teacher. This helped in making sure these students were on task and understanding instruction. I also took into consideration the high, on and low-leveled students, and made sure there was one of each in the pods. Using this strategy, the above-level students could help the on and below-level students. After arranging the chart, I looked over behaviors and relationships that could affect the learning of the pod or individuals. I went to school the next day excited to execute my plan, ready to make changes if need be. |
Synthesis
Artifact 1: Demographics
As I completed my student teaching, I found the demographics an interesting piece of information that allowed me to identify and focus on students who may need more support, based on the diversity of the classroom. I was more sensitive to areas of academic and general language development with the English Language Learners. I was also able to identify and better support students who required math and reading supports. Overall, knowing what makes up each student including their culture, socioeconomic background, developments, disabilities, experiences or history makes the goal of teaching to the needs of every student more precise. |
Artifact 2: Seating Chart
As we sat through the first day using the new seating chart, I discussed with my teacher the behaviors in the classroom. We had several students who were chatty and one that was having a difficult time following directions and staying on task. It seemed he preformed better (and actually preferred) sitting next to the teacher's desk. I was surprised. As I thought about moving him back I had remembered that in a previous classroom, the teacher had moved students but one remained in the same spot but with different peers in the group. I decided to move the student back to his original spot at the end of the day. He was happier and it made a world of difference in his behavior. As for the chatters in the class, I would have liked to given them a few more days to settle into their new spots, however, per the teacher's request I moved around a couple students after the first day. In my own classroom, I would like to see what happens with the chattering after a few days. Later into the year, I would expect the chattering during instruction to remain at a minimum. This seating chart reiterated the necessity to have social interactions throughout daily lessons. |