INTASC Standard #3 Part 2

The developmental learning theory is a very important role in the way that each student learns in their own unique way. There are many levels of this learning theory that varies with age, therefore that can make a difference in how abstractly they are able to learn. Students at the same age can also learn more abstractly than other students, and this is important to consider when you are teaching your students. It is important to know your students Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is what the students can do with help or without it. By knowing and understanding this with each of your students you will be able to know where you can help them think more abstractly then they would before, compared to more concrete, which will help develop their critical thinking skills.

Standard 4

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

As a future teacher I know that using a variety of instructional strategies can be a hard thing to continuously do, but I know it is not impossible. Teachers should teach to each individual student in their classroom, not just from the textbook. Teach lessons that will engage each student to learn to the best of their ability, and by using different instructional strategies you will be able to reach this in your classroom. It is important to get to know and understand your students so you know their abilities and their strengths and weaknesses. It is important to teach to all of them and challenge all of them. This will help develop different skills like problem solving and critical thinking. Ways to incorporate multiple instructional strategies is by teaching your lesson and then exploring even deeper with a project or activity. The teacher can use a variety of presentations and explanations to encourage students in critical thinking, creativity and problem solving. In the classroom it is important to not lecture, and keep students involved by asking them open ended questions to keep them involved by working on small group projects and individual projects. Teachers can also engage students by having them reflect on their prior knowledge and link those concepts to familiar concepts and then relate it to their own experiences. By using their experiences, the teacher can encourage students to understand, question, and analyze ideas from diverse perspectives.

INTASC Standard #3

Intasc Standard # 3: "The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners."

The major thing that needs to be understood by teachers is how each student is unique. They are all going to have different past experiences, backgrounds, knowledge and learning preferences. The role of the teacher is to embrace each of these individual traits and provide an environment that enriches their critical thinking skills and overall learning atmosphere.

In every class period each individual student is going to grow up in different neighborhoods, with parents that are always in their lives, or not in their lives at all. These different backgrounds reflect on each students personality. When students grow up in a variety of backgrounds, each students prior knowledge is different and that brings diverse perspectives on subjects in the classroom. Students will be able to share these different experiences with one another, so other students can learn from one another and gain a whole new outlook on certain subjects. This can also bring students together because they will learn to respect each others differences and opinions, as well as find similarities between them and their peers.

This leads to how important group discussion is in the classroom. In classrooms some students don't like answering questions or feel comfortable talking in big groups. By having small group discussions students will feel more comfortable and be able to engage in class group discussion. The importance of these discussions is for students to be using their critical thinking skills and using effective communication with one another. Students can also work in small groups on projects, homework, and activities. The biggest struggle with this is keeping the students on task and focused on what they should be learning, so the classroom management aspect of this is extremely important for it to be effective. It is also important to use differential learning in your classroom. By using small groups, large groups, working individually, and using different learning preferences. Different strategies like this in the classroom will keep the students engaged, and meet the needs of each individual students.

One last important things is that first day/week of school when you get to know your students and as the teacher be able to know the individual approaches you should use for that certain group of students. By getting to know the students on a more personal level, you will understand how to adapt to each of their diverse learning styles. Teachers should also be aware that students are always changing and growing, so they should always know how to adapt and create a stimulating learning environment.

Meeting with Professor Kruse

My meeting with Professor Kruse is in thirty minutes and right now I am not sure how confident I am feeling. I feel that I have learned a lot in this class so far, but not to the point where I have a complete understanding of it all to be able to succeed in this meeting. I know that I will have to go with my gut and say things that I truly believe make a good teacher.

As I sit here thinking about it though, I wonder if this is really an effective way of assessing students. There are a lot of forms of assessment, but I think this form of assessment can stress students out and make them nervous. We pretty much have one time to prove that we understand what he is teaching us in class. We have two practice rounds, but I still question if this is the best way to assess your students. I know that he does a lot of informal assessment during class, and I may not know it is even happening when it is. Sometimes I prefer this method because I am more comfortable to speak my mind and state my opinions. I am very interested to see the result of this meeting. I will add more to this blog when I am done with the meeting.

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After the meeting, I definitely did not feel as confident and I think I should feel at this level. There is still a lot more I need to know and review. I want to work on knowing specifics and exact points, compared to elaborating too much.

How do all of the Standards fit together?

On Wednesday in class something that I became aware of is the fact that every lesson can incorporate almost every standard. When you first think about a lesson, you don’t always think about all of the standards that fit into the lesson. When you take a step back you can see that there are a lot of connections between each standard and how each individual standard makes an impact on the lesson. In Education 132 I believe that Professor Kruse tries to incorporate most of the standards into each lesson, that way we can become more aware of how to use them when we are teaching.

When executing a successful lesson you have to focus on what the main points are of the lesson. Then when you incorporate most of the standards, it will create a response from the students and keep them engaged. Especially since we are saying these standards are what make a successful classroom. By setting up the classroom in a way that the teacher is able to walk around easily and see each student from every angle. The way the room is set up should make the students feel comfortable and engaged, which then adds in how important non-verbal communication is. As the teacher by enjoying teaching and smiling, students will notice this and take that positive energy and put it into their work. These examples combine different standards and also incorporate classroom management. Another form of classroom management is using effective questioning skills. By knowing the right questions to ask the students and knowing what to do if no one answers the questions, will incorporate both classroom management and effective question in the classroom. Having the knowledge of effective questioning will help students not be distracted by too many people talking at once, or doing individual work. This way each student can use their critical thinking skills as well as work in groups when they are all struggling with one question.

I could keep talking about how each standard ends up fitting all together, yet I think the essential thing that put all the standards together is the lesson. Each standard can build off of one another, and become dependent. Yet at the same time each standard has its own individual qualities that bring strengths to the lesson. As the teacher it is important to be flexible with the lesson and how the standards work in the lesson. One group of students could go in one direction and another group could go in a completely other direction. In the end I think it would be very successful to incorporate each standard in every lesson, but I know that this is a lot easier to say than to do.

My Future Classroom

I am still unsure if I would want my future class to be like Education 132. There are a lot of positives and negatives to both. Therefore I think that an equal balance of the two is what I would want in my classroom. I think having the discussion based classroom is a great way to get students engaged in the material, but you also need to have that balance of independent work. Especially in a math classroom I think having an both group work and individual work, students will end up having a greater understanding of the material. In my mathematics classroom I believe that I would have to have a grading system for the students. It is beneficial for students to have homework so they have a greater knowledge of the material they are learning. I also think in high school homework can also be a tool of motivation. The part that will be the hardest is having the students understand the importance of doing the homework and comprehend the material, over just getting it done for the grade. Overall I enjoy the way that Education 132 is set up like, but I don’t think that my mathematics classroom would be able to be set up the same way. In the end I need to see what works best for each group of students and accommodate those needs to how my classroom is run.

Challenges & Goals

I believe that this class will have many unique challenges that I have not experienced in other classes. In most classes I usually get an assignment and then I complete it and turn it in for a grade. Even though we will still have an assignments in this class I think one of the challenges will be that it is not graded. Since this is what I am so used to, it will be a challenge, but it could also be an opportunity for me to learn more than I usually do. In the end there may be more purpose to completing the assignments because I have to prove what I have learned by defending the standards of the class. I enjoy the feeling of going into this class and not knowing what is going to happen that day, the unsureness is exciting and I think that is how students should feel about the classroom. If I bring that into my classroom someday I think my students will be more excited about learning. I will have some structure, but I will also add something engaging into each of my lessons so students won't get used to each class having the exact same structure. By adding something original, students will more likely be excited to learn, go to class and think outside of the box.

As a Math teacher, my goals for my students will be different based on the course that I am teaching. Some of these goals will be:

• Learn the value of mathematics
• Learn to communicate mathematically
• How math is used in everyday life
• Show confidence in their abilities
• Show respect to their classmates and I
• Demonstrate active learning in the classroom
• Build a classroom community
• Connect math to other content areas and life
• Demonstrate responsibility
• Understand the value of working hard
• Have fun