Grammar speaks; dialects teach us truth; rhetoric gives coloring to our speech; music sings; arithmetic numbers; geometry weighs and measures; astronomy teaches us to know the stars.
~Latin Maxim
~Latin Maxim
Standard 3
Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs - The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse needs.
Reflection
In the teaching profession, there really is no one size fits all strategy. As much as we might like to think that our perfect lesson encompasses all of our students, the reality is that many times it does not. It is vitally important though, as a teacher to adapt your instruction to fit your students’ needs. My first artifact, a paper on Objectivism Through the Lens of Teaching, discusses this, citing Parker Palmer’s words in The Courage to Teach. In writing this paper, I was placed in a position of determining whether or not teaching methods would be subjective, or tailored to fit individual needs. I came to the conclusion that there must be an equal balance between subjectivity and objectivity in order to most properly instruct students for their future goals. In this way then, I learned as a teacher how to balance material that is necessary with the needs of students to have assignments tailored to fit their abilities and needs.
My second artifact, my text set, was focused on introducing the idea of Children in the Holocaust. I decided to focus on this topic in particular because when I was observing in a fourth grade classroom, I noticed a difficulty in finding material suitable for elementary school students, so there was very little to supplement the one text being used. This text set focuses on meeting the needs of this age group, while at the same time not being limited by a certain age, because of the fact that it extends to college level. Within a classroom, students are at different levels, some students need more of a challenge, while other students need easier material. By using a variety of sources and reading levels, I have integrated a way of tailoring material and instruction to directly fit my students’ needs in the classroom.
My third artifact is based on the concept of multiple intelligences. Many times, we forget to celebrate students’ achievements if they do not fall within the realm of academia. This paper focused on the eight criteria of linguistic intelligence, music intelligence, mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and environmental intelligence. By not limiting students’ intelligence to only the prescribed idea of intelligence of the time, we as teachers allow for students’ needs to be met in the best way possible. As a teacher, this has helped me to reconsider what exactly my students might be gifted in and to encourage that interest by adapting instruction to meet their needs. This is supplemented by a journal on SIOP methods I observed during my time in a fourth grade classroom.
My fourth artifact is specifically tailored to male students. I was shocked to discover that growing numbers of students are becoming aliterate. Therefore, I feel it is important as an elementary school teacher to encourage reading at an early age for all students in my classroom. For this reason then, I included several lists and activities specifically tailored to fit boys’ interest as this was the largest percentage of students becoming aliterate. This shows, that as a new teacher, I understand a problem facing my classroom of male aliteracy and that I am working towards developing resources that can encourage my male students to read more. As a beginning teacher, this has taught me valuable lessons about the differences between the interests of young female and young male readers.
My second artifact, my text set, was focused on introducing the idea of Children in the Holocaust. I decided to focus on this topic in particular because when I was observing in a fourth grade classroom, I noticed a difficulty in finding material suitable for elementary school students, so there was very little to supplement the one text being used. This text set focuses on meeting the needs of this age group, while at the same time not being limited by a certain age, because of the fact that it extends to college level. Within a classroom, students are at different levels, some students need more of a challenge, while other students need easier material. By using a variety of sources and reading levels, I have integrated a way of tailoring material and instruction to directly fit my students’ needs in the classroom.
My third artifact is based on the concept of multiple intelligences. Many times, we forget to celebrate students’ achievements if they do not fall within the realm of academia. This paper focused on the eight criteria of linguistic intelligence, music intelligence, mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and environmental intelligence. By not limiting students’ intelligence to only the prescribed idea of intelligence of the time, we as teachers allow for students’ needs to be met in the best way possible. As a teacher, this has helped me to reconsider what exactly my students might be gifted in and to encourage that interest by adapting instruction to meet their needs. This is supplemented by a journal on SIOP methods I observed during my time in a fourth grade classroom.
My fourth artifact is specifically tailored to male students. I was shocked to discover that growing numbers of students are becoming aliterate. Therefore, I feel it is important as an elementary school teacher to encourage reading at an early age for all students in my classroom. For this reason then, I included several lists and activities specifically tailored to fit boys’ interest as this was the largest percentage of students becoming aliterate. This shows, that as a new teacher, I understand a problem facing my classroom of male aliteracy and that I am working towards developing resources that can encourage my male students to read more. As a beginning teacher, this has taught me valuable lessons about the differences between the interests of young female and young male readers.
Objectivism through the Lens of Teaching; a paper about tailoring teaching approaches to students
objectivism.pdf | |
File Size: | 6613 kb |
File Type: |
Text Set Table of Contents, showcasing a wide introduction of a topic using a variety of sources and reading levels
children_in_the_holocaust-title_page.docx | |
File Size: | 43 kb |
File Type: | docx |
table_of_contents_anne_frank.docx | |
File Size: | 12 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Multiple Intelligences Textbook article, showcasing the idea of understanding different kinds of intelligence
multiple_intelligences0001.pdf | |
File Size: | 1101 kb |
File Type: |
SIOP Journal
siop_journal.docx | |
File Size: | 12 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Guys Reading Lists, Article, and Activities, displaying how to tailor reading to fit the male students within our classroom
guys_read.pdf | |
File Size: | 3992 kb |
File Type: |
guys_read_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 8775 kb |
File Type: |
guys_read_3.pdf | |
File Size: | 8134 kb |
File Type: |
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/buffys_corner_bearfacts.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_ghost_of_spirit_bear.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_rescuejoshmcguire.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/lesson_plan_one.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/lesson_plan_two.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_ghost_of_spirit_bear.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_rescuejoshmcguire.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/lesson_plan_one.html
http://www.benmikaelsen.com/lesson_plan_two.html