Diversity: Teachers understand that children learn differently.

* The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.

 

Savanna Oaks Support Staff Evaluation

Completed May 30, 2004.  I worked at Savanna Oaks Middle School for 1 1/2 years.

My work at Savanna Oaks Middle School shows my commitment to teaching children in a caring and compassionate way.  It also shows that I perform my professional responsibilities at a quality level.

 

Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment

I believe this artifact aligns with standard # 3; The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.

During my experience at Savanna Oaks, I worked with a multitude of children with differing needs.  I worked with students one-on-one, in small groups, as well as in the full classroom.  The cognitive abilities of the children ranged all the way from that of a 1-½ year old to students who were very advanced. Some students I worked with needed to use talking boards to communicate.  Some needed to have objects to pick up and move in order to count.  One student needed a lot of sensory experiences to feel comfortable.  With him, we used electric toothbrushes, balls to bounce on, and much more.

According to many professionals including Howard Gardner there are multiple intelligences, differing ways of processing information and different learning styles.  Some people are visual learners, while some are auditory and others kinesthetic. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences “proposes a major transformation in the way our schools are run. It suggests that teachers be trained to present their lessons in a wide variety of ways using music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and much more.”  Some students with whom I worked needed to physically have something in front of them to see what was happening.  While others would get distracted by the paper or object and would need to close their eyes to visualize certain things.  There are important things to plan for when it comes to “gifted” students as well.  More challenging activities should be planned for in case students finish early or need more of a stimulating activity.

There are many things that can lead to barriers to learning.  Disabilities of various sorts change the way a person learns whether it’s a cognitive, physical, or emotional issue they have.  Different techniques need to be used with students based on their learning abilities.  With one student, I found that I needed to say things slowly and repeat them as well as use simple sign language for him to understand what I was saying.  Often, I would have to take existing lessons and modify them to be manageable for students.  I would read some of the material aloud for the students that were identified as auditory learners.  I would even do this for quizzes and exams.

Abraham Maslow has outlined what he believes to be the “hierarchy of needs” of human beings.  He has said that there are five basic levels of needs.  To achieve higher levels, the lower levels need to be fulfilled.  The most fundamental level is one that pertains to physiological needs such as food, shelter, sleep, etc.  Next, comes the need for safety followed by the need for love and belonging.  After these two comes the esteem level.  This is when people can feel accomplishment, self-esteem, and respect by others.  The highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy is self-actualization.  This is where the person can develop creativity, problem-solving skills, acceptance of facts, morality, etc.  For students to have a meaningful educational experience, they will need the foundational needs taken care of. 

 

UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment

KSD3.e.  Demonstrates flexibility and responsiveness.  Often, I would have to alter a teacher’s worksheets or handouts.  Color-coding proved to be a valuable tool.  The students could more readily see what parts were related.  Chunking information into appropriate sizes for the students was also necessary.  This was accomplished by making longer activities that involved many steps into single process activities.  Some worksheets would turn into four separate worksheets in the end.  Organization of information was very important to some students.  We would have to work together to reorganize the material into a format that they could understand.  Having clear headings and sub-headings proved to be very useful with many of the students. 

 

What I learned about teaching

I will have to devote much time to getting to know the students in a given class.  All students learn slightly differently from one another; some quite differently.  The need for accommodations is something that deserves serious consideration.  When planning activities, projects, field trips, etc., the teacher needs to take all of the special needs of all of the students into consideration.

The students’ basic needs need to be met (such as food, shelter, safety, and belonging) for them to enjoy a healthy, productive learning environment.  Part of a teacher’s job is to advocate for the students’ needs at school, at home and in the community.  Developing a relationship with students’ caretakers shows all parties that one cares about the student.  This can prove to be important for the learning experience.

 

What I learned about myself

I have learned that I am a compassionate person who cares deeply for the well being of all people.  I found that simply having good intentions is not adequate for becoming an effective teacher.  I went into this teaching experience quite naïve.  I believed that most of what I would be doing throughout the year would come naturally.  Instead, I discovered that I needed to practice various strategies and talk to other staff members in order to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform my duties.  I believe I will need to learn more about the various accommodations that can and should be made for students with special needs.