Mary Hawkins

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InTASC Standard: The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences (InTASC, 2013).

 

Brief Description of Evidence:  

For my evidence of this standard I have chosen the Child Case Study that was completed in my EDUC 121 Child and Adolescent Development class during the fall semester of 2020. In this study we were to choose a child who was elementary aged, and then conduct interviews with their family/caregivers to learn more about them and their health/needs. After doing this we were to design an activity for them and then observe them doing it. We had a reflection to write over this and afterward create a second activity to focus on a specific goal. For the first activity I did with the child we made sock puppets because I wanted to see him in a free creative zone and know he was able to use his own ideas and imagination. By doing this I was able to see areas where he may struggle. I noticed that the child lost focus quickly and wanted to chat frequently, so for the second activity I designed it in a way that he had specific goals to meet in a certain time period so he was more likely to stay focused. After all of that I was able to compile the study into a presentation.

 

Analysis of What I Learned: 

Throughout this assignment I was able to learn more about adapting lessons to meet the specific needs of the learner. It was interesting to see throughout this case study how the child responded better to example based work instead of just verbal instruction. I also learned that a child can be extremely comfortable in one area of study and struggle in others, in this case I was able to see that the child thrived in being able to work with his hands and be creative but struggled with a more traditional writing/english prompt. It was because of that I understood that a student may be able to enjoy doing assignments in subjects they struggle with as long as they’re presented in a positive way that is adjusted to where they can create meaningful knowledge from it and know they are able to receive assistance when needed. This assignment also led me to understand Fleming’s VARK theory of how students learn in different ways. (Broadbent, 2021). In this study the child was able to have a better understanding of the material when it was presented in a visual manner, or even if he was able to kinesthetically act something out, conversely,  the child needed more assistance if something was presented in a purely written form. (Broadbent, 2021). Overall, I learned that it’s important to understand where the child is able to learn their best and understand that their environment and comfortability plays a large role. 

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How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the InTASC Standard: ​

This artifact demonstrates my competency by showing that I am able to create a differentiated lesson based on where a student will thrive. I was able to learn that the child in my study understood information that was presented visually, and that he felt most comfortable when able to work with his hands and use his imagination. I am able to adapt activities to where a student will feel challenged in an appropriate way and will not be overwhelmed by the information. I learned from this assignment that students all thrive in different areas and may need different accommodations based on their needs. 

 

Citation:

Broadbent, K. (2021, April 7). Four Different Learning Styles. Melio. https://www.melioeducation.com/blog/vark-different-learning-styles/

 

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2013, April). Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0: A Resource for Ongoing Teacher Development. Washington, DC: Author.