Mary Hawkins

InTASC Standard: The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues (InTASC, 2013).

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Brief Description of Evidence:  

The evidence I have chosen for this standard is an advocacy project I completed in the fall semester of 2020 in my EDUC 121 Child & Adolescent Development class. This project outlines a food drive created to address the issue of families in need of help providing food. The drive was designed to focus on families who are on free/reduced lunch at school, families who are unable to provide enough food during a break from school, or any family that is unable to provide enough food for their family due to reasons beyond their control. This drive addresses an issue that many communities face; an issue that brings a lot of stress to the providers and the children. The drive was planned to be supported by volunteers such as first responders, teachers, and other students. It was planned to have the students involved in the planning and execution of the drive so they could see where these needs arise in their community. There would be a donation drive to accumulate the items needed and then they would be distributed to those in need. The drive was planned to become a bi-annual event but could become more frequent based on community needs. 

 

Analysis of What I Learned:

Throughout this project, I learned more about the ways schools support their families and students. As an educator, it’s important to look at the students' needs. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs “Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization” (Mcleod, 2022). In this case, the educator and school can help a child satisfy their physiological need of eating. Being willing to assist any of the students and their families becomes an integral part of the job when wanting to meet those needs exemplified in Maslow’s Hierarchy. This project helped me understand that meeting the needs of my students and the communities we are a part of will help students become more successful in their studies. 

 

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

This artifact demonstrates my competence in this standard by involving the students when creating something to address an issue. The drive was directly related to an issue some of those students were facing, and the task was to create a way to collect donations and then distribute them to those in need. When incorporating the students’ thoughts and ideas into planning an event like this, they can see and experience first hand how they make a difference in their local community, as well as taking each other's opinions and ideas to form them into one cohesive event. This drive also opens up opportunities for them to look at issues similar, in this case, hunger, on a more global level. This event could even lead to a bigger drive where a fundraiser could be created to help an international community or even partner with local food banks that do food drives and provide meals full time. 

 

Citation:

Mcleod, S. (2022, April 4) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. SimplyPsychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

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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.