Course Strands:

Communication, research/content, technology, and collaboration

The communication line between teacher and student, and student to peers is so important when building relationships and good socializing skills. I truly believe that children learn more from each other than they could ever learn from a teacher when given the opportunity to do so.  Working with my students this semester it became apparent how the students relied on each other for ideas and encouragement.  I also noticed how the students took on group roles.  One student was the comedian and brought humor and fun into our activity, the other student was the motivator and was always leading the group by volunteering to go first, the last student was the facilitator who asked questions and would offer suggestions to those of us who neededit.It was amazing to see the students take on these specific roles and take control of their own learning.  During our recording session, it was interesting to see how the students used different forms of communication when presenting their Chautauqua’s.  Some used verbal communication, and others chose to use non-verbal communication, which interestingly enough, was easy for the audience to understand and follow along with what the character was doing.  I thought that this was a courageous and creative way to present ones character. 

Reading our course text and other research material, gave significant insight on how to provide the student’s choices based on their needs, strengths and interest.   Allowing the students to choose their characters, draw their characters, go outside, play games, use the computer to type their own stories, provide journals and preferred writing utensils all played an important role for setting the stage for learning and instilling intrinsic motivation.  Effective teaching starts with knowing how to relate subject material to student’s strengths, needs and interests.  This was not an easy task, and I found myself using a number of resources to help guide me through this project.

Technology plays a huge role in our society as a whole.  It has become apart of our societal “Norm” and learning how to use it is no longer seen as a choice or privilege; it’s now a necessity.  Our children are growing up in a technological advanced society and need to learn how to use this technology in order to function successfully within it.  Giving my students the choice to use the computer and type their own stories gave them an incentive to complete their stories.  It’s amazing how the simplest things can inspire and motivate a child when it is of interest to that child   

Five Dimensions Of Learning:

(Confidence and Independence)

            My confidence level of knowing how to differentiate instruction has grown tremendously this semester.  At first, I thought that it would be impossible to differentiate instruction for 30 plus students, but with hard work and time, nothing is impossible.  One of my instructors told me that by taking a couple of weeks in the beginning  of the school year and dedicating it towards building relationships and getting to know the students, differentiating instruction will not be so difficult.  Teachers who fail to put forth the hard work in the beginning suffer through the year trying to reach their students on a meaningful level.  I truly believe in these words and can see the power behind doing so. 

(Skills and Strategies)

            While working with the students this semester, I realized how important it was to be flexible with time.  My plans for the day were on occasion, modified due to situations the students were having that were brought on by outside influences.  Some situations were solved by talking through them and some of them were so deep that it was hard to pull the student/s out of that particular mind frame.  Listening and empathizing played huge roles during this difficult time and I realized that teaching isn’t always about teaching.  It’s all about the students and what they need in order to learn.  Unfortunately, we as teachers cannot control what happens to our students once they are out of our hands, but what we can do is find where the situation is deriving and nip it in the bud so that our students will be able to get passed it and move on. 

(Knowledge and Content)

            What I learned about nurturing diverse learners consist of acknowledging each student and valuing each student for who he/she is.  All children learn differently and it’s my job to find out how each child learns in order to create a meaningful learning environment.  What I have gained from the content is my own awareness of diversity and the importance behind targeting and meeting the needs of every student.  Keeping an open mind when faced with any given situation will allow me to meet needs more effectively and without judgment. 

(Reflection)

            As a future educationalist, I’m going to give every student the opportunity to be a successful learner.  I will keep an open mind when dealing with situations and give every student the benefit of the doubt.  I will not let misconceptions elude my mind and will absolutely refuse to jump on the labeling bandwagon.  I hope that I inspire my future teaching companions to do the same.  I have enjoyed working with my students this semester and have learned a lot about them and from them.  I have been put in some interesting situations and have had the opportunity to work through them with the students.  The concepts behind teaching diverse learners will forever be apart of my planning and instruction.  Differentiating instruction for diverse learners is a trait that I feel very confident in and cannot wait to apply within my student teaching and teaching experience. 

(Final Evaluation)

            Again, I have truly enjoyed working with my students.  They have done nothing but validate my reasons behind wanting to become a teacher.  I’ve had a wonderful learning experience and cannot wait to apply everything within my own classroom.  Having to miss the Grand Finale was disappointing and hurtful but this is just one more experience that will help keep me on my toes.  In terms of grade, I feel that I have shown my dedication as a student and future teacher so receiving an A would be a nice reward.  My suggestion for the instructor is, watch out for falling coconuts!!