PRINCIPLE #3: The teacher understands how students differ
in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that
are adapted to diverse learners.
KNOWLEDGE
According
to Multiple Intelligence theory, proposed by Howard Gardner, each individual
can exhibit areas of strength or weakness in seven components of a system
commonly referred to as intelligence.
“Intelligence [is] the ability to solve problems, or to fashion
products, that are valued in one or more cultural or community settings.” I accept this as a plausible definition, and
in so doing, fashion my instructional
opportunities around the diverse learners.
I seek to instill in each student some aspect of the material in such a
manner as to facilitate the ongoing construction of knowledge, within their
individual areas of expertise.
“Everybody is good at something.”
A commonly heard expression tells of the point that explains where to
begin with the construction of knowledge.
Whether
the student is an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learner should not affect
the skilled teacher’s ability to address the learning style exhibited. The performance mode of the student is
important to consider, indeed. Is he or
she a student who spends large amounts of time on off-task situations? Yes, this is a different type of learner than
the student who is more complacent and less willing to ask questions. The
Case For The Constructivist Classroom, by Brooks & Brooks, identifies a
plethora of cooperative learning techniques designed to construct knowledge in all
students. It is the teacher’s
responsibility to ensure that learning experiences are engaged in by all
students. Multicultural readings assigned
to the students captivate on similarities between cultures, not
differences. These techniques utilize
literature as a means of highlighting the differences between cultures; in the
effect of creating a platform of similar feelings. Together, the students construct meaning from
each other and themselves, and all modes of learning can be engaged and
strengthened. The students, by the time I
had finished my placement, were feeling quite comfortable in working together
at the computer in small groups. I see
them working together and structuring their statements in support of one
another. Jose couldn’t get enough of the
computer, and when I last checked with his teacher his reading, writing, and pronunciation
skills had improved dramatically. So had
those students who had worked with Jose.
I
believe that all students are capable of constructing knowledge from
challenging information. I believe that
the central role of the teacher is to get those students who are achieving
below expectations to increase the quality of their output. An ongoing task of the teacher is to see that
students who find the information challenging and progress above expectations
continue to achieve at those levels.
Therefore, I believe that information needs to be tailored to the
student. For instance, in the case of a
student whom is learning English as a second language, I as a teacher would not
engage the learner’s prior knowledge through the utilization of materials designed
for students already well into English as their first language. Obviously, a learner needs to be slowly and consistently,
patiently immersed in the language, from his first language out. Hence, beginning with the learner’s native
form of expression, the teacher can guide the student to understand how she can
see connections between the languages.
For example, working with Jose in the Cleveland Public School, Joseph F.
Landis, I was able to see how a nurturing manner made a world of difference in
his life. Although Jose isn’t illiterate
in English, he has many difficulties with pronunciation. This contributes to Jose not wanting to do
well in school. As I worked with him, we
studied the similarities between the two languages. It should be mentioned that Jose -- at the time
-- is nine and in grade one; and the lessons were tapered to his levels. We used an Apple computer program to identify
sounds and letters with words. The
program would show a picture of an object (i.e. ball, cat, house) and we would
have the opportunity to sound out the letters and look at the picture. Visually, Jose was being primed to remember
the letters, sounds, and pictures. Tacitly,
he was beginning to associate letters on keyboards with letters of objects and
sounds for each. Auditorially, we were
saying the words, letters, and sounds to gather while looking at the picture
and the others mouth. This helped Jose
to form the proper facial contortions necessary for making correct pronunciation.
From
students with tremendous structures of support to students with underprivileged
backgrounds, while coming from all sorts of socio-cultural-economic backgrounds,
have the right to come to school and be challenged in their learning. Additionally, learners have got to have the
opportunity to show what they know and have known in their most enhanced
modes. I have structured experiences to
engage all learners, from those with an acute artistic expression to students
who prefer linguistic areas of communication.
The sixth grade Great Planet Projects are a wonderful example of how I
challenged the learners intellectual, communicative, cooperative, and
developmental learning modes and societal bases. Each student is responsible
for developing meaning from a variety of sources: videos, readings, art projects, drama
projects, etc. The result: almost one hundred percent of the students
scored in ranges that indicated they were in the above average spectrum . . .
and, all had fun while learning.
EVIDENCE
Discussions
Free-writing/
Creative writing
Art
projects -- globes
Videos
Skits
Tornado
project -- grade two
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