Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.
I believe that as a teacher we are life-long learners and upholding this is extremely important in our students growth and development. With that being said, I will always strive to go into each lesson utilizing the All, Most, and Few categories. This is to ensure that all students are provided with the tools and opportunities to learn.
Every single human being is different and authentic in their own way. Therefore, it seems impractical to expect all our students to learn and grow the same as each other. As educators, we need to adapt to this. We are there to help these students learn and grow to be successful members of our society. This is where our IEPS, differentiated learning, and UDL’s come in. Through these adaptations, we are able to speak to all types of learners.
When we look at assessment in the classroom, we are not only assessing the students to see where they are at in their learning and what they are doing. We are assessing what their needs are and how we need to adjust ourselves to provide them with the tools they need to learn. It is important that we are not blaming the students for their struggles with learning but rather look inward for what we can do to help each student reach their full potential.
At the same time, finding the balance between meeting the students where they are at, and still challenging them for the product of growth can be a difficult process. It can take trial and error and it can be frustrating. But as educators, is it important that we help our students grow by challenging them in a positive way, utilizing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Furthermore, when we are challenging our students, we need to make sure that they feel safe in the classroom or the environment that they are in. If they do not feel safe when they are challenged there is a larger chance that it will not be a positive experience not only for the student but also the teacher. Creating a safe environment for the students to learn and grow in is a crucial foundation for their growth and development. A safe environment is not only for the students but for us as educators as well, so we can adapt and expand our lessons to reach all our learners.