Who’s in My Pocket? Narrative
During a classroom field placement, I met a grade 4 student who appeared to have some different learning abilities than some of the other students. From observing this student, I noticed that they often struggled to learn the material as quickly as other students and they got off task easily. The teacher of this class told me that this student struggles with ADHD. I noticed that this student needed to fidget with something at all times to help them stay focused and on task. This student became easily distracted by their surroundings, often looking at others and what they are doing or playing with things in/on their desk. I found that this student had a very out-going, kind, and enthusiastic personality that was visible at all times. I observed that this student became very curious about the people around them, always asking questions, and getting involved in many different conversations. From further observation, I noticed that these traits could often distract the student from engaging and paying attention during class time and throughout their learning. However, I don’t believe these traits reflect anything bad or negative on this student as every student is different and unique. I do believe that this student may need to be shown how to balance their traits when it comes to learning so that they and all the others can have the opportunity to learn within the classroom environment.
To this day, I often still think about this student and wonder how they are doing. I wish that I was able to spend more time with this student to see how they are continuing their growth and learning throughout their education. This student made an impact on my life and my educational teaching philosophies. I have been able to make many adaptations to my beliefs and style of teaching. Some philosophies that I now focus on include that teachers have the opportunity to change lives and support all student’s needs and abilities. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from this student and make changes to my personal philosophies. I believe that this student has challenged me to become a better educator for all my students. As a future educator, I am aware that all of my future students will have different needs and abilities. It is important to recognize the diversity within the classroom, so no student feels left out or unrecognized. I believe that it will be my job to find ways that ensure each student is being recognized, receiving the help and assistance they need, have their needs met, and receive the best education that they deserve.
Learner Profile – Planning for Differentiation
There are many ways to support and adapt to any student’s needs and abilities inside and outside of the classroom. The adaptive dimension document provided me with great detail and important information on ways to support my students in ways for them to receive the best education. The first adaptation is the learning environment. The learning environment is one that, “respects the identity of all students…The environment should generate an atmosphere for learning that honors worldviews and reflects students as capable learners” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 7&8). I believe that it is important to have a healthy, safe, and positive learning environment for all students to learn in. The student that I mentioned in the Narrative above, needs a classroom that supports their needs and abilities. Since this student has a curious mind, I believe that they need to be surrounded by materials and resources that will help them learn but not distract them and others from the learning process. Some points that stood out to me in the document on ways to make the learning environment suitable for all students is to, “provide an area free from distractions for students and model for students how to organize their materials in a way that promotes students success” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 11). This student and all the others may need an area where they can reflect on their learning that has no distractions. I believe that it is also important to model for students how organizing can help with learning.
The next adaptive dimension is through instruction. From my personal experience, I believe that all students learn differently and may require more help from the teachers to comprehend the learning material. Instruction from the teacher, “is formed by ongoing assessment of students’ strengths and needs. When planning instruction, the teacher needs to consider the complexity of concepts and the thinking required to comprehend those concepts” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 8). The student that I mentioned, required lots of instruction from the teacher as they always had questions to ask. I do not think providing more guided instruction to a student who needs extra help is or should be seen as a bad thing, as all students obtain comprehend the material differently. Since this student was always fidgeting or moving around, I believe that some ways to help this student learn and comprehend the material is through, “learning tasks that are active (rather than focusing on only sedentary tasks), and use multi-sensory (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic) instructional materials to support student comprehension” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 11). While observing this student, I noticed that drawing and reading helped the students focus on their learning. I think it is important for the teacher to incorporate many different strategies like books and other visual components into their instruction to help meet the needs of this student as well as every other student. I fully believe that this student is capable of being successful throughout their learning, they just require the right instruction and direction that will help them achieve success.
The next adaptive dimension is assessment. As the document mentions, assessment is just as important as teacher instruction and it must be fair for all students (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 9). As a future educator, I believe that assessment will not be an easy task to complete as each student is different and has their own unique learning abilities. In terms of the student mentioned, I observed that they often took more time to learn some of the material, however, I do not believe that this should reflect on how they are assessed as they are still learning. I believe that it is important that educators are not rushing the learning process, as every student learns differently and at different rates. This document mentions, “by focusing on adapting assessments to match students’ strengths and needs, teachers can provide opportunities for students to be successful” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 9). I believe that assessment should be quite flexible to ensure that all the needs of the students are being met. I also believe that assessment should be fair and justified, all students deserve to demonstrate their knowledge and learning, throughout the lessons and activities.
The last adaptive dimension within this document is the resources used to help educate the students. I personally believe that having a variety of different resources accessible for students will help with their learning. The document mentions, “selecting the appropriate resources for students is crucial for ensuring optimal progress and success” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 9). The student who I mentioned, always enjoyed reading books, in fact, this student always carried around this big book that had a variety of different information within. From what I observed, this student was always looking at different resources and some were able to help with their learning. I was able to watch this student make connections to the material they were learning in class to some of the information they were reading. The document mentioned how it is important to allow the students to provide their input on what resources they think should be included (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 9). I agree with this as students need resources that they are interested in to help with their learning. This document has provided me with lots of great information to help me find ways to adapt to all of my students’ needs.
Resources
Ministry of Education. (2017). The Adaptive Dimension: For Saskatchewan K-12 Students. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.nesd.ca/Programs/studentsupportservices/Student%20Support%20Services%20Handbooks/The%20Adaptive%20Dimension%20for%20Saskatchewan%20K-12%20Students%20-%202017.pdf