InTASC Standard # 2: Learning Differences is an important standard for

teachers to understand and utilize in their classroom. In order to master this

standard, the teacher must be able to understand the differences within the cultures
and communities that each student brings to the classroom. The teacher can do this
in many different ways. For example, the teacher must be able to design, adapt, and
deliver instruction so that all students can understand what is being taught and
have the opportunity to participate and demonstrate their knowledge towards the
lesson. By doing this, the teacher can ensure an open and positive learning
environment that enables each student to meet the standards that the teacher sets.
This artifact is a lesson segment from a Spanish I class. Included is the
written plan, the reflection I did after I performed this lesson segment, and the
mentor feedback. I performed this lesson during my first rotation at the middle
school. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this standard because I was
able to understand the differences of the students. Each student learns differently
and something that works for one student, may not work for another student. I was
also able to understand that each student has a different type of culture and
community that they practice. I incorporated both of these facts in order create an
open learning environment. I also was able to create high expectations for these
students while incorporating different cultures into a drill. This artifact relates to
positive impact on student learning because I was able to get the students to
answer questions using the target language with vocabulary that they have never
used before. I was also able to incorporate aspects of different cultures into the
drill, which shows students that there are so many different things in the world.

This artifact demonstrates part of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I

was able to judge what the students should have been able to accomplish using what
they had learned in previous classes and I was able to use this to plan an
instructional lesson segment. I was also able to assess what the students were able
to do by the questions I asked and the answers I received from them.