Domain D Artifact #3 Article Review 1

Brianna Konz
April 18, 2016
TED690
PDQP Domain D Artifact #3
Article Review

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Abstract
Teachers need to recognize that children are more than just students. They have lives
outside of school that we need to be aware of. It's these backgrounds that will affect their
performance in school. As educators, we need to learn as much as we possibly can about our
students. There are various things we should learn to understand why they perform the way they
do. This is for partial completion of my professional development portfolio for the course
TED690.

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To begin, we need to know their prior knowledge in every new topic that we teach. This
can be done through assessments or by simply asking their previous teacher what content was
covered and what wasn't. This should help them be aware of what their focus areas may be. "Pay
attention not only to what topics have been covered but the extent to which students have been
asked to apply particular skills and knowledge (for example, have they been required simply to
identify theories or to do something more sophisticated, such as make predictions on the basis of
different theoretical orientations? Have they been required simply to analyze aspects of
stagecraft and lighting, or have they used these insights in creating designs of their own?),"
(Recognize Who Your Students Are, 2015). These questions will make a huge difference in
understanding your student's prior knowledge.
How well do your students know the topic? It is one thing to have heard and worked with
it, but another to be able to apply and understand it well. The teacher needs to make sure the
students have a strong foundation to work on. Different formal assessments can be given to
check quickly how much your students do and do not know. There are multiple types to choose
from and it is recommended to find the one that best fits your lesson.
Teachers need to also consider the intellectual development of their students. The stages
included in this are dualism, multiplicity, relativism, and commitment. Dualism involves the
students seeing the world in black and white where there is only right and wrong, good and bad.
Multiplicity, "To students at this stage of development, everything becomes a matter of
perspective and opinion, with all opinions accorded equal validity," (Recognize Who Your
Students Are, 2015). With relativism, students begin to support their opinions with evidence and
see that others could be accurate with what they provide. Finally, commitment involves students

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making choices based off of the relativistic knowledge they have gained. They are making
informed decisions from knowledge they have learned.
Teachers need to also consider the cultural background of their students. Having this
knowledge allows for an understanding between the teacher and student to take place and respect
among the class to develop. Last but not least, teachers need to know more about the
generational differences. The generation the students are growing up in is much different than the
generation the teachers were raised in. Once they acknowledge this and make the initiative to
learn more about their generation, gaps will be closed and relationships will be built.
Knowing as much about our students that we can learn will help educators tremendously
in the classroom. They will be able to build relationships and spark the interests of the students.
They need to feel respected and comfortable in their learning environments. This will be done
through the process of the teachers taking the time to constantly learn more about their students
throughout the school year.

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References
Recognize Who Your Students Are. 2015. Carnegie Mellon University. Eberly Center Teaching
Excellence and Educational Innovation.