Reflection 3

Week ending on December 4th, 2020

Jordyn Bryant

1. This week I experienced a key moment that changed my learning when…

This week I experienced a moment where I did a verbal check-in at the end of the lesson
and realized only a couple of students responded. I realized the change I needed to make
which was to provide more instructional approaches and ways of teaching for my students. I
now notice how much I can get caught up in only using my voice to teach a concept which
I've realized is not near enough for students learning. Referring to Shelley Moore, teaching to
diversity means to hit each and every pin, including the most difficult, the two outside pins.
I've really come to recognize just how important it is to always keep those two pins in mind. I
need to providing more options or modifications for certain students when teaching,
especially for the students who need it the most. Some students may not always be able to
accomplish the same task or outcome as others. For example, in Social we did the retelling of
the story of creation and rather than creating a comic strip for their project, certain students
could create a poster of one singular drawing to represent the story. Although I was surprised
and impressed to see they worked through their comic strip which is also a reminder to never
underestimate a student. I also need to assume students know less than they do, and I need to
teach that way. For example, in the gym, I can't assume all my students know what a side
lunge or burpee is. I need to assume students know less than they do and explicitly explain or
demonstrate each concept whether that's a burpee or an art design. Therefore, I need to teach
to both pins, to the ones who need the most support and to the ones who need the most
challenge.

2. This has impacted my teaching the most because…

This has impacted my teaching the most because I've come to realize I haven't always
been teaching to all of my students. I've been teaching to the middle group, then moving to
help the ones who need it the most afterward. I need to plan my lessons in a way it’s always
reaching both pins. I've always known how important it is to teach to diversity but being in a
real classroom has opened my eyes, further emphasizing how crucial it is. That is why I want
to strive to keep improving in teaching to all my students. Like Shelley Moore has said, we
need to aim for the pins that are the hardest which again are the students who need the most
support and the ones who need the most challenge. I need to change my aim in how I'm
teaching, and I'll do so in my planning and preparation of my lessons. I need to be providing
more modifications, challenges, and opportunities for students who may need it. I need to
continue to provide more explicit instruction in everything thing I do, assuming the students
know less than they may. I need to provide multiple modes of learning in all my lessons and
for all learners such as; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. I've also come to realize it's not just
the two pins that need the support but all my students which is why I plan to work on
adjusting my direction and preparation when planning and creating my lessons.
3. Is this experience course-specific or can it be transferred to increase your
development in all your courses you are teaching?

This experience should be integrated into all my teaching and all my courses
because students should have this support at all times if needed. How I can provide more
support and challenge is by providing more options. For example, some students may not
always be capable of achieving the end goal, therefore I need to provide more options for
those students to succeed. For students who have trouble seeing the board, I'll provide
them printed out PowerPoint slides to have in front of them in case the board is too
difficult to read. I'll work to provide more modes of teaching than just verbal and
auditory. During lessons, I'll have students record more of what I'm doing and writing on
the board so they have it for themselves to refer back to. I'll also work to provide more
thought-provoking questions that lead to more discussion in class and more student
engagement during lessons. I'll also continue to work through sequencing my lessons
with slides, videos, discussion, and hands-on activity, especially during my hour-long
lessons. I'll also work to provide more formative assessment for each lesson as opposed
to only a discussion at the end, this will provide more evidence of learning. I can do so by
creating more exit slips, checklists, or verbal questioning before the students leave class
to confirm knowledge and learning.

4. My goal for next week is…

My goal for next week is to try and incorporate more opportunities and modes of
learning for all my students. My goal is to have a good form of formative assessment
after each lesson, whether it's a worksheet, summary sheet, checklist with questioning, or
discussion. I want my main focus to be check-ins with my students. I'll do so through
formative assessment but also in continuing to circle the class and support students if they
need it. I'm also going to focus on providing multiple ways to teach my lessons to support
all learners. I'll continue to verbally explain concepts and material for auditory learners.
I'll also present pictures, videos, and writing for visual learners while having students
record important information and outcomes in their worksheets. Lastly, I'll try to work in
more activities for hands-on, kinesthetic learners during my lessons as well. In hopes of
working in more formative assessment and ways of teaching I'll better be able to hit each
pin, and every student in between. My goal is to work to reach all my students, to not
only aim for the middle but most importantly the two outside pins, the ones who need the
most support and the ones who need the most challenge.