Individuals with Unique Minds
Every student brings a unique mind and intelligence into the classroom. Students’ minds are shaped by genetics, culture, and experiences resulting in an individual human capable of learning and developing in differing ways. Teachers must engage students to recognize these differences and develop instructional strategies to captivate these individual learners. Teachers should allow opportunities for students to engage their intellectual strengths while creating modifications to address students’ weaknesses. These learning differences can range from style to time to ability.
Whether a student differs culturally, linguistically, or developmentally, teachers must be prepared to engage and promote educational growth. My commitment to learning differences begins with varying instruction throughout lessons, units, and school years to benefit as many students as possible. Varying instruction is a way of differentiating opportunities to learn by engaging the multiple intelligences that diverse students bring to the classroom. I create and implement lesson plans, which have varied instructional methods throughout the unit. Examples of varied instruction are found in a two-week lesson plan I created for a World History course.
Teachers must continually seek out new resources and assistance to be prepared to understand and recognize learning differences. Resources and assistance are readily available throughout most schools. There are many specialists available to assist in implementing new resources and differentiating methods. Recognizing learning differences is particularly important when instructing and interacting with special-needs students. To achieve this, I familiarize myself with special-needs students through IEPs and 504s before taking over teaching duties. Additionally, I seek assistance from special education specialists to implement these standards and accommodations. During my time as a Latin and Foreign Language teacher, I utilized the expertise of fellow teachers, as well as a SPED specialist. Their input helped me shape projects, such as a Greek Mythology and Culture project, for many of my classes.
Teachers have to be committed to the idea that all students can learn regardless of their differences. Research has shown that teachers who believed that their students can learn are more effective than those who have doubts about student ability. This idea is reflected in my personal education philosophy of a growth mindset. I strive to realize everyday that students all learn in different ways and that all students have the potential to learn. Beyond belief, a way to guarantee all students can learn and grow is to shape curriculum to meet different students’ learning levels and needs. A successful example of this varied instruction is a text set, which has readings for a specific topics separated by reading levels. I created a text set about the Holocaust, which included texts at reading levels from early primary to beyond secondary school.
For more detailed information on my ideas regarding learner differences, please see my essay on Virginia Professional Practice Standard (PPS) #7: Student Academic Progress.