Running Head: MID-SERVICE LEARNING REFLECTION Standard # 2: Learning Differences The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and

diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards. Name of Artifact: Mid-Service Learning Reflection Date: March 2011 Course: EDUC 250: Educational Psychology Brief Description: This was a reflection written after volunteering 10 hours in an Indianapolis Public School. This assignment had me relate information learned in the textbook with knowledge cultivated in the classroom. This assignment made me reflect on teaching philosophies and how they can be applied in teaching methods. Rationale: To document my understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning and how educators can create instructional opportunities, I have selected to include my MidService Learning Reflection because it demonstrates my ability to apply knowledge learned to my professional development, pedagogy, and methodology.

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Mid-Service Learning Reflection Rita Mitchell Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana

Mid-Service Learning Reflection My last ten weeks of this present school semester has been spent volunteering at James Russell Lowell IPS School 51. School 51 has a number of special programs that promote higher learning and achievement among students grade K-6. One program is named Reading First, which translates to every student being required to read at least 90 minutes a day. (School 51,

3 MID-SERVICE LEARNING REFLECTION n.d.) The program Read-Up from United Way is targeted towards the schools fourth and fifth graders who need extra help in reading/vocabulary. (School 51, n.d.) Another program offered is Project Seed which is an interactive math program for the fifth and sixth grades which teaches students various methods of thinking and processing of math concepts. (School 51, n.d.) Along with these programs offered during regular school hours, school 51 has a number of volunteers from different organizations that come in afterschool to help with tutoring efforts. With the energy of high academics also comes fortitude for strong, positive character among students. The staff has implemented a number of behavior tactics at the classroom and school level. There is always a conscious effort by the staff to promote desired behaviors and learning that they believe their students can and will achieve. In my second grade classroom although I am only a student teacher the children respect as yet another authority figure and expect for me to hold up the standards that have been set for them. My daily duties are similar to that of the teacher. I am expected to help students, who have questions or need further instruction on an assignment, I am to correct any inappropriate behaviors seen by me (i.e. cheating, shouting, running), and sometimes I may have to take over small groups of students if the teacher or reading group mentors have to step out the classroom. Mrs. Erving is open to me planning and teaching a lesson plan if that is a desire I wish to fulfill this semester. Through Mrs. Erving I have been able to see the struggles and the simple joys that a first year teacher may go through. She has shared a wealth of information with me about classroom management, Indiana/IPS standards, how and why she became a teacher, and the importance of planning lessons ahead of time. Mrs. Erving gave me good advice on how to redirect when the lesson does not go as planned or students are not grasping the concept.

4 MID-SERVICE LEARNING REFLECTION I have learned a great deal in my short time at school 51. When it comes to the students many of them do face significant learning barriers that hinder the pace at which they learn. Along with these barriers it is important to remember a set of theories when teaching children. The first is Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which outlines eight major forms of human ability that an individual might have greater strength or weaknesses in. (Woolfolk, p. 116, 2010) The next theory reflects on what a persons learning style preference is and the methods in which you may teach in order to reach that students attention. (Woolfolk, p. 121, 2010) The most important of them all is Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development, which can be defined as the area between a childs current development level and the level of development that the child could achieve. (Woolfolk, p. 47, 2010) Another term used for this method is teaching to the Magic Middle and this is the time when scaffolding may take place. Through my educational progression I have gained a greater respect for what the teaching profession really does. Teachers have to face a lot of opposition to provide an equitable education to their students. I am beginning to see the whole picture on how and why some schools face more difficulty than others and how political agendas continue to alter our current education system. The agonizing part about it is that both curriculum and community are both shaped by external factors that are placed on them. I have gradual gotten more upset with what our city and state see as investments while other more meaningful projects continue to face budget cuts or termination. Being knowledgeable of everything that schools, teachers, and students go through has given me a greater passion to get involved with our nations youth. I not only want to become a teacher but launch a series of teen forums in which teens from all cultures can come and discuss issues and trends that affect them. I also want to start my own publishing company which specializes in teen and childrens books.

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Resources Woolfolk, A. (2010). Educational Psychology. (11th ed.).. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Columbus, OH: Merrill / Pearson.

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