Wonderstruck Unit Plan | |
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Evidence 2: Human Cube ReportWhile working on my post baccalaureate degree at Vancouver Island University, I was continually amazed at how much I was learning about child and youth development. I was able to synthesize what I was learning about children as individual learners and as social beings – and put this knowledge to use – with the creation of a “Human Cube Report.”
In this report, which in many ways resembles an Individualized Education Plan, I was able to describe the history and background of a fictional student with diverse needs, and develop a whole-child approach to help this student access the BC curriculum. The cube’s six sides represent ‘access’ points in which curriculum may be delivered in a manner conducive to the learner’s strengths and needs. The lessons include activities, out of class experiences, and gamification. Each activity or investigation is designed with a specific student and their abilities or special needs in mind. Additionally, each of the six activities includes a method of formative assessment. Through this assignment, I was able to extensively research and better understand individual learning differences and special needs. I was also able to critically reflect how to best serve students through the medium of differentiated curricula, instruction, assessment, and classroom management strategies.
Through my experience creating this report, I was able to better understand how choices in curriculum, instruction, and classroom management must be created for the purpose of serving students above all else. This approach encompasses personalized learning, which Kallick and Zmuda defines as “[placing] the learner at the center of the curriculum… the teacher [makes] a conscious choice to move closer to a classroom that empowers the learner” (29). Our curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment must reflect the complexity of these students, and honour them as whole-person learners. Instruction, learning, classroom management and assessment must happen in ways that are varied, empowering, and consider the abilities or special needs of our students. Through this project, I was able to examine how incredibly complex and unique children’s minds are, and spent countless hours researching how they develop as learners and social beings. This evidence addresses the individual needs of students, and how these needs will impact the pedagogy and practice of educators. With this knowledge in mind, the report addresses how curriculum, instruction, assessment, and classroom management can be adapted to serve the needs of unique learners. This report is a strong example of TRB Standard 3 as it draws upon the perspectives of a multiplicity of educational theorists to create a multi-faceted, dynamic, and individualized learning plan that considers how young people develop as learners and social beings. Tailoring my students’ classroom experiences and learning to their unique social and emotional needs, mental development, and intelligences will be an important part of my classroom practice because I believe personalized learning is integral in guaranteeing the success of every student. Through personal attention that reflects the needs of the whole person, students will be able to take ownership of their education and life choices, creating a life and a future which celebrates diverse learners, encourages personal responsibility, and reflects creative and flourishing ways of being in the world. Removing the top-down model in favour of a fluid, community based and holistic approach, personalized learning will organically encompass the family, the educator, and the enrichment of the learner. Personalized learning will not only encourage acceptance and empathy, but promote individual thought and responsible decision making. This style of learning recognizes that education is not one-size-fits-all, but a transformative, fluid, and community-based process that realizes the potential of each child. As a teacher, I will be continually reflecting and asking myself how personalized learning plans will benefit students first, reflect their development as learners and social beings, and directly impact the way in which I manage my classroom, design my lessons and projects, differentiate instruction, and assess student learning. Works Cited Kallick, B., & Zmuda, A. (2017). Students at the center: Personalized learning with habits of mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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