Standard 1 - Know students and how they learn
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1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students & 1.2 Understand how students learn
My Teaching Philosophy is influenced by the work of David Kolb, whose experiential learning theory explores and builds upon the previous works of Dewy and Levin. Kolb’s experiential theory proposes that “learning is a process where knowledge is created through the transformation of experiences” (Kolb, 1984, p.38). The theory outlines a cyclical process comprising of four stages: · Concrete experience · Reflective observation · Abstract conceptualization · Active experimentation I like to think of the process as “DO, OBSERVE, THINK & PLAN” and I find that this theory combines well with the Teaching Games for Understanding model (or Game Sense) which is often used within a Physical Education setting and has gained much popularity with Physical Educators in recent years, (Metzler, 2005 & Alexander, 2008). I believe that students form concrete understanding of more abstract topics by being immersed fully within those topics, which means, to experience them as active participants, allow them to reflect upon their experiences and then test their newly acquired knowledge within a new situation. "Boys will be Brilliant: Understanding Boys’ Needs to Provide Equitable Education" is the title of an essay I have written during my post graduated study, which investigates gender based developmental differences during childhood and adolescence and how these differences effect learning. This essay has come to inform my teaching profoundly, it has allowed me to better understand gender based and developmental differences within my classes, to develop units and lessons which are more engaging to more students, to better support student learning through the use of more effective scaffolding techniques and ultimately, to be a more effective practitioner. Artifact 1. "boys will be boys" essay demonstrating my knowledge of the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of young people 1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds One of the classes I taught during my PST placement included a number of student with ESL backgrounds, integration students (learning difficulties) and two refugee students. as well as around 15 "mainstream" students. Throughout my placement I developed a range of strategies which were more responsive to these students' learning needs. After discussion with my mentor and integration staff at the college, this set of strategies was further refined to include: 1. Know and respect your students 2. Offer your students flexibility, variety and choice 3. Make expectations clear, using accessible language 4. Scaffold your students’ learning 5. Be available and approachable to guide student learning 6. Be a reflective practitioner Artifact 2. Journal entry discussing my 1st experience with year 10 class and reflection on teaching strategies. Artifact 3. Activity devised for year 10 class. This activity was made more accessible to ESL & integration students by pairing them with a peer-mentor and allowing them to present their work in their choice of format |