STANDARD

2
Learning Diferences: The teacher uses understanding
of individual diferences and diverse cultures and
communities to ensure inclusive learning environments
that enable each learner to meet high standards.
UNDERSTANDING
DIFFERENCES

I had the opportunity to gain
an understanding of learning
diferences in students during my
!ceptional "earner in the
#lassroom course at $adonna
%niversity during my &all 2'()
semester. $y cooperating teacher
understood all of her students
diferences in their learning styles*
as +ell as their cultures and
communities* to ensure that each
learner met his or her goals.
I +as able to identify +ith my
cooperating teacher diferences in
approaches to learning and
performance and also reali,e ho+ to
design instruction in +ays that use
each learner-s strengths in +ays
that promote gro+th. I +as
surrounded in an environment that
believed that all learners +ere
capable of achieving at high levels
and understood that learners bring
assets for learning based on their
individual e!periences* abilities*
talents* prior learning* and peer and
social group interactions* as +ell as
language* culture* family and
community values.
REFLECTION

This +as a bene.cial e!perience
for me because it gave me the
opportunity to help students gain a
better understand of +hat +as
being taught in their classroom in
their o+n +ay. I +or/ed +ith three
diferent students +ho needed help
identifying the main idea in diferent
paragraphs one day. 0e came up
+ith diferent strategies for all three
students that +or/ed to help them
achieve the goal of identifying the
main idea. 1ne student high lighted
the main idea in the paragraph*
another +rote it do+n* and one
orally told me. Although these +ere
diferent techni2ues* they +ere
accommodations in +hich the
students +ere able to achieve the
goal3 identifying the main idea.
I +or/ed +ith my cooperating
teacher to provide each student an
area and materials to support each
individual learner-s needs. Doing
this allo+ed me to learn ho+ to
design* adapt* and deliver
instruction to address each
student-s diverse learning strengths
+hich created opportunities for
students to demonstrate his or her
learning in diferent +ays.
Students work using alpha-smart instead of writing on paper.