M8U3A1

Thu Nguyen

Cohort 01/2016

M8U3A1

REFLECTION ON INTASC STANDARD 2

A lesson can be considered successful when both the teacher and learners were engaged and shared the same cognitive flow. I did experience that feeling in this lesson. I am going to share how individual differences were interwoven in an authentic and meaningful learning in a diverse and inclusive classroom.

Unique designs

The success of the lesson rooted from the planning stage. In this lesson, my 4^th graders explored clay with two basic hand-building forms: pinch pots and coil pots. Before the lesson videoed, we had a large group discussion from which I got an idea how many students in this class experienced clay. It was not a surprise that most of 4^th graders knew clay and its characteristics, and their flashy eyes told me they were exciting about this lesson. Good start, I thought. In order to avoid abundances and help students meet their potentials, I asked them to draw designs on papers under one condition that the design and its colors needed to show one of the following criteria: interests, hobbies, and cultures. The excitement began from this moment when students knew they were going to work on something unique representing them or in the other words, their signature products.

Intentional Grouping and Peer Helping

On the second day, the day the lesson was videoed, students came to turn their own designs into 3D models. Before the class met, I carefully examined each design in order to classify them in groups. Grouping students by designs not only helped me to facilitate students better but also to allow them the learning exchanges and sharing. So many things I learned from looking at these designs like where they came from, who they were, and what they liked to do or cared for. An exciting feeling told me that the final products would talk all about those who made them. In the other words, the artist’s identity was interwoven in her/his product.

Modeling and Gradual Release of Responsibility

When the class resumed, I did my presentation along with modeling and visual aids. Student then sat in groups and worked on their designs. The time was my most concern. Within one period forty minutes minus ten-minute instruction, my students were left only with no more than thirty minutes to build their 3D models. Surprisingly, most of the class was able to complete the work within the given time. It proved that when learners were clear what was expected and when they experienced authentic learning activities, they could make it done despite the pressure of time.

Individual support and Proximal Zone of Learning

It was extremely demanding to facility each person in a big class size. Peer helping was not enough. As shown in the video, I spent extra time with three students: one English language learner, one advanced, and one low student. The advanced student wanted to perfect her model by making a lid for her bowl. The low student needed more accommodations because he found difficult to complete the work with time pressure. And the ELL needed help to fix cracking lines for her fragile clay flower. Slowly guiding these students to unblock their problems

Inclusive classroom

The engagement and the excitement of students were one of the evidences of an inclusive classroom. The commitment and motivation in learning rooted from allowing students to bring individual interests, cultures, and identities into their own designs. Learning exchanges were also fostered and facilitated via seat arrangement and grouping students who shared similar interests and same choice of designs. Individual accommodations were also evident in the video for the ELL, advanced, and low learners.

In conclusion, this lesson was the one we, students and I, best satisfied with the process, the products, and the result.