Standard 1: Learner Development
-The teacher understands cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and physical areas of student development.
Every student has areas of curriculum that they excel at, and areas that they struggle with. As a teacher, I understand the feeling students get when they have to perform a task in an area they are not proficient in. Math is especially stressful for students, but I have found a way to let students have victories to celebrate, even if they still have difficulties to work through. I use a 4 square system for math self starts. In the 4 square, students are asked to solve 4 different kinds of questions. I usually use 2-3 as a review of previous concepts, and 1-2 for a current or more recent concept. By doing this, students get practice in multiple areas of math, but they also get to have successes in areas that they do well. For some students, previous concepts still are a struggle, but current concepts are easier for them. Other students struggle with new concepts, but excel at previous concepts. This way every student has a chance to do something they are good at! Students check off their work with me, and I give them back their papers with an indication of something they need to fix. After a few attempts, I give them clues and guidance to work through a problem. This allows students to build their own understanding of a concept, and my version of how to solve is only implemented when a student cannot find their own way to solve it.
The next day, I use the information from the 4 square to guide individualized support for concepts. Students have a chance to practice the concept they have struggled with exclusively. Students that got all concepts correct get to practice their skills in a fun game related to the concepts to deepen their understanding.