1. Learner Development
“The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.”
Standard Components
Brain Science
Supporting student development in the 21st century means utilizing the most recent and established research on the brain and learning. This is why my teaching is based on an understanding and driving curiosity around human sensory systems, brain development and cognitive science.
Relationships
Adolescence is a pivotal time in human development, marked by many big changes including a major shift in social priorities. In my classroom, peer interaction and engagement is a key components of the experiences I plan for my students.
Safe Space
To help ease the nervous system so it's ready to learn AND get students to build trust with their peers - creating a safe and positive space for learning to take place is paramount to the success of all of my endeavors.
meeting the standard
I’ll always remember the student, who when I said I graduated high school in 2007, immediately blurt out that they had been born that year. Being back in a high school setting after so many years was an interesting adjustment, instantly registering their childlikeness and slowly recognizing the wide knowledge gaps between us.
As a high schooler myself, I had felt so mature and wise beyond my years. I thought I had it all figured out when in reality I went on to struggle greatly as a young adult, newly in charge of making my own life decisions. Although I had seen myself as so adult-like, looking at my students I see children on the cusp of encountering the world in a wider way, in need of a foundational tool-kit for facing challenges and making improvements.
In my teaching, I demonstrate my understanding of learner development by harnessing the power of the teenage brain to work with me, rather than against me. The key ways I have done this successfully are through consistent randomized group activities, positive non-academic interest-based interactions with students, and integrating novelty, play and socializing as much as possible.
