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Responsive classroom practices
Responsive classroom practices
I believe that teaching ELA extends beyond core content, and involves teaching students how to communicate with one another, value different perspectives, and process and take pride in their own identities and histories. I aim to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment by integrating Social-Emotional Learning practices and lessons into my everyday teaching. This is essential to creating a space in which students feel comfortable exploring themselves, as well as ideas and concepts that they may have little to no exposure to and that can take them to an uneasy place- but that gives them the tools to navigate their way through. I strive to create a strong classroom community of risk-takers in which all voices are heard and all students are uplifted. I do this academically through culturally responsive texts that center a diverse range of perspectives, as well as personally by getting to know my students on an individual level through everyday warm-up activities, learning tasks, and routine surveys.
universal design of learning (UDL)
universal design of learning (UDL)
UDL is a set of three principles that guides flexible teaching and learning in order to accommodate the vast range of learning styles.
Multiple Means of Engagement→ ensures that different types of learners are connecting and engaging with class content
Multiple Means of Representation→ ensures that different types of learners are able to perceive and comprehend class content
Multiple Means of Action & Expression→ ensures that different types of learners can approach learning tasks and demonstrate content knowledge
In my 6th grade Lit. & Lang. class I was able to use the UDL principle of Multiple Means of Engagement to reach my vast range of learners both in my lessons and learning tasks. I used Screencastify to record audio along with our texts so that all learners could engage with the literature we were exploring, and then would provide different ways for students to process and engage with their ideas around class concepts. One way I did this was by using Jamboard activities as a way to launch our discussions. Students would collaborate in small groups to formulate their written responses to a text, and could integrate images to enhance their understanding. Then, after processing their ideas through writing and discourse in a small group setting, students could verbally share out to the whole class and not only feel confident in their ability to do so, but also feel supported by their learning community as well.
social learning theory
social learning theory
This past year I was able to integrate Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Learning into my students’ learning tasks. Vygotsky’s theory centers on the idea that learning is a social process, and that social interactions play a major role in our construction of knowledge and understanding. Therefore, I would regularly and strategically partner and group students for learning tasks in order to facilitate peer-mediated learning, as well as a strong classroom community. Peer work allowed students to participate in autonomous collaboration, which simultaneously pushed students beyond their current skill levels while also reinforcing content understanding- because they were relying on and working with each other as they constructed their understanding of the material. This was beneficial to my wide range of learners, because my students identified as English Learners, with special needs, and struggling readers felt consistently supported by both me and their peers as they engaged with challenging core content; while my higher performing students like GATE were able to strengthen their understanding by tutoring and guiding their peers to successfully complete a task.
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