2. Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge

When I student taught in District 127, one of my responsibilities was teaching math. The day before the chapter exam, I retaught several concepts with multiplication, division, conversion, and number construction with place value. Students participated in whole group instruction and would break off into small groups where they would solve problems provided by myself. We would go over the problems as a class after students had time to work in their groups. When planning for this lesson, I assessed my students' knowledge of this chapter through their homework assignments, participation, and formative assessments that have been given. Taking into account these factors, creating a balance of small and whole group work would be the best approach for this lesson. Keeping in mind that there were struggling learners as well, I wanted to take an approach that students in groups could not only hear their classmates explain concepts, but also have the opportunity to participate and hear feedback from their classmates, not just from the teacher.

Knowledge indicator 2E of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards states," understands how diverse student characteristics and abilities affect processes of inquiry and influence patterns of learning." When I had planned this lesson, I kept in mind that I have a very diverse classroom, with students who struggle speaking English, those on IEPs, those who struggle with math and students who have reading deficiencies that affect them during math. During the month I had taught this chapter, I knew that each of my students learned differently because of their backgrounds which also affects their learning ability. As I mentioned above, it was my goal to have as much student engagement as possible while making sure students would have the opportunity to learn, but in different approaches. By having time set for guided practice, students were able to work with me through problems. The other part of the lesson allowed for students to work together. Having an understanding of my students' needs and abilities, I wanted them to work with their classmates to hear how others solve math problems and even understand it in a different way if the approach I had used was confusing for them. For my student that struggled with English, having them work with other students would hopefully not only allow them to understand the math portion, but expose them to the English language from their peers and continue to improve with speaking. My students who struggled with math also had the opportunity to hear from their classmates on how they approach different math problems as well. The day after the lesson, the students took the assessment and many of the scores were between 70%-90% with only one grade that was below passing. Having my understanding of my students' abilities and backgrounds along with planning this lesson improved scores and understanding.

This artifact really taught me that I need to incorporate different strategies and approaches when teaching not only math, but other subjects as well. Differentiating instruction is a major aspect of teaching and you need to differentiate instruction based on who your students are, what your students' abilities/capabilities are, and how will they learn best. I could have planned the lesson to be entirely small group or whole group only. However, what would the student assessment scores be if I had not differentiated my instruction? I enjoy whole group instruction but it would not have allowed students to work with their classmates and those who struggle to hear how others are learning and solving the math problems. It would have been interesting to see student scores if the lesson had used only one approach to teaching. However, this also taught me that when different strategies and approaches are used in instruction, there will be more students meeting objectives and growing academically. Having that understanding of my students and their backgrounds allowed for me to plan this lesson based on who are my students are and how they would benefit the most from the lesson.

When I began teaching social studies in the spring of 2022 with my fourth grade class, my cooperating teacher and I discussed a St. Patrick's Day lesson on the actual day since District 127 is a very diverse community. I presented this Google Slides presentation that was interactive for students with geography and history. Illinois State Standards, Common Core State Standards, and SEL standards were used. The presentation outlined how St. Patrick's Day started, the origin, food, culture, and celebrations in Illinois for the holiday. Students were able to view real pictures of Ireland and how the United States honors the holiday. We even spoke about the leprechaun, the myth, and how people have associated the leprechaun with St. Patrick's Day. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss traditions they have with their families when they celebrate holidays. We discussed the different types of cultures within District 127 and how they are each celebrated in the school. Through these conversations, we spoke about how each holiday is honored not just within school, but within the community and how the countries of origin celebrate differently than the United States celebrates them.

Performance indicator 2L of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards states, "demonstrates fluency in technology systems, uses technology to support instruction and enhance student learning, and designs learning experiences to develop student skills in the application of technology appropriate to the disciplines." As technology is becoming more common in schools, state standards are requiring students to become proficient in technology as well. My goal was to use a technological resource for students to see as an example as they continue practice using tools such as Google Slides and Docs. I firmly believe in bringing the world to the classroom as much as possible that will connect to the curriculum that students are learning. Teaching students about the diversity in the community requires resources that students can visually interact with and make connections to as well. Using visuals and having discussions with students for this lesson allowed for students to share their traditions. The technology supported but also enhanced student learning about diversity but also the technology component as well. There was more student participation and open discussions which showed students not only could connect to the content, but also interact with it.

With this artifact, I learned that in order to teach a concept such as St. Patrick's Day that does not necessarily have a set curriculum, you need to think about how you will educate students about these topics with the given resources. The education system embraces diversity and to incorporate it as much as possible. The problem is how do we incorporate it if the curriculum does not give materials. I knew that with the given technology such as Google Slides, I could be St. Patrick's Day to the classroom with visuals and facts with using technology. With having knowledge on using Google Slides, I was able to make the lesson not only informative, but interactive which increased student participation. This also increased students retaining information about the holiday that they could share with their family and takeaway something from the lesson rather than saying they did not learn anything. I could have found an article online to print out and read with the class, but I knew using technology would enhance student learning and also be used as en example of what students can do with the technological resouces that are available to them.