Module 1 - Teaching & Student Development

     This week, we were assigned chapter's one, two, and three of the Educational Psychology textbook written by Anita Woolfolk. Within these chapters, we read about learning, teaching and educational psychology, cognitive development, and the self, social, and moral development in chapters one, two, and three.  While reading these chapters, there were a few topics that stuck out to me because I have seen some of them first hand in the six years I have been a paraprofessional.  The top three that stuck out to me were an inclusive class (p. 9), adaption (p. 47)/assisted learning (p. 65), and play, recess, and physical activity (p. 76).  

     In chapter one, Woolfolk describes three different classrooms a bilingual first grade, a suburban fifth grade, and an inclusive class.  Out of the three classes, she described the class that stuck out more to me was the inclusive classroom.  The reason this class stuck out to me more is that I have worked in inclusive classrooms all six years as a paraprofessional.  This past school year I worked in two different classrooms with students with IEP's.  Even though these students had IEPs, the teachers included them and had them doing the same thing as the other students.  She would even have them share responses, answer questions, and have them read aloud.  Because these students had IEP's I would walk around and assist them on the assignments they had.  There were times the students would work in small groups, sometimes the students with IEPs were put into the same group (if the assignment was a little harder) or they were included in the other groups and the teacher and I would walk around assisting all the groups.  Being able to experience this first hand prior to having my own classroom, guides me and shows me how I will do things in my classroom in the future.  

     In chapter two, Woolfolk explains adaption, either assimilation or accommodation.  Accommodations stick out to me the most between those two because the classrooms I have worked in, we were always making accommodations for students.  For example, if students had an IEP and were struggling with spelling we would knock some of the spelling words off, so they had less to study and be able to perfect the ones they had to remember.  Another accommodation that was being made was cutting their assignments down, so they did not have as much work to do as the other students.  This typically was done in math because they would understand the concept but it would take them a little bit longer to do.  So, instead of making them sit for hours trying to work on all of the problems, they would only have to do half of them.  This way it showed us that they understood the concept without making them work longer than they needed to.  Another part that stuck out to me in chapter two was assisted learning.  I feel these two concepts go hand-in-hand.  If the students are getting assisted learning, they're getting accommodations.  While the classroom teacher is at the front of the classroom teaching, I will walk around and checking on the students who struggle or have IEP's.  Once the students break off and start working independently or in small groups is when I will assist them with their work.  If a student is still struggling with a concept, I will show them again but slower or I will even show them another way to look at it, then they usually understand it a lot better.  Assisted teaching and accommodations are constantly being implemented in the classrooms I have worked in the past six years.  I enjoy being able to see this first hand to be able to understand specific students limitations and work with the student individually instead of as a whole group.  

     In chapter three, Woolfolk explains the development of children through play, recess, and physical activity.  Woolfolk (2019) states that preschoolers love make-believe play and use pretending to form symbols, explore language, and interact with others.  This stood out to me because last school year I was working in a 2nd-grade classroom as a one-on-one for a student with down syndrome.  He absolutely loved playing with his friends.  They would pretend they were superheroes or dinosaurs.  I feel this was a good way for him to interact with his classmates because his oral skills were not the greatest but when they were playing, the other students were able to understand what he was doing.  When they would play superheroes, he would fly and his classmates would fly with him.  Other times he would catch them and lock them up because they were "bad guys" and they understood that he was catching them and locking them up and they would play right along with him.  Another way he would play was going on a bear hunt throughout the school.  He would say he saw a bear and once we would get some work done, we would take a break and find the bear.  Some times we would "follow" the bears' footprints and when he would see the bear he would put his finger up to his mouth so we could be quiet, not to scare the bear off.  This was another game that he really enjoyed playing.  It brought much joy to me that he was able to interact with his other classmates even though they wouldn't use words to interact.

     Once I get into a classroom myself, I will remember these interactions I had as a paraprofessional.  These three concepts will be in the back of my mind to help me build myself and become the best teacher I can be.  I will remember that not everyone learns the same way and that they may need accommodations and assisted learning.  Also, students need to have fun and play to help grow their minds, not everything needs to be taught strictly in the classroom.

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.