InTASC+1+Learner+Development

It is essential that teachers plan and implement lessons that are appropriate to their students’ physical, social, and cognitive development. During adolescence, the body rapidly undergoes many physical changes. Aware of these maturations, students may feel self-conscious about their appearances, especially in front of their peers. Therefore, teachers need to consider carefully if students will feel comfortable during activities that require them to be the focus of the class. For example, many middle school students would not feel comfortable presenting to their peers. Instead, teachers should plan lessons that focus on group work, shifting the focus from individuals to the classroom community. According to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, secondary students are in the identity versus role confusion stage of development. They are trying to forge an identity and a place in society. To help students, teachers should take an active role in the social development of their students by planning lessons that allow students to explore different identities. For example, in Language Arts, teachers can use young adult novels in congruence with canonical texts. One of the major themes in young adult literature is identity; therefore, students can relate to the reading and can discuss the consequences of certain identity choices. During middle school and high school, students are also rapidly developing cognitively. They are moving from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage. While students are acquiring the ability to think abstractly, they still need support from their teachers. Therefore, it is important for teachers to use concrete experiences when introducing new ideas, especially abstract ideas. For example, if I were teaching my students about archetypes, I would ask them to draw a picture of a hero and then show them various pictures of heroes. Afterwards, we would brainstorm a list of all the similarities between these images, talking about how some things have an unspoken framework in our minds. Only when students understand this example would I introduce them to Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. When planning lessons, teachers need to be consciously aware of their students’ developmental levels because students’ physical, social, and cognitive stages will directly effect how they learn best. If teachers ignore these factors, their lessons will be ineffective, and students will struggle to comprehend the material.

During my internship at Owings Mill High School, I completed a child study project, which can be found in Appendix I of this Wiki, in order to better inform my instruction based on learner needs. Over the course of four weeks, I observed one student, RM, because he was at risk for failing American Literature and presented unmotivated and disengaged behaviors. In addition to observing RM in my mentor’s classroom, in other content areas, and in non-instructional settings, I also met with school-based personnel and reviewed RM’s cumulative folder in order to gain information about his behaviors and performance. Based on all this information, I identified RM’s cognitive and social needs and planned instructional strategies appropriate to his needs. For instance, because of RM’s ADHD, he has difficulty transferring his thoughts and oral language into writing, which can explain why I observed that RM rarely completed writing assignments in class despite understanding the material. Therefore, I plan to provide RM additional scaffolding during writing assignments and help his focus on obtaining specific skills such as organization or thesis development. Socially, I noted that RM seemed isolated from his peers, and school personnel confirmed that RM had yet to find a stable group of friends at Owings Mill High School since he was a new student. In order to fulfill RM’s social needs in the classroom, I can include more group work, so he creates connections with his classroom peers. Because I thoroughly examined RM’s needs through observations and conversations with other professionals, I am able to provide instruction that is developmentally appropriate and that increases his opportunities for success in the classroom.