Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence
In my Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence class I learned about children’s brain development and the psychology of how they learn. It was super interesting to learn about the stages of cognitive development, social emotional development, attachment, moral development, identity formation, and the crucial role that environment and culture play in shaping child development. This course has helped me while teaching because I can understand around what stage of development the students are in and how it is shaping their learning. It also taught me how essential it is to have a safe and inclusive learning environment; along with that the impact a child’s home environment can have on their learning. Which is why it is so important to know your students and adjust as needed in order to meet the needs of all your students, giving them all a chance to succeed.
Teaching and Learning
After taking teaching and learning for two semesters I have learned how to effectively plan as a teacher. This has included, lesson plans, unit plans, and the sub categories within. This course was a valuable learning experience for me because it has taught me how to plan with a backwards design in order to focus on the learning. By starting with the end in mind I am able to anticipate the learner variability and potential barriers that may occur in the activity, then design for flexibility so that all students can engage with the lesson and demonstrate their learning. This course also taught me many assessment strategies to use both during and after learning in order to gauge student understanding and adjust my teaching as needed.
Language and Literacy
The language and literacy course within the education program has been a valuable learning experience for me because it has taught me countless of teaching strategies to help students develop their reading and writing skills. After taking this course I feel confident teaching and supporting students in their reading, writing, speaking, and listening development. I also learned how to incorporate meaningful and engaging literacy activities that cater to different learning styles and abilities, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed. Additionally, I now understand the importance of using a variety of assessment strategies to accurately evaluate students reading and writing levels and track their progress. After taking this course I am excited to implement the strategies I learned in my future classroom to help students become confident in their literacy skills.