InTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments:
The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation (InTASC, 2013).

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Brief Description of Evidence:  

During my 2019 spring semester in EDUC 224- Introduction to Scientific Inquiry, I had the opportunity to create and implement a 4th grade cross-disciplinary science and social studies Flexible Learning Path lesson plan about tornadoes with a group of my peers. My group and I had the pleasure of implementing the Flexible Learning Path lesson plan on multiple occasions, thereby giving us an opportunity to reflect and enhance our teaching and lesson.

Throughout creating and implementing our lesson plan, we actively supported our learners in individual and collaborative learning to create a learning environment by creating group and individual projects. Through our group project, we encouraged positive social interaction by working together as a team to complete the activity. We were able to have the great opportunity of teaching a lesson to a number of Inspire Academy learners. This gave our group an experience to teach a range of diverse learners. We were able to practice communication in verbal and nonverbal ways to demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to a learning environment. We were able to keep learners actively engaged in learning and self-motivation through asking questions, having educational games, and creating a fun interactive classroom.

 

Analysis of What I Learned:

 I was able to gain the experience of actively working with a group to design and manage a more effective learner environment. I was able to practice coordinating the resources of time, space, and the learners’ attention with others in my group.

During this class, I was able to practice developing learning experiences that would engage learners in collaborative and self-directed learning by creating the Flexible Learning Path lesson plan. Through working on the Flexible Learning Path lesson plan, I was able to grasp a deeper understanding of the relationship between motivation engagements and using strategies that build learner self-direction and ownership of learning.

 I was able to put into practice how to help learners work productively and cooperatively with each other to achieve learning goals. While teaching, I actively collaborated with learners to establish and monitor elements of a safe and productive learning environment including norms, expectations, routines, and organizational structures.

 Although already having an understanding of how learner’s diversity can affect communication, I was able to witness this firsthand. This gave me a place to be able to practice communicating effectively in differing environments.

In this class, my group and I were able to do a cross-disciplinary lesson of science and social studies. I was able to see the deeper understanding the child gains from our topic by crossing the two areas of study. Throughout this class, I was able to see and gain a deeper understanding of the process of learners as they took the steps outlined in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Through Bloom’s levels of learning, my group and I had the framework on how to create lessons, assessments, evaluate the assignments.  We designed summative assessments, created activities for personalized learning, and planned project-based learning. Bloom’s verbs that are built into his taxonomy helped us steer group discussions and frame questions. ​

 

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the InTASC Standard:

I demonstrated my competence in Standard 3- Learning Environments by consistently collaborating with my group and other classmates to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry for the learners.

My group and I understood the relationship between motivation and engagement. This is why I used a variety of methods to engage the learners in the learning environment.  This included collaborating with learners by making appropriate adjustments while both implementing and editing our lesson plan, by having students involved with technology and props, and keeping the learners actively engaged. My group and I promoted responsible learner use of interactive technology to extend the possibilities for learning locally and globally by having the learners use virtual reality as a way to “experience” a tornado. Through this summative assessment, my group and I used technologies and guided learners to help them apply this as appropriate, safe, and effective ways. Throughout the lesson plan we created and implemented, we designed learning experiences using strategies that build learner self-direction, motivation and ownership of learning. Through the experience of having groups of learners come to the Ivy Tech building, my group and I were able to manage the learning environment actively and equitably engage learners by organizing, allocating and coordaining the resource of time, space and learners’ attention.

My group and I were committed to supporting learners as they participated in decision making, engaged in exploration and invention, worked collaboratively and independently, and engaged in purposeful learning. We made certain that we always had that as our goal while writing and implementing our lesson.