Artifact Title: Student Observation Essay
Date: 12/18/09
Artifact Description:
While attending college at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, I enrolled in a class called
Human Growth and Development. The last course requirement was to individually observe two
different classes of the same age range. The main focus of observation was student development
in the following areas: physical development, intellectual development, emotional development,
and social development. Both observations lasted 50 minutes and were done at James Madison
Memorial High School. The following artifact is the essay I wrote after evaluating recorded
notes.
Alignment Reflection:
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment
I believe this experience best aligns with Standard 2 – Teachers know how children grow: The
teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction
that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development. As a final course requirement
for Human Growth and Development, each student was sent out to apply everything that was
taught throughout the semester. The course, as a whole, taught students the different stages of
child development, and what physical, intellectual, emotional, and social advances are made in
each stage. Since I desire to teach in a high school, I observed two classes with 10th and 11th
grade students attending. I then proceeded to take notes of any activity that signified individual
development. After both observations, the notes were into the four types of development
(physical, intellectual, emotional, and social) and then analyzed. The results of the observations
were then thoroughly aligned with semester lessons and expressed in essay format.
As a teacher, it is important to understand all levels of development, and be able to
identify the level(s) of development for each student; with the ability of each student identified,
I, as a teacher, can modify my instruction to accommodate the full range of my students.
Although general lesson plans must be made prior to the start of every academic year, I feel that
every lesson should be modified annually to support the changing developmental needs of
incoming students. In this experience, I did not focus on the instruction of varying student
abilities. However, before beginning my teaching career, I will look back on my class notes from
Human Growth and Development as well as my other education courses to finalize inclusive
instructional plans.
This artifact aligns with Standard 2 because it reflects knowledge that I have accumulated
involving intellectual, social, and personal development. Not only does the essay express what I
learned, it shows how that knowledge was applied during important observation. As a teacher, it
is important to observe while you teach; student behavior will tell more than the students
themselves.
UW – Platteville School or Education Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition Statement
Alignment
I believe that this experience best addresses KSD1.b. – Demonstrates knowledge of students:
The candidate displays knowledge of the typical developmental characteristics, learning styles,
skills, interests, developmental backgrounds, and cultural heritages of students and is always
aware of the broad ranges and variety present for each of these student characteristics and
lifestyles. Through writing the essay from my observations, I displayed knowledge of
developmental characteristics and was able to interpret a wide range of student behaviors. I took
what I was taught about student behavior and applied it to my in-class observations. Before I
could document a behavior, it needed to be clear which class of development the behavior could
be classified under.
Personal Reflection:
What I learned about teaching / learning from this experience
Although my observations were restricted to the students, I couldn’t help myself in evaluating
the teaching styles of the two high school teachers. In each class, I noticed several occasions of
high-level thought questions being asked by the instructors. I also noticed that by asking thought
questions, the teachers were able to evaluate student comprehension while encouraging
intellectual development. As a future educator, I believe that I can utilize high-level questioning
to help identify the current level of my students. In addition to questioning, I feel that early
behavioral documentation will help to shape lesson plans for each academic year.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this experience/
artifact
As a prospective teacher, I learned that it is important to thoroughly understand human
development before creating lesson plans. By recognizing the different stages of development, I
can better gauge current development standings while adjusting my lesson plan to meet my
students’ needs. I also learned that high-level thought questions are great teaching tools, even if
asked slightly off topic. When I start teaching, I must remember to think outside the box and
encourage my students to do the same.