Standard 2: Learning Differences

The teacher understands individual learner differences and cultural and linguistic diversity

Understanding varying types of personalities, cultural traditions, and the causes and effects of human interactions helped guide me through my undergraduate studies is Sociology. I have always been interested in the “why” of the world. After completing my Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology with a Criminology and Corrections certificate, I choose to pursue a career as a case manager with the severely and persistently mentally ill. Specifically clients who were formerly incarcerated.

Because I had worked with vulnerable and unique individuals who came from varying backgrounds, I quickly learned how to apply my education in the field of Sociology, Psychology, and Criminology. It was imperative to learn the different styles of communication and thought processing of my clients to become an effective case manager. I instructed social skills training classes and enjoyed hearing different points of view from my clients. In order to effectively teach my clients, I had to adjust my thinking and teaching techniques. The atypical personalities of my clients caused me to think of the individual and how I could address their problems and help them adjust their thinking to foster their self-awareness and coping skills. I had many opportunities to see varying personalities conflict and complement each other. Working with a diverse population helped me understanding the effects of marginalization on people with mental illness and sharpened my senses of the extreme diversity of society.

Continuing my education in the Master of Art in Teaching Program (MAT) at Westminster College has allowed me to apply my skills and understanding of unique learner differences in a new avenue. Working with students in elementary schools has proven to be as diverse, challenging, and enjoyable as working with adults who have a mental illness. Connecting with individuals on a personal level has allowed me to better understand the “why” of the world. I find that adapting my instruction to meet the needs of students who are culturally and intellectually diverse extremely intellectually stimulating. My methods courses in the MAT program have provided me with the opportunity to observe and teach 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade. In every grade and in every classroom I had to adjust my instruction to meet the developmental needs of the students. I have worked in a title I school on the West side of the Salt Lake City, the East Bench, and in Park City, UT. Each school has required specific adaptation of teaching techniques according to language skills and background knowledge of learner differences. Asking students about their lives and interests has increased my sensitivity of unique personalities. Consequently, I have adapted my instruction, specifically vocabulary, and built background knowledge in meaning ways. An example of my instructional adaptation in building background knowledge to students of cultural diversity is my Fraction Yampa River Running Lesson. The 5th grade students of Meadowlark had little knowledge of camping or rafting down rivers. I showed the students videos, pictures, and told personal stories that helped connect the concept. I connected the students knowledge of miles and water to that of river and river mileage. My lesson proved to be exciting and helped broadened my students’ awareness of natural beyond the city limits and real world mathematical applications.