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Angela Tortora
UED 496 Artifact A: Rationale and Reflection
Regent University

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Rationale
Classroom teachers have been given a great amount of responsibility because they have
to learn the various needs of their students. According to Johnson (2009), Designed
differentiation is the deliberate act of modifying instruction or an assignment in order to
customize the effect to match the particular developmental level and skills of a student or group
of students (p. 1). It is highly beneficial to differentiate instruction for students because it helps
them learn the same things as their peers, but in a way and at a pace they are able to understand.
The items I selected for this artifact are two pictures, one of which shows the work of one
of my fifth grade students, and the other is a picture of me in Kindergarten singing and dancing
with the students in order to help them remember the months of the year. During the lesson with
the fifth grade students, I taught them a whole group math lesson in which they had to learn how
to divide numbers by two digit divisors. Because I knew the entire class loved to draw, I selected
an independent activity that had them draw a graphic novel and create a division problem in that
novel. The second picture shows me in front of the students doing the moves for the Macarena
while singing the months of the year.
I selected these pictures because both showcase how I have incorporated different
techniques of teaching so that I can reach my students. The fifth grade students were excited to
create a graphic novel for math. They had gone from being told that they could draw during art
only to being able to draw in math. I wanted to incorporate their interests in the lesson so that it
would be more engaging for them. I selected the picture of me and the class singing and dancing
because it shows that I have reached visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners while completing
this one activity. I understand that children have different needs; as a teacher, I want to be able to
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meet the child where he or she is at and maximize the learning environment so that every child
will master the learning objectives. Based on these two pictures, I believe they show my
demonstration of providing differentiated learning opportunities for the students.
According to Piagets theory of cognitive developmental theory, he believed children
should be an active participant in learning, not just a passive receiver of knowledge (Bergin
and Bergin, 2012, 109). In order for a child to learn, [t]he teachers role is to create an
environment in which the child can construct meaning from interactions with people and
objects (Bergin and Bergin, 2012, 109). Based on this theory, I believe that the activity I
completed with the Kindergarten and fifth grade students was not only developmentally
appropriate, but also on task with being differentiated since the students were engaged in these
hands-on, student-centered activities. According to what my professors at Regent have taught me
about differentiation, visual learners need rich imagery in the classroom, auditory learners need
mnemonics, rhymes, and jingles, and kinesthetic learners thrive when they are allowed to move.
The Kindergarten students were allowed to do all three when we were learning the months of the
year. For this reason, I believe what I did in both classes is differentiated based on the interests
and needs of the students.
The artifacts connect to the standards of student teaching because I have been able to
evaluate the students and discover what their style of learning is. Based on that knowledge, I
have tailored my lessons around the learning styles and interests of my students, which has been
a way for me to develop my teaching technique. While I do not have a vast array of knowledge
and experience, I am passionate about helping my students learn and will work hard to improve
as an educator.
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Reflection
I selected this artifact because I wanted to demonstrate my understanding of how to
differentiate lessons and activities so that I can meet the needs of my students. It is highly
important to meet students where they are so that they do not become burned out due to
frustration or boredom. After reflecting on how the activities went, I believe they were successful
in helping the students reach the learning objective. My fifth grade students learned how to
divide by a two digit divisor, while being able to create the scenario, which is high on Blooms
taxonomy. My Kindergarten students are continuing to learn the months of the year through
repetition by singing and dancing.
Through this experience, I have been able to meet the expected outcomes of student
teaching because I have been able to assume responsibility for various teaching activities and I
have been able to apply and test professional knowledge, understanding, and skill through my
opportunities to teach. My cooperating teachers were kind enough to allow me to teach their
students. Because of their willingness to let me teach their students, I have been learning many
strategies, such as pacing, classroom management techniques, the proper wait time, and
questioning techniques, to name a few.
Based on the pictures I selected for this artifact, I believe that they show my competency
as a developing professional. I understand how to differentiate activities in the classroom to
accommodate the various needs and interests of my students. I understand that everything I do in
the classroom will not work for every child I have the opportunity to teach, but I can use trial and
error with the different techniques I am practicing so that I can find out what works with a child.
Above everything else, I need to be mindful that every child has been created as a unique
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individual. They are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14, New International
Version). As that childs teacher, I will promise to treat them the way I want to be treated, which
is with love and respect.


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References

Bergin, C. C. & Bergin, D. A. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Johnson, B. (2009, March 2). Edutopia: Differentiated Instruction Allows Students to Succeed.
Retrieved from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-
student-success