Mary Kempen

Reflection on Standard 1: Artifact from EDUP 515

9/26/14
Understanding the basic pattern of learning will help me become a better educator because it
will remind me that I need to always be aware of where my students are in their development and not
allow my expectations to overshoot their abilities. Awareness of Piagets and Vygotskys research and
theories helps me think of ways I can help a student without providing too much support. I need to
remember that my students might need prompts, cues, and examples and that this might be all they
need to learn the next concept. Finding out what a student already knows and tying new lessons into
that knowledge will help me prevent overwhelming students with too much incomprehensible material,
which is a frequent risk in a foreign language classroom where authentic, native-speaker-produced
materials are used as much as possible.
Since I am much older than my students will be and have been distanced from students in their
age group for some time, I need to remind myself of their stages of intellectual and moral development.
Knowing that my students are struggling with questions of identity and in need of role models or
examples will make it easier for me to empathize with them. If I remember that these students not only
have less life experience than I do but also are still developing cognitively, I will have more patience with
their behaviors that might seem strange to me such as dying their hair unusual colors or adopting
affected speech patterns. Keeping their developmental stages in mind will enable me to select exercises
that would appeal more to their tastes and needs even if I might find other types of activities more
attractive. For example, students who are beginning to question their religious identities might express
stark rejection of their parents beliefs, or they might express doubts. They might welcome a critical
evaluation of different cultures religious traditions even though I might want to avoid this topic so I can
prevent any conflict that might arise among my students who have different beliefs. To meet these
students needs, I will have to diligently cultivate respect in my classroom and in all exchanges among
students in my classes.