Carly Welch

28 October 2016
Professor Sjoerdsma
IJ 5
This week, Ive started to feel the pressure. On top of finishing all
of my finishing touches on my lesson plans, I have realized that the
date I start my unit is hastily approaching. I am beginning my unit
November 1, and I am starting to feel anxiety and see what it takes to
not only prepare a single unit, but the amount of work teachers put
into planning every units for every subject. This opportunity has been
great for opening my eyes, and enabling me to see what life as a
teacher will be like.
Because my unit is approaching, I have been thinking about
ways to reach every student. According to Woolfolk, research on
effective teaching focuses on the personal qualities of the teachers
themselves (2013, p. 508). Woolfolk states, clarity [is] the most
promising teacher behavior [on effective teaching] (2013, p. 508).
Looking at my lesson, my main goal no matter what obstacles I run
into is being clear and precise in what I am teaching. Teachers who
provide clear presentations and explanations tend to have students
who learn more and who rate their teachers more positively . . . the
clearer and less vague the teachers explanations and instructions are,
the more the students learn (Woolfolk, 2013, p. 506).

In addition, I have also been thinking about all the learning

differences and learning needs in the classroom. Although this
connects with how to reach each student, I am worried about the large
gap between students and how to accurately measure student
learning. Each student has a preferred learning style and learning
preference, so how do I reach all the styles and preferences? Are
kindergartners able to know their own styles and preferences, or is
that an age where they are still figuring it out?
In addition, there are students in the classroom with visible
learning challenges. There are three students in the classroom who
came to kindergarten without understanding or being spoke to in
English whatsoever. There are four students in the classroom who are
either with diagnosed ADHD or ADD, and two students with other
behavioral issuesmost of who are medicated. Through observation I
have noticed that is difficult for many of the students to stay on task
and to follow instructions. How can I implement a universal design for
learning for these specific students who need such a catered and
specialized education?
According to Woolfolk, the American Psychiatric Association
defines ADHD as a pervasive pattern of inattention, impulsivity,
and/or hyperactivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically
observed in individuals at a comparable level of development
(Woolfolk, p. 140). Woolfolk also states that long assignments may

overwhelm students with learning disabilities [such as ADHD] and

attention deficient, so give them a few problems or paragraphs at a
time with clear consequences for completeness (2013, p. 142).
Something that I found interesting and promising is the
recommendations that students with ADHD gave to teachers (Woolfolk,
p. 143). A few examples include: use lots of pictures and visual cues to
help me learn, recognize cultural and racial identity, know when to
bend the rules, notice when I am doing well, and offer us choices
(Woolfolk, p. 143). With these recommendations, I am hopeful that by
implementing these ideas will help me reach more students.
Looking through Educational Psychology for things that I am
either nervous or uncertain about was immensely helpful. I think that
this textbook can act as a good support system with good examples of
how to overcome difficulties and challenges in the classroom. Although
the text cannot give me every answerbecause teaching is somewhat
trial and errorthis text has given me peace of mind by reinforcing the
idea that I am not expected have mastery in teaching and that it is
okay to not know what I am doing at this moment.

Woolfolk, A. (2013). Educational psychology (12th ed., pp. 428-469).

N.p.: Pearson.