Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.
Throughout my 491 practicum, I have continually adapted and revised lesson and unit plans to better suit the needs of my students. I have listened to what my students are interested in and concepts they may be struggling with. If they did not do as well as I expected on an assessment, I took time in the evenings to find a supplemental activity for them to work on the next day to be sure they understood before moving on to a new topic. I tried to find a variety of engaging activities that would be suitable for all my learners. I also tried to change to format of the activities that I chose to include even more learning styles. One activity I found particularly helpful was a puzzle to help students with the concept of naming and writing formulas for chemical compounds and elements. This is a difficult concept for many students as there are a plethora of rules to follow depending on the type of compound you are trying to name. Students struggle with remembering to identify the type of compound, multivalent and diatomic elements. This puzzle touches on all varieties on names and formulas students in at a grade 10 level are required to understand. The puzzle also includes common misconceptions and mistakes that are made by students when naming or writing formulas. Including these misconceptions in the puzzle encourages students to see the specific areas they are not quite grasping. Knowing that they are not the only ones who struggle with this concept is an encouragement to them to keep trying.