Artifact Reflection Artifact Title: MFC Volunteer Date Completed: February 2012 April 2012 Artifact Description In spring

g of 2012, I had the opportunity to be a volunteer at the Multicultural Family Center (MFC) in Dubuque, Iowa. This artifact is a written reflection of my time spent at the MFC and includes the experiences I gained, the cultural encounters I had, and some of my thoughts about diversity in education. Wisconsin Teaching Standard Alignment This artifact aligns with Wisconsin Teaching Standard 3: Teachers understand that children learn differently. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities. This artifact best aligns with Standard 3 because it reflects the time I spent working in a multicultural setting, where I gained experience by observing and working with children of different ethnic background. While volunteering, the staff was very helpful in giving me some background information about some of the students regarding any cultural references to families or beliefs that I might have needed to be aware of, along with students with disabilities and/or exceptionalities. With this new found knowledge, I was able to focus on using strategies that would impact different learning styles and would be beneficial to the childrens learning. A majority of students that I worked with were primarily Hispanic or Latino and used strategies that related to visual and aural learning because of the lack of English fluency. To help these students become more fluent in English, we would practice with flash cards with site words, reading, and word games. For the more advanced students, I would have them work with other students in tutoring, assisting in projects, or even playing a game with the younger students. When it came to their homework, these more advanced students would already have completed their work by the time they got to the center or finish it without assistance. I took that opportunity of their free time to play board games with them that would make them think in ways they didnt ordinarily think, like Chess or trivia games. From this experience, I can say that with the different approaches the students took, I have the ability to succeed in teaching and supporting them with different instructions and learning opportunities. An example of my understanding of the learning process for children with diverse backgrounds is when I helped a young Hispanic girl with her Spelling homework. There were many strategies to support the learning of this young girl who was not very fluent in English. These strategies included Jolly Phonics (a child centered approach to teaching literacy through artificial phonics), reading books that she knew that included some of the spelling words, flash cards with pictures and the words broken down syllables, and another strategy that seemed to work rather well for her were word board games such as Scrabble Junior. I used these strategies because they were a good way to build vocabulary, fluency, and spelling, which was

Artifact Reflection the main goal of her homework. These strategies seemed to work best because they were easy activities that involved simple site words, chunking, and different levels of interest and engagement. It was also helpful because some of the books we read had some Spanish integrated in the story which helped capture the girls interest with the story. With these strategies applied, I began to see a gradual progress in the girls ability to spell words correctly and become more fluent with English at a more frequent rate. UW Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment This experience best aligns with KSD1.b.: Demonstrates Knowledge of Students The candidate displays knowledge of the typical developmental characteristics, learning styles, skills, interests, developmental backgrounds, and cultural heritages of students and is always aware of the broad ranges and variety present for each of these student characteristics and lifestyles. This artifact addresses KSD1.b. because it reflects on my experience as a teacher by getting to know the children through interaction and helping them develop learning styles and skills through communication. Through this experience, I also got to know the children on an intellectual, social, and cultural level. From working with children and other adults from different ethnic backgrounds, I gained a knowledge and understanding of how to communicate and work with them on different levels as they develop individually as learners. This will help me develop a more personal connection with future students and have that relativity with them. After this experience I have gained a higher level of competency because it has broadened my sense of teaching students with different cultural background and has taught me that I need to know my students in order for them to learn successfully. This involves learning about their interests, levels of ability, background knowledge, and learning styles. By developing an understanding of my students, I am able to create and use different strategies of learning by approaching each student individually and creating a learning environment based on what I have learned about them as students and individuals. Secondary KSDs: KSD2.a. Creates an Environment of Respect and Rapport KSD3.e. Demonstrates Flexibility and Responsiveness KS3.a. Communicates Clearly and Accurately Reflection What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience: From this experience, I have learned many strategies, teaching skills, and about students from different cultural backgrounds. I have learned that it is important for teachers to really know their students as people and not just someone you would lecture to all day. When working with children of different ethnicity, it is important to find more than one way to approach them academically because they might not respond in the clearest way or think the

Artifact Reflection same way as another child would. This experience was truly eye-opening for me of just how much different cultures are in the world and how important it is to share our knowledge with the upcoming generation. What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this experience: As a result of this experience, I have learned that diversity is everywhere in schools and as a prospective educator, it is important that I remember that I need to be able to provide the correct learning tools for different learners and approach teaching strategies with lots of thought to give students a positive learning experience.