Artifact One Rational

Evidence of Student Learning

The Evidence of Student Learning assignment required me to create and develop

instruction that met the needs of a group of diverse learners. This also required me to have
intimate knowledge of the content, the students and their various backgrounds, as well as the
community in which they live. Formative and summative assessments had to be created and
implemented with an understanding that instruction may have to be adjusted based on the data
from those assessment. The following CEC standards applied to this assignment: 1 (Learner
Development and Individual Learning Differences), 2 (Learning Environments), 3 (Curricular
Content Knowledge), 4 (Assessment), 5 (Instructional Planning and Strategies), 6 (Professional
Learning and Ethical Practice), and 7 (Collaboration).
One CEC standard where I gained the most understanding was CEC Standard One. The
students who were a part of the small group instruction were from diverse backgrounds. In
addition, the students represented multiple learning styles and multiple disabilities. Because of
this, I had to have an understanding of what their cultural backgrounds were and what their needs
were. Having that knowledge allowed me to better develop lessons and to access strategies and
technology to reach the students. For example, the students within the small group had varying
disabilities. They ranged from ADHD to dyslexia. Having an understanding of this, I utilized the
tools of Universal Design for Learning to incorporate activities to engage student learning. In
addition, the principles of UDL were utilized so that students would have easier access to the
information being taught.
Another CEC standard where I gained an understanding was CEC Standard Five. There
was careful consideration and planning that was involved with implementing the lessons for this
unit of study. In addition, the activities and the approaches to learning had to incorporate
accommodations for all students in the class. I had to be able to adjust my instructional methods
and strategies whenever there was an indication that the students were not processing the
information. For instance, the majority of the activities used to gauge student learning were
based primarily on written and verbal expression. Because of this, I had to incorporate
kinesthetic and other learning styles to target the needs of the students. Pulling students for small
group rigorous instruction was also needed to help students to internalize the concepts and skills.
The students in the small group benefited tremendously from the planning and the
instructional methods of the unit of study. Because of the various ways that I incorporated
differentiation, the students were allowed to both personalize and customize their learning. One
of the ways that students stayed engaged in the learning is that they were allowed to produce
work that reflected how they learned. The students were not confined to just written and oral
presentations, rather, they were allowed to choose how they would demonstrate their
understanding to me. This allowed them to take ownership in their learning and to take it serious.