Standard+2

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**Standard 2** ** Teachers know how children grow. **

The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development. Evidence 1: Math Drills Lite []  Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math flashcards.

Rationale 1:

This iPod application, which was downloaded from the App Store, was used with students to practice their addition and subtraction fact knowledge. The application presents itself in the form of flashcards that students are asked to answer. However, this application goes beyond simply telling students if their answer is correct or incorrect. It also provides students with differing problem solving methods, such as providing manipulatives and offering suggestions on how to solve the problem. Additionally, the application keeps track of the speed and accuracy of the student using it, and will modify the facts based on student abilities.

This application is used with each student in my classroom weekly. As a teacher, I believe this application provides students with an engaging form of practicing their math skills, while constantly differentiating based on the needs of the student. With its consistent use in the classroom, student progress in math fact knowledge has increased.

KSD 2.K.1 The teacher understands how learning occurs -- how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of mind – and how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning for a wide range of student abilities. The use of this iPod application with students demonstrates how I use differing instructional strategies to promote student learning. The application provided student-centered practice that met the needs of each individual student. 2.S.1 The teacher assesses individual and group performance in order to design instruction that meets learners’ current needs in each domain (cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and physical) and that leads to the next level of development. Prior to introducing the iPod application to my students, they were given a math fact pre-test to assess their knowledge. Upon looking at the results I found that my students’ abilities were incredibly varied, making it very difficult for me to attend to every student’s particular strengths and weaknesses. Using the iPod has enabled my students to gain the benefits of individually tailored practice that they may not have otherwise been given. 2.D.1 The teacher appreciates individual variation at each developmental level and shows respect for the diverse talents of all learners, and is committed to help them develop self-confidence and competence.  The iPod provided students with a strong sense of motivation to learn! They were very eager to use the iPod, and were therefore more open to doing the accompanying activity. Through their constant practice of math facts, students became aware of how their skills had improved and gained confidence in their abilities. The individual variation that the iPod provided clearly respected the strengths and weaknesses of all my students.