Standard 3: Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.

This standard is about teachers understanding how students grow and develop overtime. It means that teachers understand the different ways that students develop and the application of this knowledge means that teachers do not act in a one size fits all capacity but that they alter their lessons to the different needs of their students and work to help their students overcome the specific obstacles and challenges they may face. Understanding your students is critical to the success of a classroom. If a teacher does not understand the strengths and weaknesses of a class then they will not be able to plan appropriate lessons. It is important to know what your class is capable of or what their energy level is at different points in the day. If a teacher can do this they can plan to capitalize on the skills and energy of a class. In my practicum I got to know my students and see if they could do different activities so that they could develop their ideas. This took the form of things such as noticing that my students did with their time. I noticed some students doodling in the margins of their worksheets and used this interest to create storyboard activities where students were able to utilize their drawings to show their understanding. I also took advantage of the friend groups in the class to create groups to discuss questions in spaces that allowed students to feel at ease. Noticing these strengths and interests in my class allowed me to plan activities that were thought provoking and allowed my students to develop their ideas in a variety of ways that utilized their strengths. It is important to note that focusing only on student strengths is not a rounded approach to teaching. It is also important to build up students weaker areas. This is often done but developing growth mindsets in students by providing a variety of ways to try new ideas. This can be done with formative assessment so that students are not pressured with summative marks and have space to develop skills that they may not be confident in. This is something I myself did by joining a soccer league. I had never played soccer before but I was able to develop my skills in a fun environment with my peers.