Week One

     This week's reading led me to reflect on how my early undergraduate education still shapes my current teaching practices. Piaget, Vygotsky, and even Bronfenbrenner bare influence on many aspects of daily practices in education. Piaget's work influences reliance on continuums of learning progression while Vygotsky's theories stress the importance of meeting students in their current ability, and Bronfenbrenner focuses on all the various influences on child development.

    Because of Piaget's work about predictable stages of child development, many educators including myself rely upon or create our own continuums of progress within a standard or skill. It is evident that students follow a continuum at different rates but in almost invariably the same order. This understanding helps educators such as myself predict the progression we need to guide students toward and relatively where the student stands currently in relation to mastery. Vygotsy's work with zone of proximal development emphasizes the practice differentiation and accommodation. When we meet students where they are and provide the scaffolding they need to progress, we are working within the student's zone of proximal development. I have found that when I gave a student a writing task that was outside their zone of proximal development, the student tended to shut down or stagnate. Challenging the student to improve upon the current level of practice to an obtainable goal motivates and encourages growth. Bronfenbrenner organizes circles of influence upon students' development. Educators must not forget that students face an abundance of influences, stressors, and supports that impact their development. Economic struggles of families may take the parent out of the home at times when homework needs to be completed or force families to move to new school communities. Food insecurities are often addressed by schools and individual teachers because hungry children cannot learn to their full potential before they are fed and feel free of the stress of worrying if they will eat the next meal. 

    Over the years, experience helps me recognize and respond to various needs in the classroom. Some students need support and strategies to help them meet certain developmental stages while others need to know there is breakfast waiting on them and dinner will be sent home with them. Some students need a military student counselor to address stressors of a parent being away for an extended period of time and the added responsibility that places on each member of the family. No matter where the child is in relation to performance of a skill or standard, it is important to give clear, concise steps for the child to move forward in relation to the learning progression with my support. The work of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner influence decisions and priorities in my classroom management, lesson planning, professional development, and extracurricular involvement continually. These works and theories are part of the very foundation by which my professional knowledge rests and is measured.

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