It may go without saying, but it is worth emphasizing regularly that the students we teach are people: people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, capabilities, interests, challenges, and limitations. And at the secondary level especially, students develop and express themselves in real-time as we teach them. As we learned in the discussion this week, when we take deliberate action to understand, value, and build upon our students’ unique attributes, we create an environment that is more conducive to learning. It also gives us the ability to know what students need so we can meet students where they are in their learning; ensuring we provide the appropriate scaffolds and supports for them to achieve academic success.

The strategies we use can be implicit in our practice, but we often need to be deliberate and explicit in how we get to know our students. In some cases, the information we gather should be done at the start of the year, but it’s never too late to try to get to know your students better. The transition between units frequently provides a great opportunity to learn more about our students and identify relevant information needed to support them in the upcoming unit.

The second Learning Objective for this week is to “devise a plan to identify prior knowledge, funds of knowledge, and specific learner needs of all students to determine an instructional plan and appropriate accommodations for students during a week-long instructional plan.” We considered this a precursor to developing our week-long plan, which is due in Week Two. The data we gather from these methods or pre-assessments should directly translate into actionable instruction and differentiation in our lesson. If we plan to create a week-long lesson that we will actually teach with our students, we will need to give these assessments to our students and use them to identify three focus students. Otherwise, three focus students will be provided in Week Two.

For this assignment, we created one or more data-collection strategies that allowed us to build a class profile for our upcoming week-long unit plan. We wrote a narrative about how the activity would be used to create a class profile and identified three focus students. Building a class profile directly relates to what we will create in Template A of CalTPA Cycle 1.

Instructions

Resources 

We were to review the following resources before beginning our assignment, as they would inform our work. We were also encouraged to review recommended resources to enhance our knowledge and understanding of course concepts and real-world practices.

Read

• CalTPA Single Subject Performance Assessment Guide Instructional Cycle 1: learning About Students & Planning Instruction
• Part A: Getting to Know Your Students Template 
• Creating Student and Class Profiles
  • As we collected information about your students, we should have created a class profile to organize and look at the collective needs of all. This is a process we will do for the CalTPA. 

Watch 

• We were to watch this video [10:02] to understand the CalTPA requirements, the components of our student profile, and how to get some of the information we need for the profile. Closed captions are available.

1. We were to read and watch the assigned resources on creating class profiles. We were also to review the recommended resources on creating assessments and identifying and valuing student identities to promote equity and social justice.
2. We were asked to create one or more assignments, activities, self-assessments, or other methods that will allow us to build a class profile for our upcoming week-long unit plan. With these, we will collect data on our students that will help us identify each of the following:
   1. Prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
   2. Cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge (i.e., knowledge and skill derived from the cultural experience)
   3. Prior experience and interests related to the content you plan to teach
   4. Life experience(s) either inside or outside of school that may result in a need for additional academic and/or emotional support
   5. Social identity (students’ expressed self-concept derived from a social group that is evident through peer and/or adult interactions inside or outside of school)
   6. Developmental considerations
3. Finally, we were to write a narrative of how we will use the data-collecting strategies er created to create a class profile and identify three focus students. We must link to each assignment or activity we create and make an explicit connection between how the questions we ask will give us the data we need to develop this profile. We did not have to create a profile, but it was strongly recommended if we were teaching students. Here, the focus is on using the appropriate methods to create an effective profile.

Week One Assignment: Knowing Your Learners

Frank Jamison

Sanford College of Education, National University

ITL528: Single Subject Integrated Design II

Dr. Eric Fraunfelter

March 10, 2024

Week One Assignment: Knowing Your Learners

To build a comprehensive class profile for my upcoming week-long algebra unit plan, I will use a combination of assignments, activities, self-assessments, and other methods to collect data on my students. This approach will help me gather information on their prior academic knowledge, cultural and linguistic resources, interests, life experiences, social identity, and developmental considerations.

I will start by creating a pre-unit quiz or survey to assess my students’ prior algebra-related academic knowledge (see Appendix A). The quiz will include a mix of multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions covering the key concepts of the upcoming unit, such as basic algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities. By analyzing their responses, I will clearly understand their current understanding and identify gaps in their knowledge that I must address in my teaching.

Next, I will develop a cultural and linguistic background survey to gather information on my students’ cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge. The survey will ask about their cultural background, languages spoken at home, and any cultural practices or traditions that are important to them (see Appendix B). This data will help me tailor my teaching to leverage my classroom’s diverse cultural and linguistic assets, making learning more relevant and inclusive.

I will create an interest inventory to identify my students’ interests related to algebra. This inventory will allow students to indicate their interests in topics related to the unit, previous experiences with algebra, and any hobbies or extracurricular activities they participate in. Understanding their interests will enable me to design engaging and relevant learning experiences that capture their attention and motivation.

I will also have my students write a brief reflective essay or complete a questionnaire about significant life experiences, challenges, and the kind of support they find helpful. This life experience reflection will uncover any life experiences that may result in a need for additional academic and/or emotional support. By being aware of these experiences, I can provide targeted support and accommodations for students who may need them.

To explore my students’ social identity, I will use an activity like identity mapping, where students create a visual representation of their social identity, including aspects like race, ethnicity, gender, and other social groups they belong to. This social identity mapping will give me insight into how my students see themselves and how they interact with others, which can inform my classroom management and group work strategies.

Finally, I will create a developmental checklist based on developmental milestones relevant to my students’ age group. This checklist will include cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development milestones (see Appendix D). By understanding where my students are developmentally, I can ensure that my teaching methods and materials are appropriate for their level.

After collecting and analyzing this data, I will create a class profile highlighting my students’ overall strengths, needs, and diversity. Additionally, I will identify three focus students who represent different learning profiles in my class. For example, I might choose one student who excels academically in algebra, another who has strong cultural knowledge but needs algebraic support, and a third who is highly interested in mathematics but faces social-emotional challenges. By closely monitoring and supporting these focus students, I can develop strategies that are likely to benefit the entire class. This targeted approach will allow me to address the unique needs of my students and create a more effective and inclusive algebra learning environment.

Appendix A

Algebra Pre-Unit Quiz

Name: _________________________         

Date: _________________________           

Instructions: Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. If you are unsure about an answer, make your best guess. This quiz is not graded and is only used to help me understand what you already know about algebra.

Multiple Choice Questions:

Circle the correct answer.

What is the value of x in the equation 2x + 5 = 15?

a) 5

b) 10

c) 15

d) 20

Which of the following represents the equation of a line with a slope of 3 and a y-intercept of -2?

a) y = 3x – 2

b) y = -2x + 3

c) y = 2x + 3

d) y = 3x + 2

What is the solution to the equation 3(x – 4) = 9?

a) x = 1

b) x = 5

c) x = 7

d) x = 13

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to 4x + 2 – 3x?

a) x + 2

b) x – 2

c) 7x – 2

d) 7x + 2

True/False Questions:

Circle T for True or F for False.

T F The equation y = 2x + 5 has a slope of 5 and a y-intercept of 2.

T F The solution to the inequality x + 3 > 7 is x > 4.

T F The expression 5(x + 2) can be simplified to 5x + 10.

T F The equation x/2 = 6 has a solution of x = 3.

Short Answer Questions:

Write your answers in the space provided.

Solve the equation for y: 2y – 4 = 10

Answer: _________________________

Simplify the expression: 3(x – 2) + 4x

Answer: _________________________

Thank you for completing this quiz! Your responses will help me plan our upcoming algebra unit.

Appendix B

Cultural and Linguistic Background Survey

Name: _________________________         

Date: _________________________           

Instructions: Please answer the following questions to help me learn more about your cultural and linguistic background. Your responses will assist me in creating a more inclusive and relevant learning environment. All information will be kept confidential.

Section 1: Cultural Background

What is your cultural heritage? (Please list any cultural or ethnic groups you identify with.)

Are there any cultural traditions, holidays, or celebrations that are important to you and your family? If so, please describe them.

How does your cultural background influence your learning style or preferences?

Section 2: Linguistic Background

What language(s) do you speak at home?

How comfortable are you reading and writing in the following languages? (Please circle one option for each language.)

English: Very Comfortable / Comfortable / Somewhat Comfortable / Not Comfortable

Spanish: Very Comfortable / Comfortable / Somewhat Comfortable / Not Comfortable

Have you ever received instruction in a language other than English? If yes, please specify the language and the context (e.g., school, community classes, etc.).

Section 3: Additional Information

Are there any aspects of your cultural or linguistic background that you think I should be aware of to support your learning better?

Is there anything else you want to share about your cultural or linguistic background?

Thank you for completing this survey! Your responses will help me create a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.

Appendix C

Algebra Interest Inventory

Name: _________________________         

Date: _________________________           

Instructions: Please answer the following questions to help me understand your algebra-related interests. Your responses will assist me in planning engaging and relevant lessons.

Section 1: General Interests

What are your favorite subjects in school? Why?

Do you have any hobbies or activities that you enjoy outside of school? If so, please describe them.

Section 2: Experiences with Algebra

Have you studied algebra before? If so, what topics did you find most interesting or enjoyable?

Were there any algebra topics that you found particularly challenging or difficult? If so, which ones?

Section 3: Algebra in Everyday Life

Can you think of ways you use algebra or mathematical thinking in your daily life? (e.g., budgeting, cooking, sports, etc.)

Are there any careers or professions that you are interested in that might use algebra?

Section 4: Learning Preferences

How do you prefer to learn new concepts in algebra? (e.g., hands-on activities, visual aids, group work, etc.)

Is there anything specific you want to learn or explore in our upcoming algebra unit?

Thank you for completing this interest inventory! Your responses will help me make our algebra lessons more interesting and relevant to you.

Appendix D

Developmental Checklist for Middle School Students

Student Name: _________________________        

Date: ________________________                         

Instructions: Please review the following developmental milestones typical for middle school students and check off the milestones that you observe in the student’s behavior. This checklist will help you understand the student’s developmental stage and tailor instructional strategies accordingly.

Cognitive Development:

 [ ] Demonstrates increased ability to think abstractly and logically

 [ ] Shows improved problem-solving and reasoning skills

 [ ] Exhibits greater capacity for memory and attention to detail

 [ ] Begins to understand and apply algebraic concepts

 [ ] Can organize and categorize information effectively

Social-Emotional Development:

 [ ] Seeks independence and autonomy

 [ ] Shows increased concern for social acceptance and peer relationships

 [ ] Experiences a range of emotions and may have mood swings

 [ ] Begins to develop a sense of personal identity and self-awareness

 [ ] Demonstrates empathy and understanding towards others

Physical Development:

 [ ] Experiences growth spurts and physical maturation

 [ ] Shows improvement in fine and gross motor skills

 [ ] May become more conscious of body image and appearance

 [ ] Demonstrates increased coordination and agility

Communication Development:

 [ ] Uses complex vocabulary and sentence structures

 [ ] Can engage in detailed and logical discussions

 [ ] Demonstrates improved listening and comprehension skills

 [ ] Can express thoughts and emotions more clearly and effectively

 [ ] Shows ability to understand and use figurative language

Academic Development:

 [ ] Exhibits increased ability to focus and concentrate on academic tasks

 [ ] Shows curiosity and interest in exploring new topics and ideas

 [ ] Can apply critical thinking skills to academic challenges

 [ ] Demonstrates ability to work independently and take responsibility for learning

 [ ] Engages actively in group projects and collaborative learning

Comments:

Teacher’s Signature: _________________________

Date: _________________________