Sarah DeGraaf

Final Reflection

Throughout this course I have learned many things. One of the most useful ideas

that I have learned, and that I will take with me as I continue my educational training, is

the importance of recognizing learner differences. As I went into the classroom the first

few weeks to observe my student, I was focused on making objective observations of

my student, cautiously trying to avoid my own basis and make fair judgments of my

student based on evidence. But those first two or three times in the classroom I did not

really know what I was looking for. It was not until learning about the different

neurodevelopmental constructs outlined by Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson (2010)

that I felt like I went into the classroom feeling confident about what I was doing there.

It was useful to learn about things like Bronfenbrenners framework to describe the

ecological contexts that influence child development, but I was also interested in looking

at what was going on inside my learners head in addition to what was all around him

(Psychology Notes HQ, 2013). It was important for me to recognize that both a childs

external environment and their personal learning abilities affect their education. I

wanted to evaluate my student in the best way possible, and until learning this tool for

identifying various constructs within learners, I did not feel equipped to identify areas in

which I could help my student succeed. Learning about the different constructs that

affect learners taught me how important it is to recognize learner differences and gave

me a lens through which to do so.

Specifically learning about the constructs of memory, attention, and language

helped me to see the strengths of my learner. The teacher in the classroom I was
 Sarah DeGraaf

observing had identified a certain boy to me as being an at-risk student on the first

day I was there, but early on I was struggling to see why she identified this particular

student this way. The student I saw came into school every day with his red monster t-

shirt on eager to learn and try his best. Once I was able to identify certain constructs of

learning within my student, I was able to see some of the things that the teacher saw.

For example, I saw that my student struggled with attention, and that he would run low

on mental energy with almost every task he participated in.

Learning about the eight different neurodevelopmental constructs was helpful

for me to get an in-depth look at my learner, but learning about the functions of each

construct was especially helpful. Knowing that within each construct a learner may have

both strengths and weaknesses in different functions of that construct gave me the

knowledge I needed to identify these abilities within my learner. With this

understanding of the different functions, I was able to see that my learner also showed

strength in the construct of attention, as he started each task readily and only gave up

when it became too much for him. Being able to point out specific functions gave me

the knowledge I needed to be able to see the uniqueness of my learner and how his

learning abilities were affecting his ability to succeed in school.

As I learned about the neurodevelopmental constructs I was able to celebrate

the diversity among learners and to recognize that each student is created with unique

gifts and talents. Every strength AND every weakness is designed by an intentional

Creator with a grand design. I went into my classroom not knowing what to look for

within my student that would help him succeed, but left with the knowledge I needed to
 Sarah DeGraaf

begin to create strategies and interventions to help him be successful. After gaining this

new lens through which to see learners, I am excited for the rest of my education here

at Calvin, eager to learn more about education. I hope to keep expanding my knowledge

about learners as I continue my education, striving to help each and every learner in my

classroom be successful, recognizing and celebrating their differences.

Sources:

Barringer, M., Polhman, C., & Robinson, M. (2010). Schools for All Kinds of Minds (pp.

17-32). San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Psychology Notes HQ. (2013, November 3). What is Bronfenbrenners Ecological

Systems Theory?. In The Psychology Notes HQ . Retrieved from

https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/bronfenbrenner-ecological-theory/