Standard Two: Development and Characteristics of Learners
2K1: Typical and atypical human growth and development:
My understanding of typical and atypical growth and development stems from reading the Kritzer and Pagliaro article in the class readings. According to figures found in that article atypical and typical growth occur based on an age trajectory. Essentially, reading this article helped me to understand that students who are younger will develop according to their age. As students increase in age they typically develop specific skills that will accompany that age. Furthermore, when students are not developing typically, it is considered atypical and this means they are not on the path of the normal trajectory -these students can either fall above or below that trajectory.
2K2: Educational implications of characteristics of various exceptionalities:
In class we had a lecture on struggling students and their various characteristics. It was discussed under the the Struggling Learners Characteristics lecture. During this lecture my knowledge of this standard grew because I learned that students with exceptionalities tend to fall under four main characteristics. Based on the four main characteristics and other potential characteristics that students who have exceptionalities, these students have the potential to experience anxiety related to their various struggles. Based on these characteristics, students need different accommodations and modifications to foster their learning.
2K5: Similarities and differences of individuals with and without exceptional learning needs:
My knowledge of similarities and differences of individuals with and without exceptional learning needs came from reading Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully. In this text, it states that their are eight characteristics in general that affect the manner in which students learn math. These characteristics can be applied to students who have both exceptional learning needs and those who do not. Some of those characteristics are anxiety, learned helplessness, and attention difficulty. There are students who have IEPs and those who do not that exhibit all of these characteristics. So, while students with IEPs may have these behaviors documented those who do not have IEPs may still exhibit those characteristics.
2K6: Similarities and differences among individuals with exceptional learning needs:
My understanding of similarities and difference among individuals with exceptional needs came from readings in the Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully. After reading Allsop et. al., I understood how students could both have a particular learning exceptionalities but the learning exceptionality can effect both students differently. For example, the idea of attention difficulties can be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Some students have the inability to stay focused, while others may have a heightened level of attention to detail -both pertaining to attention difficulty. My knowledge on this topic increased through the class readings about exceptional learners and how they are similar yet very different.