Anna Minnema

EDUC 202
Reflection
Throughout this semester, I have learned many things about people

and learners. Understanding different learners has allowed me not only to

view myself in a different way, but to see a classroom and the individual

students within a classroom differently. There were a variety of readings that

helped me gain insight into how to approach a student, yet there are two

that complement each other in my mind. The first is very technical and looks

at a student in various ways. Chapter 3 in Schools for All Kinds of Minds by

Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson has shaped and changed how I view all

learners. In summary, Chapter 3 tells of the many parts to learning:

attention, language, higher order cognition, etc. I spent a lot of time

rereading this chapter for different assignments and I have come to

comprehend how much of a variety there is between neurodevelopmental

variables within each other, and then adding functions and specific parts of

the variables opens my eyes to the complexity of each person. I never really

realized how complex each mind is made. Reading this chapter showed me

not just that every person learns at a different rate, but that different

struggles and functions impact people differently. God has made each brain

differently and has given different strengths to different people. I have found

that it is important to create a relationship with someone before truly

understanding how they learn.

There are so many different factors that play into the way a student is

shaped. Not just the way their brain functions while learning but aspects
such as home life, race, gender (sociocontextual factors) play into the way a

student learns and behaves. How will knowing about the background of each

child help to shape the way I teach and instruct my students? Will it be easier

or harder to reach all of them knowing their backgrounds? I feel that trying to

reach a portion of the class in one way could lose some in the process. Is this

true, is it just a learning curve at knowing the balance? No student is the

same as another, it amazes me how vastly unique God has made each

person. God has woven each family together, each community together, and

each classroom together, not one being the same. I praise the Lord that each

class and student I encounter is different from the last. It is a little scary

thinking about starting a new every year with a new class and learning the

aspects and unique characteristics of each student, then I think about the

opportunity that teachers are blessed to have. That is that every year a new

group of brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God get to bring all of

their complex background and struggles and make an impact on that

teacher. Teachers get to learn about so many of Gods people, they get to

impact and be impacted by them.

Another text that goes along well with seeing the complexity of each

learning is Nieto and Bodes expression about caring (256). They explain how

students feel like they belong to a school when teachers show trust and care

for them. Instead of feeling like they stick out because of their race or their

academic struggle students feel empowered when they feel cared for by

their teachers. This statement will stay with me as I go on to having a

classroom of my own. I must be fully conscious and aware that I express care

outwardly instead of just knowing that I care within myself. Showing care

such as being patient with a struggling student for example would be an

adequate way of expressing care.

A caring relationship is the way to best begin to understand the

complexity of each student. Only after understanding the different struggles

and strengths to an extent can a teacher truly know how to teach that

student best. At the beginning of the semester I was understanding that

there is complexity within a classroom, but after reading and observing I

have a better appreciation for the complexity of the student. I never thought

about how much the background of a child affects how they learn and

behave. I wouldnt have thought about the cultural differences that show up

in the classroom or the fact that a child might be acting a certain way

because of the way they are treated at home and not from a

neurodevelopmental variable. Now, I see how much each variable plays into

the individual student, I view students much differently. I see the possibilities

of different variables at play and I see a unique individual instead of just a

student with struggles. I will be apt to dig deeper into my students and who

they are. Being able to see their differences makes it much easier to care for

each person individually. Of course, even before understanding the

complexity and awesomeness of each person and their learning styles, I

would have cared about my class and each student. But now I see a class
coming together to be a beautiful display of learners and how each student

fits to make the classroom a special place.

Anna Minnema

Installation

Blanket: has different shapes, sizes, yarn types, stitch types you can
see that with your eyes and feel it with your hands
Each square represents a student
Everyone will close their eyes: feel two that have the same yarn type.
Yet they arent the same because they are a different color.
o We have to open our eyes and look deeply to see who a student
truly is not just feel on the surface
See how the blanket is in places held together with string and some

places with yarn. At first I started attaching the pieces together with

string, but this doesnt hold up as well. It comes apart easily and

creates holes. Using string keeps the pieces together and makes a

strong bond
 o A teacher needs to be that bond, creating strong bonds between

students and creating a safe environment to learn

By learning and gaining experience I have found better ways to make a

blanket
o In the same way, as I learn and grow and experience in my

classes at Calvin and my years after, I will be able to know better

how to care about and teach to different learners

So now, going on I will continue to grow and use the experiences I have

learn to make strong bonds and hold a classroom together. In the end,

the outcome is a beautiful master piece: a class and a blanket alike.