TPE 8: Learning about Students

Overview: In the beginning of the year, my master teacher and I asked each student to use magazines to cut out letters, words, and pictures that described themselves. They pasted these descriptions on to an American flag that had their picture attached to it. The flag and pictures were posted around the room for a couple of months.

Justification TPE 8: As a teacher, it is important to understand my students so that I am able to reach them and teach them in the best way possible. This activity gave me more insight to how my students identify themselves. I was able to learn what they thought was important in their lives, what they enjoyed doing, their birthdays, and other things that I would not traditionally know about them through their school work. Also, during Back To School Night, parents were able to walk around and look at the flags that their students made. This gave me a chance to talk to parents about their students outside of school and to relate with them and their students in a non-academic way. The students really enjoyed this activity and were proud about the art that they produced. This activity also helped me in planning activities throughout the year that cater to the students' interests and aspirations.