Educators understand and apply knowledge of students growth and development.
- Educators are knowledgeable about how children and youth develop as learners and social beings. Educators demonstrate an understanding of individual learning differences and needs.
- Educators recognize the importance and connection of cultural identity, ways of being and worldviews to student learning.
- Educators use this knowledge to inform decisions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Educators work to create a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment to best meet the diverse needs of students.
In my EDUC 391 practicum, I was lucky enough to teach three UFLI foundations units to my class. UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based phonics program created to teach foundational reading skills. In SD28, this is done through grades kindergarten to grade 3 for all elementary schools. UFLI is focus on structured literacy, teaching through a structured 8-step lesson routine. It focuses on decoding and encoding to improve recognition and fluency.
In SD28, ULFI Foundations are taught through platooning. This means that teachers in the primary grades in a school will teach UFLI at the same time so students from different classes can move up or down depending on where their foundational skills are. I had a handful of students from another class come to all my lessons, I had some students who went up to another class for a different lesson, and there were some students in my group that were not ready for UFLI and worked on another literacy program in a small group.
This example demonstrates how students have individual learning differences and needs. My coaching teacher and other staff used this knowledge of their students to place them in the class/lesson that will best support them in their learning journey.
UFLI Foundations Overiew:
https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/UFLI-Foundations-Overview-5pg.pdf