Differentiation October 20

There were some great handouts and ideas within these few pages of the book. I honestly believe I will use these in my own classroom because they give students a variety of ways to learn and comprehend the material. I know from personal experience that I have so many different ways of retaining knowledge, and these ways of learning can help me in my own educational career as well as my students! I loved the graphic organizer and the way it was set up. It's great to show students how two objects are similar and different and put it in a way that helps them actually visualize it. For me, the way of showing the information was really creative, and it just clicked. My favorite concept in the book was Learning Menus! How cute is that! I loved how the main course had more requirements than both the side dishes and the dessert. But as a teacher, I am someone who loves color and visual aides, and for me, this concept jumped out at me. I could laminate different food items, and write the requirements on the food itself. The students could choose the type of main course, side dish, or dessert they wanted to accomplish that day. I know this isn't technically something that will make a huge difference in each students' life, but I think that small things like this show how much you care. It just makes learning more fun!

October 13, 2008 Reading

I understand that tiering involves helping all students learn at their own level while still providing all the students opportunities to improve. We have discussed that every student that enters your classroom should gain one full year of growth regardless of the level that they come to you. It seems that tiering really tries to accomplish that. It takes every student, puts them into groups at their own level, and helps them to understand and comprehend the information at a speed which is comfortable to them. I do think it's important, however, to switch the groups around so the lower students don't always believe they are the ones struggling. If we really differentiate our classroom, we will be able to look at every student and find their strengths. By allowing students opportunities to prove they are good at something, it will motivate them to work harder in different subjects as well.
I enjoy the idea of Think-Tac-Toe, but I'm not sure if that is a perfect example of tiering. It allows students to be creative in discussing what they learned about their novel. However, they aren't placed in groups based on skill, understanding, or learning types. They choose the activities they want. In tiering, though, they are given questions or tasks based on their skill level. To make this a tiered activity, I would pre-assess the students and find out how they learn best. I would then place them in groups depending on those with similar learning styles. Then, as groups, they could present what they learned to each other.
I really liked the Ticket Time ideas. I think it's such a great idea because every student has different tasks, and the thing I like so much about it is that only the individual student knows the tasks he or she needs to accomplish for the week. You can differentiate without even having to divide the students into different groups. The students then need to be responsible to finish their Ticket Time ideas. I really like how there are guidelines in the Ticket Time folder so the students are aware of the things they are responsible for.
I also really like the Think Dots. I think it's a really great idea because it allows students to move at their own pace. It gives them questions and helps them to build upon the knowledge they have. I also like the questions on the Think Dots slowly gets more and more complex.

Chapter 3 and 4

"The teachers are remarkable because they live what they believe." After reading these two chapters, I felt so motivated to become a teacher who changes lives because I live what I believe. Honestly, I felt like I wanted to print off that quote, and put it in a place where I'll always see it. That quote made me motivated to help all my students succeed. I also loved when the book talked about teachers who see the possibilities rather than the impossibilities and truly focus on the things they can change. I have always been someone who struggles when it comes to things that can't change. When I'm not in control of situations, I get frustrated and anxious. That's why I loved the example in the book about the teacher who collects "troubles" in the trouble box. Everyone has individual struggles they are facing, and they all deal with those problems differently. Students will have bad days where they can't focus and they aren't happy. I have those days too! Who doesn't? I honestly wish all my college professors had a trouble box because I find myself having a hard time paying attention at times because my mind is wandering off to bigger problems I am facing! I really appreciated the part when the book discussed not only learing about our students, but learning from our students. In chapter four, it discusses understanding more about students' cultures, making room for all learners, and the celebrating success of everyone. I remember as a student, my second grade teacher Mrs. West came and watched my dance recital. I felt like the most important girl in the world because my teacher came to support me. I'll never forget that feeling and because of that, I realize more than ever the need to make each individual student feel that important. As a teacher, I will be priviledged to spend my days with children, and I hope that I can make a sincere difference in their lives.

Student Interest Survey

I think this is such a great worksheet to hand out to your students at the beginning of the new school year. As a teacher, the questions listed give you an opportunity to get to know the students better which in turn helps to make your classroom differentiated. When I was a student all the way back in elementary school, and even now in college, I absolutely loved it when my teachers took an interest in me. It really showed me that they cared about me individually and wanted to get to know me better. I can remember distinct times in my educational career where teachers played a huge part in my life. In elementary school, Mrs. Long knew I was shy, took me aside, and told me she knew I was going places. She told me to speak up and voice my opinions. I had a lot of great ideas inside my head, she said, and I needed to share them with everyone. In middle school, my English teacher Mrs. Williams really helped me to succeed in her class. She took each student and worked with them one-on-one to help them understand more fully how to write a five paragraph essay. Mr. Boberg, my high school history teacher, told me how impressed he was with me, expressed the expectations he wanted of me in his class, and always told me when I was doing well. I look back, and I see just how great these teachers were. And now, I look at this worksheet and hope that one day, I can be a teacher just like them. With the knowledge I'll gain from the responses of the students, I can really have a differentiated classroom. I can learn their strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and goals from just one worksheet. I can create activities and lesson plans based on the findings from the answers. When the students know that I want to help them learn more about things they are interested in, I believe they will work harder in class, trust me more as a teacher, and really try to succeed in my classroom.

The Power of Classroom Meeting

While reading this article, I liked when the students were able to express their feelings regarding morning meeting. The three reasons they liked it? They liked having fun, being known and knowing each other, and working on learning processes. It provides such a healthy environment for the students. Just by their responses alone, you can tell how important it is for their growth, both academically and socially. School isn't just for the core curriculum. It's about exposing the students to all the positive and uplifting things the world has to offer them, and it seems like Morning Meetings do that. It allows them to enjoy themselves, their peers, and the knowledge being taught to them. As the article states, some parents had problems really believing that Morning Meetings made that much of a difference. I loved how one teacher handled it. He invited the parents to watch them in action. He also sent home newsletters informing them of the curriculum they covered in Morning Meetings. I think it is so important to let the parents and family of your students be aware of what is going on in the classroom. I think that this allows both the parents and teachers to trust you. After reading both of the differentiation books and now reading this article as well, it just seems that by really showing your students that you care about them individually, they will learn and succeed. But I think that by using differentiation in your classroom, Morning Meetings, and really involving your parents in the classroom, lives can be changed!

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom chpt. 1/2

I loved when the book describes a teacher in a differentiated classroom as someone who attends to student emotion or feelings. It shows me that a teacher isn't just an educator; a teacher is a friend and a mentor, someone who their students will turn to when they need help or advice. I want to be that teacher that really makes a difference in their students' lives. I want my students to learn the curriculum from me, but I also want them to learn patience, understanding, friendship, and dedication in my classroom. I believe the only way they will learn that is if we practice all those traits every day. When talking about the classroom elements involved in a differentiated classroom, I felt really inspired when the book said the learning environment is the "weather" that affects everything that transpires in the classroom. We as teachers set the mood of the classroom. Students can be excited to come to class because they know it will be a safe environment where friends are made, learning is fun, and success is celebrated. Students can also feel the complete opposite about a classroom setting. That mood is completely dependent upon me as the teacher. As I read the fox and the prince story, I agree that it is so important that both are teachers and both are learners. That is how a classroom should be run! Everyone leaves at the end of the day a better and smarter person. I liked the second chapter and the way we need to look at the individual student. People learn and understand things differently. We need to know our students well enough to know how they learn so we can teach them in the best way possible. It may be difficult and at times may feel impossible, but just as the book says, teaching asks us to do the impossible. If I work hard and really dedicate myself to the task, I will eventually have a successful differentiated classroom.

Differentiation in Practice Part 1

In Differentiation in Practice, I honestly can say that I learned so much. Not only did I learn, but I felt inspired to teach. I actually felt like what I was reading could directly apply to my teaching career. On page two, it says the goal of differentiation is to maximize the capacity of each learner by teaching in ways that help the learner bridge gaps in understanding and skill and help each learner grow as much and as quickly as he or she can. As a future teacher, I feel like this is exactly what I hope to do. I want to ensure that all my students can learn; I know each one of them will be different and will learn in different ways, but as I begin to use differentiation in my own classroom, I can reach each individual child. As the book stated, the needs of the students and the requirements of the curriculum are two factors that we as teachers need to balance. It's difficult to make sure that the students' needs are met while still teaching them at the speed the curriculum needs to be taught. However, I loved when the book talked about responsive teaching: who we teach, what we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. No, we don't have a choice on what we teach, but we do have a choice to love the students individually and strive to make a difference in their lives. Any person can get in front of a classroom and spew out information. However, only a truly dedicated and caring person can reach each child and help them grasp concepts as well as learn life lessons. I just hope that I can learn from the characteristics of a differentiated classroom and really apply it to my own class.