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.
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I found your discussion of "switching groups around" interesting, because that IS important, according to the hallmarks of differentiation, and because tiering is only ONE way you would group kids, at one time, among many other types of grouping for other types of differentiation or whole class or individual experiences. You said, "If we really differentiate our classroom, we will be able to look at every student and find their strengths." THAT is reason for flexible grouping, and for opportunities to differentiate different THINGS (content, processes, products) FOR different purposes (readiness, learning profile, interest). Doing a combination of all of these things, or just a choice of them, you WILL be "allowing students opportunities to prove they are good at something, [and] motivate them to work harder in different subjects as well."
The Think-Tac-Toe WILL do what you suggest should be done, if you TIER the whole sheet of choices. In other words, each level of learner would have an entire sheet of choices that are different from the other levels, but appropriate for HIM. All of the choices should help students be interested and motivated to do them, and to learn from them. Does this make sense?
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