Differentiation Week 4

I feel like the Student Profile is an excellent way to find out a students preferred mode of learning. It has a lot of great learning styles but I feel like it does not have a lot of variety when it came to finding out the students interests. So I think it is good that it gives the students an opportunity to write in other important things to know. I feel the students will like this activity because it doesn't look like a writing assignment. I liked the second survey as well. If the students take the time to answer honestly, it will be very valuable information. I don't think I would make changes to this sheet. I think it might be nice to have students add to it throughout the year because as they start learning they will probably discover some things about themselves that they didn't know at the beginning of the year.

I would use this information in differentiating to plan my lessons. I would figure out the different ways that my students learn and plan different things to accommodate so that they are all learning. I could also use the information to group students when it comes to their different interests.

I feel that there are several helps for my pre-assessments while I am student teaching. The math ones were very interesting. As teachers, it is easy to think that a student understands a math problem as long as he/she can get the right answer. However, it is important for a student to explain how he/she got the answer. with these assessments it lets me really know what is going on. I also like the questions that help with the anecdotal notes for math. As a new math teacher, I'm not always sure what to look in order to make sure the student is understanding.

I like the box type of assessments because they just look funner and I feel that the students will be more enthusiastic about doing the work, like on the vertebrates paper. The thinking about my reading page is a great way to find out how students feel about their reading. I feel this is important because their attitudes and beliefs make such a huge difference. It is also a good opportunity to see who doesn't like to read or thinks that they don't read very well and then give compliments and encouragement so that they will read more. As a teacher I could also help the students find books that they are interested in. I appreciate the ideas and plan to use many while teaching.

Differentiation Week 3

I loved chapter two and how it went into depth about what the student seeks. Just like the book says, if I want the student to "come play my game," I must connect with the student. I must assist each student with self-esteem issues, or affirmation. I must make sure that the student sees he/she is worthwhile. I must make my student feel powerful so he/she will come back for more power. I must truly give my student a purpose in what he/she does, making it known that it does make a difference in the world. And in order for my student to grow, I must challenge him/her. One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is when I see a student accomplish a task that he/she once felt was too difficult to accomplish. Watching this satisfaction in students faces always brings me joy!

I understand that establishing a tie with each of my students will be a difficult thing, but it is still something I will always strive for. I feel that each student deserves an equal opportunity to learn. Each and every student is too important to just slide by. I like how the book says in order to have a differentiated classroom, I must build lives collectively and individually. To me this means I must value the class as a whole but also appreciate the uniqueness of each student.

I am beginning to see how differentiation is definitely a response to the students needs. I can plan lessons but I must also plan to be flexible so that I can accommodate the differences in my classroom.

As I read chapter one of "Differentiation in Practice," I couldn't agree more with this sort of practice and the reasons behind it. As a teacher, I want success for each of my students who will come with different abilities. As a mom I have learned very quickly how important it is to differentiate my parenting. What works for one child does not always work with another child. The same holds true in a classroom.

Two of my favorite quotes were; First, when she explained that as a teacher I cannot accept that I am doing my best. At first I thought, why not? But I realize that I cannot stop, I cannot get complacent and I must continue to extend differentiation practice until my last day of teaching.
Second, I liked how the book said that there is no single "right way" to do it. I realize that every day and every year will be different depending on my students and their abilities. I realize that it may take trying a couple of different things to get it how I want it for a particular student.

Since I agree with this practice so much, one of my favorite parts of chapter one is where it explains how a teacher plans for differentiated instruction. This is really funny because as I read through the pages a couple of times I was understanding a little bit but for some reason it was just not coming together for me. I was a little confused as to what student characteristics had to do with the curricular elements. They seemed like two separate things. But as I studied the chart on Using Student Traits And Curricular Elements To Plan Differentiation on pages 12 and 13, it all came together and I had a much better understanding of how to plan for this type of instruction.

I found it interesting that I would learn and understand so much better with the chart when some one else reading the same material would fully understand the reading. How ironic is it for me to discover a better way for me to learn when that is the very subject that I am reading about. It just made me realize even more, how different each person is, teacher or student.

After reading chapter one it made me realize how important it is to know my students strengths and weaknesses. I know that class time is limited and I don't want to wait weeks or even months to find this out. It made me wonder if it would be beneficial to ask parents this sort of information when school begins.

I found the articles on morning meetings very enjoyable to read. With the knowledge I have on morning meetings, it only makes sense to implement them into my classroom. It seems like the biggest benefit from doing them is that it helps to build a safe and friendly environment. I know for learning to take place with my students, I must do all that I can to eliminate stress and fear.

I like how Sharon believed the morning meetings had an immediate impact on her students and that it was a way to prepare students for the instruction that would follow. It also had a cumulative impact that gave the students a sense of belonging, it made even the new students feel like they were a part of the classroom, it promoted more peer helping, and also increased student assertiveness and responsibility. Morning meetings also had an impact on Sharon's teaching practices. She was also able to turn more power over to her students as they demonstrated increased responsibility and social skills.

Of course, the exciting part of the article was the fact that after she had done morning meetings throughout the year, her student's test scores were the highest in their grade. So while everyone was working and playing together, it somehow had the outcome of increased student learning. Yay! That's what I want as a teacher!!!

As far as building a safe community, I agree that everything I do matters. I must be very accepting of my diverse students, and show respect to all members of the classroom. Then I must get my students to adopt the same practices.