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Post by rebeccadathe on Nov 30, 2015 20:26:37 GMT
l like what Don said at the end of the class evaluate yourself "Did I teach them or did I guide the them." We need to evaluate ourselves and did we do what we wanted to accomplish.
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Post by lindsey on Dec 2, 2015 18:17:11 GMT
Chapter 9
Differentiated classrooms offer a variety of ways to approach learning and help students determine which of those ways are most effective in supporting ALL learners. The learning environment actively supports learners and learning. A differentiated classroom teacher attends to student differences and organizes curriculum to support learning. Assessment and instruction are inseparable and the teacher modifies content based on student readiness, interests, and learning profile. Students and teachers also work collaboratively together. Some challenges that I think I might experience when implementing differentiated approaches are TIME and organization!! How does it all come together? How much time will I need to prep extra materials? I could see where utilizing aides more effectively will be necessary. Having an extra set of hands to help prep materials or work with small groups would be helpful to make sure all students are actively engaged and learning. I would utilize the other teachers in the building, parents, and community members to help build a strong community of learning. I might find extra resources that could be helpful to me on the internet and attending professional development seminars where I can learn new ideas and activities.
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Post by lindsey on Dec 2, 2015 18:22:53 GMT
Answer the following questions and respond to two colleagues. 1. Reflect on what you've learned about differentiation so far. What practical challenges do you see to implementing differentiated approaches? What supports might you need and where do might you find resources? Chapter 9 1. What I have learned about differentiation has been great! Both the quality and quantity has been great! It can seem a bit overwhelming thinking I need to be differentiating all of the time. Well, two things from Chapter 2 have stuck with me. They are on p. 21: "It makes sense to modify a curricular element only when (1) there is a student need for doing so and (2) you have reason to believe the modification increases the likelihood that learners will understand important ideas and use important sills more thoroughly." There are certain tasks that I have students do that I know some will have major problems with even before we start. Those are the tasks with which I should logically differentiate. However, how does a teacher know who is going to struggle? That is probably my biggest "hangup" with differentiation. I know that is where a lot of time is needed to assess readiness and interest, and to also look at the student learning profiles. Once a teacher identifies the need for differentiation, she must then decide how to differentiate for each individual student. It takes a lot of time, effort, and organization to do it well! I also think the many strategies presented are great, but they, also, seem very time consuming. In one of my answers to a previous question I stated that I was going to try to differentiate with a particular task I have the students to with the novel Shiloh. I spent some time deciding what I would ask each students to do based on their reading levels. I, also, spent some time redoing the task sheets for the students. I felt good about it going into the task, but when the task was completed I did not have quite the same feeling. I did not feel right about assuming that certain students would have difficulties with the task. I gave them an easier task. As I am trying to implement differentiated approaches into my classroom I see myself "getting into it" surely but slowly. Each year I would like to find more and more opportunities to differentiate. The book was really clear in explaining all of the different strategies and in presenting examples. I really think my biggest challenge is finding time to plan and organize for differentiation. I think identifying the need for differentiation is much easier. Just like I stated earlier. There are always those tasks that I know students will have problems with. Each time one of those tasks comes up I need to think about a differentiation strategy that would be appropriate to use. Even if the differentiation is not a perfect process like many of the examples from the book, I would at least like to do something to differentiate with the task. I can always continue to make it better with each successive year. I do not feel I need any specific supports at this time. However, as I begin the process of trying to implement differentiation into my classroom that might change. My greatest resource right now is the book I have been reading. I have also been looking online. I needed to get some other opinions and ideas about differentiation. There are many out there! I think differentiation will be like anything else. The more I try it, the easier it will be, and the more I will know just exactly when to use it. Brenda- I appreciate your input! I agree that time & organization are two challenges that I too might face when implementing differentiated approaches! |
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Post by lindsey on Dec 2, 2015 18:27:37 GMT
9. Things that stand out about the author's differentiated classroom would be (1) the learning environment is seen as the key to success (2) teachers actively attend to student differences (3) curriculum is organized to support learning (4) the teacher modifies content, process, and products based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile (5) there are a variety of strategies that may be used (6) assessment is diagnostic and on-going and (7) educators should be champions of every student who walks through the school house door. Challenges to implement this would be: (1) it is time intensive (2) need money for training beyond the regular school day (3) need training to integrate new technology (laptops) into the different strategies (4) results in the form of state testing and (5) the staff needs to buy into this. The author lists four groups that could help lead you to a differentiated classroom. Those four are (1) calling on colleagues (2) making principals partners, (3) bringing parents aboard, and (4) involving the community. This is nothing new. You need this support with the current practices that we are using and anything new that is implemented. You also need to share the controversial side of anything new that is experimented with. There was a good article written in the January, 2015 edition of "Education Week" called "Differentiation Doesn't Work". This is also worth reading. Bruce- I really like how you are always looking at both sides of the topic (pros & cons of differentiation). I agree that building a community of learners where we are all working together is nothing new & yet so important! |
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Post by butler on Dec 3, 2015 0:44:17 GMT
I number one thing I have learned about differentiation is to assess all students and present the information at their level. I can see the benefits of differentiation in a classroom. The biggest challenge to me is time. To differentiate a classroom takes time with pulling resources, assessing, and working with each student. The biggest support I would need is someone to bounce ideas off and help with running assessments. The resources needed are in the Title I room and also the web has limitless resources.
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Post by butler on Dec 3, 2015 0:50:51 GMT
Goal: Creating a classroom that aims to work for everyone. Looking at these "real" lessons makes me KNOW that yes, I, the teacher will have to do most of the work in the classroom. I do not believe that students ALWAYS need to have skills differentiated. Usually good teaching works for most. We are not supposed to tell them what or how to do something, but we are to be concise....hmmm. Thoughts? Making informed class choices reduces greatly the number of students who are truly "unhappy" with your choices. Some learning HAS to be rote. What is the order of the alphabet? Rote is occasionally necessary as a pre-skill to the real deal. I worry that we have made huge student decisions based on year old data. I worry that in many classes, the entire class uses the same textbook regardless of skill level. Having been in the game a long time and having seen many educational practices, that were ALL here to stay according to the authors, I know that good teaching is good teaching. I do not believe that spending all the time (aka $) to eventually differentiate each and every lesson is a great use of that time. Moderation in all things, especially educational strategies. Mary you have some great points like sometimes differentiation may not be the best way and that there are many new great ideas in education. Like you said good teaching is good teaching, but I think all these ideas shape our teaching and make us better teachers. |
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Post by butler on Dec 3, 2015 0:55:55 GMT
Chapter 9 Differentiated classrooms offer a variety of ways to approach learning and help students determine which of those ways are most effective in supporting ALL learners. The learning environment actively supports learners and learning. A differentiated classroom teacher attends to student differences and organizes curriculum to support learning. Assessment and instruction are inseparable and the teacher modifies content based on student readiness, interests, and learning profile. Students and teachers also work collaboratively together. Some challenges that I think I might experience when implementing differentiated approaches are TIME and organization!! How does it all come together? How much time will I need to prep extra materials? I could see where utilizing aides more effectively will be necessary. Having an extra set of hands to help prep materials or work with small groups would be helpful to make sure all students are actively engaged and learning. I would utilize the other teachers in the building, parents, and community members to help build a strong community of learning. I might find extra resources that could be helpful to me on the internet and attending professional development seminars where I can learn new ideas and activities. Time is the the big thing with teaching. I also agree aids would be a great help with the classroom. |
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Post by butler on Dec 3, 2015 0:58:16 GMT
Differentiation. What an all inclusive educational term, and how do teachers make it all work? What I have learned so far, and made much more aware of is that differentiation certainly has its place in education and teachers that make an effort throughout the years "to reach" their students have used various forms of the process without even knowing they have been employing such a strategy. Strategies, various approaches, adaptations, etc, whatever it takes to make everything more meaningful and having a purpose is all related to differentiation. So far, what I have also found out is that most of the time teachers for far too long have been doing the "lions's share" of the work, and really activities should and must include more student driven processes. On that note though, I feel somewhat apprehensive on where we are going with all of this. Teachers still need to be the chief facilitators in the classroom. No doubt, lots of positives that I have been made more aware of, but practicality wise "Good Luck" in implementing all of it in a school where an instructor is responsible for 5-6 even 7 different classes daily. Throw in a couple of extra curricular duties with those classes, and time is the biggest factor to contend with. Finding time to plan and organize a whole lot of differentiation will be a major practical challenge to contend with involving multiple class preps. A school will also need a very understanding and open-minded administration to support consistent differentiation in the classroom to support all of the various educational strategies being employed. Not saying it doesn't have its place, because it certainly does. Especially in situations where an instructor may teach 4 sections of Earth Science for example Are the small schools all in accordance to make that leap of faith? Mark I agree with you that many teachers have been differentiating for years without knowing the strategies they were using. |
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lori
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Post by lori on Dec 3, 2015 3:02:30 GMT
In a differentiated classroom teachers are ready to engage students in instruction through different teaching techniques and differnet groupings of students. We need to appeal to a whole range of interests and use varied instruction. Teachers are always helping students grow and develop, move forward in their education and strive to reach their goals. The end result: lets learn the skill! We may all learn it at different a pace and in different ways but lets learn the skill and apply it to make it make sense.
Some challenges I find in implementing differentiated instruction is definately the time issue, but I think if you incorporate it slowly into your teaching it won't seem so overwhelming and then you can make the time to do it gradually.
I feel I can ask my colleagues for support if I need it and you can always find things on the internet for support.
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lori
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Post by lori on Dec 3, 2015 3:29:14 GMT
Answer the following questions and respond to two colleagues. 1. Reflect on what you've learned about differentiation so far. What practical challenges do you see to implementing differentiated approaches? What supports might you need and where do might you find resources? Chapter 9 1. What I have learned about differentiation has been great! Both the quality and quantity has been great! It can seem a bit overwhelming thinking I need to be differentiating all of the time. Well, two things from Chapter 2 have stuck with me. They are on p. 21: "It makes sense to modify a curricular element only when (1) there is a student need for doing so and (2) you have reason to believe the modification increases the likelihood that learners will understand important ideas and use important sills more thoroughly." There are certain tasks that I have students do that I know some will have major problems with even before we start. Those are the tasks with which I should logically differentiate. However, how does a teacher know who is going to struggle? That is probably my biggest "hangup" with differentiation. I know that is where a lot of time is needed to assess readiness and interest, and to also look at the student learning profiles. Once a teacher identifies the need for differentiation, she must then decide how to differentiate for each individual student. It takes a lot of time, effort, and organization to do it well! I also think the many strategies presented are great, but they, also, seem very time consuming. In one of my answers to a previous question I stated that I was going to try to differentiate with a particular task I have the students to with the novel Shiloh. I spent some time deciding what I would ask each students to do based on their reading levels. I, also, spent some time redoing the task sheets for the students. I felt good about it going into the task, but when the task was completed I did not have quite the same feeling. I did not feel right about assuming that certain students would have difficulties with the task. I gave them an easier task. As I am trying to implement differentiated approaches into my classroom I see myself "getting into it" surely but slowly. Each year I would like to find more and more opportunities to differentiate. The book was really clear in explaining all of the different strategies and in presenting examples. I really think my biggest challenge is finding time to plan and organize for differentiation. I think identifying the need for differentiation is much easier. Just like I stated earlier. There are always those tasks that I know students will have problems with. Each time one of those tasks comes up I need to think about a differentiation strategy that would be appropriate to use. Even if the differentiation is not a perfect process like many of the examples from the book, I would at least like to do something to differentiate with the task. I can always continue to make it better with each successive year. I do not feel I need any specific supports at this time. However, as I begin the process of trying to implement differentiation into my classroom that might change. My greatest resource right now is the book I have been reading. I have also been looking online. I needed to get some other opinions and ideas about differentiation. There are many out there! I think differentiation will be like anything else. The more I try it, the easier it will be, and the more I will know just exactly when to use it. Lori- I agree Brenda start with differentiating slowly and try to improve as time goes on. It won't seem so overwhelming then. |
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lori
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Post by lori on Dec 3, 2015 3:33:10 GMT
9. Things that stand out about the author's differentiated classroom would be (1) the learning environment is seen as the key to success (2) teachers actively attend to student differences (3) curriculum is organized to support learning (4) the teacher modifies content, process, and products based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile (5) there are a variety of strategies that may be used (6) assessment is diagnostic and on-going and (7) educators should be champions of every student who walks through the school house door. Challenges to implement this would be: (1) it is time intensive (2) need money for training beyond the regular school day (3) need training to integrate new technology (laptops) into the different strategies (4) results in the form of state testing and (5) the staff needs to buy into this. The author lists four groups that could help lead you to a differentiated classroom. Those four are (1) calling on colleagues (2) making principals partners, (3) bringing parents aboard, and (4) involving the community. This is nothing new. You need this support with the current practices that we are using and anything new that is implemented. You also need to share the controversial side of anything new that is experimented with. There was a good article written in the January, 2015 edition of "Education Week" called "Differentiation Doesn't Work". This is also worth reading. Lori- I am going to read that article you suggested. Its always good to look at both sides of things. |
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Post by alecia on Dec 3, 2015 4:11:03 GMT
The challenges I would run into is the workload created with different activities or lessons for the students,teaching the students to focus on quality of their work and not necessarily the quantity, and keeping organization in classroom as well. The supports I would need I would think is more prep time, colleagues/team teachers, and possibly other schools who are educated in differentiation.
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Post by alecia on Dec 3, 2015 4:16:39 GMT
In a differentiated classroom teachers are ready to engage students in instruction through different teaching techniques and differnet groupings of students. We need to appeal to a whole range of interests and use varied instruction. Teachers are always helping students grow and develop, move forward in their education and strive to reach their goals. The end result: lets learn the skill! We may all learn it at different a pace and in different ways but lets learn the skill and apply it to make it make sense. Some challenges I find in implementing differentiated instruction is definately the time issue, but I think if you incorporate it slowly into your teaching it won't seem so overwhelming and then you can make the time to do it gradually. I feel I can ask my colleagues for support if I need it and you can always find things on the internet for support. I agree Lori as well as a few other of our colleagues, TIME is the key, when do we have the time? |
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Post by alecia on Dec 3, 2015 4:19:33 GMT
What I have learned about differential teaching is to use many different methods of teaching to meet the needs of all the different learning styles so more students can experience success. The practical challenges of implementing differentiated teaching would be the Chaotic and noisy atmosphere of the class as well as being pulled in so many directions at once. I feel that differentiated teaching is not a everyday 200 day/year teaching strategy but to be incorporated into different units of study. ie) Grammar. better being taught by the teacher. Some supports i may need would be help from the Resource Teachers with students that have limited abilities and what is the best learning methods for them in my Classroom. Don Nash- The best English teacher I had was my freshman high school English teacher Miss Alt. She was determined that after the Freshman year we should be done with Grammar. I still can diagram sentences from this teaching in 1968. I agree with you that you cannot do the same thing for a whole school year. I had to help a couple of my classmates learn some of this grammar and that helped me to be better at it. Like it has been said if you want to really want to learn something try to teach it. Don, yes you probably would be pulled in many directions or so feel like you are but that happens normally doesnt it? Or so I feel like I am daily. |
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joel
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Post by joel on Dec 3, 2015 21:58:22 GMT
I do not think differentiation is all that new in the realm of education. I do not really see it as a philosophy so much as a teaching strategy that can be used to present information in a different way. There are parts that can be used and parts to be customized or thrown away depending on the curriculum, teacher, students, or objectives. The biggest challenge might be in implementing it effectively so that students are learning without wasting too much time recreating the wheel through their own discovery methods. I certainly understand how certain aspects of the English curriculum lend themselves well to differentiated instruction but the challenge would be to incorporated into all aspects. In the end I will use it where it works well and use different strategies where it does not fit with the curriculum. Since differentiated instruction is not new, I am sure a teacher could find additional resources on the internet or by going to libraries.
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