Chapter 14

At times I wish we could completely throw out grades!  I don't think grades always communicate what we want to students and parents.  Grades can be positive when they motivate a student to work harder, encourage him/her to grow, or give constructive feedback.  Grades can be negative when they make a student feel like a failure, or when an exceptional student makes high grades but is never challenged. Later those students may not know how to cope with challenges they face. In order to change the traditional system we first must make students and parents aware that students will be graded on progress towards individual goals.  

Chapter 13

Looking at figure 13.1 I would need to modify to fit my grade level by doing much of the planning together.  I loved the example from the K classroom on neighborhoods and communities, and how the students did both self selected and teacher selected tasks.  In the beginning you would need to provide your struggling students with more scaffolding and break the assignment into smaller parts. 

Chapter 12

An activity is something the student does or makes to understand and learn new ideas.  A sense-making activity uses higher level thinking to actually analyze and apply the information and make it their own.   It is important to differentiate a sense-making activity because they help students own and process information to make it more meaningful. These activities can be differentiated in response to student's readiness levels, interests and learning profiles.

Chapter 11

I like the idea of using reading partners with audio/video recorders to enhance learning for gifted learners.  This could be used across several grade levels, or even within the specific grade level you teach.  This can be used not only specifically for students who need assistance for reading texts, but also for giving reports or information on certain topics the gifted student is an "expert" in.  I also am interested in using peer and adult mentors in certain content areas such as science.

Chapter 10

In figure 10.5 the learning profile questionnaire would be very useful. It could help you gain insight to your students and how they feel they best learn, especially when used at the first of the school year.  I think this would be best for older students, but an adapted form could even be used for younger elementary aged students.  

I do like having a choice of assignments, just as many of our students would! :)

Chapter 9

Literature circles and interest groups both work well in the primary classroom.  Students can work with their classmates to explore, read about, and report on things that interest them.  The students will be more engaged because they are already curious about the topic they are exploring.  This method can also encourage students to develop and expand their interests in other areas.

Chapter 8

It is important to make sure tasks are suited to the student's level.  When a  task is not appropriate for a student's readiness level they don't see value in doing the task and become bored.  This can lead to all sorts of discipline problems as well as the mindset that school isn't important.  Over time this could lead to a student becoming lazy and only doing just enough to get by.

In looking at the equalizer tool I thought about the concrete to abstract; making sure the student is familiar with key knowledge and information before moving on to more abstract. An example would be making certain the student really is able to understand addition and subtraction using many types of models, before moving on to more complex multi-step problems.

Chapter 7

I think it is important to meet with the parents at the beginning of each year, as well as throughout the year, and discuss your expectations.  At these meetings you can begin a dialogue with the parents of these advanced students about making sure their child is challenged and grows, instead of just waiting for others to learn what they already know.  Many times the parents of these students want their child challenged, but don't want their child to risk failure.  Keeping an open dialogue with these parents is the best way to insure their support.

Chapter 6

One of the management strategies I will use in my classroom this year is timing activities to support student success.  I need to realize that attention span of my students is not the same, and make sure that the students with longer attention spans have longer chunks of time during the day to work on their tasks. 

Another strategy I will use is having an anchor activity.  I like the idea of introducing it to the class by having half work on the activity while the other half engages in a different activity and then flipping the class.  I do this when I am introducing my work stations already and this works well.

I also like the "expert of the day" idea to give students another place to go besides me when they are stuck.  I think you have to make sure that this is divided evenly, and for different tasks you can have different "experts".  

Chapter 5

I always enjoy hearing from other teachers about different ideas that work in their classrooms.  This chapter was enlightening in showing ways  teachers can differentiate in their classroom, and that there is no one "right" way.  Different groups of students and different classes need different things. My first graders come with such a wide range of reading levels that I feel I have done a better job better differentiating reading instruction than math in my own classroom.  This year I am planning on doing more individualized instruction and hands on learning stations for math instruction.

Chapter 4

I teach 1st grade...so as you can imagine I get "That's not fair" a lot!  I like to use books to begin conversations about subjects such as fairness.  The book It's Not Fair by Anita Harper is about how an older sibling has to adjust to a new baby, and this is something that many of my students can understand. We talk about how the needs of everyone are not the same, but that everyone gets what they need.  Eventually after time the students will understand that fair may not mean the same, and we are all on the same team learning together.  I try to emphasize that our classroom is like a big family, and we all need to help one another out.

Chapter 3

If your main goal as a teacher is "covering information", the student's needs are not being met.  Only the curriculum is driving the needs of the class, and the learner's needs are sometimes being ignored.  I have felt pressure to "push on ahead" because my year at a glance document tells me I should be teaching a certain skill this certain week, although I know my students are not ready to move on. This causes the student to become overwhelmed and disengaged in the learning process.

Out of the seventeen skills of learning to differentiate I am most comfortable with building a sense of community in the classroom and giving directions.  I am least comfortable with sharing responsibility for teaching and learning with students.

Chapter 2

I teach in a school in which many students are from broken homes and living in poverty.  When a student comes to school hungry, sleepy, or not even sure where they will be staying that next day it is impossible for them to be engaged in learning. Education is not a priority in their homes, only surviving from one day to the next.  We as teachers can not "fix" the home lives of our students, but can only give understanding, love, and a safe environment for the school day.  When our kids feel safe and loved, they can sometimes forget their problems for a short time and become engaged in learning.

Our education system is so concerned with testing and having all students meet standards that the advanced learners get lost in the process.  I feel these students are not always challenged, and when they do find something that does not come easy, they do not know how to address the challenge. We as teachers need to realize these students do not already know everything, and we need to give advanced learners as much support as slower learners.

Chapter 1

As I was reading the first chapter, the two thoughts that impacted me the most were that differentiated instruction is not chaotic and is not just another way to provide grouping.  Many teachers feel they will lose control of the classroom if they allow too much movement or talking, and have a hard time giving up that control in their classroom.  This chapter pointed out that teachers in a differentiated classroom actually must exert more leadership, not less.  I also liked the description of groups being more flexible and fluid, and in some instances letting students form their own groups or work alone if they prefer.

Differentiated instruction is student centered.  It must be built on previous learning, and not all students are at the same place.  Assessment must routinely take place in a variety of ways to determine each students needs.