Chapter 5 Reflection: Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical
and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom
to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically
diverse learners?
To make my classroom more effective I would allow the students to work on the same projects, but to create their final product based on their comfort level. For example if we are reading a story and I wanted the student to do a summary to show reading comprehension I would allow the students to create a poem, write an essay, draw pictures, or create a short play. I would let the students be as creative as they can be. I have learned that if students know the sky is the limit and have a blank canvas to work on then they will deliver the goods and the goods will be create. In my class students will no longer be held to just writing a paragraph or have a one track mind. I will now have them think outside the box and see the world as their personal blank canvas.
Everything I have done and will continue to do in my classroom will center upon meeting the needs of my diverse student population. Therefore, I will make a greater effort to gain an understanding of all my children’s unique academic, emotional, and cultural differences so that I can better help them on their academic and life journey.
To support a culturally sensitive learning community, I will design and implement lessons that address all my students’ academic needs, learning styles, and multiple intelligences. One thing that worked for me and that I will continue to use for all my students is set achievable goals and encourage them to focus on long-term improvement, not just grades or on current assignments. Students learn to evaluate their progress, critique their own work, analyze their strengths, and address their weaknesses.
I will continue to craft my room with rich print posters of both rules and motivational sayings. Put up a DI Schedule and rotations, so that students' know exactly where to be. I really liked Mrs. Riley's (3rd Teacher ) center ideas.I plan to incorporate a Learning Center and Interest Center, always based on informal and formal assessments. The interest center offered by Mrs. T.Riley even allowed students to explore acting, making storyboards for advertisements and it all tied in beautifully with reading and writing.
I will also continue to use differentiate instruction by modifying the instructional delivery. For example, students will create outlines, concept maps, and other visual aids for students who have difficulty processing complex concepts. In language arts classes, I will continue to use recorded books, leveled readers, and optical readers to share quality literature with challenged readers. In math class, struggling students will use hands-on manipulatives to demonstrate mathematical concepts; they can also write math problems, one digit per square, on graph paper. I have no doubt that my students' will all show immense growth with all these old and new and improved instructional strategies! I'm excited to see what the future brings!
Based on my ideas and experiences, the most rational and practical next step for me to take in developing my diferentiated classroom is to effectively utilize differentiated instruction. My differentiated classroom will vary based on the personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of my students. My classroom will evolve into a learning village that is conducive for all learners. Students will become more active learners, decision makers, and problem solvers. All of the activities will be thoroughly planned and executed with fidelity.Together my students and I will start closing the learning gap. Patreece Perry-Pelt
I think I need to start by focusing more on the data. Through the FAIR test I think I will be able to analyze numerous variables and make a clear determination as to the strengths and weaknesses of my students. In the past I have relied on the Voyager Program's Benchmark test., which focused on lexile level. Also, I looked at the Interim Test, which focused more on areas covered by Language Arts. FAIR aims to look at reading data, such as Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and so on. So I think that by focusing more on the FAIR, I will be better prepared to provide my students with differentiated instruction.
After reading Chapter 5, one feasible way that a teacher can make their classroom a better place for diverse learners is by creating Learning Centers and Interest centers. Centers are created based on student’s learning profiles. These centers also allow students to make selections about their work that address their interests. Interest centers allow students to discover new ways of presenting or retaining information that was just taught such as creating short movies, acting, develop advertisements, etc.
Based on my ideas and experiences, a logical and feasible next step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners would be to become familiar with the various DI activities that are available to address each of my FAIR groups. Having a better understanding of how to teach these activities and really understand the goal of each activity will help my students achieve learning gains in the areas where they need it the most.
To craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners, I will use different instructional strategies to help differentiate content, process, and product to address the different needs my ESOL students have. I will implement interest/learning centers where the students will work with materials that match their readiness level. Even when students are working on the same center, they will have choices to present the product of their work. I will assign projects that will allow them to showcase their talents and creativity. Some students might want to present the lesson by writing a poem, writing and singing a song, creating a picture book, etc. I will also have my students working in different grouping patterns. This will allow them to develop social interaction skills that will benefit them in the future. Claudia Ocampo
I need to start by better using and interpreting my FAIR data. I didn't realize there were activities available to use that addressed specific needs of the students. I plan on taking advantage of these next year! Personally, I need to stop thinking in terms of grade level (where the child should be) and more in terms of what level the student is at and what are the needs that need to be addressed. I would also like to incorporate more interest level activities. I teach ESOL self-contained and have seen many students get bored because they don't understand or become frustrated. Providing them with activities that incite their curiousity and interest, and by allowing them the freedom to be more creative will keep them engaged and motivated to learn.
In order to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners you need to see who they are, look at their data. Next, have a lot of conversations with your students to get to know your audience, what are they all about. Needless to say always with respect and the creation of a safe environment. Now look at your curriculum and factoring in their(your students information)...plan and incorporate as many activities that are DI. It is more work at first but you will reach many more students and the will learn more and will grow as people. The last thing that you need to do is see them as an individual and not as your group. All this will make the difference. Keep in mind why you joined this profession!
Based on my ideas and experiences a logical and feasible next step would be to be better prepared with prior knowledge about my students and their learning abilities. The very first thing I would do to craft the environment of my classroom would be use more of the D.I. practices, such as the instructional strategies, teaching styles, grades, etc. and the suggested websites for D.I. I would also have my classroom ready prior to my students attendance. As instructed, nothing prepares you best like being organized. Karen Smith
Throwing out my single desks and bringing in round tables that can comfortably sit 4 – 5 students. I would place resource books of all kinds all over the room for students to pick up whenever they wanted. I would have inspirational quotes all over the walls about being unique and different is beautiful. I would continuously rotate where and which groups the students would sit throughout the day. Maybe every hour or after each assignment is complete, they move to a different table with different students to work with. Students would have a choice as to which project or end product they would like to turn in for a grade. I would call up individual students to my desk for one-on-one time to review their work. Every single student would be called every single day. I would then walk around and visit each table and supervise what they are doing and answer any questions. Susan Castleman
I would like to make available different working stations and a menu of strategies and generic activities that can be applied to just about any reading selection, and preferibly organized by readiness, interest and learning profile so that they can pick what they feel more comfortable with and work accordingly.
1) Make a list of activities for a particular lesson, topic, or skill that correlate to Webb's depth of knowledge. I'll list these in order, and have them displayed on the "learning menu".
2) Ensure that I have activities and tasks that range from very tightly directed and structured to assignments that are open-ended, ambigious, and require more independent, outside of the box thinking.
3) Make a personal database of lessons and assignments that can be used during all units studied throughout the year. This will funtion as a differentiated instruction "recipe box" for myself.
In the upcoming school year in order for my classroom to be more effective, I must take a closer look at the assessment data. Here I can identify the student's strenghts and weakness and create lessons to meet the individuals needs of the students. Pamela Robinson
Taking this class give me an opportunity to reflect on my performance in the classroom. Now I get a chance to predict my performance in the classroom. I need to be aware of my student’s level of performance through data. I need to assess them to ensure that I am instructing based on their deficiencies. I’m currently envisioning my classroom and considering how to better address the needs of academically diverse learners in my classroom. The best way is through effective DI. The feasible way for my classroom will be as follows: • First, I will differentiate content, process and product by using different strategies to meet every learners need. • Secondly, I will be bringing more supplemental materials to support the content. • Third, I will be using more visual with technology in the classroom. I will be developing a framework for my class. I will be starting my class with a daily routine. Then, Whole group instruction will be differentiate, where I will explain the skill/content (I DO). I will practice the skill/content together with the students to ensure that they understand. Subsequently, every student will have a chance to practice the skill independently (YOU DO) prior to break into the DI portion of the block. The last part of the lesson will be the DI. At this time students will be group based on their reading deficiencies. I will be working with students to bring them to their anticipated levels.
Teachers’ must first use the data from formal and informal assessment to group the students accordingly. Teachers could collaborate with colleagues that have experience differentiating instruction in their classes. Teachers should form some type of relationship with the students to find out about what interest them. After identifying their interest, teachers could set up a flexible reading program to reach all levels of students. Post a chart with students’ names and their groups and the assignments to be covered. The teacher could meet with the lowest reading level group on a daily basis to work on decoding and comprehension skills and the others maybe twice or once per week. Some of the groups could browse for books of interest on a number of topics and sometimes from boxes of books designated with a color code matching their reading level. Students can be grouped with stronger readers that can provide leadership for a peer who does not yet read quite as well. Learning centers and interest centers can be developed so that all learners will get the same exposure to the same information. The centers would be organized based on the formal and informal assessment of their readiness and students learning profiles. Audrey Bullock
I will utilize a logical procedure for developing my program structure. The structure will be adaptable to meeting the needs of academically diverse learners. Use of data will help me set the stage in designing essential centers. The centers will address the students’ needs in academics, and interest areas. I will use my observation to enhance any modifications that may be needed in the curriculum structure. My reading centers will provide a purpose for needs in academic areas. Creative centers will be aligned with students’ interest in mind. Programming will be done in a continual process. The students will be assessed in formal and informal ways to as certain purposeful learning environment. I will allow my students to be flexible in relation to circulating and exploring instruments in selective centers. Barbara Harris
Base on my ideas and experience, I will craft the structure of my classroom according to their data and academic levels. I will take in consideration that my students are on different levels. I will have centers for differential instructions that will meet all learning styles with a print rich environment. The instructional part of my teaching will be where I should be able to see some growth in every student. I will assess my students by constantly observing their activities and growth which will help me to plan activities for future reference or revisions. Carolyn Collins
As an interventionist, I work with students that have scored a level I or 2 on FCAT the previous school year. Students meet with me for an hour a day four times a week. Our district mandates using Voyager as the curriculum for these students. However, they are all lumped together with me based on their schedule of electives not on what they need. The next logical and feasible step to take to make intervention more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to break them up even further in terms of identified needs. We would do the mandated curriculum whole group then break into flexible groups and differentiate instruction within those groups. Time constraints and planning would seem to be my biggest challenges. Zina Berman
I will place the student in learning centers according to their evaluations on formal and informal testing. I will post their names on schedule and have them go to the appointed learning centers. The centers are design to meet learning goals and interest. I will use formal and informal evaluations to assess students.
I plan to get to know my students better next year. So the first thing I plan to do is a profile/interest survery. This will help me to have a clear understanding of each student's learning profile and thre interest. Now that I understand the data, I can use it to create groups and differentiate the work according to levels. My goal will be to create an Interest Center. Pamela Robinson
Based on what I have learned, I will craft my classroom in groups that address the academically diverse learners and will incorporate new learned DI strategies. The first steps would be to use data from the FAIR, CELLA, and through my observations, I will assign my students to their appropriate group and provide a variety of centers based on learning profiles. I like the ideas stated in this chapter which I’m already anxious to use, such as posting the schedule and creating learning and interest centers. Exit cards are also very effective and it’s a quick assessment tool to measure student understanding of the concepts taught. Maria Santiago-Parreno
After reading Chapter 5, I was able to understand how other teachers use differentiated instruction to teach in their class. The chapter makes sure to identify how a teacher can create DI in their own way. The teachers in the classroom were able help create the content, process, and product that best assists the students. Not all students learn the same and it is important that teachers find different ways within different subjects to help students like and understand how DI works. Great Chapter!
In Chapter 5 I enjoyed reading about how teachers from various grade levels and subject areas use differentiated instruction in their classrooms. It was interesting to see how each teacher has their own instructional strategies they implement with their students, and how they using flexible grouping when using differentiated instruction with their class.
Differentiated Instruction is a systematic process that requires planning and must be managed. Chapter 5 provided a glimpse into successfully differentiated classrooms which sparked ideas that can be utilized in my own classroom. One idea that stood out to me was the interest centers. These centers run concurrently with the learning centers in the teacher's room. I already use learning centers, but I feel that incorporating these interest skills will help my students explore. This chapter demonstrated that differentiation doesn't look just one way; each teacher had his/her own method for ensuring that the needs of each student are being met.
Chapter 5 Reflection Chapter 5 provided different scenarios of differentiated instruction in the classroom. The differentiated classroom may look different in many classrooms but at the root of the DI classroom is an understanding that everyone is different and the need for differentiation in the class. The examples provided in Chapter 5 are perfect in showing how some of the things in those classrooms may or may not work in my classroom. You have to modify and make differentiated instruction work for the students in your class. This chapter was beneficial to me because it proves that DI is not a cookie cutter process that it is made to seem. It should be what works best in your class for the levels of your varying students.
Chapter 5 provides a closer look into real world application of differentiated instruction in the classroom. This chapter afforded me the opportunity to reflect on the role differentiated instruction plays in my class. In order to make differentiated instruction successful, I realize that I must provide mixed and matched ability learning and interest centers to my diverse learners. I also must readily collaborate with students in order to gauge their learning profiles, interests, and readiness. Differentiated instruction is not only designed to build up lower level learners but to aid any student in learning and growing without limit.
Based on what I read, the chapters focus on different scenarios and Strategies for differentiated instruction. Students learn differently and at a different rate therefore, there are 17 key strategies to use successfully to meet the challenge of designing and managing DI for students.
Chapter 5 states that teachers construct differentiated classrooms in many different ways. Classrooms vary depending on subject, grade level, learning profiles, and personalities of the students. Students must be active learners not passive recipients of information.
Chap. 5-I totally agree with the author's viewpoint that there is "no recipe" for DI per say. Therefore, it is your responsibility, as an educator, to always cross check your student's interests, personality, his/her favorite subjects, grade level, and his/her unique learning style. Also, continual assessment, formal or informal, must be done and modified in order for your DI classroom to run smoothly throughout the school year.
Chapter Five was an informative chapter. I enjoyed reading the different ways teachers use DI in the classroom. Some of the approaches I had not been familiarized with are compacting out, and negotiated criteria. These were interesting and I will be sure use these with my students.
Students differ in learning needs. Classroom where students are active learners, decision makers ,and problem solvers are more effective than those in which students are passive recipients of information. Indanel Rojas
Short this time.... Collecting,analyzing & using the data from the FCATCELLA,etc(not so reliable)... Everyday-old fashion observation & INTERACTION with the students is the key.A home or(better than home)enviroment inducive of learning;constantly adjusting to individual's readiness,interest & learning profile in our content/process/product choosing. This coming year I will implement a bit more of: learning centers interests centers compact out differentiated diner & flexible grouping...
Differentiated classrooms are needed. All students are different and work at different levels. We are doing them a disservice if we aren't changing our materials to meet the needs of all students.
Yolanda Contreras chapter 5: This chapter is very valuable and informative, easy to read and well explained. However, it would be a challenge to apply Differentiated Instruction to my music class.
The chapter focus on different scenario and strategies for differentiated instruction in the classroom. I like how Mr. Rakes use DI in the classroom. By: Alden Thompson
This chapter showed how 5 different teachers adapted a variety of instructional strategies and effectively implemented them into their classes. The strategies were not "cookie cutter" strategies, but were feasible for mixed-ability and matched- ability groups.
Chapter 5 focuses on Differentiated classrooms and I reflected on the fact that there is no recipe or differentiation. Teachers construct rooms in varying ways depending on their own personalities, the nature of the subject and grade level they teach, and the learning profiles of their students.
Chapter 6 focused on managing differentiated classrooms. Teachers need to apply the same skills that help them succeed in the complex environment of a classroom. It will lead them toward success in a differentiated classroom. Also, teachers need to stick to the basics and disregard any uncertainty or fear they might have when working in a differentiated environment.
According to chapter 5, there is no "specific" formula that must be followed in order to have the perfect DI classroom. As we have learned, each teacher must sit and think about what it is that she wants to accomplish and how to get there. In order to do this, she must consider levels, interests, and abilities in order to ensure that the students will maximize their learning.
I love that there is no specific "formula" in order to put into practice the concepts of a DI classroom. This chapter offers a variety of ideas used in different level classes and subject areas, some of which I would like to apply in my own classroom. I particularly like the "exit slip", interest centers and the "menu" ideas. All great tools I can store in my "toolbox", available to me based on the students' needs as well as my own.
If anyone is following my comments, he or she would know by now that I think DI sounds wonderful in theory, but I have never really seen it work for the good of all students—if good is to be defined as the meeting of the courses academic requirements. If we take the example of Mr. Rakes math students, for example, we learn that all students do take a final exam, but we don’t know what the course’s math objectives were and how the weaker students managed to meet them. The “compacted” students we can easily understand. We have all seen students who are ahead of their peers in specific subjects and have the knowledge and discipline to work on their own. What we don’t know, however, or what we don’t see discussed, is the progress of the weaker students or the students with different learning styles. It would be great for us to hear how this works in a calculus class that has more than enough unmotivated students, students who are looking for nothing but an easy exit from the class. I have had students in 11th Grade Honors English who were FCAT repeaters. These students were disengaged and it turned out that nothing that I did changed their attitudes. They were encouraged to find some of their own preferred reading material and work with that for the class and the FCAT. I offered to work with them on their preferred reading. I had little impact and most of the students made little progress and failed the FCAT again. Too frequently, the examples that we see of the practice of DI remain strikingly vague when it comes to the objectives for the courses and the students’ ability to meet those objectives through DI. So the next logical step for me is to see examples of a class that practices DI and also gets all of the students to meet the outcomes that the course description identifies. I could say something about a Virtual School course that I facilitated last year. These courses are examples of DI---or at least they are advertised in that way. Perhaps in a later comment I will share my experience as a facilitator for Virtual School with the readers.
Yunyan Chen Answer: After reading chapter 5, I have better understanding of how to utilize differentiated instructions in my teaching instructions. As a teacher who teaches Chinese to American students, it is a big challenge since Chinese is totally a different Character learning system. Based on what I have learned, I will craft my classroom in groups that address the academically diverse learners and will incorporate new learned DI strategies. First I would introduce the concept of Chinese culture, the language and how to learn Chinese effectively. Through my observations, I will assign my students to their appropriate group and provide a variety of centers based on learning profiles. Some students are gifted in learning another language and could learn very fast and accurately, while some other ones need more time to digest and get it. I like the ideas stated in this chapter which I’m already anxious to use, such as posting the posters created by upper grade level students and creating learning and interest centers. Exit cards are also very effective and it’s a quick assessment tool to measure student understanding of the concepts taught. I started using exit door pass since last year to my middle school students. To my delight, they all waited in line for the door pass. Through this strategy, students have learned a lot and it gave me the idea what I need to improve more in my future teaching content. After learning Chapter 5, I have learned that DI strategy is extremely important, even in my Chinese teaching program. I usually have different groups in one session with different levels, some are with me for more than a year with some just join in the group Differentiated classrooms are needed. All students are different and work at different levels. I am doing them a disservice if I am not challenge myself by using different materials to meet the needs of all students.
As I learn more about my new class of students, my next step of crafting a more effective DI classroom is to provide more choice at student centers. An example of this would be the nine square box where students can choose an activity a day until a complete roll of activities is finished. Like playing bingo, yet with choice of different interests. My DI center will provide the data driven activities and will consist of multilevel students who missed the common benchmark. I believe this will allow for more active learning, decision makers, and problem solvers environment.
Crafting a learning environment that supports all learners is a challenging task. There must be flexibility in grouping, assignment, and product. Thoughtful planning and preparation prior to the unit is a must! In my learning environment, I attempt to incorporate centers that are student driven – ones that match content and interest. For example, in a literacy lesson, 5th grade students are engaged in a biography genre study. Students rotate to create three of the five assignments: character sketch (written), newspaper article, dramatic skit of event in that person’s life, timeline, or portrait. At the end of the week, students choose which of the three assignments they wish to present. Providing students with a variety of instructional venues is an effective strategy in a differentiated classroom.
I feel the next logical and feasible step for me would be to agive students more opportunities to choose from a menu what they not only need to work on but something they want to work on. I just recently did my data chats and i think this strategy has also helped me to decide what will go into my rotations and what choices I can offer my students based on their data. This information will definitely help me in crafting a more effective classroom to meet the academic diversity of my students. T. Junious
Step one, fine tune assessments to identify students’ comprehension. Step two, design two types of activities to cover the objective: one low, one high. Separate in groups and give students who didn’t understand the material, a review while the ones who got it move on to the next learning unit. Francisco Castro
It is important to be cognizant of the needs of diverse learners within the classroom. Tomlinson (2001) discusses various ways teachers are meeting the needs of their students. Their examples serve as a guide for the next steps in creating an environment that reflects the needs of all learners. As a CSS for reading coaches and classroom teachers, my role is to offer guidance and offer assistance. Given that there are many needs present in any one class, one of the first steps could be to suggest that coaches and teachers look at their current student grouping and analyze the purpose for the groups. It can be suggested that coaches and teachers think of groups in terms of their long term goals and see how far away students are from achieving them. Those who are close can be placed in flexible groups where they can go in and out the groups as needs arise. Likewise, students who are far away from the class goal can be instructed with a long term plan in mind. Further support can be offered in devising expert groups where instruction can be compacted and then accelerated for high achievers, and finally, rotating groups where students work with peers on tasks that reflect varying levels of difficulty.
Of course, there are challenges when attempting to meet the needs of all students. First, there has to be the recognition that a differentiated classroom is the best environment for ALL students. Second, the CSS has to offer support in managing the differentiated classroom, that is, helping teachers to teach to the overall class needs in whole group, addressing specific needs in small groups, and working one-on-one with students with many needs. And lastly, support consistent and progressive movement toward differentiated instruction by the teacher with participation by the students. Both have to be ongoing and develop into an environment where ALL students’ needs are met.
After identifying the students' comprehension skills, I will set the groups. I believe that scheduling is very importante in the classroom. Always have extra work, based on the skill taught. This will avoid the talking of the group that is done first.
The logical steps in implementing academically diverse learners in my classroom are to first ascertain where the students need the most help. First, I will ascertain where the student is deficiency and will group the students that have the same problems. After, I establish the various level of differentiated learning, I will divide the students into groups and immediately teach on their weakness area.. Lastly, I will elevate the curriculum for the students that are functioning on a high level of thinking. This way I will not bore the students that need a challenge in the classroom. The higher learners will continue to set the curriculum and drive the other students to expand their knowledge comprehension.
In addition, the most important initiative in crafting my classroom is prepare an effective lesson plan. By planning ahead and providing students instruction on the expectation of an assignment. Students will experience more classroom success.
Now that I have to cover this chapter analysis, and based on the fact that the most outstanding approach is to never forget the way I have to cover DI, I modestly would like to this chapter by just presenting five big issues. Who are my students? Let’s say demographics (age, gender, and cultural issues, former instruction academic level and background), predispositions for the leaning/teaching process (fears, hopes, likes and dislikes, levels of interests) and my teaching experiences and possible approaches to use. Learning environment. Sitting arrangements, daily schedules, supporting aids within/without the classroom. Consider/Take into account the “me”, right now and then We have to picture ourselves as another member of the audience and always ask .. How does teaching and learning affect and/or effect on t me? How can students perceive what you send them? Which way cad you, as a sender is more feasible for students? Establish cognitive/ behavioral learning objectives. What do I want my students to know? Which way is/are the most feasible for students as per by their needs? How do my students like to be taught?
This is a difficult questions for me as I have not been in the classroom setting for many years, however thinking back to y 20 year + in the class part of the difficulty would be for me to release control. The implementation of a differentiated classroom requires a real paradigm shift for old school teachers. Listening to young, new teachers implementing this in the classroom is exciting and makes a great deal of sense as far as reaching a variety of learners with a variety of strategies. It I evident that students differ in their learning needs and a classroom where students are active learners, decision makers and problem solvers provides a setting in which students are better prepared to face a world of higher education and employment. The challenge of implementation would be matching required content to process, interest and product. It also seems that "negotiated criteria" might present a problem for old school teachers. It is very exciting to see examples of these classes and the level of engagement of the students.
Working at a school which is under ETO I am very limited as to what I can do during the DI portion of the reading block. Students are grouped according to "data", the groups stay the same until the following district test and then they are rearranged. I have created three centers/areas for the students to work at: a) computers-they will do Successmaker or take an AR test if they have finished reading a book (they have an opportunity to take a test at anytime during the day as well), b) writing center-which works similar to the one in the chapter, and c) TLC-here I provide instruction based on the group's weakest benchmark (according to the data) and level of instruction. Next school year I would like to set interest and learning centers as well independent investigation.
There were two approaches that stood out from this chapter that I would like to adapt. Mr. Blackstone assigned different labs to different groups based on what he knew about this students and then used exit cards as a summary. I think that this is an excellent way to show students that it's okay to learn things in a different way. I also like how Ms. Jeffries assigned group topics after students had an opportunity to do some individual research. This way they all came to the group with something already to contribute/all being experts. I would assume that the support during the initial research would also vary. These are two things that I would like to experiment with.
Chapter 5 Reflection: Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners? I would develop the following differentiated classrooms as follows: using a variety of instructional strategies like interest and learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability cooperative groups, working as colleagues, negotiated criteria, compacting out, independent investigations, and peer view are all useful for managing differentiated classrooom
Crafting a classroom to be more effective when addressing different learning styles requires good organizational skills on the part of the teacher; however it also requires the students' feedback to be considered when changes have to be made while addressing curriculum issues. The use of group techniques and centers through the classroom alleviates the anxiety and frustration related to achievement and disappointments of students when not meeting or exceeding the instructional goals. Centers should included the use of computerized materials associated with the topic at hand. Another center must be use as a free subject to complete other classes assignments when the student have achieved his daily goals. Volunteer time discussion with peers should be another center allowing the repetition and discussion of the instruction while completing daily class assignments. Another center may allow the individual use of typing written materials, that otherwise will not be understood because of poor graphomotor skills. Teacher becomes a classroom manager when organizing the time allocations and members of the various groups.
Based on my ideas and experiences, there would be a few ways that I would craft my classroom in to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners. When introducing a new skill, I always start with a whole group approach. During whole group I start with some type of anticipation guide to activate the student’s background knowledge and get them engaged in dialogue with each other. During whole group I’m also chinking material and posing questions along the way to see who is getting the material and who still needs more practice. After the lesson I will give students a quick check activity, and by the results from the quick check I know who can go into interest centers, and who I need to pull for small group. Once I get my small group going, I will periodically walk around to address any questions or concerns students in other groups may have. I also like to meet with my more advanced learners to let them share out within the group. With this group, I’m more of a facilitator; I let them guide the activity, and do most of the talking.
In order to be more effective, support and address the needs of my culturally diverse students, I continuously strive to center my class upon meeting the needs of my student population. I attempt to implement and when necessary design the lessons that fit and address the learning styles, multiple intelligences, and emotional as well as academic needs of all my students. Admittedly this truly sounds good on paper. But wait! Is this just a quixotic idea, as elusive as grasping for the wind?
Undeniably, regardless of a teacher's attempts, there is no guarantee that my students will all, every single one of them, find meaning in all my lessons. They have different backgrounds and interests, but as Tomlinson in her 3rd chapter reveals as three metaphors for the teacher's role: as the director of orchestra, coach, and jazz musician; what comes to mind is the well-known maxim, for every gift given: "it is the thought that counts," a teacher's, or metaphorically the gift-giver's well-meant intentions is or certainly can be the linchpin pulled toward igniting change.
What I do and must master: I start off by setting goals with assessment results in mind. I ascertain my students' weaknesses and strengths. I try to set a welcoming environment with a positive atmosphere that is mutually respectful and safe. Early on, I try to learn as much as possible about my students. I take Learning Styles Inventories and have students list their interests, hobbies, favorite sports, favorite books, etc. As time progresses I ask questions, read their in-class journals and glean as much insight and understanding as possible from each and every one of them. I teach to whole-group as well as small-group settings. These small-groups will be fluid and set according to interests, learning styles, strengths, needs, etc.
But how can I be certain to engage each and every one of my students? Is this really possible? After all, I for one have never loved math, no matter whom or how they teach me; the inclination is just not in me. There are children from a gender who don't identify with that gender and could care less that an author is of the same gender or comes from the same culture. How do we fit these pieces to the puzzle of reaching out and actively engaging all our student population? In differentiated instruction great emphasis is placed on groups, yet teachers at times have students with social disorders or just plain preferences who don't thrive in groups and do better alone.
What I must do: Since there is "no recipe for differentiation," I must follow the advice of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus, and "take chances, get messy, make mistakes." Without forgetting to remind myself that after all Rome wasn't built in a day, and Thomas Edison's light bulb was not successfully created until after thousands of failed attempts. I must continue to keep trying…
At the beginning of the school year students are tested to determine what level they are performing. As time goes on by the middle oI am a firm believer in giving students choices based on interests and ability the first nine weeks I see varying degrees of growth. Students are able to recall information from the previous year. By the end of the first nine weeks I have a better idea of how they are performing and how to group them for various assignments . I am a firm believer in giving students choices based on interests, ability and learning styles. However, after reading this chapter I feel that my students as well as myself would benefit by allowing even more choices. I must plan with the individual student in mind.Yes, it would require more planning time, materials, technology and student input. Afterall, I would rather go home at the end of the day knowing that each student was able to partake of something from the menu, than to have them sit with utentils unable to satiate their palate; because I failed to address the fact each student is unique in their ability to display their creative knowledge.
Based on your ideas and experiences what would be a logical and feasible next step for you take in crafting your classroom?
To be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners!! I would divide my class in three groups based on the Base Interim Assessment that the whole class would get.I will divide them in three groups I will assign one group to Technology (www. Teenbiz 3000 .com) The other group will be working independently and the third group will be at the center with the teacher .I will go over the benchmark that they didn't pass and I will explain skills and strategies that they need to learn .The three groups will be rotating and I will time them in order to complete the rotation's cycle Before the class end I will give them an exit slip asking them to summarize and questioning their work from that date having some feedback I will confirm that they were engage and they did work that date
Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners?
So far, I have my students divided by readiness based on their TABE test results. The next logical step would be for me to teach a group together and differentiate instruction based on readiness but maybe also based on interest. I can have different activities going at the same time to help those that needs more of my attention achieve this while the other students who are more independent can continue to grow and learn.
In my situation, it helps that I have a co-teacher who takes the lower levels while work with the GED ready students. Then we switch and I work with the ABE students and he works with the GED ready students. We differentiate in that we use instructional videos to help those that are visual understand the material better. We have small groups in which we meet with the lowest levels and reinforce what we learned in whole group.
Create station that include the use of computerized materials that have to do with the topic ad have related assignments also have an incentive in which students can use the leftover time to try to complete assignments that need the use of computers. Have the lessons well design to use the different station according to the learners needs.
All of the teachers that are mentioned in Unit 5 of Ms. Tomlinson’s book about how to differentiate in a mixed ability classroom know and apply the concept of differentiation; nevertheless, they use different strategies. These strategies go from interests and learning centers; cooperative groups. Students seem to be more of colleagues that negotiate criteria, compact it out, do independent investigations and collaborate in peer reviews
Allow your students the chance to pair up not only based on data but also based on likes. This will allow the students to succeed on their own based on doing activities in a way that clicks for the students.
It is my belief that there is a wealth of methods of creating a learning enviroment that is enriched and inviting to the students. It needs to empower the students to ride on the quest for knowledge. The key is knowing which method will yield the best results for the student. It is important to creat a balance, plan and modeling are key indicators for a successful classroom. Consistency in implementing is imperative.
Despite the fact that we, the instructors panic when we are faced with attempting to provide instruction based on our student’s varied interests; taking the first steps towards the implementation of Differentiated Instruction in a complex classroom environment, eventually make us very knowledgeable and successful in this area. Getting familiar with the basics, according to Chapter 6 of Ms. Tomlinson’s book on how to differentiate instruction in a mixed-ability classroom, seems to be the key to achieving that ultimate objective. The author itemizes these steps in this chapter and explains them in a very clear, down to earth way. The first step that she mentions is to have a strong rationale for differentiating instruction. In second place she places to begin differentiating at a pace that is comfortable for us. In third place she has to time differentiated activities to support student success. In fourth place she refers to using an “anchor activity” to free you up to focus your attention on your students. Her fifth recommendation is to create and deliver instructions carefully. Number six idea is to assign students into groups or seating areas smoothly. The following steps involves having a plan for when you are busy with another student or group; another plan for “quick finishers”. She finally suggests involving the students on the classroom procedures and group processes.
Student input is very important to me. I often survey my students to determine what ways to better teach them; however, I mostly implement their ideas during whole group instruction. Therefore, I feel that my first step needs to to implement more choices while students are in small groups. I need to learn to let go and allow them to have more control of their learning while they are in independent centers.
Due to my newly acquired knowledge on Differentiated Instruction I feel much more prepare to meet the academic needs of the student specially those I might have in my class next year to teach the common core objectives Therefore my new differentiated classroom will vary based on student personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of my students .I will strive to tailor my classroom need in such a way that each student learning style will be celebrated in the selection of my instructional materials and activities Students will be more engaged in their own learning make appropriate decision , and problem solvers. All of their activities will be well planned and executed with ample fidelity .As such, I believe that my students and I will start a new academic year with a new attitude that will soon reach a higher altitude.
Based on my ideas and experiences, the next logical step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective would be to create a rubric or system that appropriately tiers the level of difficulty of assignments to match the variety of academically diverse learners so that low, medium, and high proficiency students can still end up with the same end product on any given content (i.e. Main Idea, Author's Purpose).
Oh my goodness as a result of this comp class I am already bubbling with ideas of how I will be crafting and changing my classroom instruction. I have been writing down notes of how I can make changes in my ELL class with my students. The grouping that I am most drawn to is interest based. Probably I will use this for the first part of the grading period, then shift to learning profiles after giving the students a learning inventory and lastly, use the data from the interim assessments to create a group based on readiness. The other change that I will be making is using the Differentiation Diner Menu. Now that I have created one, I feel more confident to share and implement this approach in my class with my students. Despite having to use the Pacing Guides, I believe I may be able to get more student involvement and hence cover more grounds in language acquisition.
My next step to take as soon as I come back to class is to craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners would be to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the interest, learning profile, and readiness of my students.
As a reading coach, my logical next step is to open my teachers mind to the world of DI. My goal is for all my teachers elementary to high to see how DI is flexible and can be designed for any classroom of any grade level and content area. There is not one option or showcase for DI. While reading the example of Mrs. Riley and Her 3rd graders, the idea of using interest centers and designing flexible learning centers is a feasible concept. I've seen my teachers become overwhelmed with centers.."Ahhh there's not enough time" or "how are the students going to finish everything" Designing learning centers for the week and having the students float through them or assigning particular areas to go is a strategy I want to present to the staff. A great idea is using a passport and having children receive a stamp for completion. The idea of having a central focus and standard or end goal in mind is key. Using suggestions and choices in each learning center gives students autonomy and will squash the feeling of being told what to do and resenting the experience. If the child is enjoying the events of the day, their minds will be opening to knowledge.
Based on my experiences in the past 12 years , a more logical and feasible way to meet the needs of academically diverse learners is to "shake up" the lessons so they have multiple options for taking in information and expressing what they learn. Assessments can be ongoing, flexible grouping, vary materials, offer multiple choices determined by learning goals. I need to meet each students needs at his starting point and not ignore differences. Modification for students and relevant curriculum are mandatory in the DI classroom. For example, interest centers can be designed based on learning styles, interests and preferences are addressed. Working in small groups I can get to know how they think.Have alor more variety based on Menus .Speaking with individual students and recommending individual choices. I need to change the whole group instruction mindset and and " compact out". For example, students take a chapter POST test . Those who demonstrate competency can opt out and examen more in depth. Peer review is essential for those struggling ones and teacher work directly w/ low learners by focus on missing concepts and skills. Collaborating prepares students to Move on to the real, relevant world. This is a great chapter to review in detail due has lots of specific examples.
In my classroom each week the focus calendar post the reading topic, I like to read but sometime students are like to read whole class meet to listen to a story and talk about it or to volunteer to read part of he story, or sometimes each student read small part of story dependent as long the story is . Then the small group of students meet with me to work on comprehension strategies. At another points with peers and discussing on a topic of the mutual interest. Student also read alone- I provide based in their interest, exploration have students.
chapter 5: I can organized my classroom in different ways based on my experience, ideas and expectations. When organizing my Spanish class I have to take into consideration is the students are Spanish Speaker or non Spanish speaker, and also their levels of readiness an interests in both groups, the grade level and each student learning profile. I should also have in mind the idea that the students differ in their learning needs. I should also use a variety of instructional strategies to help the students match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of the students. Some of the strategies can be interests and learning centers, mixed-ability and matched-ability cooperative groups, negotiation, independent investigations and peer review, All of them useful for managing differentiated classrooms.
Because I already group my students in my Intensive Reading classes based on readiness and data, the next feasible and logical step for me in my classroom would be to change things up every once in a while and group them according to interest.When differentiating my instruction by interest, I feel my students will demonstrate more motivation that they don't normally display. This might spark student interest in a particular genre, and might motivate the student to continue reading outside the classroom. From my own experience, once I found the horror/sci-fi genre, I went from struggling reader to a reader who would consume as much books in those genres as possible. I then used my love of reading and translated it to other subjects.
Logical and feasible steps to take in my classroom in order to address the needs of my academically diverse students and become a more effective teacher are: * establish & and enforce classroom routines and procedures * be aware of my students learning needs, readiness levels and interest * plan lessons, activities that are authentic and adjust the nature of the work not just the amount. Use multiple strategies and formats such as collaborate groups, electronic, conversations, along with student's work to meet students learning needs & goals. These are informal assessments that will serve to guide me in adjusting any further instructional activities. *plan with the end product (formal assessment) in mind - again using multiple strategies and formats that best demonstrates students learning gains & goals. * help students understand that they are ultimately the ones responsible for their learning and reaching their goals and that these are important life skills * I am their teacher, coach and here to help them reach their learning goals
Maribel Espaillat I will use different instructional strategies. All the ones exposed in chapter 5 were so useful and gave me a couple o ideas. In Mrs. Riley and her 3rd graders the use of learning and interest centers was particulartly helpful. I love the idea of the centers focus on themes. I will definitely apply this tool in my classroom next school year. I am already considering several topics for the first month of class based on DI.
Based on what I have learned about D.I. I think that I would like to initiate the differentiated Instruction by using a learning styles inventory to group students. As the term progresses, In order to match content, process, and product to readiness, I would utilize the data to group students. I would also utilize the D.I. menu so that students would understand the D.I. process and have clarity of purpose. I believe that this would allow students to take ownership for their learning.
Based on my on my eighteen years experience as a teachers and my ideas about creating a DI classroom , I believe that what it would be a logical and feasible next step for me, as a teacher, to crafting my classroom to make it a more effective one in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners. In order to create a DI classroom, it is needed to develop a research based DI program using a variety of interesting and catching strategies designed to help students, based on their their talent, to master the content, the process, and the product of the instruction to again readiness. Creating interest based learning centers is primordial to expose students to qualitative available materials to prepare them to both, formal and informal assessments, and above all to life. It is also very important to carefully prepare schedules with students names so they know who and when their should go to their appointed centers,and the specific time allotted to each activity. Each student, will be previously informed about the process, and prepared for the assigned activity.
My steps for crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is flexibility. Teachers must be flexible when grouping the students. Students must be grouped by readiness, interest and learning profile. Flexibility must also be visible in creating different classroom configurations, in my classroom I teach students whole group, small group rotations, in partners and independently. Teachers need to be flexible when creating activities for the class. Teachers must conduct ongoing assessments to watch students progress and build upon their knowledge and learning. Teachers must begin by learning and understanding students culture and backgrounds.
Based on my ideas and experiences, the next feasible step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to come up with diverse activities that will not only challenge my students. But, I also need activities that will assist the struggle learners as well. As we go throughout the lesson, I have completed a few informal assessments on that lesson. I identify my strugglers and my advanced learners, but that’s it. I need to take my assessments a step further to facilitate all my students. With my new assignment, it is hard for me to craft activities for such learners because the students are already small groups. Yet, it is durable.
As a middle school ESOL teacher with mixed classes 6,7 and 8th grades the differentiated process is a bit more involved for me. In order to create a classroom that more effectively addresses the differentiated needs of my students I will need to 1st- focus on the data obtained during the mid-year assessment and i-ready then, group my students based on the areas where they need the most instruction using the data. Then within that standard group them by interest and learning styles. The most useful tools for me would be Achieve3000 website where I could assign the students the lessons covering the standards where they need improvement in at their individual lexile level and knowing their interests, find materials that would appeal to them. I would also use i-ready to further help them. As my students would rotate using the assigned programs, I would teach the whole group lesson to another smaller group where I would monitor their progress more effectively and up close using printed materials.
In my experience, students tend to get their needs met more effectively when I introduce a lesson/ skill during my whole group instruction. Studentstend to get a pretty good handle key concepts. Then, as they work with me on teacher guided activities and in partner groups to practice the skill(s), I pulll students that I have identified through either formal or informal assessments to work with me in small group where I am able to assist them by guiding their thinking processes. Ultimately, I find that this strategy renders success from all of the learners in my classroom, but targets more specifically those students that get a little lost in the shuffle. As successful as I have seen my low performing students be in this model, it doesn't provide much support for those students performing on and above grade level. I think that my students could certainly benefit from a more flexible reading program with varying configurations. Although they are provided a variety of books by genre, level, and interest, the grouping configurations aren't as flexible as perhaps they could be. Note to self....!
Based on the examples exhibited in Ch 5, the next logical and feasible step for my classroom would be to continue to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of my students. These strategies would address the diverse learners by incorporating learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability groups your classroom would become more effective for the student. I plan to incorporate these strategies as well as group students based on data.
As a Reading Coach, I am working with many new teachers who could benefit from implementing these strategies. Their major issue is classroom management, but it is more due to a lack of connection between the students and their learning. Since most are primary teachers, they are always dealing with drastic differences in reading level. "Ms. Eames and Her 1st Graders" is a perfect example to share with them. The key in this section was deconstructing the week to plan for the varied student-learning configurations. As a 1st grade teacher myself, I learned that sticking to an overall varied configuration plan helped me to feel organized physically, freeing me to focus mentally on developing the leveled learning task. For example, Mondays were more WG time and then learning centers due to introducing new tasks. Whereas Wed/Thur we started with split groups to study the core and then moved to learning centers as students were ready for different levels of support for the core and I wanted to build as much student independence with learning as possible. The students appreciated the general structure skeleton as they were freed to focus their attention to the learning tasks as they understood the structure expectations. Knowing how to meet students where they are and build them up is a goal of all teachers and a differentiated classroom does just that.
As I read about differentiated classrooms, I think back on when I had a math class and on things that I did and how I could have made the class more like the ones I read about. I really liked the idea of pre-test before the concept to see what students already know. I remember that there were times that a student would say that they knew something already and I would just say that it would be a review for them. I did not have the forethought to give them a test to see if they did and if so provide them with more advance work for them to do in this topic. With that being said, if I presently had a classroom, I would like to incorporate Mr. Rakes idea of “compacting out”. This would provide those who already mastered the material something to do at a more complex level, yet still involving the concept and time for those who do not know the material to learn it.
Based on the examples exhibited in Ch 5, the next logical and feasible step for my classroom would be to continue to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of my students. These strategies would address the diverse learners by incorporating learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability groups your classroom would become more effective for the student. I plan to incorporate these strategies as well as group students based on data.
Ana M. The next step for my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of mixed-ability learners is to practice what we have learned in Reading Endorsemenrt IV. To use a variety of instructional strategies to help students match content, process and product to the readiness, interest and talents of the students. How? By • Using learning centers to explore topics or practice skills and adjusting them to the readiness/interest/learning style of the students. • Varying questions based on readiness and using open-ended questions where all answers are accepted if they have a valid explanation. • Tiered assignments that promote success and motivation and that build on their prior knowledge.
To be a more effective teacher, cultural awareness should be my first priority because without understanding each one’s culture, I will not be able to teach that specific student 100%. My next step will be in conducting formal and informal assessments so I can refer to these results to plan instruction. This process can help me in identifying appropriate intervention. For example by using differentiated instruction, my intervention of instruction will vary based on their personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of them. Several types of strategies will be used to incite their curiosity and interest.
Based on what I learned and experienced, it makes sense to provide different avenues of learning for students to reach the same destination. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after exposure to content and teaching others are much more effective ways to ensure learning retention. During my 90 minutes block of Reading, I would devote no more than 30 minutes in whole group instruction and use the remaining 60 minutes to differentiating instruction. I would look at the different ways to differentiate through, content, process, product, and learning environment and adapt my lessons according to my students’ needs and interests.
Based on my experiences and the methods of teaching I have used in the past, I definitely think that differentiated instruction (DI) implementation is the next step in addressing the needs of diverse learners. As a teacher, I implement DI during my 90 minutes of instruction. I use a rotation system with 4 groups. This way allows me to give the additional support to my students. In addition, I use data to plan instruction. Analyzing data assists me in proving with the necessary strategies to meet the need of my students. There are other steps I take to make sure my students learn. For instance, I use choral reading, read-aloud, repetition, Phonics instruction daily, etc.
Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners? Based on my ideas and experiences, the most rational and practical next step for me to take into developing my classroom is to successfully develop differentiated instruction. By providing them with activities that incite their curiosity and interest by allowing them the freedom to be more creative, this will keep them engaged and motivate them to learn.
Differentiated instruction is not an option, it is a necessity. To really reach all students it is essential to implement DI in every classroom. The one-size fits all approach needs to be something of the past. My next step in meeting my students’ needs is to make sure I know their interests and preferences in learning. This will allow me to plan for activities that will give every student options that fulfill their interests. Capturing the students’ attention to become interested in what they are learning is essential to the success of instruction and student mastery of the material and standards that need to be met.
The first logical step would be for me to analyze my student data with fidelity. In order to truly meet their needs, I must have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. If I have not thoroughly examined their data, I am either winging it or teaching them skills they have already mastered. After I have a firm grasp on their needs, my next logical step would be to group them and then find resources that align to their needs. As discussed in the text, my “instructional strategies should focus on differentiating content, process, and product to the readiness interest, and talents of my students.” After reading about Mrs. Riley’s 3rd grade class, I loved the fact that interest centers were incorporated in the class during the week. These centers allowed the students to explore areas that were interest to them which is a great way to keep them engaged with the content. I also loved that Ms. Jeffries history class incorporated round-robin discussions about ideas they found interesting, which is a great way to encourage collaborative conversations in the classroom. Chapter 5 was an excellent example of helping educators truly implement differentiation in their classroom because it provided actual examples of how this can be done.
TEACHING IN AN ETO SCHOOL, ALL MY STUDENTS ARE PLACED IN GROUPS BY THEIR I-READY SCORES. ALL THE LEARNING CENTERS ARE DESIGNED TO MEET LEARNING GOALS AND INTEREST. ALL CLASSES ARE ASSESSED FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY WITH TEACHER OBSERVATION. I ALSO, LOOK AT MY STUDENTS FSA DATA TO DIFFERENTIATE MY INSTRUCTION. I LIKE THE IDEAS STATED IN THIS CHAPTER WHICH I’M EXCITED TO USE , LIKE CREATING NEW LEARNING CENTERS. VIVIAN MARZALL
Chapter 5 helps me understand better that as it states on the first paragraph, there is no recipe for differentiation, so teachers have to come up with what they think is best for their students according to their level of understanding. I also agree that students are more likely to be active learners when they are capable to make decisions and resolve problems in a classroom that is already set up according to their grade level. In the different tours throughout the chapter, Carol Ann Tomlinson explains a variety of ID models that we can implement in our classes. However, the example of Mr. Rakes, "Compacting out" cannot be applied with my ESOL 1 kids. They are not ready to take an independent study yet because they will be distracted and will distract others quite easily ( considering that they are still in the transition from middle school to high school and discipline is one of the factors that could affect the activity). On the other hand, I feel confident on using Mr. Riley's strategy. Last week, I used the reading / writing learning center in my classes where the students( after being assessed in their readiness) made choices on what they wanted to work according to their preferences. The topic was Hispanic Heritage. In one center, some students read about what culture is. They took notes of examples in their native countries and then shared them to their other classmates. In another center, those that were not Hispanic read and looked throughout different sources about Spanish speaking countries and brought writing/drawing examples of what they found about Hispanic culture. I also implemented the Interest Center in which students read a book of their preference( some could not read but saw the figures) and then came in front of the class and narrated what they understood in the book they selected. This strategy not only helps to improve their reading fluency, but also their visual interpretation of pictures in the stories.
As per Chapter 5 apparently there is no one way of doing differentiated classrooms. Every teacher and every classroom is their own world and therefore, should be catered to the needs of those learners. Students must be active participants in their learning to make it more effective and impacting. I like the idea of Ms. Eames 1st grade class of having different level reading books of the same genre for interested students. Mrs. Riley’s 3rd grade has a nice way of providing choice to her students on selecting an assignment of interest still covering the necessary information. Mr. Blackstone 6th graders gives different labs to each group of students he feels is appropriate to readiness and complexity. I like that he rotates to the different groups for understanding. Ms. Jeffries helps in putting students into groups after research has been completed. Kids work in a cooperate manner. Every students contributes to their group using their strength. As for Mr. Rake in High School using “Compacting out” in assessing students prior to the lesson following with investigations. All these are great idea but first we need to access the needs of our customers and help them scaffold the learning gaps. Also, this involves the teacher o be very well prepared. Teacher must allocate time in preparation for all these activities as well as time. All these teachers used different ways useful for managing differentiation in classrooms.
As Peggy and Vivian mentioned, analyzing student data is the first step determining and addressing the needs of students. Differentiating learning for students won’t happen effectively until that is done. One of the strategies for differentiating that I would love to implement in my classroom is the interest learning center. I was very impressed with Ms. Riley’s use of this strategy to hone in on students’ various talents. Like Ms. Riley, after having read a particular selection, I can see how students can demonstrate their interpretation of the text through acting, script writing, or researching what influenced the author to write the selection. The strategies presented throughout chapter 5 ranged from primary school to 12th grade, but the wonderful thing is, each strategy can be adapted to appropriately fit developmental ages as well as academic levels of all students.
There is no one model fits all for differentiated instruction. DI allows you to meet the needs of all of your students. At an ETO school, the students are already grouped based on their data, as it is required in the district. In agreeing with Vivian, at an ETO school DI is extremely scripted for us. To give my students more autonomy in the classroom, I would compare my classroom to Ms. Eames as explained in the text. Students had different levels of either the same text or the same genre based on their reading achievement level. We also implemented Accelerated Reader and students were able to choose a book of their liking that is on their reading level versus on their grade level. A next step that I would like to take in the classroom is having my classroom look more like Ms. Riley's. Her class really resonated with me because it looks very creative and engaging versus what I am allowed to do at my school.
Like Kristine, I really liked how Mrs. Riley set up her DI time. She had learning centers in different levels for the students as well as interest centers on a particular person they read about. Then they had various ways to show their work and ultimately their understanding of the topic. In order for me to set up my class to have this kind of DI I would first need to look at data and regroup students accordingly. Groupng students is very important in order to effectively have a challenging and active DI. Whether they are learning centers or interest centers, they should all be hands on and engaging for all students to have fun with the topic. Elda
Its important to have flexible teaching arrangements, provide interest based exploration with the topic being taught. Provide additional resources based in their assessments. Pg.28,29. Assign students to group bases on the topic and the assessments. Negotiate to determine the criteria of the content. Pg 30. Create timelines for projects and tasks to be completed. Pg.31. You have to be flexible and provide different resources to enable differentiated classrooms.
After reading chapter 5, I learned that there isn't really any right or wrong way when it comes to DI. After reading the different scenarios throughout the chapter, I mostly connected with Mrs. Riley. I love that she does a combination of learning and interest centers. All students have the same learning goal at the end of each lesson however, go through a different process to get there. I also really loved how she gave the students to option. Throughout my teaching experience, I've learned that students really enjoy the learning process when we give them controlled options. With the interest centers, all students will be learning the same thing, however, they will be getting there in different ways. The students will be allowed to choose which center they will participate in depending on their interest.
According to Tomlinson(2001) there are different ways teachers are meeting the needs of their students. I will identify the lower level students to provide them adequate work for remediation and intervention.On the other hand I will provide enrichment for the students with high level of achievement. Work one to one if necessary and arrange the groups according to students' profiles and interest. The support must be consistent and it have to reflect its results in order to modify or adapt the lesson according to the students' progress.
There is not method to explain how differentiated instruction works. First of all, we have different teachers, students, subjects, and classrooms. Second, there are different ways to build the knowledge, depending on their own personalities. Finally, as teachers, is really hard to treat students differently. No child deserves special privilege nor does any child deserve less attention (regardless of race, gender or academic ability). However, differentiated instruction is more than this. It is the way to give students a range of ways to access curriculum, instruction and assessment. DI engages students to interact and participate in the classroom in a richer way. It is based on the assumption that all students differ in their learning styles, strengths, needs and abilities and that classroom activities should be adapted to meet these differences. A true differentiated instruction model increases our chances of accomplishing this goal. I recognize the relevance of DI. Though, there are two strategies that I do not consider true DI. In terms of grouping students, some educators simply pair accelerated students with lower performing students. I am aware that peer tutoring is a powerful tool. However, I do not agree that we should stick our accelerated students in these DI groups. Of course the lower performing students may benefit, but we are not meeting the needs of the accelerated students. The main goal of Differentiated Instruction is meet the needs of each individual student. In my opinion, I do not agree using DI as an excuse to misplace students. I have had classes of students that were level 1 through level 5, ESE, and ESOL levels 1 through level 5. Rather than correcting or rectifying this issue, the administration affirms that I must use Differentiated Instruction. It becomes an escape goat rather than a methodology. These examples in Chapter 5 used for (Mrs. Riley, Blackstone, and Mr. Rake) are models of Differentiated Instruction and give the students a variety strategies to get the goals of every student. Maria Gonzalez
One feasible way to make my classroom more effective in addressing the needs of my diverse students would be implementing learning centers that promotes differentiated instructions. These centers will be based on the data collected from the i-Ready Diagnostic Assessments and student’s learning profiles. The use of these instructional strategies will help to differentiate content, process, and product by challenging and engaging my students as they progress through their academic journey as life long learners.
My first objective would be to assess the students to determine their readiness level. then I would plan according by utilizing many of the strategies that are set fourth in chapter five. I agree that students should be held accountable for their own learning; that is what active learners do, they are engaged and recharged of their learning. A flexible reading program targets the students readiness and interest. Learning centers that targets the students' readiness and interest as well as given the students an opportunity to work independent in groups or with a partner facilitates content learning. I would also utilize Tier activities where the tasks are constructed at different complexity level.
The next step to crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to give each student a diagnostic test that examines each reading domain. After the diagnostic test, I will closely examine the domains of learning in order to examine the deficiency levels of each individual student. Students will be grouped according to their deficiencies and the level of the deficiency.
Groups will be flexible base on their required needs. The Lowest performing students are determined to require more intensive, individualized instruction. These students will be seen by me or my co-teacher daily. The middle tier of students who are usually identified as being 1 year below grade level will be seen 4 times per week at the teacher led center. My higher group who are performing on or above grade level in most of their domains, will be seen in the teacher led center 2 days per week.
The flexible groups will be set up as learning centers where student tasks will be adjusted to match their readiness and learning styles. The task will be matched to the student's learning style. Students will be able to develop independence while learning key skills.
The next step for crafting my classroom into being more diverse in addressing my different learners is no effectively have stations set up in my classroom. The different stations will mirror the readiness, interest and learning profiles of the different students in my classroom. This will take a lot of planning on my part, and will have to change slightly, based on the standards and topics being covered. I do think however for the students, it will be well worth it and they will benefit tremendously from the experience.
The next step will be ensuring the students are grouped appropriately. Then as they move about the school year, hopefully they move into other groups and continue making progress. If not, I will adjust accordingly.
In order to craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of diverse learners, I need to construct a classroom according on the subject, the grade level I teach and my students' learning profiles. My classroom needs to be one where students are active learners, decision makers and problem solvers. I can relate to how Ms. Eames flexible reading program. I like how she posts the reading schedule weekly and students are able to either meet with the teacher, with peers or work with the whole class. I also feel drawn to how Mrs. Riley creates centers and then assigns her students to those centers based on their readiness or learner profiles. I think the most important thing is to understand that there is not a "fixed" formula to differentiation. In order to effectively address the needs of my students, I think it is imperative to learn how to adjust, be flexible and get to know your students.
To make my classroom more effective I would allow the students to work on the same projects, but to create their final product based on their comfort level. For example if we are reading a story and I wanted the student to do a summary to show reading comprehension I would allow the students to create a poem, write an essay, draw pictures, or create a short play. I would let the students be as creative as they can be. I have learned that if students know the sky is the limit and have a blank canvas to work on then they will deliver the goods and the goods will be create. In my class students will no longer be held to just writing a paragraph or have a one track mind. I will now have them think outside the box and see the world as their personal blank canvas.
ReplyDeleteMerrissa Bailey
Everything I have done and will continue to do in my classroom will center upon meeting the needs of my diverse student population. Therefore, I will make a greater effort to gain an understanding of all my children’s unique academic, emotional, and cultural differences so that I can better help them on their academic and life journey.
ReplyDeleteTo support a culturally sensitive learning community, I will design and implement lessons that address all my students’ academic needs, learning styles, and multiple intelligences. One thing that worked for me and that I will continue to use for all my students is set achievable goals and encourage them to focus on long-term improvement, not just grades or on current assignments. Students learn to evaluate their progress, critique their own work, analyze their strengths, and address their weaknesses.
I will continue to craft my room with rich print posters of both rules and motivational sayings. Put up a DI Schedule and rotations, so that students' know exactly where to be. I really liked Mrs. Riley's (3rd Teacher ) center ideas.I plan to incorporate a Learning Center and Interest Center, always based on informal and formal assessments. The interest center offered by Mrs. T.Riley even allowed students to explore acting, making storyboards for advertisements and it all tied in beautifully with reading and writing.
I will also continue to use differentiate instruction by modifying the instructional delivery. For example, students will create outlines, concept maps, and other visual aids for students who have difficulty processing complex concepts. In language arts classes, I will continue to use recorded books, leveled readers, and optical readers to share quality literature with challenged readers. In math class, struggling students will use hands-on manipulatives to demonstrate mathematical concepts; they can also write math problems, one digit per square, on graph paper. I have no doubt that my students' will all show immense growth with all these old and new and improved instructional strategies! I'm excited to see what the future brings!
-BLANCA GONZALEZ
Based on my ideas and experiences, the most rational and practical next step for me to take in developing my diferentiated classroom is to effectively utilize differentiated instruction. My differentiated classroom will vary based on the personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of my students. My classroom will evolve into a learning village that is conducive for all learners. Students will become more active learners, decision makers, and problem solvers. All of the activities will be thoroughly planned and executed with fidelity.Together my students and I will start closing the learning gap.
ReplyDeletePatreece Perry-Pelt
I think I need to start by focusing more on the data. Through the FAIR test I think I will be able to analyze numerous variables and make a clear determination as to the strengths and weaknesses of my students. In the past I have relied on the Voyager Program's Benchmark test., which focused on lexile level. Also, I looked at the Interim Test, which focused more on areas covered by Language Arts. FAIR aims to look at reading data, such as Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and so on. So I think that by focusing more on the FAIR, I will be better prepared to provide my students with differentiated instruction.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Chapter 5, one feasible way that a teacher can make their classroom a better place for diverse learners is by creating Learning Centers and Interest centers. Centers are created based on student’s learning profiles. These centers also allow students to make selections about their work that address their interests. Interest centers allow students to discover new ways of presenting or retaining information that was just taught such as creating short movies, acting, develop advertisements, etc.
ReplyDelete-Jessica Collado
Based on my ideas and experiences, a logical and feasible next step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners would be to become familiar with the various DI activities that are available to address each of my FAIR groups. Having a better understanding of how to teach these activities and really understand the goal of each activity will help my students achieve learning gains in the areas where they need it the most.
ReplyDeleteTo craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners,
ReplyDeleteI will use different instructional strategies to help differentiate content, process, and product to address the different needs my ESOL students have. I will implement interest/learning centers where the students will work with materials that match their readiness level. Even when students are working on the same center, they will have choices to present the product of their work. I will assign projects that will allow them to showcase their talents and creativity. Some students might want to present the lesson by writing a poem, writing and singing a song, creating a picture book, etc. I will also have my students working in different grouping patterns. This will allow them to develop social interaction skills that will benefit them in the future.
Claudia Ocampo
I need to start by better using and interpreting my FAIR data. I didn't realize there were activities available to use that addressed specific needs of the students. I plan on taking advantage of these next year! Personally, I need to stop thinking in terms of grade level (where the child should be) and more in terms of what level the student is at and what are the needs that need to be addressed. I would also like to incorporate more interest level activities. I teach ESOL self-contained and have seen many students get bored because they don't understand or become frustrated. Providing them with activities that incite their curiousity and interest, and by allowing them the freedom to be more creative will keep them engaged and motivated to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn order to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners you need to see who they are, look at their data. Next, have a lot of conversations with your students to get to know your audience, what are they all about. Needless to say always with respect and the creation of a safe environment. Now look at your curriculum and factoring in their(your students information)...plan and incorporate as many activities that are DI. It is more work at first but you will reach many more students and the will learn more and will grow as people. The last thing that you need to do is see them as an individual and not as your group. All this will make the difference. Keep in mind why you joined this profession!
ReplyDeleteSorry Ms. Concepcion this last comment at 12:42 on June 13th is from Efrem Figueredo!
DeleteBased on my ideas and experiences a logical and feasible next step would be to be better prepared with prior knowledge about my students and their learning abilities. The very first thing I would do to craft the environment of my classroom would be use more of the D.I. practices, such as the instructional strategies, teaching styles, grades, etc. and the suggested websites for D.I. I would also have my classroom ready prior to my students attendance. As instructed, nothing prepares you best like being organized. Karen Smith
ReplyDeleteThrowing out my single desks and bringing in round tables that can comfortably sit 4 – 5 students. I would place resource books of all kinds all over the room for students to pick up whenever they wanted. I would have inspirational quotes all over the walls about being unique and different is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI would continuously rotate where and which groups the students would sit throughout the day. Maybe every hour or after each assignment is complete, they move to a different table with different students to work with. Students would have a choice as to which project or end product they would like to turn in for a grade. I would call up individual students to my desk for one-on-one time to review their work. Every single student would be called every single day. I would then walk around and visit each table and supervise what they are doing and answer any questions.
Susan Castleman
I would like to make available different working stations and a menu of strategies and generic activities that can be applied to just about any reading selection, and preferibly organized by readiness, interest and learning profile so that they can pick what they feel more comfortable with and work accordingly.
ReplyDeleteMy Next Steps to a Differentiated Classroom
ReplyDelete1) Make a list of activities for a particular lesson, topic, or skill that correlate to Webb's depth of knowledge. I'll list these in order, and have them displayed on the "learning menu".
2) Ensure that I have activities and tasks that range from very tightly directed and structured to assignments that are open-ended, ambigious, and require more independent, outside of the box thinking.
3) Make a personal database of lessons and assignments that can be used during all units studied throughout the year. This will funtion as a differentiated instruction "recipe box" for myself.
In the upcoming school year in order for my classroom to be more effective, I must take a closer look at the assessment data. Here I can identify the student's strenghts and weakness and create lessons to meet the individuals needs of the students.
ReplyDeletePamela Robinson
Taking this class give me an opportunity to reflect on my performance in the classroom. Now I get a chance to predict my performance in the classroom. I need to be aware of my student’s level of performance through data. I need to assess them to ensure that I am instructing based on their deficiencies. I’m currently envisioning my classroom and considering how to better address the needs of academically diverse learners in my classroom. The best way is through effective DI. The feasible way for my classroom will be as follows:
ReplyDelete• First, I will differentiate content, process and product by using different strategies to meet every learners need.
• Secondly, I will be bringing more supplemental materials to support the content.
• Third, I will be using more visual with technology in the classroom.
I will be developing a framework for my class. I will be starting my class with a daily routine. Then, Whole group instruction will be differentiate, where I will explain the skill/content (I DO). I will practice the skill/content together with the students to ensure that they understand. Subsequently, every student will have a chance to practice the skill independently (YOU DO) prior to break into the DI portion of the block. The last part of the lesson will be the DI. At this time students will be group based on their reading deficiencies. I will be working with students to bring them to their anticipated levels.
Teachers’ must first use the data from formal and informal assessment to group the students accordingly. Teachers could collaborate with colleagues that have experience differentiating instruction in their classes. Teachers should form some type of relationship with the students to find out about what interest them. After identifying their interest, teachers could set up a flexible reading program to reach all levels of students. Post a chart with students’ names and their groups and the assignments to be covered. The teacher could meet with the lowest reading level group on a daily basis to work on decoding and comprehension skills and the others maybe twice or once per week. Some of the groups could browse for books of interest on a number of topics and sometimes from boxes of books designated with a color code matching their reading level. Students can be grouped with stronger readers that can provide leadership for a peer who does not yet read quite as well. Learning centers and interest centers can be developed so that all learners will get the same exposure to the same information. The centers would be organized based on the formal and informal assessment of their readiness and students learning profiles.
ReplyDeleteAudrey Bullock
I will utilize a logical procedure for developing my program structure. The structure will be adaptable to meeting the needs of academically diverse learners. Use of data will help me set the stage in designing essential centers. The centers will address the students’ needs in academics, and interest areas. I will use my observation to enhance any modifications that may be needed in the curriculum structure. My reading centers will provide a purpose for needs in academic areas.
ReplyDeleteCreative centers will be aligned with students’ interest in mind. Programming will be done in a continual process. The students will be assessed in formal and informal ways to as certain purposeful learning environment. I will allow my students to be flexible in relation to circulating and exploring instruments in selective centers.
Barbara Harris
Base on my ideas and experience, I will craft the structure of my classroom according to their data and academic levels. I will take in consideration that my students are on different levels. I will have centers for differential instructions that will meet all learning styles with a print rich environment. The instructional part of my teaching will be where I should be able to see some growth in every student. I will assess my students by constantly observing their activities and growth which will help me to plan activities for future reference or revisions.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Collins
As an interventionist, I work with students that have scored a level I or 2 on FCAT the previous school year. Students meet with me for an hour a day four times a week. Our district mandates using Voyager as the curriculum for these students. However, they are all lumped together with me based on their schedule of electives not on what they need. The next logical and feasible step to take to make intervention more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to break them up even further in terms of identified needs. We would do the mandated curriculum whole group then break into flexible groups and differentiate instruction within those groups. Time constraints and planning would seem to be my biggest challenges.
ReplyDeleteZina Berman
I will place the student in learning centers according to their evaluations on formal and informal testing. I will post their names on schedule and have them go to the appointed learning centers. The centers are design to meet learning goals and interest. I will use formal and informal evaluations to assess students.
ReplyDeleteLarry Williams
I plan to get to know my students better next year. So the first thing I plan to do is a profile/interest survery. This will help me to have a clear understanding of each student's learning profile and thre interest. Now that I understand the data, I can use it to create groups and differentiate the work according to levels. My goal will be to create an Interest Center.
ReplyDeletePamela Robinson
Based on what I have learned, I will craft my classroom in groups that address the academically diverse learners and will incorporate new learned DI strategies. The first steps would be to use data from the FAIR, CELLA, and through my observations, I will assign my students to their appropriate group and provide a variety of centers based on learning profiles. I like the ideas stated in this chapter which I’m already anxious to use, such as posting the schedule and creating learning and interest centers. Exit cards are also very effective and it’s a quick assessment tool to measure student understanding of the concepts taught.
ReplyDeleteMaria Santiago-Parreno
After reading Chapter 5, I was able to understand how other teachers use differentiated instruction to teach in their class. The chapter makes sure to identify how a teacher can create DI in their own way. The teachers in the classroom were able help create the content, process, and product that best assists the students. Not all students learn the same and it is important that teachers find different ways within different subjects to help students like and understand how DI works. Great Chapter!
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 5 I enjoyed reading about how teachers from various grade levels and subject areas use differentiated instruction in their classrooms. It was interesting to see how each teacher has their own instructional strategies they implement with their students, and how they using flexible grouping when using differentiated instruction with their class.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction is a systematic process that requires planning and must be managed. Chapter 5 provided a glimpse into successfully differentiated classrooms which sparked ideas that can be utilized in my own classroom. One idea that stood out to me was the interest centers. These centers run concurrently with the learning centers in the teacher's room. I already use learning centers, but I feel that incorporating these interest skills will help my students explore. This chapter demonstrated that differentiation doesn't look just one way; each teacher had his/her own method for ensuring that the needs of each student are being met.
ReplyDelete--Lindsey Chapman
Chapter 5 Reflection
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 provided different scenarios of differentiated instruction in the classroom. The differentiated classroom may look different in many classrooms but at the root of the DI classroom is an understanding that everyone is different and the need for differentiation in the class. The examples provided in Chapter 5 are perfect in showing how some of the things in those classrooms may or may not work in my classroom. You have to modify and make differentiated instruction work for the students in your class. This chapter was beneficial to me because it proves that DI is not a cookie cutter process that it is made to seem. It should be what works best in your class for the levels of your varying students.
Chapter 5 provides a closer look into real world application of differentiated instruction in the classroom. This chapter afforded me the opportunity to reflect on the role differentiated instruction plays in my class. In order to make differentiated instruction successful, I realize that I must provide mixed and matched ability learning and interest centers to my diverse learners. I also must readily collaborate with students in order to gauge their learning profiles, interests, and readiness. Differentiated instruction is not only designed to build up lower level learners but to aid any student in learning and growing without limit.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I read, the chapters focus on different scenarios and Strategies for differentiated instruction. Students learn differently and at a different rate therefore, there are 17 key strategies to use successfully to meet the challenge of designing and managing DI for students.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 states that teachers construct differentiated classrooms in many different ways. Classrooms vary depending on subject, grade level, learning profiles, and personalities of the students. Students must be active learners not passive recipients of information.
ReplyDeleteChap. 5-I totally agree with the author's viewpoint that there is "no recipe" for DI per say. Therefore, it is your responsibility, as an educator, to always cross check your student's interests, personality, his/her favorite subjects, grade level, and his/her unique learning style. Also, continual assessment, formal or informal, must be done and modified in order for your DI classroom to run smoothly throughout the school year.
ReplyDeleteChapter Five was an informative chapter. I enjoyed reading the different ways teachers use DI in the classroom. Some of the approaches I had not been familiarized with are compacting out, and negotiated criteria. These were interesting and I will be sure use these with my students.
ReplyDeleteStudents differ in learning needs. Classroom where students are active learners, decision makers ,and problem solvers are more effective than those in which students are passive recipients of information.
ReplyDeleteIndanel Rojas
Short this time....
ReplyDeleteCollecting,analyzing & using the data from the FCATCELLA,etc(not so reliable)...
Everyday-old fashion observation & INTERACTION with the students is the key.A home or(better than home)enviroment inducive of learning;constantly adjusting to individual's readiness,interest & learning profile in our content/process/product choosing.
This coming year I will implement a bit more of:
learning centers
interests centers
compact out
differentiated diner &
flexible grouping...
Guillermo Rodriguez
Differentiated classrooms are needed. All students are different and work at different levels. We are doing them a disservice if we aren't changing our materials to meet the needs of all students.
ReplyDeleteGina Terry
Yolanda Contreras
ReplyDeletechapter 5:
This chapter is very valuable and informative, easy to read and well explained. However, it would be a challenge to apply Differentiated Instruction to my music class.
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteThe chapter focus on different scenario and strategies for differentiated instruction in the classroom. I like how Mr. Rakes use DI in the classroom.
By: Alden Thompson
Ronnica Nix
ReplyDeleteChapter 5
This chapter showed how 5 different teachers adapted a variety of instructional strategies and effectively implemented them into their classes. The strategies were not "cookie cutter" strategies, but were feasible for mixed-ability and matched- ability groups.
Tony Casas
ReplyDeleteChapter 5
Chapter 5 focuses on Differentiated classrooms and I reflected on the fact that there is no recipe or differentiation. Teachers construct rooms in varying ways depending on their own personalities, the nature of the subject and grade level they teach, and the learning profiles of their students.
Tony Casas
ReplyDeleteChapter 6
Chapter 6 focused on managing differentiated classrooms. Teachers need to apply the same skills that help them succeed in the complex environment of a classroom. It will lead them toward success in a differentiated classroom. Also, teachers need to stick to the basics and disregard any uncertainty or fear they might have when working in a differentiated environment.
According to chapter 5, there is no "specific" formula that must be followed in order to have the perfect DI classroom. As we have learned, each teacher must sit and think about what it is that she wants to accomplish and how to get there. In order to do this, she must consider levels, interests, and abilities in order to ensure that the students will maximize their learning.
ReplyDeleteI love that there is no specific "formula" in order to put into practice the concepts of a DI classroom. This chapter offers a variety of ideas used in different level classes and subject areas, some of which I would like to apply in my own classroom. I particularly like the "exit slip", interest centers and the "menu" ideas. All great tools I can store in my "toolbox", available to me based on the students' needs as well as my own.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is following my comments, he or she would know by now that I think DI sounds wonderful in theory, but I have never really seen it work for the good of all students—if good is to be defined as the meeting of the courses academic requirements. If we take the example of Mr. Rakes math students, for example, we learn that all students do take a final exam, but we don’t know what the course’s math objectives were and how the weaker students managed to meet them. The “compacted” students we can easily understand. We have all seen students who are ahead of their peers in specific subjects and have the knowledge and discipline to work on their own. What we don’t know, however, or what we don’t see discussed, is the progress of the weaker students or the students with different learning styles. It would be great for us to hear how this works in a calculus class that has more than enough unmotivated students, students who are looking for nothing but an easy exit from the class.
ReplyDeleteI have had students in 11th Grade Honors English who were FCAT repeaters. These students were disengaged and it turned out that nothing that I did changed their attitudes. They were encouraged to find some of their own preferred reading material and work with that for the class and the FCAT. I offered to work with them on their preferred reading. I had little impact and most of the students made little progress and failed the FCAT again. Too frequently, the examples that we see of the practice of DI remain strikingly vague when it comes to the objectives for the courses and the students’ ability to meet those objectives through DI.
So the next logical step for me is to see examples of a class that practices DI and also gets all of the students to meet the outcomes that the course description identifies. I could say something about a Virtual School course that I facilitated last year. These courses are examples of DI---or at least they are advertised in that way. Perhaps in a later comment I will share my experience as a facilitator for Virtual School with the readers.
Tony H.
Yunyan Chen
ReplyDeleteAnswer: After reading chapter 5, I have better understanding of how to utilize differentiated instructions in my teaching instructions. As a teacher who teaches Chinese to American students, it is a big challenge since Chinese is totally a different Character learning system.
Based on what I have learned, I will craft my classroom in groups that address the academically diverse learners and will incorporate new learned DI strategies. First I would introduce the concept of Chinese culture, the language and how to learn Chinese effectively. Through my observations, I will assign my students to their appropriate group and provide a variety of centers based on learning profiles. Some students are gifted in learning another language and could learn very fast and accurately, while some other ones need more time to digest and get it. I like the ideas stated in this chapter which I’m already anxious to use, such as posting the posters created by upper grade level students and creating learning and interest centers. Exit cards are also very effective and it’s a quick assessment tool to measure student understanding of the concepts taught. I started using exit door pass since last year to my middle school students. To my delight, they all waited in line for the door pass. Through this strategy, students have learned a lot and it gave me the idea what I need to improve more in my future teaching content.
After learning Chapter 5, I have learned that DI strategy is extremely important, even in my Chinese teaching program. I usually have different groups in one session with different levels, some are with me for more than a year with some just join in the group Differentiated classrooms are needed. All students are different and work at different levels. I am doing them a disservice if I am not challenge myself by using different materials to meet the needs of all students.
As I learn more about my new class of students, my next step of crafting a more effective DI classroom is to provide more choice at student centers. An example of this would be the nine square box where students can choose an activity a day until a complete roll of activities is finished. Like playing bingo, yet with choice of different interests. My DI center will provide the data driven activities and will consist of multilevel students who missed the common benchmark. I believe this will allow for more active learning, decision makers, and problem solvers environment.
ReplyDeleteCrafting a learning environment that supports all learners is a challenging task. There must be flexibility in grouping, assignment, and product. Thoughtful planning and preparation prior to the unit is a must! In my learning environment, I attempt to incorporate centers that are student driven – ones that match content and interest. For example, in a literacy lesson, 5th grade students are engaged in a biography genre study. Students rotate to create three of the five assignments: character sketch (written), newspaper article, dramatic skit of event in that person’s life, timeline, or portrait. At the end of the week, students choose which of the three assignments they wish to present. Providing students with a variety of instructional venues is an effective strategy in a differentiated classroom.
ReplyDeleteI feel the next logical and feasible step for me would be to agive students more opportunities to choose from a menu what they not only need to work on but something they want to work on.
ReplyDeleteI just recently did my data chats and i think this strategy has also helped me to decide what will go into my rotations and what choices I can offer my students based on their data. This information will definitely help me in crafting a more effective classroom to meet the academic diversity of my students.
T. Junious
Step one, fine tune assessments to identify students’ comprehension. Step two, design two types of activities to cover the objective: one low, one high. Separate in groups and give students who didn’t understand the material, a review while the ones who got it move on to the next learning unit.
ReplyDeleteFrancisco Castro
It is important to be cognizant of the needs of diverse learners within the classroom. Tomlinson (2001) discusses various ways teachers are meeting the needs of their students. Their examples serve as a guide for the next steps in creating an environment that reflects the needs of all learners. As a CSS for reading coaches and classroom teachers, my role is to offer guidance and offer assistance. Given that there are many needs present in any one class, one of the first steps could be to suggest that coaches and teachers look at their current student grouping and analyze the purpose for the groups. It can be suggested that coaches and teachers think of groups in terms of their long term goals and see how far away students are from achieving them. Those who are close can be placed in flexible groups where they can go in and out the groups as needs arise. Likewise, students who are far away from the class goal can be instructed with a long term plan in mind. Further support can be offered in devising expert groups where instruction can be compacted and then accelerated for high achievers, and finally, rotating groups where students work with peers on tasks that reflect varying levels of difficulty.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there are challenges when attempting to meet the needs of all students. First, there has to be the recognition that a differentiated classroom is the best environment for ALL students. Second, the CSS has to offer support in managing the differentiated classroom, that is, helping teachers to teach to the overall class needs in whole group, addressing specific needs in small groups, and working one-on-one with students with many needs. And lastly, support consistent and progressive movement toward differentiated instruction by the teacher with participation by the students. Both have to be ongoing and develop into an environment where ALL students’ needs are met.
After identifying the students' comprehension skills, I will set the groups. I believe that scheduling is very importante in the classroom. Always have extra work, based on the skill taught.
ReplyDeleteThis will avoid the talking of the group that is done first.
The logical steps in implementing academically diverse learners in my classroom are to first ascertain where the students need the most help. First, I will ascertain where the student is deficiency and will group the students that have the same problems. After, I establish the various level of differentiated learning, I will divide the students into groups and immediately teach on their weakness area.. Lastly, I will elevate the curriculum for the students that are functioning on a high level of thinking. This way I will not bore the students that need a challenge in the classroom. The higher learners will continue to set the curriculum and drive the other students to expand their knowledge comprehension.
DeleteIn addition, the most important initiative in crafting my classroom is prepare an effective lesson plan. By planning ahead and providing students instruction on the expectation of an assignment. Students will experience more classroom success.
Now that I have to cover this chapter analysis, and based on the fact that the most outstanding approach is to never forget the way I have to cover DI, I modestly would like to this chapter by just presenting five big issues.
ReplyDeleteWho are my students?
Let’s say demographics (age, gender, and cultural issues, former instruction academic level and background), predispositions for the leaning/teaching process (fears, hopes, likes and dislikes, levels of interests) and my teaching experiences and possible approaches to use.
Learning environment.
Sitting arrangements, daily schedules, supporting aids within/without the classroom.
Consider/Take into account the “me”, right now and then
We have to picture ourselves as another member of the audience and always ask .. How does teaching and learning affect and/or effect on t me?
How can students perceive what you send them? Which way cad you, as a sender is more feasible for students?
Establish cognitive/ behavioral learning objectives.
What do I want my students to know?
Which way is/are the most feasible for students as per by their needs?
How do my students like to be taught?
By Mr. De La Paz
This is a difficult questions for me as I have not been in the classroom setting for many years, however thinking back to y 20 year + in the class part of the difficulty would be for me to release control. The implementation of a differentiated classroom requires a real paradigm shift for old school teachers. Listening to young, new teachers implementing this in the classroom is exciting and makes a great deal of sense as far as reaching a variety of learners with a variety of strategies. It I evident that students differ in their learning needs and a classroom where students are active learners, decision makers and problem solvers provides a setting in which students are better prepared to face a world of higher education and employment. The challenge of implementation would be matching required content to process, interest and product. It also seems that "negotiated criteria" might present a problem for old school teachers. It is very exciting to see examples of these classes and the level of engagement of the students.
ReplyDeleteWorking at a school which is under ETO I am very limited as to what I can do during the DI portion of the reading block. Students are grouped according to "data", the groups stay the same until the following district test and then they are rearranged. I have created three centers/areas for the students to work at: a) computers-they will do Successmaker or take an AR test if they have finished reading a book (they have an opportunity to take a test at anytime during the day as well), b) writing center-which works similar to the one in the chapter, and c) TLC-here I provide instruction based on the group's weakest benchmark (according to the data) and level of instruction. Next school year I would like to set interest and learning centers as well independent investigation.
ReplyDeleteThere were two approaches that stood out from this chapter that I would like to adapt. Mr. Blackstone assigned different labs to different groups based on what he knew about this students and then used exit cards as a summary. I think that this is an excellent way to show students that it's okay to learn things in a different way. I also like how Ms. Jeffries assigned group topics after students had an opportunity to do some individual research. This way they all came to the group with something already to contribute/all being experts. I would assume that the support during the initial research would also vary. These are two things that I would like to experiment with.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 Reflection: Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners? I would develop the following differentiated classrooms as follows:
using a variety of instructional strategies like interest and learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability cooperative groups, working as colleagues, negotiated criteria, compacting out, independent investigations, and peer view are all useful for managing differentiated classrooom
Crafting a classroom to be more effective when addressing different learning styles requires good organizational skills on the part of the teacher; however it also requires the students' feedback to be considered when changes have to be made while addressing curriculum issues. The use of group techniques and centers through the classroom alleviates the anxiety and frustration related to achievement and disappointments of students when not meeting or exceeding the instructional goals. Centers should included the use of computerized materials associated with the topic at hand. Another center must be use as a free subject to complete other classes assignments when the student have achieved his daily goals. Volunteer time discussion with peers should be another center allowing the repetition and discussion of the instruction while completing daily class assignments. Another center may allow the individual use of typing written materials, that otherwise will not be understood because of poor graphomotor skills. Teacher becomes a classroom manager when organizing the time allocations and members of the various groups.
ReplyDeleteBased on my ideas and experiences, there would be a few ways that I would craft my classroom in to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners. When introducing a new skill, I always start with a whole group approach. During whole group I start with some type of anticipation guide to activate the student’s background knowledge and get them engaged in dialogue with each other. During whole group I’m also chinking material and posing questions along the way to see who is getting the material and who still needs more practice. After the lesson I will give students a quick check activity, and by the results from the quick check I know who can go into interest centers, and who I need to pull for small group. Once I get my small group going, I will periodically walk around to address any questions or concerns students in other groups may have. I also like to meet with my more advanced learners to let them share out within the group. With this group, I’m more of a facilitator; I let them guide the activity, and do most of the talking.
ReplyDeleteIn order to be more effective, support and address the needs of my culturally diverse students, I continuously strive to center my class upon meeting the needs of my student population. I attempt to implement and when necessary design the lessons that fit and address the learning styles, multiple intelligences, and emotional as well as academic needs of all my students. Admittedly this truly sounds good on paper. But wait! Is this just a quixotic idea, as elusive as grasping for the wind?
ReplyDeleteUndeniably, regardless of a teacher's attempts, there is no guarantee that my students will all, every single one of them, find meaning in all my lessons. They have different backgrounds and interests, but as Tomlinson in her 3rd chapter reveals as three metaphors for the teacher's role: as the director of orchestra, coach, and jazz musician; what comes to mind is the well-known maxim, for every gift given: "it is the thought that counts," a teacher's, or metaphorically the gift-giver's well-meant intentions is or certainly can be the linchpin pulled toward igniting change.
What I do and must master:
I start off by setting goals with assessment results in mind. I ascertain my students' weaknesses and strengths. I try to set a welcoming environment with a positive atmosphere that is mutually respectful and safe. Early on, I try to learn as much as possible about my students. I take Learning Styles Inventories and have students list their interests, hobbies, favorite sports, favorite books, etc. As time progresses I ask questions, read their in-class journals and glean as much insight and understanding as possible from each and every one of them. I teach to whole-group as well as small-group settings. These small-groups will be fluid and set according to interests, learning styles, strengths, needs, etc.
But how can I be certain to engage each and every one of my students? Is this really possible? After all, I for one have never loved math, no matter whom or how they teach me; the inclination is just not in me. There are children from a gender who don't identify with that gender and could care less that an author is of the same gender or comes from the same culture. How do we fit these pieces to the puzzle of reaching out and actively engaging all our student population? In differentiated instruction great emphasis is placed on groups, yet teachers at times have students with social disorders or just plain preferences who don't thrive in groups and do better alone.
What I must do:
Since there is "no recipe for differentiation," I must follow the advice of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus, and "take chances, get messy, make mistakes." Without forgetting to remind myself that after all Rome wasn't built in a day, and Thomas Edison's light bulb was not successfully created until after thousands of failed attempts. I must continue to keep trying…
At the beginning of the school year students are tested to determine what level they are performing. As time goes on by the middle oI am a firm believer in giving students choices based on interests and ability the first nine weeks I see varying degrees of growth. Students are able to recall information from the previous year. By the end of the first nine weeks I have a better idea of how they are performing and how to group them for various assignments . I am a firm believer in giving students choices based on interests, ability and learning styles. However, after reading this chapter I feel that my students as well as myself would benefit by allowing even more choices. I must plan with the individual student in mind.Yes, it would require more planning time, materials, technology and student input. Afterall, I would rather go home at the end of the day knowing that each student was able to partake of something from the menu, than to have them sit with utentils unable to satiate their palate; because I failed to address the fact each student is unique in their ability to display their creative knowledge.
ReplyDeleteBased on your ideas and experiences what would be a logical and feasible next step for you take in crafting your classroom?
ReplyDeleteTo be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners!! I would divide my class in three groups based on the Base Interim Assessment that the whole class would get.I will divide them in three groups I will assign one group to Technology (www. Teenbiz 3000 .com) The other group will be working independently and the third group will be at the center with the teacher .I will go over the benchmark that they didn't pass and I will explain skills and strategies that they need to learn .The three groups will be rotating and I will time them in order to complete the rotation's cycle Before the class end I will give them an exit slip asking them to summarize and questioning their work from that date having some feedback I will confirm that they were engage and they did work that date
Based on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners?
ReplyDeleteSo far, I have my students divided by readiness based on their TABE test results. The next logical step would be for me to teach a group together and differentiate instruction based on readiness but maybe also based on interest. I can have different activities going at the same time to help those that needs more of my attention achieve this while the other students who are more independent can continue to grow and learn.
In my situation, it helps that I have a co-teacher who takes the lower levels while work with the GED ready students. Then we switch and I work with the ABE students and he works with the GED ready students. We differentiate in that we use instructional videos to help those that are visual understand the material better. We have small groups in which we meet with the lowest levels and reinforce what we learned in whole group.
Create station that include the use of computerized materials that have to do with the topic ad have related assignments also have an incentive in which students can use the leftover time to try to complete assignments that need the use of computers. Have the lessons well design to use the different station according to the learners needs.
ReplyDeleteAll of the teachers that are mentioned in Unit 5 of Ms. Tomlinson’s book about how to differentiate in a mixed ability classroom know and apply the concept of differentiation; nevertheless, they use different strategies. These strategies go from interests and learning centers; cooperative groups. Students seem to be more of colleagues that negotiate criteria, compact it out, do independent investigations and collaborate in peer reviews
ReplyDeleteAllow your students the chance to pair up not only based on data but also based on likes. This will allow the students to succeed on their own based on doing activities in a way that clicks for the students.
ReplyDeleteIt is my belief that there is a wealth of methods of creating a learning enviroment that is enriched and inviting to the students. It needs to empower the students to ride on the quest for knowledge. The key is knowing which method will yield the best results for the student. It is important to creat a balance, plan and modeling are key indicators for a successful classroom. Consistency in implementing is imperative.
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that we, the instructors panic when we are faced with attempting to provide instruction based on our student’s varied interests; taking the first steps towards the implementation of Differentiated Instruction in a complex classroom environment, eventually make us very knowledgeable and successful in this area. Getting familiar with the basics, according to Chapter 6 of Ms. Tomlinson’s book on how to differentiate instruction in a mixed-ability classroom, seems to be the key to achieving that ultimate objective. The author itemizes these steps in this chapter and explains them in a very clear, down to earth way. The first step that she mentions is to have a strong rationale for differentiating instruction. In second place she places to begin differentiating at a pace that is comfortable for us. In third place she has to time differentiated activities to support student success. In fourth place she refers to using an “anchor activity” to free you up to focus your attention on your students. Her fifth recommendation is to create and deliver instructions carefully. Number six idea is to assign students into groups or seating areas smoothly. The following steps involves having a plan for when you are busy with another student or group; another plan for “quick finishers”. She finally suggests involving the students on the classroom procedures and group processes.
ReplyDeleteStudent input is very important to me. I often survey my students to determine what ways to better teach them; however, I mostly implement their ideas during whole group instruction. Therefore, I feel that my first step needs to to implement more choices while students are in small groups. I need to learn to let go and allow them to have more control of their learning while they are in independent centers.
ReplyDeleteDue to my newly acquired knowledge on Differentiated Instruction I feel much more prepare to meet the academic needs of the student specially those I might have in my class next year to teach the common core objectives Therefore my new differentiated classroom will vary based on student personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of my students .I will strive to tailor my classroom need in such a way that each student learning style will be celebrated in the selection of my instructional materials and activities Students will be more engaged in their own learning make appropriate decision , and problem solvers. All of their activities will be well planned and executed with ample fidelity .As such, I believe that my students and I will start a new academic year with a new attitude that will soon reach a higher altitude.
ReplyDeleteBased on my ideas and experiences, the next logical step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective would be to create a rubric or system that appropriately tiers the level of difficulty of assignments to match the variety of academically diverse learners so that low, medium, and high proficiency students can still end up with the same end product on any given content (i.e. Main Idea, Author's Purpose).
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness as a result of this comp class I am already bubbling with ideas of how I will be crafting and changing my classroom instruction. I have been writing down notes of how I can make changes in my ELL class with my students. The grouping that I am most drawn to is interest based. Probably I will use this for the first part of the grading period, then shift to learning profiles after giving the students a learning inventory and lastly, use the data from the interim assessments to create a group based on readiness. The other change that I will be making is using the Differentiation Diner Menu. Now that I have created one, I feel more confident to share and implement this approach in my class with my students. Despite having to use the Pacing Guides, I believe I may be able to get more student involvement and hence cover more grounds in language acquisition.
ReplyDeleteMy next step to take as soon as I come back to class is to craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners would be to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the interest, learning profile, and readiness of my students.
ReplyDeleteAs a reading coach, my logical next step is to open my teachers mind to the world of DI. My goal is for all my teachers elementary to high to see how DI is flexible and can be designed for any classroom of any grade level and content area. There is not one option or showcase for DI. While reading the example of Mrs. Riley and Her 3rd graders, the idea of using interest centers and designing flexible learning centers is a feasible concept. I've seen my teachers become overwhelmed with centers.."Ahhh there's not enough time" or "how are the students going to finish everything" Designing learning centers for the week and having the students float through them or assigning particular areas to go is a strategy I want to present to the staff. A great idea is using a passport and having children receive a stamp for completion. The idea of having a central focus and standard or end goal in mind is key. Using suggestions and choices in each learning center gives students autonomy and will squash the feeling of being told what to do and resenting the experience. If the child is enjoying the events of the day, their minds will be opening to knowledge.
ReplyDeleteBased on my experiences in the past 12 years , a more logical and feasible way to meet the needs of academically diverse learners is to "shake up" the lessons so they have multiple options for taking in information and expressing what they learn. Assessments can be ongoing, flexible grouping, vary materials, offer multiple choices determined by learning goals. I need to meet each students needs at his starting point and not ignore differences. Modification for students and relevant curriculum are mandatory in the DI classroom. For example, interest centers can be designed based on learning styles, interests and preferences are addressed. Working in small groups I can get to know how they think.Have alor more variety based on Menus .Speaking with individual students and recommending individual choices.
ReplyDeleteI need to change the whole group instruction mindset and
and " compact out". For example, students take a chapter POST test . Those who demonstrate competency can opt out and examen more in depth. Peer review is essential for those struggling ones and teacher work directly w/ low learners by focus on missing concepts and skills. Collaborating prepares students to Move on to the real, relevant world. This is a great chapter to review in detail due has lots of specific examples.
In my classroom each week the focus calendar post the reading topic, I like to read but sometime students are like to read whole class meet to listen to a story and talk about it or to volunteer to read part of he story, or sometimes each student read small part of story dependent as long the story is . Then the small group of students meet with me to work on comprehension strategies. At another points with peers and discussing on a topic of the mutual interest. Student also read alone- I provide based in their interest, exploration have students.
ReplyDeletechapter 5: I can organized my classroom in different ways based on my experience, ideas and expectations. When organizing my Spanish class I have to take into consideration is the students are Spanish Speaker or non Spanish speaker, and also their levels of readiness an interests in both groups, the grade level and each student learning profile. I should also have in mind the idea that the students differ in their learning needs. I should also use a variety of instructional strategies to help the students match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of the students. Some of the strategies can be interests and learning centers, mixed-ability and matched-ability cooperative groups, negotiation, independent investigations and peer review, All of them useful for managing differentiated classrooms.
ReplyDeleteBecause I already group my students in my Intensive Reading classes based on readiness and data, the next feasible and logical step for me in my classroom would be to change things up every once in a while and group them according to interest.When differentiating my instruction by interest, I feel my students will demonstrate more motivation that they don't normally display. This might spark student interest in a particular genre, and might motivate the student to continue reading outside the classroom. From my own experience, once I found the horror/sci-fi genre, I went from struggling reader to a reader who would consume as much books in those genres as possible. I then used my love of reading and translated it to other subjects.
ReplyDeleteLogical and feasible steps to take in my classroom in order to address the needs of my academically diverse students and become a more effective teacher are:
ReplyDelete* establish & and enforce classroom routines and procedures
* be aware of my students learning needs, readiness levels and interest
* plan lessons, activities that are authentic and adjust the nature of the work not just the amount. Use multiple strategies and formats such as collaborate groups, electronic, conversations, along with student's work to meet students learning needs & goals. These are informal assessments that will serve to guide me in adjusting any further instructional activities.
*plan with the end product (formal assessment) in mind - again using multiple strategies and formats that best demonstrates students learning gains & goals.
* help students understand that they are ultimately the ones responsible for their learning and reaching their goals and that these are important life skills
* I am their teacher, coach and here to help them reach their learning goals
Maribel Espaillat
ReplyDeleteI will use different instructional strategies. All the ones exposed in chapter 5 were so useful and gave me a couple o ideas. In Mrs. Riley and her 3rd graders the use of learning and interest centers was particulartly helpful. I love the idea of the centers focus on themes. I will definitely apply this tool in my classroom next school year. I am already considering several topics for the first month of class based on DI.
Based on what I have learned about D.I. I think that I would like to initiate the differentiated Instruction by using a learning styles inventory to group students. As the term progresses, In order to match content, process, and product to readiness, I would utilize the data to group students. I would also utilize the D.I. menu so that students would understand the D.I. process and have clarity of purpose. I believe that this would allow students to take ownership for their learning.
ReplyDeleteBased on my on my eighteen years experience as a teachers and my ideas about creating a DI classroom , I believe that what it would be a logical and feasible next step for me, as a teacher, to crafting my classroom to make it a more effective one in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners.
ReplyDeleteIn order to create a DI classroom, it is needed to develop a research based DI program using a variety of interesting and catching strategies designed to help students, based on their their talent, to master the content, the process, and the product of the instruction to again readiness.
Creating interest based learning centers is primordial to expose students to qualitative available materials to prepare them to both, formal and informal assessments, and above all to life.
It is also very important to carefully prepare schedules with students names so they know who and when their should go to their appointed centers,and the specific time allotted to each activity. Each student,
will be previously informed about the process, and prepared for the assigned activity.
My steps for crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is flexibility. Teachers must be flexible when grouping the students. Students must be grouped by readiness, interest and learning profile. Flexibility must also be visible in creating different classroom configurations, in my classroom I teach students whole group, small group rotations, in partners and independently. Teachers need to be flexible when creating activities for the class. Teachers must conduct ongoing assessments to watch students progress and build upon their knowledge and learning. Teachers must begin by learning and understanding students culture and backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteBased on my ideas and experiences, the next feasible step for me to take in crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to come up with diverse activities that will not only challenge my students. But, I also need activities that will assist the struggle learners as well. As we go throughout the lesson, I have completed a few informal assessments on that lesson. I identify my strugglers and my advanced learners, but that’s it. I need to take my assessments a step further to facilitate all my students. With my new assignment, it is hard for me to craft activities for such learners because the students are already small groups. Yet, it is durable.
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school ESOL teacher with mixed classes 6,7 and 8th grades the differentiated process is a bit more involved for me. In order to create a classroom that more effectively addresses the differentiated needs of my students I will need to 1st- focus on the data obtained during the mid-year assessment and i-ready then, group my students based on the areas where they need the most instruction using the data. Then within that standard group them by interest and learning styles. The most useful tools for me would be Achieve3000 website where I could assign the students the lessons covering the standards where they need improvement in at their individual lexile level and knowing their interests, find materials that would appeal to them. I would also use i-ready to further help them. As my students would rotate using the assigned programs, I would teach the whole group lesson to another smaller group where I would monitor their progress more effectively and up close using printed materials.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, students tend to get their needs met more effectively when I introduce a lesson/ skill during my whole group instruction. Studentstend to get a pretty good handle key concepts. Then, as they work with me on teacher guided activities and in partner groups to practice the skill(s), I pulll students that I have identified through either formal or informal assessments to work with me in small group where I am able to assist them by guiding their thinking processes. Ultimately, I find that this strategy renders success from all of the learners in my classroom, but targets more specifically those students that get a little lost in the shuffle. As successful as I have seen my low performing students be in this model, it doesn't provide much support for those students performing on and above grade level. I think that my students could certainly benefit from a more flexible reading program with varying configurations. Although they are provided a variety of books by genre, level, and interest, the grouping configurations aren't as flexible as perhaps they could be. Note to self....!
ReplyDeleteBased on the examples exhibited in Ch 5, the next logical and feasible step for my classroom would be to continue to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of my students. These strategies would address the diverse learners by incorporating learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability groups your classroom would become more effective for the student. I plan to incorporate these strategies as well as group students based on data.
ReplyDeleteAs a Reading Coach, I am working with many new teachers who could benefit from implementing these strategies. Their major issue is classroom management, but it is more due to a lack of connection between the students and their learning. Since most are primary teachers, they are always dealing with drastic differences in reading level. "Ms. Eames and Her 1st Graders" is a perfect example to share with them. The key in this section was deconstructing the week to plan for the varied student-learning configurations. As a 1st grade teacher myself, I learned that sticking to an overall varied configuration plan helped me to feel organized physically, freeing me to focus mentally on developing the leveled learning task. For example, Mondays were more WG time and then learning centers due to introducing new tasks. Whereas Wed/Thur we started with split groups to study the core and then moved to learning centers as students were ready for different levels of support for the core and I wanted to build as much student independence with learning as possible. The students appreciated the general structure skeleton as they were freed to focus their attention to the learning tasks as they understood the structure expectations. Knowing how to meet students where they are and build them up is a goal of all teachers and a differentiated classroom does just that.
ReplyDeleteAs I read about differentiated classrooms, I think back on when I had a math class and on things that I did and how I could have made the class more like the ones I read about. I really liked the idea of pre-test before the concept to see what students already know. I remember that there were times that a student would say that they knew something already and I would just say that it would be a review for them. I did not have the forethought to give them a test to see if they did and if so provide them with more advance work for them to do in this topic. With that being said, if I presently had a classroom, I would like to incorporate Mr. Rakes idea of “compacting out”. This would provide those who already mastered the material something to do at a more complex level, yet still involving the concept and time for those who do not know the material to learn it.
ReplyDeleteBased on the examples exhibited in Ch 5, the next logical and feasible step for my classroom would be to continue to use a variety of instructional strategies to help them match content, process, and product to the readiness, interest, and talents of my students. These strategies would address the diverse learners by incorporating learning centers, mixed ability and matched ability groups your classroom would become more effective for the student. I plan to incorporate these strategies as well as group students based on data.
ReplyDeleteAna M.
ReplyDeleteThe next step for my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of mixed-ability learners is to practice what we have learned in Reading Endorsemenrt IV. To use a variety of instructional strategies to help students match content, process and product to the readiness, interest and talents of the students.
How? By
• Using learning centers to explore topics or practice skills and adjusting them to the readiness/interest/learning style of the students.
• Varying questions based on readiness and using open-ended questions where all answers are accepted if they have a valid explanation.
• Tiered assignments that promote success and motivation and that build on their prior knowledge.
To be a more effective teacher, cultural awareness should be my first priority because without understanding each one’s culture, I will not be able to teach that specific student 100%. My next step will be in conducting formal and informal assessments so I can refer to these results to plan instruction. This process can help me in identifying appropriate intervention. For example by using differentiated instruction, my intervention of instruction will vary based on their personality, intelligence level, and learning style of each of them. Several types of strategies will be used to incite their curiosity and interest.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I learned and experienced, it makes sense to provide different avenues of learning for students to reach the same destination. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after exposure to content and teaching others are much more effective ways to ensure learning retention. During my 90 minutes block of Reading, I would devote no more than 30 minutes in whole group instruction and use the remaining 60 minutes to differentiating instruction. I would look at the different ways to differentiate through, content, process, product, and learning environment and adapt my lessons according to my students’ needs and interests.
ReplyDeleteBased on my experiences and the methods of teaching I have used in the past, I definitely think that differentiated instruction (DI) implementation is the next step in addressing the needs of diverse learners. As a teacher, I implement DI during my 90 minutes of instruction. I use a rotation system with 4 groups. This way allows me to give the additional support to my students. In addition, I use data to plan instruction. Analyzing data assists me in proving with the necessary strategies to meet the need of my students. There are other steps I take to make sure my students learn. For instance, I use choral reading, read-aloud, repetition, Phonics instruction daily, etc.
ReplyDeleteBased on your ideas and experiences, what would be a logical and feasible next step for you to take in crafting your classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners? Based on my ideas and experiences, the most rational and practical next step for me to take into developing my classroom is to successfully develop differentiated instruction. By providing them with activities that incite their curiosity and interest by allowing them the freedom to be more creative, this will keep them engaged and motivate them to learn.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is not an option, it is a necessity. To really reach all students it is essential to implement DI in every classroom. The one-size fits all approach needs to be something of the past. My next step in meeting my students’ needs is to make sure I know their interests and preferences in learning. This will allow me to plan for activities that will give every student options that fulfill their interests. Capturing the students’ attention to become interested in what they are learning is essential to the success of instruction and student mastery of the material and standards that need to be met.
ReplyDeleteThe first logical step would be for me to analyze my student data with fidelity. In order to truly meet their needs, I must have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. If I have not thoroughly examined their data, I am either winging it or teaching them skills they have already mastered. After I have a firm grasp on their needs, my next logical step would be to group them and then find resources that align to their needs. As discussed in the text, my “instructional strategies should focus on differentiating content, process, and product to the readiness interest, and talents of my students.” After reading about Mrs. Riley’s 3rd grade class, I loved the fact that interest centers were incorporated in the class during the week. These centers allowed the students to explore areas that were interest to them which is a great way to keep them engaged with the content. I also loved that Ms. Jeffries history class incorporated round-robin discussions about ideas they found interesting, which is a great way to encourage collaborative conversations in the classroom. Chapter 5 was an excellent example of helping educators truly implement differentiation in their classroom because it provided actual examples of how this can be done.
ReplyDeleteTEACHING IN AN ETO SCHOOL, ALL MY STUDENTS ARE PLACED IN GROUPS BY THEIR I-READY SCORES. ALL THE LEARNING CENTERS ARE DESIGNED TO MEET LEARNING GOALS AND INTEREST. ALL CLASSES ARE ASSESSED FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY WITH TEACHER OBSERVATION. I ALSO, LOOK AT MY STUDENTS FSA DATA TO DIFFERENTIATE MY INSTRUCTION. I LIKE THE IDEAS STATED IN THIS CHAPTER WHICH I’M EXCITED TO USE , LIKE CREATING NEW LEARNING CENTERS.
ReplyDeleteVIVIAN MARZALL
Chapter 5 helps me understand better that as it states on the first paragraph, there is no recipe for differentiation, so teachers have to come up with what they think is best for their students according to their level of understanding. I also agree that students are more likely to be active learners when they are capable to make decisions and resolve problems in a classroom that is already set up according to their grade level. In the different tours throughout the chapter, Carol Ann Tomlinson explains a variety of ID models that we can implement in our classes. However, the example of Mr. Rakes, "Compacting out" cannot be applied with my ESOL 1 kids. They are not ready to take an independent study yet because they will be distracted and will distract others quite easily ( considering that they are still in the transition from middle school to high school and discipline is one of the factors that could affect the activity). On the other hand, I feel confident on using Mr. Riley's strategy. Last week, I used the reading / writing learning center in my classes where the students( after being assessed in their readiness) made choices on what they wanted to work according to their preferences. The topic was Hispanic Heritage. In one center, some students read about what culture is. They took notes of examples in their native countries and then shared them to their other classmates. In another center, those that were not Hispanic read and looked throughout different sources about Spanish speaking countries and brought writing/drawing examples of what they found about Hispanic culture. I also implemented the Interest Center in which students read a book of their preference( some could not read but saw the figures) and then came in front of the class and narrated what they understood in the book they selected. This strategy not only helps to improve their reading fluency, but also their visual interpretation of pictures in the stories.
ReplyDeleteAs per Chapter 5 apparently there is no one way of doing differentiated classrooms. Every teacher and every classroom is their own world and therefore, should be catered to the needs of those learners. Students must be active participants in their learning to make it more effective and impacting. I like the idea of Ms. Eames 1st grade class of having different level reading books of the same genre for interested students. Mrs. Riley’s 3rd grade has a nice way of providing choice to her students on selecting an assignment of interest still covering the necessary information. Mr. Blackstone 6th graders gives different labs to each group of students he feels is appropriate to readiness and complexity. I like that he rotates to the different groups for understanding. Ms. Jeffries helps in putting students into groups after research has been completed. Kids work in a cooperate manner. Every students contributes to their group using their strength. As for Mr. Rake in High School using “Compacting out” in assessing students prior to the lesson following with investigations. All these are great idea but first we need to access the needs of our customers and help them scaffold the learning gaps. Also, this involves the teacher o be very well prepared. Teacher must allocate time in preparation for all these activities as well as time. All these teachers used different ways useful for managing differentiation in classrooms.
ReplyDeleteAs Peggy and Vivian mentioned, analyzing student data is the first step determining and addressing the needs of students. Differentiating learning for students won’t happen effectively until that is done. One of the strategies for differentiating that I would love to implement in my classroom is the interest learning center. I was very impressed with Ms. Riley’s use of this strategy to hone in on students’ various talents. Like Ms. Riley, after having read a particular selection, I can see how students can demonstrate their interpretation of the text through acting, script writing, or researching what influenced the author to write the selection. The strategies presented throughout chapter 5 ranged from primary school to 12th grade, but the wonderful thing is, each strategy can be adapted to appropriately fit developmental ages as well as academic levels of all students.
ReplyDeleteThere is no one model fits all for differentiated instruction. DI allows you to meet the needs of all of your students. At an ETO school, the students are already grouped based on their data, as it is required in the district. In agreeing with Vivian, at an ETO school DI is extremely scripted for us. To give my students more autonomy in the classroom, I would compare my classroom to Ms. Eames as explained in the text. Students had different levels of either the same text or the same genre based on their reading achievement level. We also implemented Accelerated Reader and students were able to choose a book of their liking that is on their reading level versus on their grade level. A next step that I would like to take in the classroom is having my classroom look more like Ms. Riley's. Her class really resonated with me because it looks very creative and engaging versus what I am allowed to do at my school.
ReplyDeleteLike Kristine, I really liked how Mrs. Riley set up her DI time. She had learning centers in different levels for the students as well as interest centers on a particular person they read about. Then they had various ways to show their work and ultimately their understanding of the topic. In order for me to set up my class to have this kind of DI I would first need to look at data and regroup students accordingly. Groupng students is very important in order to effectively have a challenging and active DI. Whether they are learning centers or interest centers, they should all be hands on and engaging for all students to have fun with the topic.
ReplyDeleteElda
Its important to have flexible teaching arrangements, provide interest based exploration with the topic being taught. Provide additional resources based in their assessments. Pg.28,29. Assign students to group bases on the topic and the assessments. Negotiate to determine the criteria of the content. Pg 30. Create timelines for projects and tasks to be completed. Pg.31. You have to be flexible and provide different resources to enable differentiated classrooms.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 5, I learned that there isn't really any right or wrong way when it comes to DI. After reading the different scenarios throughout the chapter, I mostly connected with Mrs. Riley. I love that she does a combination of learning and interest centers. All students have the same learning goal at the end of each lesson however, go through a different process to get there. I also really loved how she gave the students to option. Throughout my teaching experience, I've learned that students really enjoy the learning process when we give them controlled options. With the interest centers, all students will be learning the same thing, however, they will be getting there in different ways. The students will be allowed to choose which center they will participate in depending on their interest.
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ReplyDeleteAccording to Tomlinson(2001) there are different ways teachers are meeting the needs of their students.
I will identify the lower level students to provide them adequate work for remediation and intervention.On the other hand I will provide enrichment for the students with high level of achievement.
Work one to one if necessary and arrange the groups according to students' profiles and interest.
The support must be consistent and it have to reflect its results in order to modify or adapt the lesson according to the students' progress.
There is not method to explain how differentiated instruction works. First of all, we have different teachers, students, subjects, and classrooms. Second, there are different ways to build the knowledge, depending on their own personalities. Finally, as teachers, is really hard to treat students differently. No child deserves special privilege nor does any child deserve less attention (regardless of race, gender or academic ability). However, differentiated instruction is more than this. It is the way to give students a range of ways to access curriculum, instruction and assessment. DI engages students to interact and participate in the classroom in a richer way. It is based on the assumption that all students differ in their learning styles, strengths, needs and abilities and that classroom activities should be adapted to meet these differences.
ReplyDeleteA true differentiated instruction model increases our chances of accomplishing this goal. I recognize the relevance of DI. Though, there are two strategies that I do not consider true DI. In terms of grouping students, some educators simply pair accelerated students with lower performing students. I am aware that peer tutoring is a powerful tool. However, I do not agree that we should stick our accelerated students in these DI groups. Of course the lower performing students may benefit, but we are not meeting the needs of the accelerated students. The main goal of Differentiated Instruction is meet the needs of each individual student. In my opinion, I do not agree using DI as an excuse to misplace students. I have had classes of students that were level 1 through level 5, ESE, and ESOL levels 1 through level 5. Rather than correcting or rectifying this issue, the administration affirms that I must use Differentiated Instruction. It becomes an escape goat rather than a methodology.
These examples in Chapter 5 used for (Mrs. Riley, Blackstone, and Mr. Rake) are models of Differentiated Instruction and give the students a variety strategies to get the goals of every student.
Maria Gonzalez
One feasible way to make my classroom more effective in addressing the needs of my diverse students would be implementing learning centers that promotes differentiated instructions. These centers will be based on the data collected from the i-Ready Diagnostic Assessments and student’s learning profiles. The use of these instructional strategies will help to differentiate content, process, and product by challenging and engaging my students as they progress through their academic journey as life long learners.
ReplyDeleteMy first objective would be to assess the students to determine their readiness level. then I would plan according by utilizing many of the strategies that are set fourth in chapter five. I agree that students should be held accountable for their own learning; that is what active learners do, they are engaged and recharged of their learning.
ReplyDeleteA flexible reading program targets the students readiness and interest. Learning centers that targets the students' readiness and interest as well as given the students an opportunity to work independent in groups or with a partner facilitates content learning. I would also utilize Tier activities where the tasks are constructed at different complexity level.
The next step to crafting my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of academically diverse learners is to give each student a diagnostic test that examines each reading domain. After the diagnostic test, I will closely examine the domains of learning in order to examine the deficiency levels of each individual student. Students will be grouped according to their deficiencies and the level of the deficiency.
ReplyDeleteGroups will be flexible base on their required needs. The Lowest performing students are determined to require more intensive, individualized instruction. These students will be seen by me or my co-teacher daily. The middle tier of students who are usually identified as being 1 year below grade level will be seen 4 times per week at the teacher led center. My higher group who are performing on or above grade level in most of their domains, will be seen in the teacher led center 2 days per week.
The flexible groups will be set up as learning centers where student tasks will be adjusted to match their readiness and learning styles. The task will be matched to the student's learning style. Students will be able to develop independence while learning key skills.
The next step for crafting my classroom into being more diverse in addressing my different learners is no effectively have stations set up in my classroom. The different stations will mirror the readiness, interest and learning profiles of the different students in my classroom. This will take a lot of planning on my part, and will have to change slightly, based on the standards and topics being covered. I do think however for the students, it will be well worth it and they will benefit tremendously from the experience.
ReplyDeleteThe next step will be ensuring the students are grouped appropriately. Then as they move about the school year, hopefully they move into other groups and continue making progress. If not, I will adjust accordingly.
In order to craft my classroom to be more effective in addressing the needs of diverse learners, I need to construct a classroom according on the subject, the grade level I teach and my students' learning profiles. My classroom needs to be one where students are active learners, decision makers and problem solvers. I can relate to how Ms. Eames flexible reading program. I like how she posts the reading schedule weekly and students are able to either meet with the teacher, with peers or work with the whole class. I also feel drawn to how Mrs. Riley creates centers and then assigns her students to those centers based on their readiness or learner profiles. I think the most important thing is to understand that there is not a "fixed" formula to differentiation. In order to effectively address the needs of my students, I think it is imperative to learn how to adjust, be flexible and get to know your students.
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