Student Profile/Interest Survey and Pre-Assessment

*I viewed the Student Profile Survey and I like how there are two columns stating, "Like me" and "Not like me". However, I am not a big fan of how the directions are set up. I know this is an easy survey, but if you were a third grader, and you saw the directions, wouldn't you feel a tad over whelmed. As a teacher I would go over the directions as a class so I know everyone understands.

*I loved the Student Interest Survey! The directions are sweet and to the point. I like how there are some in depth questions and then again fun questions like, favorite sport or movie. I will for sure use this in my class!

*I checked out the Pre-Assessment Inventory on Blackboard, and I think it is very helpful. I like how it is very organized and thought out. It is nice how there is a column for what is being inventoried, a column for the students trait, and also it is great that there is a comment column that gives you feedback and ideas and you can add to it too! I think this would be very beneficial in my classroom!

What's is Being the Idea of Differentiated Classroom?/ Student Needs as the Impetus for Differentiation

Chapter 1 Quotes

"Teachers must take into account who they are teaching. The goal of a differentiatied classroom is to plan actively and consistently to help each learner move as far and as fast as possible along a learning continuum." pg2 

"The one-size-fits-all teacher may very well discover that the "size" of instruction he or she has selected fits almost no one." pg 2

"There are 4 student traits that teachers must often address to ensure effective and efficient learner. Those are readiness, interest, learning profile, and affect." pg 3 

"There are also 4 classroom elements they can modify in response to variations among students. Those are content, process, product, and learning environment." pg 4

"We make time to see the invisible."pg 9

"The most effective teaching does not seek transmission of knowledge isolated from human need, but rather attempts to help young learners discover the power of knowledge to reveal, amplify, and develop the best that is in them." pg 12

Chapter 2 Quotes 

"If a child feels unsafe, threatened, or insecure, the brain blocks off the pathways to learning and attends to the more basic human needs instead." pg 15

5 Key Needs of Learners: Affirmation, Contribution, Power, Purpose, and Challenge. pg 16-19

"Effective differentiation begins with awareness and understanding of basic student needs. It progresses as teachers become more and more adept at understanding how those basic needs are manifested in the classroom and how each facet of classroom experiences meets a learner's need-or misses the mark for that learner." pg 19-20

"The truth is, we will never really do all each child needs us to do. A simultaneous truth is that the first truth is no reason to stop trying." pg 22

"Connecting with each child is at the heart of differentiated teaching, because this approach to teaching does not accept learners as interchangeable parts." pg 22

"Teaching is fundamentally about building lives." pg 24

"Differentiating instruction focuses on the uniqueness of each child's life as well as its commonalities with all other lives. To build lives in a differentiated classroom means building them both collectively and individually." pg 24

  

Thoughts on Chapters 1 & 2  

This blog is like my journal... so I want to write down all of the quotes I like and then write my thoughts and feelings about how I felt about the reading. 

-I thought this weeks reading was quite touching. I want to be that kind of teacher who sees the invisible and connects with each student. I want to create a classroom environment where my students feel like they can contribute, feel affirmative, have power, feel purpose, and are challenged. I want my classroom to be secure and non-threatening. I want to teach so each student can succeed. This weeks reading really touched me, because I've had teachers who compare to the reading, and I can truly say, they made me who I am today.  

A Brief Primer on Differentiation

I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed the reading.... this book isn't like other textbooks. When I was reading I highlighted the things I wanted to reflect on or I thought interesting; thus, I am going to write a few quotes I liked.
*"Effective teachers, like effective parents, work from a coherent but ever-evolving set of beliefs and principles and teaching and learning."
*"Differentiated teaching is responsive teaching"
*"She must balance two factors in her classroom: the needs of her students and the requirements of a curriculum."
*"Four classroom elements: who she teaches, where she teaches, what she teaches, and how she teaches."
*"The more fully she understands who she teaches, the more aware she is that she must adapt what she teaches to serve individual learners well."
*Students Characteristics: Readiness, Interest, and Learining profile.
I thought the section I read was very helpful and easy to understand. I look forward to future readings.... I am actually being honest I love how the authors speak to me.