Chapter 4

Abstract

For chapter 4 our book goes into detail about the skills and attitudes teachers should have if they are going to teach in a differentiated classroom. For this our book describes for us nine skills that are present among teachers that help all learners, and it also discusses the importance of allowing students to know what the big ideas are for each unit that is taught in a classroom. Some of the qualities discussed in the chapter were taking responsibility for the success of your students, using a clarity of teaching methods in your classrooms, and letting student be involved in the daily routines of the classroom. Essentially teachers in a differentiated classroom are flexible with their planning they try to engage their students, and they take the time to get to know their students, all this that are need to be successful in this type of classroom.

Reflection

This chapter seemed to be good because for us it allowed us a chance to gain skills and knowledge that we all could use in our classrooms one day; even if we do not end up using the differentiated classroom model. With the scenarios given and the sub-topic introduction we all were able to get a better grasp on the information at hand. For one of us, this material may even be helpful outside the classroom in dealing with certain other aspects in life, including work. With everyone of us knowing that we all need special attention in some way we are able to look at this chapter and understand that these skills and advice is something that we really need to hang onto if we are all going to become successful teachers someday.

By Matt Colby

Chapter 3

Abstract

This chapter dealt with standards, content, and implementing the planning of the backwars design. This chapter discussed that standards are either to vague or too strict to teach to. The chapter also suggests that backward planning hurdles to of the major obstacles that exist in teaching, which are planning too many "fluff" activities, and trying to cover too much material too fast at higher levels. The "BIG idea" was also dicussed in this chapter. Basically we as educators need to pull out the ideas that are really important and focus on those. We need to set goals on what our students need to know by the end of the unit, then figure out how we want to assess their learning, and then come up with the lesson plans.


Reflection

This chapter was great because it focused on not teaching everything under the sun and really allowed the people in my group the confidence that in using this model they can avoid teaching too much material. Audra felt that she was able to connect with the "sins" that were mentioned in the chapter, and felt like this could help her avoid re-creating some bad teaching experiences she has had to sit through in the past. This is a very useful chapter in regards to planning and focusing on the learnign of our students.

Chapter 2

Abstract:
This chapter was about how important it is to teach responsively and the use multiple teaching styles in your classroom. While what you teach is important, it is also important to recognize who you teach and acknowledge the differences amoung your students. It is possible to have an amazing curriculum planned, but unexpected situations do occur and so that curriculum would be useless unless it allowed for flexibility to meet the needs of the students. This section gives specific examples of students who ended up with unexpected situations and the way teachers went about handling those situations. It is important for teachers to recognize their students needs and adjust their plans to help meet those needs so that every student has an equal opportunity to learn.

Reflection:
I think our group all agreed that the examples in this chapter made the reading much easier and helped to make the concepts of the chapter more real. It helped us to see that while students can be similar they can also be very different and so they need various teaching styles to help them learn. As Erik pointed out, in order for us to do this as teachers we will have to learn to step out of our comfort zone and learn about learning styles different from our own. I think we would all agree with Audra when she said that the students are the most important part to concentrate on, even if that means altering our plans to accomodate their needs. A good way to help students would be to do as Matt suggests, talk to then and let them know that you respect them and care about their success. In doing this you are bound to earn their trust and respect and it will be much easier to help them along their journey of learning. I really agree with Matt on this subject because I think that if you are not an approachable teacher, and if your students don't think you care about them, then they will not be interested in what you have to say and therefore are not likely to learn as much from you as they could.

*Posted by Chelsae

Chapter 1

Abstract:
Chapter 1 explains the major differences between Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction. UbD focuses on what is taught and how to assess knowledge while DI focuses on whom, where and how we teach. The book further elaborates that both methods are needed because they complement one another. It is in chapter 1 that we being to understand that even the best planned curriculum is not effective if the components of the individual students are not taken into account, i.e., not all students have the same familial or cultural background, the same learning styles and the same rate of maturity. The chapter also provides several good examples of a teacher making adjustments to accommodate his students.


Reflection:
For Erik and I, it was hard to relate to the reading in chapter 1. There wasn't much for class discussion before we started the reading, making it harder to grasp. While we understood a fair portion of the material covered in the chapter, the actuality of how to implement the information in a classroom setting is still not fully understood. As Matt pointed out, one main problem with the chapter was its proclivity of the author to label the students and place them into superficial categories. Having seen teachers who plow through the material not noticing students falling behind to teachers who would slow down the work of the class to accommodate a select few students, Chelsae realized that the most effective teachers, for the most part, were the ones who did the things in the manner that the chapter suggested.


*Posted by Audra