The nature of grades is certainly a complex one. One of the largest debates in this sector comes from the question of what are we grading when we stamp an A, B, C, D, or F on a report card? Some teachers say that we should grade students as though it is their job, which means taking into account attitude and attendance along with quality of work. Unlike a job, some teachers say you should consider whether a student has truly tried to master the material, and that if they have, they should be rewarded with a higher grade. There are also teachers who believe that the only thing that a report card grade should show is how a student did on the assessments.
The idea which most appeals to me is one in which you grade based on assessment, but have a separate grade for the behavioral aspects. I see the flaws in the single-grading system, but I also believe that whether or not a student tried on an assessment is important as well. I know that in the "real world" it doesn't matter if you "tried" if the product is bad, but as the book continues to remind me, I am working with adults-in-the-making (or as they put it "morphing", which just sounded a bit gross to be honest), who are not yet fully-developed grown-up.
Something else to consider is the fact that what is an "A" to one teacher, isn't necessarily an "A" to another. Some teachers see an "A" as having gone above and beyond, while others may see it as simply meeting all of the criteria addressed. This inconsistency leaves students at a loss; often they must interpret grades themselves. This is why putting comments on grade reports would serve a positive purpose, so students and their parents understand why they were given the grade they received.
What if a student wants to improve a grade with a re-do? I personally think re-dos are appropriate, especially because if a student asks for it— this shows initiative from them to improve themselves. But there are definitely some rules. First, be clear on when it is okay to redo things and when it is not. Second, make sure that you offer the re-do to all students no matter what grade they achieved. And third, instead of doing a grade penalty, consider having students explain why they got an answer incorrect, they must attend a review session, or say that they must stay after school, so that people who don't actually care about their grades simply won't put in the effort, while those that do, will be given the chance.
Some schools are doing away with grades all together, and you know what? It's great. Students are less stressed, and are more focused on truly learning instead of earning a grade on a report card. The students who are given graded report cards are struggling in comparison. On page 94 Alfie Kohn says: "To read the available research on grading is to notice three robust findings: students who are given grades, or for whom grades are made particularly salient, tend to (1) display less interest in what they are doing, (2) fare worse on meaningful measures of learning, and (3) avoid more difficult tasks when given the opportunity— as compared with those in non-graded comparison group."
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
UbD Ch.8, Mi Ch. 8, 11, 12
MI Theory as used in special education shares many of the same perspectives of "best practice" rules for general education. The idea of focusing on what one does best and cultivating it, instead of concentrating on a struggle, has been a philosophy of special education departments for years, who even have developed an almost new vocabulary to be more encouraging with their students. Something to realize about these special needs students is that while it's true they have different needs from some of their peers, this doesn't mean that they don't still possess many of those same eight intelligences we've been reading about. In fact, a list of high-achieving people facing personal challenges includes Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison, Ludwig van Beethoven and many others. If they had been put into an environment that didn't encourage their special talents, they may never have cultivated them. Yet, it seems like in many classrooms we DON'T cultivate all of these proclivities and talents because we're so focused on teaching "to the test" and such. This statement is even more true when it comes to special education, if we don't allow these students to try new experiences and let them do things things that interest them, we are doing them a great disservice. What if Agatha Christie had been in a classroom where she was never allowed to write freely because her teachers or parents didn't think her learning disability would allow it? Think of the great British novels we wouldn't have.
Teachers can be discouraging to students in other ways as well, including their style of grading. It's suggested that perhaps we as teachers shouldn't be grading students on so many things, and putting it behind one letter. Teachers will normally take into consideration grades on tests and homework, behavior, amount of improvement, etc. and squash all of that information into one grade. So really, a student could be doing perfectly on his tests and papers, but because he hasn't "improved" or simply doesn't have a great attitude, his entire grade for the class suffers. The argument is that these things are not truly cumulative, and are so different that putting them together doesn't make much sense. The suggestion stands that perhaps separate grades for separate things would be more appropriate. Yes, it's important for students to have a good work ethic, but is that one the same level as how highly they score on a test? In my opinion, I believe in the "one score fits all" theory, but this is probably because I was always that kid who could get by if they at least showed they were trying. I once wrote a song about radian circles on my ukulele for class and got 3 extra points on my final grade, because the teacher saw I was trying so hard to understand, and that I was putting time into this class. I put a very high value on trying, and while I will never put it as high as the actual academic grade earned, it will always be a consideration.
Teachers can be discouraging to students in other ways as well, including their style of grading. It's suggested that perhaps we as teachers shouldn't be grading students on so many things, and putting it behind one letter. Teachers will normally take into consideration grades on tests and homework, behavior, amount of improvement, etc. and squash all of that information into one grade. So really, a student could be doing perfectly on his tests and papers, but because he hasn't "improved" or simply doesn't have a great attitude, his entire grade for the class suffers. The argument is that these things are not truly cumulative, and are so different that putting them together doesn't make much sense. The suggestion stands that perhaps separate grades for separate things would be more appropriate. Yes, it's important for students to have a good work ethic, but is that one the same level as how highly they score on a test? In my opinion, I believe in the "one score fits all" theory, but this is probably because I was always that kid who could get by if they at least showed they were trying. I once wrote a song about radian circles on my ukulele for class and got 3 extra points on my final grade, because the teacher saw I was trying so hard to understand, and that I was putting time into this class. I put a very high value on trying, and while I will never put it as high as the actual academic grade earned, it will always be a consideration.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
MI Ch. 7, 9, 13, and 14
Multiple intelligences shouldn't just be catered to through the curriculum, making your classroom MI friendly is also a great step towards helping kids learn better and feel more comfortable. One of the ideas which most interested me, was to have four centers in your room of activity centers. The activity centers are either permanently or temporarily (changing, unchanging) time-based, or open-ended or topic-specific in subject. By mixing the two kinds subjects and time-based permanency, you have lots of options, and not only will students have options that they can depend on to be unchanging and which they are used to, they will also be stimulated with new things as well. The idea is to put each of these sections in the four corners of your room, but depending on the size or style of your classroom this may prove difficult. I personally think this is more appropriate for younger classrooms than the ones I plan to teach in.
The whole school can also help accommodate these intelligences. Schoolwide themes are suggested as a way to encourage schools to do something fun for the kids, while also giving teachers ideas to plan new projects around to incorporate the theme. There is also the idea of having mixed-aged grouping, which can give students the ability to work with people at various education levels from them. Another idea is of a whole room devoted to the intelligences, featuring games and activities called a "flow room", which can help students develop their lesser-used or lesser-attuned intelligences in a stress-free environment, or simply continue to strengthen their other ones.
A few different staff positions are also something to consider. An assessment specialist is suggested, along with a student-curriculum and school-community broker. The assessment specialist would be in charge of creating a sort of portfolio or record of sorts that tracks every student's strengths, limitations, and interests in all eight intelligences. This information is made available to, and can be helpful to, the students, future and current teachers, as well as the student's parents. (We have to be careful not to stress too much importance on these though, as we don't want kids to stifle one intelligence and not work on it, simply because they're currently "limited" in that intelligence.) The brokers jobs would be to serve as bridges, the first between students gifts or abilities and the available resources the school has to offer. Basically, they make sure if the school have a tool a student can use to learn more deeply, that it's offered to them or they're aware of it's existence. School-community brokers are the link between student's intelligences and what the community around them has to offer.
Some things that you may not immediately associate with MI theory include computer technology, career counseling and cultural diversity. All of these things can be added to your curriculum and used as a means to implement the eight intelligences. When it comes to cultural diversity, there is something to be careful of, involving the possible ninth intelligence. While spirituality (the ninth possible intelligence) can be integrated through your curriculum, it's often not done because of cultural differences and hence religious differences between students. Because I don't want to offend anyone, I will try to keep my use of religion minimal or fact-based if possible.
The whole school can also help accommodate these intelligences. Schoolwide themes are suggested as a way to encourage schools to do something fun for the kids, while also giving teachers ideas to plan new projects around to incorporate the theme. There is also the idea of having mixed-aged grouping, which can give students the ability to work with people at various education levels from them. Another idea is of a whole room devoted to the intelligences, featuring games and activities called a "flow room", which can help students develop their lesser-used or lesser-attuned intelligences in a stress-free environment, or simply continue to strengthen their other ones.
A few different staff positions are also something to consider. An assessment specialist is suggested, along with a student-curriculum and school-community broker. The assessment specialist would be in charge of creating a sort of portfolio or record of sorts that tracks every student's strengths, limitations, and interests in all eight intelligences. This information is made available to, and can be helpful to, the students, future and current teachers, as well as the student's parents. (We have to be careful not to stress too much importance on these though, as we don't want kids to stifle one intelligence and not work on it, simply because they're currently "limited" in that intelligence.) The brokers jobs would be to serve as bridges, the first between students gifts or abilities and the available resources the school has to offer. Basically, they make sure if the school have a tool a student can use to learn more deeply, that it's offered to them or they're aware of it's existence. School-community brokers are the link between student's intelligences and what the community around them has to offer.
Some things that you may not immediately associate with MI theory include computer technology, career counseling and cultural diversity. All of these things can be added to your curriculum and used as a means to implement the eight intelligences. When it comes to cultural diversity, there is something to be careful of, involving the possible ninth intelligence. While spirituality (the ninth possible intelligence) can be integrated through your curriculum, it's often not done because of cultural differences and hence religious differences between students. Because I don't want to offend anyone, I will try to keep my use of religion minimal or fact-based if possible.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Chapters 6, 7 UbD/DI and Chapters 5, 6 MI
Chapter 6 of UbD discussed responsive teaching in academically diverse classrooms. A list of core beliefs about curriculum and diverse student populations stresses that students need opportunity to learn and apply the "basics" of a subject, they should consistently experience curricula that causes them to think at high levels and make meaning of information, students need to know and understand the learning goals of a unit or lesson, and students should be given a balance between student construction and teacher guidance. One of the final things this chapter stresses is to not repeat what we may have seen in past classrooms, just because your teacher from fifth grade did something, does not mean it was necessarily the "right" way to do it. We are more likely to repeat the making of less-flexible learning environments if we were taught in one. I'm lucky in that I've always been in pretty flexible learning environments, which I plan to mirror in my own classroom.
Some of the most important points from UbD chapter 7 included a reminder that the "ladder" model is flawed. Just because you have a student who hasn't mastered the beginning parts of a concept doesn't mean that you shouldn't at least introduce them to, or even just let them know that of the existence of larger concepts. If a student is forever stuck in the remedial, easy, skimming surface projects and worksheets so they can master the opening information, they will never see just how interesting and complex a subject can be.
Another idea this chapter discussed was bringing up lots of questions to keep conversations about subjects going and interesting. It keeps kids thinking. This idea is at the roots of Socratic Seminars, which is a kind of instruction I would like to use with my students.
The 5th chapter of MI discussed multiple ways to bring MI into the classroom and cater to all intelligences. One of the things it talked about was that a good MI teacher will help students use all of their intelligences, not strictly the ones they're "best" at— the teacher accomplishes this by switching between intelligence-based instructions throughout the lesson by simply moving differently, writing on the board, playing a video, and having the students move or manipulate something with their own hands. It's all part of the same lesson, just different facets. I think MI can sound daunting, but if I look at it as just differentiating and not doing the same thing over and over again, then I think it will be easier for me to teach in this style in the future.
Chapter 6 of MI suggests that linguistic intelligence is the easiest intelligence to bring into the classroom, as it's always been such a staple in schools. Despite it being easiest, the chapter gives it the same four examples of use in the classroom as the other eight intelligences. The book points out when a program or project hits multiple intelligences as well. Though I think it may take a bit more time set aside for planning, I want to try to hit multiple intelligences with single activities whenever possible.
Some of the most important points from UbD chapter 7 included a reminder that the "ladder" model is flawed. Just because you have a student who hasn't mastered the beginning parts of a concept doesn't mean that you shouldn't at least introduce them to, or even just let them know that of the existence of larger concepts. If a student is forever stuck in the remedial, easy, skimming surface projects and worksheets so they can master the opening information, they will never see just how interesting and complex a subject can be.
Another idea this chapter discussed was bringing up lots of questions to keep conversations about subjects going and interesting. It keeps kids thinking. This idea is at the roots of Socratic Seminars, which is a kind of instruction I would like to use with my students.
The 5th chapter of MI discussed multiple ways to bring MI into the classroom and cater to all intelligences. One of the things it talked about was that a good MI teacher will help students use all of their intelligences, not strictly the ones they're "best" at— the teacher accomplishes this by switching between intelligence-based instructions throughout the lesson by simply moving differently, writing on the board, playing a video, and having the students move or manipulate something with their own hands. It's all part of the same lesson, just different facets. I think MI can sound daunting, but if I look at it as just differentiating and not doing the same thing over and over again, then I think it will be easier for me to teach in this style in the future.
Chapter 6 of MI suggests that linguistic intelligence is the easiest intelligence to bring into the classroom, as it's always been such a staple in schools. Despite it being easiest, the chapter gives it the same four examples of use in the classroom as the other eight intelligences. The book points out when a program or project hits multiple intelligences as well. Though I think it may take a bit more time set aside for planning, I want to try to hit multiple intelligences with single activities whenever possible.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Multiple Intellegences in the Classroom — Ch. 10: MI Theory and Assessment
This chapter begins explaining that it simply wouldn't make any sense to teach a curriculum through all eight intelligences and then give a test rooted only in only one intelligence. But this is so often what happens. With all good intent a teacher teaches through various ways and it's great, but when it comes time to test they'll often learn toward linguistic or logical-mathematical skills.
But are tests really that great anyway? It seems that things such as portfolios are a better gauge of how a student is doing overall. Ways to document student performances include: Anecdotal records, work samples, audio files, video, photographs, student journals, student-kept charts, sociograms, informal assessments, informal use of standardized tests, student interviews, criterion-referenced assessments, checklists and calendar records. Collecting these things ensures authentic assessment instead of the standardized testing which seems to focus largely on what a student cannot do instead of what they can.
Some projects may seem geared more specifically to one kind of intelligence, but with just a few words (build a, write a, write a song about, etc.) a project can have a completely new context and reach kids it was unable to reach previously. This returns to the idea of "changing the verb" which is something I hope to implement in my future tests and projects, so that they're not constantly being asked to only "explain". As long as students are all achieving a similar understanding of a subject and reaching the goals set out for them, the path they use to get there can be as different as they like.
MI Portfolios are a great way to show all that a student has done, and can be set up in most any way which best fits the situation. That said, the "Five C's of Portfolio Development" should be present. These include: Celebration, Cognition, Communication, Cooperation, and Competency. To quote page 147, "Ultimately, MI theory provides an assessment framework within which students can have their rich and complex lives acknowledged, celebrated, and nurtured."
But are tests really that great anyway? It seems that things such as portfolios are a better gauge of how a student is doing overall. Ways to document student performances include: Anecdotal records, work samples, audio files, video, photographs, student journals, student-kept charts, sociograms, informal assessments, informal use of standardized tests, student interviews, criterion-referenced assessments, checklists and calendar records. Collecting these things ensures authentic assessment instead of the standardized testing which seems to focus largely on what a student cannot do instead of what they can.
Some projects may seem geared more specifically to one kind of intelligence, but with just a few words (build a, write a, write a song about, etc.) a project can have a completely new context and reach kids it was unable to reach previously. This returns to the idea of "changing the verb" which is something I hope to implement in my future tests and projects, so that they're not constantly being asked to only "explain". As long as students are all achieving a similar understanding of a subject and reaching the goals set out for them, the path they use to get there can be as different as they like.
MI Portfolios are a great way to show all that a student has done, and can be set up in most any way which best fits the situation. That said, the "Five C's of Portfolio Development" should be present. These include: Celebration, Cognition, Communication, Cooperation, and Competency. To quote page 147, "Ultimately, MI theory provides an assessment framework within which students can have their rich and complex lives acknowledged, celebrated, and nurtured."
FIAE — Ch. 6: Creating Good Test Questions
There are quite a few ways to go about writing a set of good test questions, but in order to do so, you have to keep a lot of things in mind. For instance: What information do you want to glean from their answers? Are the questions clear enough? Is this the best format for these kind of questions? There's a lot to it, and this chapter offered a few ways to improve your style of test-making.
One way to keep students concentrated and not bored to death during your test is to vary the kinds of questions or prompts you're using. This will keep them on their toes mentally, as well as allow you to see that they understand what is being tested from all angles. It is important also that you avoid confusing the students. Using negatives in a question can sometimes confuse younger students, so it's best to always write the questions in the positive format. If you do wish to use the negative, consider bolding it or something similar to ensure that they're truly answering the question, because if they get it wrong due to a reading error, you're not really testing for understanding the content at all, are you? Make your prompts and questions clear. Timed tests can cause stress and skew your data, keeping a test shorter will allow students to focus more easily as it's for a shorter amount of time. Teir questions as warranted, but also try to put a little fun into the questions, as this returns again to the idea of keeping kids on their toes, always guessing. I think all of these are great ideas, and that I will use them in my future tests so that taking them doesn't become monotonous. One example I saw discussed putting students in sentences from the tests doing odd things like buying yachts or 100 watermelons, and when I mentioned this idea to my roommate she reminded me that people love to hear / see their names, and seeing their fellow peers in silly circumstances could be funny.
One way to keep students concentrated and not bored to death during your test is to vary the kinds of questions or prompts you're using. This will keep them on their toes mentally, as well as allow you to see that they understand what is being tested from all angles. It is important also that you avoid confusing the students. Using negatives in a question can sometimes confuse younger students, so it's best to always write the questions in the positive format. If you do wish to use the negative, consider bolding it or something similar to ensure that they're truly answering the question, because if they get it wrong due to a reading error, you're not really testing for understanding the content at all, are you? Make your prompts and questions clear. Timed tests can cause stress and skew your data, keeping a test shorter will allow students to focus more easily as it's for a shorter amount of time. Teir questions as warranted, but also try to put a little fun into the questions, as this returns again to the idea of keeping kids on their toes, always guessing. I think all of these are great ideas, and that I will use them in my future tests so that taking them doesn't become monotonous. One example I saw discussed putting students in sentences from the tests doing odd things like buying yachts or 100 watermelons, and when I mentioned this idea to my roommate she reminded me that people love to hear / see their names, and seeing their fellow peers in silly circumstances could be funny.
FIAE — Ch. 5: Tiering Assignments
Tiering an assignment means to start less complicated or smaller, and gradually assign a task or question made more difficult or larger. You may decide to use a teiring model to plan what you will be teaching in a lesson to students who are on-grade-level, below it, or above it. If you choose to do this, it is best to begin with the on-grade-level students curriculum, because starting higher or lower than that can skew how you view the on-grade-level assignments, causing you to expect too much or too little.
Other forms of differentiating and tiering tools include: Tomlinson's Equalizer (a set of coupled words which can lead you to decide where your lesson falls between them, and if that needs to be changed), Learning Contracts (a contract signed by both teacher and student (and sometimes parent) when the current curriculum isn't working for the student. The contract states that a student will finish certain tasks by a set time or return to the planned curriculum), Learning Menus (a list of options to choose from to complete a project or check for understanding), Tic-Tac-Toe Boards, Cubing, RAFT(S) (other option-based game-like tools), Summarization Pyramid (a structure to answer questions or perform tasks in), and Frank William's Taxonomy of Creativity (achieving "Fluency", "Flexibility", "Originality", "Elaboration", "Risk-Taking", "Complexity", "Curiosity", and "Imagination")
One of my favorite parts of the chapter was where it explained how to "change the verb". An example on page 71was taking the original task of asking "What's a mantissa?" And replacing it with the more elaborate, "Interview the mantissa of a logarithm (the decimal/fraction part) about its role in a logarithm." By making the task sound more dynamic, students will be more interested in exploring the answers and will be more likely to challenge themselves creatively with their replies. As a student I always responded better to these and saw them as creative challenges, so I will also try to change my verbs to light a fire under my students.
Other forms of differentiating and tiering tools include: Tomlinson's Equalizer (a set of coupled words which can lead you to decide where your lesson falls between them, and if that needs to be changed), Learning Contracts (a contract signed by both teacher and student (and sometimes parent) when the current curriculum isn't working for the student. The contract states that a student will finish certain tasks by a set time or return to the planned curriculum), Learning Menus (a list of options to choose from to complete a project or check for understanding), Tic-Tac-Toe Boards, Cubing, RAFT(S) (other option-based game-like tools), Summarization Pyramid (a structure to answer questions or perform tasks in), and Frank William's Taxonomy of Creativity (achieving "Fluency", "Flexibility", "Originality", "Elaboration", "Risk-Taking", "Complexity", "Curiosity", and "Imagination")
One of my favorite parts of the chapter was where it explained how to "change the verb". An example on page 71was taking the original task of asking "What's a mantissa?" And replacing it with the more elaborate, "Interview the mantissa of a logarithm (the decimal/fraction part) about its role in a logarithm." By making the task sound more dynamic, students will be more interested in exploring the answers and will be more likely to challenge themselves creatively with their replies. As a student I always responded better to these and saw them as creative challenges, so I will also try to change my verbs to light a fire under my students.
FIAE — Ch. 4: Three Important Types of Assessment
Chapter 4 focused on what they call "three important types of assessment", which includes: portfolios, rubrics, and student self-assessment. On page 43 the text explains: "With portfolios, teachers can collect and examine work over time. Because of portfolios' longitudinal nature and the big picture they provide of students' development, teachers don't have to make as many inferences about students' mastery based on single samplings. As a result, interpretations of students' mastery are more valid, and subsequent decisions we make are more effective." But teachers aren't the only ones who find portfolios useful to reflect on student progress, it helps students to get a clearer picture as well.
Students will also have a better idea of their progress and work if you have student self-assessments. An often used technique is to have students fill out a self-assessment right before passing in a project, and then having the teacher grade alongside it. Sometimes seeing what a student truly feels about his work can help you see if they feel like they're trying (or not). If I feel there's a consistent problem with students performances, I will implement this assessment to get a better understanding of the students feelings toward their work.
The final type of assessment discussed is the "rubric", which is basically a guideline of what you are looking for in a project. On page 45, it says that "teachers need to examine their rubrics in terms of: content, clarity, practicality, and technical quality/fairness." Sometimes teachers will give a clear picture of what would earn a student the highest grade possible, but then are a little more vague for the lower scores explanations. The reason for this is if they see the higher goal and nothing else; they are focused on the best, and won't strive for mediocrity, as they might if lower expectations were outlined.
Students will also have a better idea of their progress and work if you have student self-assessments. An often used technique is to have students fill out a self-assessment right before passing in a project, and then having the teacher grade alongside it. Sometimes seeing what a student truly feels about his work can help you see if they feel like they're trying (or not). If I feel there's a consistent problem with students performances, I will implement this assessment to get a better understanding of the students feelings toward their work.
The final type of assessment discussed is the "rubric", which is basically a guideline of what you are looking for in a project. On page 45, it says that "teachers need to examine their rubrics in terms of: content, clarity, practicality, and technical quality/fairness." Sometimes teachers will give a clear picture of what would earn a student the highest grade possible, but then are a little more vague for the lower scores explanations. The reason for this is if they see the higher goal and nothing else; they are focused on the best, and won't strive for mediocrity, as they might if lower expectations were outlined.
Monday, February 4, 2013
UbD - Ch. 5: Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms
How do we know if a student has actually learned the material we taught (or which we think we taught) in class? Well the first step is in realizing that knowing about a subject and understanding it are two very different things. As it is described on page 65 "Knowledge is binary— you either know something or you don't." Knowing can be determined through true or false quizzes, but understanding would involve a student having to deeply think about a question or concept, and often would find it easier to write out their view and explain the varying parts of their thoughts. Knowledge is great, but understanding is where we should be going as teachers.
Albert Einstein said "You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." So how do we know when a student truly understands? Well, you see if they have met the six facets of understanding. Firstly, can they explain their ideas and reasonings? Can they interpret the subject and translate to someone else? Can they apply it in diverse contexts? Can they use different perspectives or explain their own? Can they display empathy, finding value in the subject? And lastly, do they have self-knowledge, meaning they can perceive and break-down the way they view things?
So, if your student has done all of these things, time to shower them with praise right? Wrong. Though praise when deserved is great, remember that they'll take you more seriously if you offer suggestions and criticism alongside the praise. Try to make the praise more specific than "good job", listing examples and pointing out aspects of the project which you felt they did well with. Students have been shown to take their projects more seriously if they feel they have something to work on, and can identify it.
Albert Einstein said "You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." So how do we know when a student truly understands? Well, you see if they have met the six facets of understanding. Firstly, can they explain their ideas and reasonings? Can they interpret the subject and translate to someone else? Can they apply it in diverse contexts? Can they use different perspectives or explain their own? Can they display empathy, finding value in the subject? And lastly, do they have self-knowledge, meaning they can perceive and break-down the way they view things?
So, if your student has done all of these things, time to shower them with praise right? Wrong. Though praise when deserved is great, remember that they'll take you more seriously if you offer suggestions and criticism alongside the praise. Try to make the praise more specific than "good job", listing examples and pointing out aspects of the project which you felt they did well with. Students have been shown to take their projects more seriously if they feel they have something to work on, and can identify it.
FIAE: Ch. 3: Principles of Successful Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom
A large part of a differentiated curriculum's success can come from it's use of assessments. The first is the "pre-assessment", which gauges students understanding before the lesson or subject has been taught. Pre-assessments are so influential on where your curriculum will go, that many teachers won't plan the first few lessons of a unit until the pre-assessments have been completed and analyzed. Then there's the "formative assessment" which can serve as a sort of "en-route checkpoint" as it is put on page 27, so that you can see what is and isn't being absorbed while you still have the time to fix it. Finally is the "summative assessment" which is given at the end of a unit to see if they've met the goals set by the teacher. The assessments help understand your students learning as well as provide an opportunity for feedback during the curriculum, which has been shown to improve student performance.
On page 22 the book discussed the idea that if a student's assignment is not clear and precise that he or she may be more likely to put it off for fear of spending too much time on something that they're not even sure that they're doing correctly. So instead of saying "Study this chapter", saying something like, "Make flashcards of the vocabulary in this chapter," may actually be more helpful to them. Just as a student is less likely to attempt something if they don't fully understand it, I'm less likely to implement new ideas (such as differentiated curriculum) if I don't have a firm understanding of it. Some suggested ways to cope with this include talking to a mentor teacher about the idea or problem, reading a professional journal on the subject, and reflecting on my own in quiet.
On page 22 the book discussed the idea that if a student's assignment is not clear and precise that he or she may be more likely to put it off for fear of spending too much time on something that they're not even sure that they're doing correctly. So instead of saying "Study this chapter", saying something like, "Make flashcards of the vocabulary in this chapter," may actually be more helpful to them. Just as a student is less likely to attempt something if they don't fully understand it, I'm less likely to implement new ideas (such as differentiated curriculum) if I don't have a firm understanding of it. Some suggested ways to cope with this include talking to a mentor teacher about the idea or problem, reading a professional journal on the subject, and reflecting on my own in quiet.
FIAE - Ch. 2: Mastery
There is a difference between truly understanding a subject and being able to rattle off facts on it. When one can explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, emphasize, and display self-knowledge concerning a subject area's event or idea, then they have truly "mastered" the understanding of the subject. For example, an example of mastery as compared to non-mastery is listed on page 13: Mastery: "The student uses a variety of basketball passes during a game, depending on the most advantageous strategy at each moment in the game. Non Mastery: The student uses primarily the bounce pass in the basketball game regardless of its potential effectiveness because that's all he knows how to do." What if the kid who only did the bounce pass won the game, but so did the student who used the most "advantageous strategy"? Does that mean that the bounce-driven student was just as good as the one who used multiple passes? No, it just means that some dumb-luck may have been involved.
What's the best way to determine whether a student has mastered a skill? Well although the book didn't call it by this name, they suggested a set-up similar to backward design, which is something I plan on using in my future classrooms. Why do I want to use it? Backward design allows you to pick a goal first, and puts secondly how to tell if a student has mastered the goal and curriculum. By working backwards with the ultimate goal closer in mind, I think it will be easier to decide how to define "mastered" for that particular lesson.
What's the best way to determine whether a student has mastered a skill? Well although the book didn't call it by this name, they suggested a set-up similar to backward design, which is something I plan on using in my future classrooms. Why do I want to use it? Backward design allows you to pick a goal first, and puts secondly how to tell if a student has mastered the goal and curriculum. By working backwards with the ultimate goal closer in mind, I think it will be easier to decide how to define "mastered" for that particular lesson.
Fair Isn't Always Equal — Ch. 1: The Differentiated Instuction Mind-set
While our aim is never to make someone uncomfortable, if teachers from the 60's, 70's or 80's could time travel, we'd hope they'd feel pretty lost when it comes to how we teach today. The book suggests this because the idea of differentiated curriculum has so evolved within the past 20 or so years, that these past teachers would have little idea why or how the end results of todays lessons were achieved. They would probably think it took a significant amount of more work than they were used to putting in for their curriculums, but as it is stated on page 3, "Sometimes, [when using differentiated instruction], we don't spend energy identifying tasks for high-medium-, and/or low-functioning groups so much as we consider whether we've taught in a way the brain best processes."
Some people claim that supplying one student with a differentiated curriculum of their own would cause them to become dependent on that one way of learning forever, and if they had a teacher in the future who did not teach that way, that they would fall flat. Others believe that it would make them competant, independent thinkers with a better understanding that all of his or her peers are very different as well, and that they should respect this. The latter is the truth. It has been shown that even when students have been quizzed in a more traditional way, after having learned the material of the quiz in a differentiated setting, they will still do well because they learned in a way which helped them absorb the most. Some say this kind of teaching is allowing a "crutch", but in actuality, it levels the playing field so that everyone is learning the same amount, just differently.
Some people claim that supplying one student with a differentiated curriculum of their own would cause them to become dependent on that one way of learning forever, and if they had a teacher in the future who did not teach that way, that they would fall flat. Others believe that it would make them competant, independent thinkers with a better understanding that all of his or her peers are very different as well, and that they should respect this. The latter is the truth. It has been shown that even when students have been quizzed in a more traditional way, after having learned the material of the quiz in a differentiated setting, they will still do well because they learned in a way which helped them absorb the most. Some say this kind of teaching is allowing a "crutch", but in actuality, it levels the playing field so that everyone is learning the same amount, just differently.
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