Ch. 3 Principles of Successful Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom

I absolutely agree with the statement, “Students come in biased on how to see the world of …for five to eighteen years via school and living their lives,” by Wormeli on page 20, it is our job to expand their knowledge and change their point of views. We may have students that hate blacks and then hear about Rosa Parks or think Jews are lame and then hear of Eli Wiesel and Anne Frank. We open their minds and teach in other ways than just a vacuum. It is not our job to suck knowledge in their brains. We must be sure that they actually know what we teach. Assessing is viewed in two different ways (1) essential and enduring knowledge (EEK) and (2) know, understand and able to do (KUD). Know is what the students retain. Understand is the concepts, relationships, and connections a student can take as a result of the unit; this targets the student’s interests and real-life situations. Do is the specific skills we intend our students to be able to demonstrate. We must keep these aspects in mind when we perform pre-assessment, formative assessment and summative assessment. Assessment is never something that comes just at the end, as many of my high school teachers did their task in seeing how well knowledge was retained. Instead, assessment has a beginning, middle and an end and it must target everyone in the class. I feel that I may get frustrated when it comes to assessing because it is never straight forward and it may take a long time to get each student to reach the same level of skill and knowledge. We must use assessments as a pivotal instructional tool by having rubrics, choices and a couple standard-based tests. Students need to learn how to do for themselves instead of just taking our knowledge and storing it in their memory banks. As the proverb says, “If you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day, but, if you teach a man to fish, he can eat for a lifetime,” we must teach our students to fish and they can be knowledgeable forever.

Ch. 2 Mastery

I always thought that a teacher tested a students’ mastery on a subject or lesson by giving tests, quizzes, etcetera, but through this chapter, we learn that mastery is more than just knowing the information. The six facets (explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge) all are factors in “mastering” a topic. The art of mastery does not come by simply repeating or memorizing the information. The students should be able to take the information and analyze, evaluate and create own material at the end. They should know the topic so well that they could teach to others. To assure that they reach a “mastery” standpoint, we must flood their brains with the knowledge by tracking their process and assigning multiple assignments. This means that we may need to tweak the curriculum for certain learning styles so that we are ensured that they get the best out of what we are teaching. With differentiated learners we must keep in mind of the pace and communication because if we stay in isolation we have a bigger hurdle to jump. Learning is an ongoing process and shouldn’t be dull and droning, it should accommodate to all. I know that this may be hard and take a long time to make my lesson plans “perfect” but I want my students to get the best out of what I’m teaching. I don’t want to teach about the planets and have them take from the whole lesson that “Styrofoam is hard to paint.” They should remember what they learned and not the assignment used for knowledge. Learning about Styrofoam was just the “busy work” of the lesson not the “mastery.” Teachers must know the true definition of “mastery” before they impede on the journey of teaching it to their students.

Ch. 1 The Differentiated Instruction Mind-Set: Rationale and Definition

Wormeli defined differentiation as doing what is fair for the students. It is whatever works to advance students and seems to be a highly effective way to teach. I want to take some of his advice and use it wisely in my classroom. My mother works in a special education room with a fourteen year old who has a mind-set of a five-year-old, when other students are learning geometry, she is happy enough when he can decipher a square from a circle. She differentiates, but he still learns. It is important that learning is still taking place and that teachers avoid pure “busy work” because it’s easier. We should not rely on what is easy. Through Wormeli, I learned that it is not what we teach our students that matters, instead, it is what they learn. We must offer them the tools to learn efficiently and in a way that is comfortable for them. Teaching in an accommodating atmosphere emphasizes focus. We must use our power in a useful manner, instead of just teaching, differentiate!

Ch. 5 Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms

In assessing, Tomlinson and McTighe want us to reflect on whether or not the students actually learn what you want them to from the lesson and how you chose to teach it. I appreciate the thought of making a “photo album” so that you can observe the progress of your students through more than just the written word. It is a known fact that we rely too much on the quick and dirty standardized test and not get the chance to see what our students like or want. It is crucial to be flexible and give choices, so students can be the best they can. I always liked the fact that I had the choice of an oral presentation or an essay and group or individual work in high school because we all grow and learn at different rates and in different ways. Tomlinson emphasized that we should always keep our goals in mind while assessing, what did we want our students to learn? I will keep in mind the three essential goals as I pursue my career further, (1) declarative knowledge, (2) procedural knowledge and (3) dispositions in order to accommodate all my students’ educational needs. The GRASPS frame is another thing we must keep in mind to keep growth strong for all. We are supposed to teach the “big idea” at a level so that everyone can understand. Therefore, we must pre-assess, assess and give feedback. Assessment never just comes at the end of a lesson, it is everything that encompasses the lesson and the growth we are targeting. Always keep in mind that our aim is to collect appropriate evidence of learning based on our goals and that no two kids will ever learn at the same pace or the same style. Noted by the authors, “Effective assessment not only measures students but assists them in becoming evaluators of own learning,” so, we must teach the skill of self-assessing while we ourselves assess the “big ideas” and main goals. Overall, assessing should be fun and an ongoing process from the onset of the lesson until the very end. We need to ensure that all students ended with the same overall knowledge of the subject or we have not done our job properly.

Ch. 4: Teaching Students About MI Theory

Armstrong emphasized that “Children go to school as question marks and leave as periods,” and it is our job to answer all their questions. An MI theory should be a unit in which we first introduce what MI is and show the MI “pizza” than ask questions and relate it to people they know. I really liked the idea of having a “career day” because it would get the community involved in the learning process. With me, pursuing an English concentration, I would probably have my children write biographies on famous people that shared the same MI as them. This way they get to know someone who likes what they like. Maybe, on presentation day, the students dress up as their people and then interact with the class as a whole. The class could ask questions, etc. and for my class period, the students could truly “be” their people. Armstrong showed how interactive teaching MI can be, after all, teaching is supposed to be fun, right?

Ch. 3: Describing Intelligences in Students

Franklin’s quote at the beginning really emphasizes an MI; one would not hide who they really are, just like it is pointless to put a sundial in the shade. We need to find out who our students are and let them shine. I’m going to take the idea of keeping a journal with me so I can truly know who my students are. Some of Armstrong’s points I felt were an invasion of space, like looking at school records and taking pictures of students. Some students, like me, are introverts. We like to keep to ourselves, maybe once you get to know the student it would be alright to invade space and ask questions, take pictures, etc., but at first let everyone reach a sense of comfort. As a teacher I might assign a journal as an informal way to get to know my students and during parent-teacher conferences, maybe ask questions about their child’s MI. I don’t want to be too straightforward and pushy as Armstrong seemed in some of his examples, after all, we are supposed to be looked up to and thought about as role models. I wouldn’t want my role model sneaking through my personal records.

Ch. 4: What Really Matters in Planning For Student Success?

Tomlinson and McTighe brought forth great examples in what I would like to bring to my classroom to ensure success. First, we need a compelling curriculum that is clear on what is essential and reflects understanding and awareness. We must think about all of our students, why write a two-page paper, if some of our students are not fluent in English? We must learn to be flexible, goal-oriented and responsive. I really enjoyed the last section where Tomlinson said, “There’s no such thing as a perfect lesson, a perfect day or a perfect teacher.” I know that I will face road-blocks where children don’t want to learn or can’t learn, but I will have to work with my knowledge to get the best work out of everybody in my classroom.

Ch. 3 What Really Matters in Learning? (Content)

What do you do when there is too much content? Tomlinson and McTighe suggest that we, as teachers, must make choices and set standardized goals. In these goals we must bring forth essential questions, and show the “big idea.” I really appreciate their description of planning backwards. This helps to accommodate everybody’s learning needs. But, in doing a backwards plan, one must not always be activity-oriented or stretch to cover too much information in one setting. We must keep in mind that, “a river needs banks to flow” just as children need boundaries to grow. We must set forth our goals and expectations and then let them move forward from there. Having faith in your students encourages their individual thinking. Be accommodating, be assertive, be fun, but remember to always have a plan.

Ch 2: MI Theory and Personal Development

Armstrong emphasized in this chapter that it does not matter the type of school you teach in, but the type of students you teach. Each individual is unique and formatting an MI profile is easy, like our first day of classes where we were interactive and discovered whether we were a “puppy,” a “clipboard,” a “beach ball,” or a “microscope.” It is crucial that the teacher knows who they are teaching for, what they like and what they dislike. Knowing your students allows you to adapt your lesson plans to their needs. An MI comes from genetic factors (who your parents are or what they are), experiences (what you’ve done and what you’ve seen: what made you who you are), and cultural (where you were born, how you were raised, economic status, race, etc). When a teacher knows who you are, they then know how to teach you adequately. MI’s are also formed by crystallizing and paralyzing experiences as labeled by David Feldman. A crystallizing experience includes those “turning points” in the development of a person’s talents and abilities. For example, making a sports team would crystallize your bodily-kinesthetic MI. A paralyzing experience, on the other hand, is an experience that “shuts down” intelligence. For example, failing a math test may make you think you have no logical/mathematical intelligence. As a teacher, I want to improve all my students by finding out what “shuts them down” and working past the struggle to show that they possess the ability to accomplish anything. Before I do that, I will have to know their strengths and weaknesses, which a MI test will come in handy (maybe the first day of class) as a fun “getting-to-know-you activity.”

Ch. 1: The Foundations of MI Theory

In 1904 Alfred Binet had the task of deciding who the “at risk” schools were in the sense of remedial attention and possible failure, so he created an intelligence test. Almost 80 years later, Gardener challenged Binet’s beliefs with 7 (now 8) basic intelligences. Through the intelligence test, I discovered that I am highly verbal, but also reserved (intrapersonal). These both made sense to me because I am going to be an English teacher and enjoy have time to think to myself before blurting out an answer. Armstrong made it clear that we will have students of all MI’s and we must learn how to meet their needs. Although we do obtain all eight, we have strong points and low points and if we have a more logical thinker, we will be forced to put the lesson into numbers and reasoning for them to understand. I want to take the key points of MI and store them in my memory bank when I become a teacher, so I can flip back and remember what I should do so that all my students will grasp the concept I am trying to demonstrate. Gardener is still adapting intelligences and is working with ideas such as: spiritual intelligence, creativity intelligence, culinary intelligences and more.

Ch. 2: What Really Matters in Teaching? (Students)

Tomlinson and McTighe’s focal point of this chapter was on the student’s needs and growth process. “Teaching is an art” that we must analyze and figure out (1) what we want students’ to know, (2) what we want students’ to understand and (3) what we want students’ to be able to do. In any situation, students may only be waiting for the bell to ring and have absolutely no interests. We must make each lesson exiting and entertaining. As Tomlinson said, “Learning is a journey that should be shared” (page 13), so we want the experience to impact the child’s life and not just leave them twiddling their thumbs until class is dismissed. No matter how interesting we make a lesson, we will always face barriers though. A barrier can be something happening at home, between friends, a relationship issue, etc. and we are not always inclined to these barriers. This is where getting to know your student’s is important. As I become a teacher, I want to be there for my students. It is important to know our students multiple intelligences to adapt our curriculum to how each individual learns best, like Noah who learned best when he was on the move (page 15). I want to be the teacher that knows her students and switching the plan each day to make being in my class fun and exciting. For example, one day we could have small groups and the next day an interactive lesson and so forth. I also think that it is a neat idea to keep a dialogue journal with each student so that they can “talk” to you even if they are too shy to confront you during or after class. This technique would bring you closer to your students, but you would have to careful about their spilling of personal problems. I would tell my students to not write anything that they wouldn’t be comfortable sharing with others in case I had to report abuse, etc. This chapter basically initiated different strategies and such to run a productive and class and be a respected teacher.

Ch. 1: An Essential Partnership

Throughout this chapter Tomlinson and McTighe emphasize the fact of diversity. We must adapt our curriculum to match the abilities of all our students. First, we have four questions that we need to focus on while creating a curriculum for each class and then carry it out by adapting it and using it. These questions include (1) who are we teaching, (2) where we are teaching, (3) what we are teaching and (4) how are we teaching it. In coming to these questions at a higher level we must know the goals of understanding by design (UbD) and Differentiated Instruction (DI). DI and UbD work together to create a better way of learning. Their goals include ensuring focus and emphasizes on how we teach by asking “how,” “why,” and “what.” Tomlinson and McTighe emphasize that learning is for everyone, so our curriculum should meet the standards of all our students (disabled, highly advanced, lack of income, lack of English proficiency, etc.). I will keep some of their Axiom’s and scenario’s in mind when I am in my own classroom. As a teacher, I do not want to bore my students, but I do know that everyone learns at a different pace. This chapter illustrated some strategies to keep focus and know that all students understand and are having fun as well as learning.