My Definition of Differentiation

No classroom will have a group of kids who all think exactly the same. It is definitely the teacher’s job to adjust to the students: most kids are unable to change how they learn, and if kids could easily adapt to learn anything in any environment, there would be no real need for teachers. I think one of the main purposes of being a teacher is to inspire students to understand and care about information that students would not be able to understand on their own. Some schools focus on an individualized approach to teaching and learning, but the fact is, most schools are not able to implement that kind of system. In most public schools, it seems that teaching a class of students with all different learning styles mainly requires differentiation. The main premise of differentiation is that the teacher adjusts a lesson so that it can be understood and absorbed by all different kinds of thinkers. This is not an easy task. The main challenge that teachers face in this situation is that it can be difficult to make knowledge mentally accessible to everyone without watering down the content. It’s often tricky to find a balance between teaching in a way that helps students who struggle, and keeping the lesson fast-paced enough to avoid boring the highly advanced learners. For many teachers, having students with special needs in a classroom causes them to give extra attention to those kids. This leads us to the question, is giving special attention to struggling students is fair? I have found that in a non-differentiated classroom with lots of IEPs or 504 plans, teachers tend to spend so much time catering to the special needs of those students that they virtually ignore the students who are capable of learning quickly. Again, this makes me think that differentiation is the best route to go, because it allows students to learn the same subject matter at the same time. Teachers customize the lessons so that they provide appropriate levels of challenge for all students rather than “teaching to the middle,” completely overlooking the advanced students, or failing to provide help for the struggling learners.

Before I Begin…(Thoughts on the Upcoming Quarter)

Returning to the high school for the first time after winter break is a little nerve-wracking. Last quarter I was only there once a week, doing simple tasks like handing out papers, grading quizzes, making copies, etc. This time, I know I’ll be doing much more, because I’m trying to ease my way into student teaching. I have crazy stage fright and I’m pretty young for a teacher, and I’m not sure how the students will react to me being there every day. One of the biggest worries I have about this quarter is that it will be hard for me to find my authoritative voice…I have never been very good at discipline, and because I am young it might be hard to get the students to listen to me. I worry that it will be hard for me to go from sitting in the corner doing busywork to directing the class every day, but hopefully I will be ready for that transition when the time comes. All worries aside, the thing that I am most excited about this quarter is getting to know the students. I want to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and learn about their interests. In one of my EDU classes at SPU, my professor told us that one of the best parts of being a teacher is getting to know the kids and teaching them in ways that pertain to their strengths. I can’t wait for a time when I can write exciting lesson plans that I know the kids will love. If I learn that there are a lot of artists in the class, I can assign art projects. If I learn that they are really active, I can get them up on their feet. If they are more quiet and writing-centered, I can assign lots of intriguing journal writes. I think it will be interesting to design lessons for the kids so that they can learn and participate effectively. Meanwhile, I need to focus on getting over my stage fright!

The Importance of Academic and Social Routines

Routines are “the foundation of effective instruction” (McEwan 75). The consensus among teachers inHow To Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks of School seems to be that if teachers dedicate the first three weeks of school to establishing the classroom climate that they want, they will save themselves a great deal of work later down the line. In a way, I think routines are similar to assembling a car. If a mechanic puts a lot of hard work into making sure a car is built properly, it will save him lots of trouble in the long run. If he doesn’t put much genuine effort into the car’s assembly, he may be faced with countless repairs that will cost him valuable time and money later on.

The book talks about three different types of routines, all equally important in a classroom. McEwan briefly explains these routines on page 76, saying, “Organizational routines serve to help you manage the movement of students and paperwork in humane yet efficient ways. Academic routines include both the teaching moves you routinely make and the learning procedures your students regularly employ to ensure success for all. Finally, social routines are the behavioral patterns that keep interpersonal communications and relations in the classroom on a positive and productive plane. ” Needless to say, all three types of routines maximize learning time and increase student achievement.

I’ll go into a little more detail about the routines just to give readers a better idea of the distinctions between them. Organizational routines make a huge impact on time, learning, and instruction. McEwan explains that if you want to be a good teacher, you must “develop efficient and effective ways to expedite the movement of students and ‘stuff’ in and out of your classroom while at the same time remaining totally focused on teaching and learning” (76). This is what organizational routines are all about. Whenever students need to move from Point A to Point B, the goal of the teacher is to get everyone there as safely, quietly, independently and quickly as possible.

Organizational routines don’t just deal with moving kids around, but moving assignments and other documents. The “daily paper shuffle” (or, the passing back/collecting of assignments, permission forms, etc.) poses as a potential problem for teachers. Without organizational routines, teachers run the risk of losing track of who has turned in what, and when. I remember there was an older teacher in my high school who would always lose at least one person’s paper after every assignment was turned in. It was a big issue because the teacher would assume the student didn’t do it, or the grade wouldn’t be written down, or the students would not do assignments, with the intention of blaming it on the teacher’s forgetfulness. Regardless of age, this problem could have been prevented easily if this teacher had implemented some organizational routines early in the year.

Academic routines have to do with the daily actions that teachers and students engage in during the course of teaching and learning. These are important because like organizational routines, they make the school day run a lot more smoothly. McEwan says on page 84, “When you have perfected a repertoire of academic routines, you will be able to monitor how well your students are attending and understanding, modify lessons in progress, and deal with minor disruptions, all without missing an academic beat.” Examples of academic routines include mnemonic devices, role-playing and skits, beginning-of-class work, checking for understanding, and more.

Social routines are also exceptionally important because they train students how to use interpersonal skills that they will need for the rest of their lives. The book talks about one teacher who makes her students greet each other every day before the lesson begins, so that they can learn to be more comfortable in social situations. The text defines social routines as routines that “encourage positive social behavior and include all of the behavioral patterns related to interpersonal communication and relations with others, both peers and teacher” (92). Many grade-school educators will teach kids how to use please and thank you, and to understand the value of community. Teachers who facilitate social routines also stay tuned in to the “playground hierarchies” and make sure to address conflict when they need to. Additionally, these teachers show students how to interpret the emotions of others by paying attention to their facial expressions and nonverbal cues. These lessons are good because they teach students the proper way to approach social dilemmas and to empathize with their peers.

The main goal of all routines is simply to ensure that the students come in prepared to work, and are able to learn lessons and life skills in an efficient and memorable way. Clearly, routines can prove to be beneficial for teachers and students alike.

How a Classroom’s Environment Can Impact Student Behavior and Attitudes

It is not uncommon to read in housekeeping or women’s magazines that keeping one’s home clean and clutter-free reduces stress. Studies have even shown that using soft colors like light blue and yellow in a household can be calming, thereby resulting in the inhabitants’ overall happiness. Therefore, it would make sense that a teacher would be able to use similar methods to calm students in his or her classroom. According to Elaine McEwan, author of How to Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks of School, the way a classroom is set up can be one of the most important parts of effective teaching and learning. In the very first chapter she explains, “The physical environment of a classroom impacts [student] behavior and attitudes “(15). It is common sense that when a person is in a stressful or uncomfortable environment, he or she will be less likely to act in a positive and rational manner or focus on a task at hand. For kids, it is easy to get distracted, overexcited, or upset no matter where they are, and school tends to be a place where they can feel especially vulnerable because of all the new faces and new knowledge. Some teachers encourage practicing Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics, in the classroom. McEwan explains that aesthetically pleasing workspaces are proven to raise student achievement, and Feng Shui can greatly add to this. By arranging the furniture and displaying potted plants or flowers in ways that create open, colorful and comfortable spaces, the classroom becomes a welcoming place of learning.

In terms of specific table arrangement, one might think that there is an ideal way to put the tables in order to maximize learning. However, it can (and should) actually vary a lot depending on the types of students in each class, and the type of lessons being taught. According to McEwan, “What has worked for you in the past may not work at all with a particular group of students” (26). This is because every group of kids is different, and depending on the amount of students with learning disabilities, special needs, or unique behavioral characteristics, changes might need to be made to a teacher’s previous classroom setup. In McEwan’s book, several teachers give advice about this subject. Some suggest placing hyperactive students away from distractions, and making it easy for these students to take brief exercise breaks. Teachers also say it’s important not to isolate students or make them feel particularly different from their peers in any way, because this might cause them anxiety. There can, however, be a designated “quiet corner” for kids who are having trouble focusing in their usual spot. Distractable and struggling students are generally placed on the edges of the table formations, probably so it is easy for them to leave if they need a break or get help from the teacher without disturbing others.

One more interesting thing the book said is that many teachers will change their table placement around throughout the day depending on what they plan on teaching during each class. For example, if they want to do group work they will place the tables in bigger clusters and so on. I guess that’s obvious, but it seems like a lot of work…and I realized that this is done in college as well, except we usually move the tables around ourselves. In my senior seminar class we would put the tables in a circle, and when we do group work we turn to face each other in small circles of 3 or 4 people. The textbook suggested that even though teachers should move their tables throughout the day, they should have a “default seating chart” or table arrangement that they begin and end the day with. I found this chapter interesting because it brought up ideas that I never thought about, and I never realized how much of an important role the physical environment of a classroom plays on student learning and comfort.

Identity Unit

Identity Inquiry Unit: RAFT Letters to the Future