A Teacher is like a Hamster on a Wheel

In Chapter 5 of Fulfilling the Promise it talks about how teaching can feel like a Hamster running on a Hamster Wheel.  Each year there is more information to teach and to cover than the year before.  The teacher is the hamster who is running as fast as she can but she cannot teach everything no matter what she does. To add to the breadth of curriculum and standards is the depth of understanding that the students are required to have.  And of course you need to differentiate your curriculum in order to have your students succeed.  Not to mention most teachers like myself want to spend a little time teaching life lessons in addition to reading and math. Thank goodness for morning meetings!  Well, this post isn't about morning meetings, but it is about how to use Hallmark #2 to help you be a better hamster, or teacher - which ever you prefer.

 It's true with the hamster on the wheel, the faster the wheels spins  the tireder the little guy gets.  The same is true with teachers.  The bigger the expectations the teacher is asked to accomplish  the more tired and less effective she becomes.  Organization is key in being a successful differentiating teacher.  If a teacher wants to be able to teach the required material with the depth and breadth expected then she needs to be organized.  Differentiation cannot happen without organization.  Hallmark #2 says Absolute clarity about what the teacher wants the student to know understand, and be able to do - about what is truly important in the unit. She needs to know what she expects of her students and she most importantly needs to know what the essential parts of the curriculum are.  If a teacher can become organized in her curriculum and if she can learn to teach to essential concepts she be a more successful hamster.  Many she could even get off of the wheel and run forward if she was organized and focus on the ultimate goal enough.

Comparing Math Reteach Differentiation to WTW

Words Their Way proactively differentiates for the students' readiness levels.  Three times a year students are tested based on a Qualitative Spelling Inventory.  The students are put into spelling groups based on their scores they received on the QSI.   And thus, spelling levels are born.

Each week each of the different groups has different words they are tested on based on their spelling skill level.  This allows the students to be successful at their prospective spelling levels.  If all the class was given the same list the bad spellers would always fail and the advanced students would never get any better.  The spelling time each day was tiered based on the students readiness level.  All students need to learn to spell and they all need to learn the same words by the end of the year.  With tiered spelling groups the students just learn the words at different rates. Using WTW proactively differentiates so the students can all excel at their own level.

In field experience my 4th grade team did an after the fact differentiated math lesson.  All the students would be taught the same lesson and they would be tested with the exact same test.  After the test the 4th grade team of teachers broke all three classes of students into 3 groups. They would then spend a half hour a day for a week teaching to 3 different tiers.  The lowest group would need to be retaught the same concepts from the test with many scaffolds as well as they would need to review the material from the previous section.  The middle group just needed a few scaffolds to help them solidify the test concepts better in their brain.  The highest group didn't review they test at all.  They just extended their math skills and spent time being challenged with the higher level thinking. At the end of the week a mini quiz is given to each group testing what they re-learned in their groups. If they get 90% on the quiz then points are added to their original test. The three tiers allowed the students to successfully master the required content.  It gives the students a second chance to be the best they can be.

Both of these differentiated tiered lessons tie in perfectly with hallmark #1 which says that assessment needs to be strongly linked with instruction.  These two forms of differentiation wouldn't be successful if they didn't has an assessment prior to the tiering process.  And the assessment would be pointless without teaching to the specific student's needs. I learned through this post that you can't successfully differentiate without successful assessment.  Hallmark #1 is so essential be a fantastic differentiating teacher.

If I was a teacher I would . . .

If I was a teacher this year instead of a student teacher I would do things a little differently if I could.  My cooperating teacher is fantastic at differentiating spelling by using Words their Way.  She also does a good job of "reteaching" differentiating in math.  If I were a real teacher this year and had my own classroom I would want to proactively differentiate my math lessons.  The following is my example.

 A 4th grade division lesson. Objective is to learn to divide a  multi-digit dividend  by a 1 digit divisor.

Pre-Assessment:  I would have the students do 3 division problems on their white boards.  The first would be a review division problem, the second a division problem that they would be learning to solve in today's lesson and third a more challenging division problem.   According to how the students answered the questions and based on who got what answers correct, I would then group the students into three groups and each group would be given a different math worksheet.

Step 1: I would then give a direct explanation to the students showing them how to solve the division problem from today's lesson ( 1 digit by 3 digits).  This would be done as a whole class.

Step 2: Independent practice would be tiered to the students' different readiness levels.  The 3 groups would be based on the number of incorrect answers in the pre-assessment.

Tier 1 - Beginning Level

Their worksheet would first review a few standard division facts (24 / 4 = 6)
Second it would have a series of scaffolded problems like 240 / 4 = ? These problems would be fill in the blank steps to solving the problem.  For example,

240 / 4 = ?
cover up the zero
24 / 4 = ?
Draw four circles and divide out 24 dots into the circles evenly.
How many dots are in each circle?
24 / 4 = ?
add the zero back onto your answer
60

The third part of the worksheet would be questions like 250 / 5 = ?  With lots of room to work the steps and many similar repeating questions.

The very last questions on the W.S. would be a division story problem.

I would have this group of students come back and show me their paper after 3 problems were done in the scaffolded section of the W.S.  I would do this so that I could assess their knowledge of the concept.

Tier 2 - Standard Level

The first part of the worksheet would provide one scaffolded  division problem.  Like the second step in the Tier 1 W.S.

The second part would have many regular division questions with no scaffolds. ie: 480 / 6 = ?

The third part would have 4 story problems with regular division problems in them.

Tier 3 - Advanced

The first step would be a series of regular division problems. Only like 6 of these problems will be necessary.
The second step will be a series of story problems with 1 digit by 4 digit division problems.  ie:  3500 / 7 = ?

The third step will be 2 challenge questions.  They will be asked to solve a story problem with a 1 digit by 4 digit division problem that doesn't come out evenly.   ** This group will be allowed to collaborate at the back table with other tier 3 students to figure out the last 2 challenge questions.

Summative Assessment: The next day in class there will be a 5 question quiz with 3 regular division problems 180 / 3 = ?  and 2 story problems following the same division problem format.

Re-teaching and Enriching Math concepts

The fourth grade team at my school is fantastic at working together to help all the students reach mastery.  All three teachers teach the same math lessons.  (with their own teaching style of course)  But after every unit test the teachers evaluate which students need some reteaching on the concept just tested.  So for one whole week the fourth grade classes are split up for 30 minutes.  There are 3 groups at 3 different readiness levels.  Group one did fantastic on the test and are clearly ready for the next step so they are put into a challange group where they are taught more challenging concepts based on the subject of the last test.  The middle group needs a little bit of help still and they are getting a quick re-teach of the concepts that were most tricky on the last test.  And the last group is not up to par at all.  These students get down to the nitty gritty basics of math and get a reteach on the simpler math problems they are missing.   For example the last unit was on 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  This lowest group reviewed basic 4 x 6  = 24 multiplication problems.

I think it is fantastic that the whole grade level is willing to really tier their math instruction based on the students needs.  I think that is very powerful that they are taking the time to fix the problem before moving on.  This 3 group reteach/enrich is a fantastic way to differentiate and I hope that when I get a job that my team of teachers will be just as willing to differentiate.

Words Their Way

I am almost done with my field experience this semester.  I have learned so many lessons it is amazing!  I am so thankful for my students and for my cooperating teacher Mrs. Monson.  She is amazing and she makes teaching look so easy.    One of the best lessons that I have learned these last three weeks is how to differentiate with spelling.   Last semester I learned about how to use Word their Way.   But in Mrs. Monson's class that is the only thing that she uses to teach spelling.

She has 5 color groups and they are all on different spelling levels.  She has each of them complete the same activities each week but on different days.  This allows her to spend one day a week working with each group.  She is able to focus on their individual needs and they get more personalized time with the teacher.   I haves helped administer these spelling tests for the past 3 weeks and every week the students do amazingly.

By differentiating their spelling words the students are able to be very successful.  The words are on their level and the students are mastering their spelling skills.  I believe that this is a fantastic use of differentiating.  It is far more important for the students to be challenged and successful than for all the children to learn the same concept.  The Words their Way program differentiates for students readiness.  It is fantastic.  When I get my own classroom I am going to adopt this program.  This is the simplest and easiest form of differentiating I have tried and it is working wonders in my class. :)

Inspiration from Friends

I spent some time today looking at some of my classmates blogs.  It was so interesting to read what they had studied.  Their opinions opened my eyes to new possibilities about how to differentiate and how to be a fantastic teacher. 

I loved Brittany Reynolds's blog.   She simplified and expounded topics that I had found confusing.   She has very interesting insights and it was helpful to read her thoughts on differentiation.  One of my favorite posts from her was about the business a schools.  It was about a quote from out text book.  The quote said..

..."The business of schools is to design, create, and invent high-quality, intellectually demanding work for students....work that engages students, that is so compelling that students persist when they experience difficulties, and that is so challenging that students have a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction- indeed of delight- when they successfully accomplish the tasks assigned." 
- Phil Schlechty

I liked her question, When was the last time we as teachers really asked our students to persist when they experience difficulties?  This made me think about how today people settle for mediocrity and they don't strive for excellence.  People today want to simply find the quickest way to fame and fortune.  After reading this post I plan to give my students intellectually demanding word and I will teach them how to persist through difficulty.  This is inspiring.

Carolyn Black was the other classmate's blog that I read.  She is surely one the smartest people I know and it so insightful to read about her views on differentiation.  I have always looked up to Carolyn and her blog was very helpful for me create in my mind a better picture of how to be a fantastic differentiation teacher.

I Particularly liked her post about.

"Teaching Students, not Teaching Lessons"

I think this a fantastic and one of the most basic principles we can take away from the differentiation class.  I think that I sometimes forget through the stress of school and planning and teaching that the real reason we are in this profession is to teach our students.  It's all about helping our students to become the best people they can be through life long learning.   Teaching is the best job in the world for that exact reason.

A teacher has many roles but their main role is to teach.  Curriculum and instruction are the tools we use to teach.  We won't succeed teaching academic concepts unless we are also teaching human beings how to live.  That is a part of a teacher's curriculum.  If we use curriculum and instruction effectively we can help our students to feel like they are contributing, we can give them power and purpose, and we can challenge their minds and help them to develop their own opinions.   A key to remember is to not only be good at teaching curriculum be good at teaching your students how to live life. As a teacher we won't be remembered for our fantastic lesson plans and assessments.  Our students are going to remember our relationship with them and they are going to remember what we taught them about life. 

In high school I had a cheer coach who was like of a beast.  She was young, full of herself, and she could be really mean.  She didn't have the best curriculum when it came to cheerleading.  We were often learning semi-illegal stunts by high school standards and she wasn't always sure what she was doing.  Her curriculum was alright but she is a great teacher because she taught me about how to be a better human being.  I will always be thankful to her for that.  No matter how rude or crazy I thought she was, I will still respect her as my teacher because she taught me fantastic life curriculum. 

 She taught me what it meant to really use team work in life.  When we went to competitions she taught us to never leave anyone behind and if on person falls then we all fall.  She taught us to keep on trucking everyday and to always stick up for each others backs.

  She taught me to notice the small things and to tell people when they are doing well.  As a senior I was nominated by the cheerleaders for homecoming royalty and I remember getting a note from her that said she was proud of me for representing the school and our squad so well.  It was sweet and it touched my heart that my teacher would notice me.  Because of her I try to send notes like that to people. 

The last thing she taught me was to have Nordstrom's Customer service.  She was all about respect and being kind and representing ourselves, the school, our cheer team, and her as a coach well.  She taught us to always be gracious and kind just like Nordstrom's customer service. 

What does this have to do with being a teacher who is trying to implement differentiation?  Well it means that I need to use my curriculum and instruction to teach students how to live.  Not every student needs to learn the same life lessons.  My cheer coach gave me an individual note and I don't think she knew how much I learned from that.  I think she saw an opportunity to teach and she took it.  I hope I can be even better than her and learn to notice what life lessons my students need and then try to teach them accordingly.  If I am able to do that then that I feel I will be successful at differentiating curriculum. 

 

This is a picture of me and my husband in high school when I was a cheerleader. (I couldn't find one of just me, plus he is a stud) My cheer coach's differentiation of curriculum based life skills helped me to become the teacher I am today. 

Building Trust and Taming Students

Morning Meetings have been on my mind a lot lately.  I have been thinking about how difficult but how necessary they will be to incorporate into my classroom.  I want to be able to have a friendly, safe, bully free classroom when I become a teacher. I want to be able to know my students so well that it is easy to differentiate for them.  I want to be able to differentiate for students interests and learning profiles which can only be done if your students trust you enough to open up to you. 

My very first week reading from the text book I read about how the Little Prince had to tame his friend and his friend had to tame him.   I think one of the best ways that I can tame my students and then have my students tame me is through morning meetings.  I think it takes time for all the students to trust me enough to be tamed but that is my goal.  As a teacher I am going to try and tame every single one of my students.  I believe that if I can do then differentiating will be easier and I will be a pretty good teacher. 

I start student teaching in a month.  I am so nervous and excited.  I think the biggest thing that I am worried about is being able to gain the trust and respect of the students.  It is difficult going into a classroom in the middle of the school year and trying to tame the students.  I hope that at least in November they will be able to tame me.

Definition of Differentiation

Differentiation

is a Teacher's Response

to Student Needs

Guided by Principles of Differentiation

such as....

Shared Responsibility for the classroom is between the teacher and the students, in the goal of making it work for everyone.

A way up! Usually through multiple and varied pathways, and never a way out!

Individual Growth is emphasized as central to classroom success.

  and etc.

The teacher can Differentiate through

CONTENT Scaffolds and challenges in curriculum

PROCESS Many different procedures through which the content is taught

PRODUCTS Creative ways to figure out what kids have learned

 

According to the Students

READINESS If the student are ready to move on to the next level

INTEREST Students learn better if they are engaged.  We need to teach to student’s interests.

LEARNING PROFILE How each individual student learns best

 

I learned about this model in class today, and this is my best representation and interpretation of what the definition of differentiation.  In my opinion, differentiation is how to individually help each of your students because the very best.  Differentiation sounds very time consuming and difficult. I think it going to take some major practice to learn to differentiate with tact.  They key is going to be to always differentiate with love and with the students in mind.  I hope as I continue to read and study about how to differentiate that I can become a better teacher.