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.