DI+UbD+Chapter+4+Block+1

[|Synthesis UbD/DI C4 B1]

Teachers need to teach for clarity, and not just to get the students to repeat what they were told. Students will be more confident in their abilities, be better students, and essentially better human beings if they can apply what they use because they actually understand it. Clarity also protects teachers and students from the trap of having weaker students do less of what they don't know, and strong students doing more of what they do know. Classrooms are dynamic, not static. A teacher should challenge the weakest and strongest students, so that regardless of the final knowledge destination, each student has made progress towards some destination.
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Archambault Michael ||  ||



The best thing about this book is that it presents scenarios that are very helpful in understanding how to apply the idea into a classroom. Some of the ideas I won't use, and some I will. This particular chapter contributed to my bag of tricks. I would like to try out the running history of each student I teach, but I would be discouraged if I had too many students. This chapter made me feel that I would never have enough time to customize each student's learning the way that it should be, even if the classroom was static. This chapter discusses what really matters for students’ success. In order to be effective, teachers must continuously look at the quality of both curriculum and instruction. Teachers should also be aware of the different learners in the classroom. Also in a differentiated classroom the goals of the teacher belong to everyone not just a select few. Teachers should have a curriculum based on important concepts and principles. This causes students to be more engaged. Teachers also need to split the responsibility of learning between them and the students. Teachers should also make opportunities to communicate with individual learners. Teachers should also have a clear image of what a classroom should look like when it runs smoothly. I think this chapter speaks volumes. There are too many teachers who think that their students are learning just because they are standing up in the front of the classroom talking. I also like the fact that this chapter addresses that the different learners have to be incorporated into the actual curriculum in order for effective teaching to occur. I really don’t want to be the teacher that refuses to adapt to his or her students. That kind of flexibility is really what teaching is about and I want to learn how to do that. In high school I was tired of teachers who did things the same way year after year. Plus, no one really learned anything in those classes anyway so what is the point? In the fourth chapter of DI/ UbD, had a ton of information on how to lead your classroom effectively while reaching every student. They touched upon the fact that because every student is different, each student will have things that they understand better than others. The chapter offered a variety of options that would lead to a way to reach out to each student. The chapter stressed the importance of making the classroom a community so peers can work together using their strengths to help another student’s weaknesses. This chapter definitely strives to make a point about being a flexible teacher. When teachers are more flexible, their students feel more comfortable in their environment and their learning. This chapter was helpful because it gave many tips on how to help students that learn faster or slower than others, and even those in between. Although part of this chapter seemed to be geared toward teachers that have been in the field for years, I felt that this chapter was important. It outlined many ways to keep students active in the classroom and with each other. I also liked that it gave ideas on how to assess kids before a unit in order to see where issues may arise further down the road. The fourth chapter in this book discussed ways in which teachers can help their students be successful in the classroom. One way is through Differentiated Instruction. Another way is to present clear goals to the students about what is going to taught in a particular lesson. Another way is to present to the students a safe learning environment, and to make sure that the students understand what is being taught. Also, a teacher should understand that each student is different, and respect those differences, and have the students understand and respect those same differences. The author says that teachers should just make sure each student is comfortable, and help each student to do they the best they can, and achieve whatever they can. I thought this chapter was informative. It’s hard to make sure each and every student is comfortable, so I thought it was nice to read about how I can do that in my classroom. Also, I liked to read about how I can help each student succeed and do they best they can. It must be hard to make sure all of the students are succeeding and making the most of their abilities; so again, it was nice to read how I could achieve that goal.
 * Audy Melissa || Chapter 4 of //Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// addresses ways in which a teacher can ensure success for his or her students. It opens up stating that teachers must keep in mind that they are teaching human beings for knowledge, not simply to meet a standard. It goes on to explain other essential factors in student success. Teachers are encouraged to get to know their students well enough to accommodate their learning needs within lessons. Classroom management also plays an important role in student success. Rules need to be laid out and order must take place within the classroom to assure a healthy and effective learning environment. A flexible routine is also of the most important things a teacher can create. This allows time to accommodate the needs of learners who may take more or less time, as well as giving the class time to consider things that may seem small, yet have a huge impact (e.g. classroom arrangement). || I could not agree more that teachers must focus on the fact that they are giving another human knowledge. I feel that in high school I had far too many teachers who were so concerned with us meeting standards, that I felt that my role was simply to memorize and regurgitate the information they had provided, as opposed to taking it in for its full value and putting it to good use in real life scenarios. There are so many factors that contribute to student success and I feel that this chapter outlined them well. A flexible routine is another factor that really struck me—so many teachers seem to forget about this one. Rather than struggling to finish a lesson up in a certain time period, it is important to take the time to make sure the students really comprehend what is going on before moving to the next objective. ||
 * Boulter Elizabeth || This chapter was full of information on how to conduct an effective and safe classroom! They talked about using a variety of methods because of your variety of students and marking students’ progress as you do this. They discussed classroom management and having students take an active and responsible role to maintain order. Benefiting from working as a unit, the classroom will have a safe environment and allows everyone to use their strengths for the good of their peers. Awareness of your students’ abilities and learning styles was also mentioned in that teachers must continually be aware of how their students learn. It also talks about being aware of their progress in order to provide the proper support. Getting to know your students and allowing for their differences is a way to show your students respect that they can also model towards their peers. Having clear goals, yet flexible routines was encouraged. || This chapter put into perspective just how much of an impact we have. My attitude and how I conduct my classroom will affect these students //daily//. I do not just teach the curriculum, I am mentoring my students! This showed me how important it is to respect all learners, accept their styles, and incorporate those into my lessons! It showed that I need to get to know my students and become a support system. Doing this will enable them to become more efficient learners and more powerful thinkers who feel comfortable in my classroom! ||
 * Brown Ryanne || This chapter puts an emphasis on the differences between simply teaching the curriculum and teaching the curriculum, but making sure before everything else that the students are getting the maximum benefits from the lessons. It gives insight into some mistakes and misconceptions that teachers come across in the curriculum. The chapter also describes some benefits of teaching effectively in a differentiated manner. There are two parts to learning in the classroom, the teachers’ and the students’. Learning will not be in place without direct communication between the two, and the common understanding of the goals and expectations. Things like classroom awareness and classroom management are great products in a differentiated classroom. The working goals of students and teachers are both important, and the chapter gives plenty of ideas and resources to create the most effective learning environment. || This chapter really was very helpful in understanding the concept of a differentiated classroom. It clearly maps out the difference it makes to have a differentiated classroom, and in doing that clearly states the benefits. There are many positive ideas on how to effectively turn around the mistakes teachers often make. To do too much or not enough could quickly ruin a very strong plan. I must be sure to incorporate all learners but in a fair and consistent way. I must be careful not to treat students differently because of the level they are at. For example, less work if they are struggling or more work if they are excelling. The chapter will be a good resource when I start to encounter some of these problems. ||
 * DePue Margaux || Chapter Four of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design discusses the vital skills and attitudes of successful responsive teachers and how these traits can be practiced in the classroom. Teachers must be clear in the essentials of their lessons and be armed with a compelling curriculum and attitude. Teachers must be able to be responsible for the success of their students, ensuring that their students are given as much support to succeed as is necessary. Educators must also provide students with an environment that supports respect for everyone, students and teachers alike, and be aware of what way of learning works for each student. Teachers should assist students in finding ways to help themselves succeed and creating flexible teaching routines in the classroom that aid all students. They can achieve this by building a repertoire of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all of their students. Teachers should also remember to make their classrooms dynamic environments that allow personal growth in their students. || Without the understanding of what it takes to be an effective responsive teacher, not only will an educator fail to teach his or her students effectively, but they will also fail to create a positive environment necessary for learning and personal growth. Clear and compelling curriculums are necessary to keep students interested and on a set path without discouraging free thought on the subject. If teachers are not responsible for student learning or refuse to work with the learning needs of the students, the students will fail to learn vital skills necessary to them. A learning environment without respect will result in the discouragement of learning in the classroom. Teachers must take these consequences into consideration so that they will have the ability to encourage student learning and growth. ||
 * Dunne Kaisha || Chapter 4, “What Really Matters in Planning For Student Success?”, is about achieving success with one students and really creating an effective environment for them to learn in. There are many ways to help students learn, but we don't want to just help them learn we want to help them develop as a person and as a learner while learning the essential content. As teachers we must remember we are not just teachers “we are also teachers of human beings” (page 39). There are at least nine attitudes and skills typify teachers who help all learners, and within this chapter they are broken down and given examples to support. Being able to see these broken down really gives us the a feel for how they can be applied in a classroom. It helps us to understand how we can face that diversity, make each student a better learner, and make an impact. || Chapter 4 was a long description into the nine attitudes and skills to help all learners in ones classroom. It gave me a good realization to how much of an impact we have on these students (both chapters 3 &4). This chapter also gives us a good sense of what type of differentiation we may be looking at, and how we can face it. It goes on to express that juts because a student is standing in front of a class reading off a paper they wrote, doesn't mean that they actually learned what they are talking about and will remember it 5 years down the road. We want to make a lasting impact and make it so that our students not only remember what we taught them in the classroom but also we want them to become better learners. ||
 * Hudson Kimberly ||  ||
 * Korn Shauna || This chapter was about a teacher’s actions in their classroom and which actions are beneficial to their students and those actions that are not. It explains the common mistakes that teachers make trying to include everyone in their classroom. The example that the chapter uses is when there is a lower level group of students, teachers tend to give them less work or easier work. The chapter suggests that instead of falling into one of these categories have the same material, but use it in different ways to connect with the students that are having a hard time with it. This keeps everyone on the same page, but at different ability levels. There were also tips and/or guidelines that teachers can use to know if they are being differentiated in the classroom. || This chapter was really helpful to me, because of the tips and the advice offered. I agree with doing lessons that affect everyone and altering them slightly but not completely. I believe that every student is capable of doing work on any subject, I’m not going to mind if I have to alter my lessons a little bit to help a student understand the underlying concept. I just want them to be able to understand the material and apply it in and out of the classroom, not just on homework, projects, tests, etc. I think that it is important to watch how you are acting in front of your students as well, because by seeing the type of person that you are is going to be a big part in how they view or get to know you. ||
 * LaRose Rebecca ||  ||
 * Murphy Amber || Chapter four mainly focused on differentiated instruction. This is changing teaching methods to get across to students the best way possible and allowing the students to be most successful. This chapter touched base upon developing the curriculum and tried to explain that covers a lot of content, but then not going into detail isn’t as successful as finding main topics and dissecting them. Teachers need to know how to break the curriculum down into main points and tech these points in detail to the students. It is essential for teachers to provide an environment which students feel relaxed and comfortable and to teach to everyone’s different learning styles. || I believe that breaking the curriculum down into main topics helps teachers better explain the lesson. It is easier to absorb more information if it is in small pieces and if it is explained in more detail rather then barely being touched upon. All teachers need to make it a point to teach to everyone’s different learning styles, so everyone has equal opportunity to be successful. I find that breaking a lesson down and going into detail on important information is very important for many reasons. ||
 * Nieuwkerk Hannah || It is important to make a strong, engaging curriculum using several strategies, because not only do the students learn better, but the students can absorb the information better and remember longer. And as teachers teach, they must make sure that both the curriculum and instruction is clear. Students all learn differently and it’s so hard to teach to all the students in the class; it is something to strive for, especially for a young teacher. A good, clear goal matters because the students simply won’t remember everything, but if they remember the main goal, chances are better that they would remember additional information that went with that one good goal. As a teacher, make sure that your subject isn’t foggy to you, because you will project that fogginess, no matter how hard you try; and a good teacher will realize that if a student doesn’t understand a concept, it is up to both the teacher and the student to fix it, not just the student. A teacher will also help to fill in gaps from previous school years if the student is lacking in some knowledge. Sometimes problems arise because of a cultural background and a good teacher would look into his or her students’ backgrounds, just to not distress or humiliate anyone. || This chapter had a lot to absorb, but what I liked most about the chapter was that it gave examples of real life situations and I can relate that to when I in the field, so this will be excellent to look back on. I also never thought how a teacher has to fill in gaps where students didn’t understand in past classrooms; it’s true, they need to learn and understand and so they need that knowledge. And I also recognize the ‘foggy’ concepts now that read about it. I had a couple teachers that would quickly skim over the unit because they, themselves, didn’t quite understand and it left the class a little forlorn and not comprehending. It’s too bad that things like that happen, because the teachers know that they didn’t know the unit when they were teaching it, but when they would get the quizzes and tests back, it would really prove to the teacher that the class didn’t understand. ||
 * Scheffler Erich ||  ||
 * Simoneau Andrea || This chapter discusses planning curricula and how to do so with differentiated instruction practices. It provides several essential attitudes teachers must have in order to successfully implement differentiated instruction. They must establish clarity about curricular essentials, develop communities of respect, accept responsibility for learner success, build awareness of what works, develop classroom management routines that contribute to success, help students become effective partners in their own success, develop flexible classroom teaching routines, reflect on individual progress, and expand their repertoire of teaching strategy. [40] Each “attitude” is accompanied by classroom scenarios explaining how to implement these attitudes into practice. || I found it very helpful that the book provided scenarios as examples of how to implement these attitudes. These attitudes are common sense for differentiated instruction, obviously. They repeat almost verbatim what we have learned about the MEL model as well as what we’ve learned already about differentiated instruction and multiple intelligence. But these examples offer hard and fast suggestions and models of how to implement those theories into daily practice, and I intend to use them during my time in the schools. ||
 * Stevens Newcomb || This chapter teaches one to be savvy with a curriculum. Setting up one’s curriculum to teach an idea in many ways is a key concept to building a successful curriculum. There is much emphasis on the flexibility of the curriculum because of the idea of UbD and ID. There are a couple of basics in creating a successful curriculum: key concepts, flexibility, and a variety of teaching techniques. In short, this chapter explains some tricks and a basis for curriculum writing. || This was a chapter that may help me plan a curriculum. I figured that, as a teacher, I would have to make several different curriculums in order to be flexible. In actuality, one could create some margin for change by perhaps keeping some ideas on reserve. I found that because every other chapter talked about multiple intelligences, it is quite important to create a different way to teach the same concept. The concept of multiple intelligences and curriculum changes seems quite revolutionary. ||