FIAE+Chapter+1+Block+2

[|Synthesis - FIAE C1 B2]

Wormeli, R. (2006). //Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom.// Stenhouse: Portland, Me. || Overall, I thought chapter one was informative, but covered a lot of information that we had already touched upon in class or learned about through //Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction.// I did enjoy the first few pages of the reading, though, because it gave a lot of examples of differentiated instruction in the classroom. Some of the examples that were given I had never considered being a part of DI. For example, a teacher standing by your desk to keep you focused, or having them rephrase questions in a different way so that you can understand the question, or having them sit in small groups to help struggling students. These are all things that happen daily, so I never thought of it as scaffolding. I also really enjoyed the example given about the two students who were to read something on a bulletin board from across the classroom. The undifferentiated classroom would not let the students with glasses use them. This would cause all his test scores to be skewed. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher would encourage them to be used, and then have the standards be higher. I just thought that it was a pretty interesting and valid analogy. || In the first chapter of Fair Isn’t Always Equal (FIAE), Wormeli defines differentiation. Wormeli explains the importance of differentiation in the classroom and the positive effect it has on students. He also addresses many of the concerns about differentiated instruction. “Differentiated instruction does not mean we make learning easier for students. Instead, it provides the appropriate challenge that enable students to thrive.” (pg. 4).
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || Chapter one in Fair Isn’t Always Equal sets the foundation for differentiated instruction. It presents the idea of if differentiated teaching is really good for all students. The book then presents the question of if differentiated instruction is fair for every student. It then depicts differentiated instruction by making the comparisons of if it makes it easier for children or if it actually challenges students in different ways to enhance different intelligences. The book then gave examples of different ways teachers have incorporated differentiation in their classrooms; simple things such as extending deadlines. Overall, this chapter set up differentiated instruction perfectly for the rest of the book. || I really enjoyed this chapter. The point I like the most that the chapter made was the differentiation is not designed to make learning easier for students it is instructed to challenge students in different ways. And prior to reading this chapter I never really thought of it as that way. I think it is important to define the differences between making things easier for students and challenging them in new and instructive ways. ||
 * Brennick Christopher || The first chapter of the book Fair Isn’t Always Equal gives us a starting point and context before we go into reading this book by giving a rationale and definition. The book ask us to think back to see ways we had encountered differentiated instruction during our schooling as a way for us to make a personal connection to this idea. The book gives us a definition of differentiated instruction as doing what is fair for student. The book goes on to say by using differentiated instruction we are able to make all students into good people because rather then giving them an excuse not to do the work but if we give differentiated instruction they have a support system so they are compelled to do the work we give them. || I really appreciate this chapter because it puts into context the whole book and givers us pre-service teachers a starting point for grasping the new information we need to become strong teachers. I really liked the way the book asked about our own experience with differentiated instruction because it showed us how we all have difference needs that our teachers helped us with and we must pass that on to our students as we go into the classroom. I think the other really major point the book makes about not allowing students to cop out is important. The reason it becomes important is kids will always try to take the easiest way out of the class and if we meet their needs we take ||
 * Columbia Laura || In the first chapter of Fair Isn't Always Equal, Rick Wormeli, the author, points out that our teachers have been differentiating our learning, though it may not have been labeled that. Wormeli explains differentiated instruction as doing what is fair for the student. Though there have been arguments that differentiated learning makes it easier for the student. It actually gives students an appropriate challenge where they can excel Another argument presented is the idea that students will not be able to learn in another class if the teacher does not use differentiated techniques. Yet, students will be able to learn because differentiated instruction encourages students to learn who they are as a learner so they can find the best ways to learn. Lastly, a strong point is made about how teachers create the climate in the classroom. We have to choice to be an encouragement to a student or to discourage them. || This chapter really helped me to understand differentiated learning. By giving simple examples of differentiated learning, I realized how much differentiated learning my former teachers had used. As I was reading this chapter I began to worry that differentiated learning would make learning too easy. Yet, it is clearly explained that it does not. It actually gives no excuses for students not to learn. As well as challenging them at their level. The final part of this chapter really encouraged me to be a good teacher. It states that we can either be uplifting as a teacher or discouraging. We have the choice in certain situations to humiliate or humor. Even though I know I am not going to be the perfect teacher, I want to try and be the best teacher that I can be. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Chapter one of “Fair Isn’t Always Equal” by Rick Wormeli is about differentiation and the different ways that teacher practice differentiated instruction in their classrooms, like extending deadlines, rephrasing questions, providing extra examples, and regrouping the class. By definition, differentiated instruction is “doing what’s fair for students” (page 3). The diverse approaches to learning are what make differentiated classrooms successful, as all students are able to learn. The chapter also addresses the question of if students are brought up in differentiated classrooms, will they be able to be successful in classrooms where teachers do not practice differentiated instruction? The answer to that question is that they will be able to succeed in these classrooms as long as they carried with them the knowledge of the content they had learned in those earlier classrooms. Differentiation is about teachers sharing the responsibility in the classroom, and helping each student get the individual attention as a learner that they deserve. || This chapter helped outline what differentiation is by providing clear examples that made it easy for me to think of my own personal examples of seeing differentiation being instructed in the classroom. I remember past teachers practicing differentiated instruction by rephrasing questions so I could better understand them, letting my classmates and I work together in small groups and then coming around so we can all process the information in our own ways and helping each other. By gaining a clear sense of what differentiation is, I now know various ways that I can practice differentiated instruction, like providing some students with extra materials like technology so they can better learn the material, or by providing some students with visuals when we are reading. ||
 * Cummons Michael || Chapter one of FIAE is about the mindset of Differentiated Instruction in the classroom. This chapter asks the reader if they remember anytime when the teacher treated you differently in the classroom to better suit your learning needs. For example, has a teacher ever moved you to a different part of the room, took extra time to explain //you something,// or given you a choice among many assignments to best fit your needs. Differentiated learning is essential in education to help students truly learn material. There is much research as of late about how the brain works. The 1990s was labeled ‘The Year of the Brain.’ This chapter points out that it is important to remember that most information about the brain and learning is new, and that it is not always fact. Differentiated Instruction is defined in the book as “doing what’s fair for students. It’s a collection of best practices strategically employed to maximize students learning at every turn, including giving them the tools to handle anything that is undifferentiated. Some argue that students who are taught under DI will not be prepared for college, because college does not offer a lot of DI. This is not true, because students will learn better under DI and have more knowledge for further education. This book gives examples of differentiation in the real world. One example is a garage mechanic who is in charge of fixing the timing in a car’s engine that he has never serviced before. He makes adjustments, by extending deadlines and using resources to get the job done. || I enjoyed this chapter very much. It really showed the necessity of DI in the classroom. This chapter made me think back to when I was in high school, when different teachers helped me with certain subjects or extended deadlines. In many of the examples that I was able to think of, I was actually remember learning better. Each student is a different kind of learning and really needs to be treated like one. I really agree with this chapter and want to use some of these ideas in my own classroom ||
 * Damboise Kelley || Chapter one answers a couple of big question such as: what is differentiated instruction, are students going to become dependent on this method of teaching and not be able to learn in any other way, is providing differentiated instruction, to the students who need it, fair for all students, and does the real world use differentiated instruction? The book defines differentiated instruction as a “collection of best practices strategically employed to maximize students’ learning at every turn, including giving them the tools to handle anything that is undifferentiated”. (Wormeli, p. 3) Parents and some teachers worry that students will become dependent on this kind of teaching, and they will not be able to learn in any other way. What if not all the teacher’s teach in this manner, does that mean that a student who has been provided with differentiated instructions will not learn the material if it isn’t presented the same way? The book reassures concerned parents and teacher’s that children can still learning without differentiated instructions; however, they may not understand the material as well as if it were presented in a way that complies to his or her learning style. Is this a fair method of teaching for all students? Yes it is, differentiated instruction is not individual instruction it is just a different way of presenting material to students who may need it explained in another way. The book gives three examples as to how people in the real world use differentiated instruction; mechanics, military men, and surgeons all practice differentiated instruction within their profession. || In the beginning of chapter one examples were given of how teachers have been actively using differentiated instruction for years without even knowing it. That’s why I am confused as to why some parents and teachers wonder if children are relying too much on this kind of teaching. If a teaching practice is working, and children are learning from this kind of teaching, why would we worry if they are dependent on this practice? Isn’t it more important that a child learns and understand basic concepts so that later on in life they can use these basic concepts to apply them to parts of his or her life? I also can’t believe that people would wonder if this method of teaching is fair to all students. For years teachers have been complying with the students who learn best by listening to lectures and taking notes. Those students who don’t learn this way have been suffering and it hasn’t been fair for them. Differentiated instruction is not an individual instruction; teachers are not going out of their way and giving special lessons to the other children, they are just providing a different way of explaining the topic. ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter one in //Fair Isn’t Always Equal// touched upon many different aspects of teaching, but really focused on differentiated instruction in the classroom. It began by discussing different methods that past teachers have used differentiated instruction in their classroom. The book defined differentiated instruction as doing certain things such as scaffolding for students who may not be understanding the material through general classroom lectures or practices. The book also states that DI is “whatever works to advance the students (page 3).” Using differentiated instruction has great results both during and after the fact because students understand who they are as learners. It doesn’t make learning easier for the students, but challenges them in different ways. One idea that was posed in the book was whether or not differentiated instruction would inhibit students in higher grade levels if this kind of instruction wasn’t provided. Fortunately, students will succeed because, as mentioned before, they get to know themselves as learners and have the encouragement of teachers.
 * Knowles Christina || This chapter started off talking about small things a person can do in the classroom to improve the environment. The chapter then talks about the science of the brain. The chapter talks about doing what is fair for each student. Differentiating the classroom allows the students to learn the most they can. The chapter also mentions that standardize testing does not reach every student. We also learn about the differences between differentiated classes and undifferentiated classes. Undifferentiated classes can make students feel like they have to give up on the class because the teacher will only do what he wants instead of doing what is best for the students. || I thought that it was very interesting to learn about differentiation in the classroom. Now that I have read about it, I agree that it is very important in the classroom. I definitely do not want my class to be undifferentiated. I do not want my students to think I will not allow a variety of assessments. I also do not want my students to feel like they will only fail in my class. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || Chapter one gave the reader a foundation of how to use differentiated classrooms. Differentiated instruction is defined as doing what is fair for the students. Chapter one informs the reader that even though it may seem difficult at first adapting to your students comes naturally after some “practice”. Chapter one also points out that all students will do well on standardized test if, and only if, they have learned the material properly somewhere in their education. A student learning is the number one priority of a teacher. || “Most teachers who dive into differentiation’s mind-set and practices feel liberated, not burdened” (8). Thank goodness! I am not going to lie that when I was reading all this information about accommodating different students at different times was really tedious sounding. But this chapter really dissects the fundamentals of differentiated instruction into little pits and pieces. It allows the reader to breathe and understand what exactly this type of teaching is all about. I like how the chapter also went into great detail that yes, this is a crutch, but not a crippling crutch. It is a crutch that can be leaned on but will also teach individuals how to find their own answers later on in life. ||
 * O'Neil Christopher || Chapter one introduced the idea of differentiated instruction in the classrooms. Differentiated instruction is defined in the chapter as "doing what's fair for students. It's a collection of best practices and strategically employed to maximize students' learning at every turn, including giving them the tools to handle anything that is undifferentiated" (pg. 3). Differentiated instruction can be anything from extending a deadline to standing next to a student to keep their attention. Knowing about the human brain like teachers do today is very helpful in differentiated teaching. However, teachers need to keep in mind that the brain is still being tested, so things may change at any point in time. Differentiated instruction creates highly competent and independent thinking students. Even if their next level of learning does not differentiate instruction, the students will still be much better off than if they did not experience differentiated instruction. || I really like the idea of differentiated instruction. Teachers should be able to change their way of doing things to fit the needs of the students. I feel that if a teacher notices that a student does not understand something, then they should find a different way to teach it to that student so that he understands it better. Also, as stated in the chapter, students that never experienced differentiated instruction would not graduate from school. Students should learn what differentiated instruction is because they will use it in every aspect of their lives. They will even use it in the jobs they get after they are finished school. ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || The first chapter in Fair Isn’t Always Equal begins with a clear definition of differentiation, that being what’s fair to draw out the fullest extent of learning for each student. It allows that most of the time, people focus on differentiated elements like learner profiling, rather than the whole idea of differentiation. Allowing for differentiated classrooms not only prepares each and every student for standardized testing because, in their own way in the classroom, they have grasped the material they will be asked on these tests, but prepared them for their futures. Real life is full of differentiation. Teaching this way, essentially, prepares students for ‘the real world.’ || We’ve spent so much time talking about differentiated practices that I didn’t even stop to think about the possibility that the things we do in the classroom to appeal to each learner profiles prepare the students for standardized tests. Or even that we prepare them for their careers. The example of the automotive mechanic really cemented this idea to me. This gives them the tools to adapt their futures to their personal learning profiles. ||
 * Trundy Monique ||  ||

I found this quote extremely interesting. I had been reading about differentiated instruction with the idea that it would help make learning easier. Wormeli makes an interesting point, adjusting a curriculum so a student and find a new way to learn does not necessarily make learning the new information easier for them. It simply provides a challenge that they will be able to meet as an individual. Wormeli writes that many parents and educators see differentiated instruction as a crutch to students. This simply isn’t so. Differentiation in the classroom does not give students something to lean on to depend upon to learn, it gives them a change to be challenged in way they can relate to so they grow at a rate appropriate to them. Through the examples that the book gives about differentiation in the real world I am greater able to appreciate its applicability in the classroom. Though even after reading this chapter it is difficult to think of fair and equal as two separate concepts, I do more clearly see the idea behind differentiated learning techniques. One of the best analogies I can think of for scaffolding and differentiated learning is how as children learn to walk and build their muscles parents must often hold them by the arms of chest. Some children need more assistance than others, and some will require assistance for longer than others and their parents will differentiate as they see fit to accomplish the ultimate goal-their child walking independently. The concept of removing the near-sighted child’s glasses was also quite thought-provoking for me. The idea that removing their glasses actually makes learning easier was strange, but I understand the chapter means by providing that student with the ability to build excuses for why they are unable to achieve their potential. This helps me a lot because from just that simple statement I feel that I will know how to deal with students who seem to be creating excuses for why they cannot learn. With those excuses I will then develop a lesson plan to assist that child, and hopefully engage them enough so they will not create excuses, but rather ask for assistance. This chapter in FIAE opens by asking us to recall any times in our school history that we can remember out teachers using differentiated learning in their classrooms. We are given several examples of very simple things that many of our teachers did to differentiate their classrooms, while we didn’t understand or even notice what they were doing. The chapter lists things as simple as seating arrangement, to which students they chose to stand close to in order to keep them paying attention. The chapter goes into greater detail of these occurrences and then gets to the point of the chapter, which is to state that being fair does not always mean being equal. The chapter states that giving a student more attention than another, or offering different modes of performing a task may not always be equal in practice, but it levels both students in their ability to lean, which makes differentiation fair. The whole idea behind differentiation is doing what is fair, and whatever works to advance students. The chapter states that differentiated learning is not to make learning easier for a student, but to do what is necessary to give them the appropriate challenge for their abilities in order to help them learn. This chapter tells us that many educators see differentiated learning as a crutch in its negative connotation, when in reality it is a crutch but in a positive way. We read that this “crutch” per say is just a tool in order to achieve a higher accomplishment. Much of this “crutch” idea can be explained by the use of scaffolding in education. The end of the chapter leaves us with the important point that being fair does not always mean that we will be equal, but as educators it is our job to always be fair and appropriate, rather than spoon-feeding a one-size-fits-all curriculum.
 * Webb Christopher || The first chapter of the FIAE book beings by making us think back to our years in Middle School or High School and reflect upon any examples of differentiated instruction we can remember. It expands upon this idea by giving us terms we can use such as scaffolding, tiering, differentiation principles, respectful tasks, flexible grouping, learner profiles, readiness, and anchor lessons. It explains that differentiation does __not__ make it easier for students to learn, rather, it assesses the appropriate challenge for each student and allows for them to thrive. It says that some people claim DI is a crutch, this point is not argued, however; they do not use the word crutch in a negative connotation. Di simply helps students to achieve more. Some real life examples they gave of places that also incorporated DI were the military and perhaps a surgeon. || What I liked about this chapter was that it built off of everything we already knew about DI and that it wasn’t just a repetition of everything. It provided clear examples of other places and instances in life when DI is useful outside of the classroom. I now understand how DI doesn’t necessarily make it easier for students to learn ( although it does ) but how it identifies each students strengths and weaknesses and figures out how to teach effectively to each individual no matter how far ahead or behind they may be. One of the most helpful sections was about student and teacher responsibility and how it stated that the most successful teachers were not the ones who took all responsibility for their students learning or put all responsibility in the student’s hands, but they were the ones who were able to place the balance in the middle. ||
 * West Simon ||  ||