DI+UbD+Chapter+2+Block+2


 * Synthesis** - UbD/DI C2 B2

As the title might reflect the most important part of teaching isn’t delivering a lesson or following a strict curriculum it is understanding the students and what it is they need from teachers. The responsibility of the teacher is to make modifications to lesson plans when students are not thriving, or to find other means of teaching the information so that the student may understand what it is they are suppose to be learning. Certain factors can lead to great learning opportunities such as teacher-student relationship, the learning environment, student’s backgrounds, students readiness, and student interest in a subject area. When a teacher-student relationship is formed two things happen; one the student learns how to respect and appreciate the teacher, and two the student feels a sense of value and motivation for the positive encouragement received from the teacher. Sometime the learning environment in which children learn can have a huge effect on the amount of information a student retrieves. When a learning environment creates an atmosphere of negative feedback then a student is less likely to pay attention and want to learn. When teachers can make their classroom a safe and respectful area then students are more likely to participate in the lesson and learn from the material being taught. Understanding that children come to school every day with problems just like the rest of the world is an extremely important concept. Learning about a child’s background give the teacher an advantage to let them know what it is that this child is up against, and to understand may why the child is not as attentive to the work. Students all learn at their own pace, and when it is possible to challenge a student because his or her particular skills are more advance in that certain area teachers need to be ready to supply students with these kinds of needs. Lastly, when teachers can relate the information in class to a student interest students tend to strive to learn the material because it pertains to the students common interest. I find this chapter to be rather useful in the sense that it teaches different way to represent information to a wide array of students. One of my favorite tips that this chapter offers deals with the informal assessments that are given to the students without being graded. This method allows the teacher to get a general understanding of how well the students comprehend what is being taught. The students are given an index card towards the end of the class period and they are to answer the two questions. The cards are collected at the end of class and the teacher can then look over the assignment cards to see if he or she is covering the material as well as they thought. The other tip that I enjoyed reading about and will hopefully be able to incorporate in my classroom will be getting to know and understand where my students are coming from. The book offers numerous ways to begin forming a relationship with students; it can be as simple as standing at the door and using each student’s name or it could progressively become a little more in dept where the students actually journal and write to the teacher about how they are or what is new in his or her life. Despite all of these fascinating tips on how to put the student first and make them understand that they are the most important part of my job I will admit that sometimes when I think about becoming a teacher, and how I will have to somehow comply to each student individual needs, it scares me half to death. I’m reading through this chapter at all the recommendations the authors have given to teacher, and I can’t help but wonder if there is a teacher out there who can, and does, practice the technique of fulfilling each students needs. If it is possible I do hope that I can be one of those teachers who can balance good classroom management techniques, with the ability to individualize my lesson plans to most of my students pertaining to the multiple intelligence learning styles.  The second chapter of the UbD/DI book discusses the students and how they are the center point to teaching. Readers will read about different things that affect a student’s ability to learn and how teachers can attempt to deal with that situation. Sometimes the teachers will do they best that they can and still not be able to fix the students problem. In this chapter, there are four students who all have problems with being able to learn. Two of the students the teacher was able to find a solution for the student’s needs, whereas the other two students ended the year without a resolution for their needs. Teachers will need to be able to focus on the needs of all the students the best that they can. This chapter is all about the different needs and diversity of the students and how the teachers should deal with it.  Many different things can stand out to people in this chapter. The examples of the four students perhaps, stand out the most. It really shows that teachers need to be able to find a solution for many different needs that a student may have. They need to be ready to deal with anything that could get thrown at them. Also, the ten different teaching patterns that are discussed at the end of the chapter are perhaps some of the most useful information in the whole chapter. These ten teaching patterns essentially sum up what the chapter was trying to get across. It really shows readers the different things that teachers need to be able to do while in the classroom and dealing with students. In chapter two Tomlinson and McTighe discuss various factors that may inhibit a student’s achievement. Factors such as personal/private affairs, identity among peers/community, an undiagnosed learning disability, and idiosyncratic learning needs may disrupt a student’s understanding of curriculum. Tomlinson and McTighe also stress the importance of understanding that students come to school largely to find themselves as individuals. Second to finding themselves, students come to the classroom looking for “affirmation, affiliation, accomplishment and autonomy. They are looking or adults who accept them, value them, guide them…” (pg. 16). Tomlinson and McTighe also discuss the importance of teaching responsively and explain that is it important for teachers to attend to teacher-students relationships, the learning environment, students’ backgrounds, student readiness, student interest and student learning profiles. A portion of the text that I highlighted was “differentiation does not advocate ‘individualization,’” (pg. 19) I believe that this is an extremely important fact to remember. We are constantly talking about how important it is to reach and understand our students, but we also have to remember that we are people too not superheroes. I completely agree that it is important to make an effort to reach every student and that some students do need individual adjustments to the curriculum, but it would be entirely overwhelming to fully understand each and every student and have separate curriculum adjustments for all of them. Teaching that way would only wear someone down before their time. It’s a very tight rope to walk; on side it’s far too possible to not pay enough individualized attention and on the other it’s far too possible to over do it at the cost of yourself.
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || Chapter 2 touched upon many different aspects of teaching. For example, how student’s lives outside of school influence their classroom experiences, teaching responsively, and what are ways to teach responsively. Beginning with student’s lives outside of school: it is important for all teachers to understand that there are outside factors that can immensely affect a student during school. Whether these factors derive from home, friends, or any other places, it is important that teachers recognize there can sometimes be barriers that prohibit students from learning to their full potential. The second aspect of teaching chapter two touched upon was why it matters to teach responsively. Teaching responsively means to “make modifications in how students get access to important ideas and skills, in ways that students make sense of and demonstrate essential ideas and skills,” (18). In essence, having a plan for teaching in necessary, however, recognizing that you may not always have to follow that plan is essential. There will be times when your lesson plan is not engaging and not doing much for the students which will cause you to think on your feet and you will be forced switch things up a bit || In chapter 2 there was a quote that stated: “Differentiation does not advocate ‘individualization’” (19). I find that quote to be very interesting because I never really thought of it that way. Many would think that differentiation is meeting individual needs, however, it is about giving a student a better understanding. This is something I could not agree more with. I also found it interesting how chapter 2 talked up devising a plan but not always sticking to it. I think it is important for teachers to be spontaneous and be able to think on their feet when a lesson plan isn’t working well for the students. This chapter gave great insight to teaching responsively and working smart ||
 * Brennick Christopher || The second chapter of the book looks at students in the learning process. The first part of the chapter is looking some real life examples of students who have difficult at school because of issues in their personal lives. This section of the chapter looks at how student personal lives and leaning styles can have an impact on their classroom behavior and also how to overcome those impacts. The second part of this chapter talks about the ways we see a section discussing the differences and similarities that we see in students that will walk through our classroom doors. The next part of the chapter talks about the reason we teach in a responsive way to the needs of the student and about some basic approaches we can take to teach responsively. The closing gives us some question we must always keep in mind when we are planning our curriculum. || This chapter was really useful I felt because it used a healthy mix of why we want to use this approach and some application of the approach which I feel has already became a strength of this book. I think responsive teaching is the biggest part of this chapter I will take forward with me into my classroom. I think education is all too often already set before the year starts without even knowing the needs of the student and not changed. I will plan ahead of time like every else but I will also change that plan based on what is happening with my students and their needs. I also too often we just give assessments at the end and when we really need them is during the unit so we know what kids are getting what information and we still have time to go back if we see kids are struggling. ||
 * Columbia Laura || Chapter 2 of //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// (Tomlinson and McTighe 2006) entitled, "What Really Matters In Teaching?" brings together different key points that show teachers the importance of being a quality teacher. It is very important to focus on whom we are teaching when developing lesson plans and choosing curriculum. Another important facet is realizing how different and deep human beings are. There are often different barriers that keep students from reaching their full potential. One example is a personal barrier, which could be anything going on in a child's life, such as a death or divorce. Another barrier is identity. In some social circles it is not cool to be smart or do well in school. Ideas like these keep many students from reaching their full potential. A learning problem can be a huge barrier. Some students have problem thinking in steps or reading or evening just focusing. This needs to be identified and worked out. Another barrier occurs when a person's learning style does not match the teacher's instructing style. One example given is a young man who had problems sitting still. He finally came to the conclusion that he learned better when he was moving around. Though a lot of students like this can be successful, if they do not overcome these barriers they may fail. Teachers often stick to their style and will label students that achieve success in their environment as successful. Lastly, this chapters specifically states and gives reasons why it is very important to teach responsively. By teaching with the students in mind and considering how they will react, makes a much better learning experience than just sticking to the basic curriculum and procedures. || I think this was a very good chapter and really opened my eyes to how a teacher can teach responsively. The previous information in the chapter I had read or heard about. Yet the information on how to teach responsively really stuck out to me. One of the points is making the student feel valued by the teacher. I remember times in my educational career where I did not feel valued. This hinders that process of learning because you do not feel like you have worth to the teacher. I have looked into information about this, but it just confirmed my ideas on how it is important to have an environment that makes learning possible, and is free from negativity. The formula for when learning takes place, I felt, was very good. It stated that our learning grows when the work is a little too difficult for us, but there is a support system that helps us get past the problem. I felt like this is a good gauge in determining when learning takes place. The part that discussed investing in students interest really inspired me to focus on what they are interested in and incorporating it into the learning process. Through my educational career I remember so much more from the projects where I got to choose the subject, compared to when I was assigned a topic. The next section of the chapter is very helpful. It lists different ways to get to know the students better, and allows a lot of flexibility in the classroom. Yet, at the same time structure in our assessing process is important such as regular assessments, and having a rubric that encourages quality, not quantity. Lastly, out of the whole chapter, this part is what stuck out to me the most. It said that learning occurs within the individual, not at or to them. It is a process that occurs deep inside the student. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Because students learn in different ways, students should always be of the utmost importance when teachers create, put in to practice, and reflect on their plans for their classrooms. Studying the various ways that students learn is a requirement for successful teachers. Teachers must realize that certain teaching methods and plans may not work for all students, and those plans are subject to change, depending on each and every student within his or her classroom. In order to gather a good sense of what kind of student each individual is, teachers must talk to each student. Sometimes a teacher will have no idea why, for example, a once successful student starts to fail every test and miss each assignment, until they talk to them and realize that, for instance, family problems are interfering with their schoolwork. Teachers must acknowledge that students are varied and complex and they must invest time and individual attention and concern to ensure that each student is being reached by curriculum. Teaching responsively is done by teachers who are as familiar with his or her students’ individual learning needs as they are to the requirements of a quality curriculum. Responsive teaching is essential for ensuring that there is a strong and beneficial teacher-student relationship, which leads to student motivation to learn and grow, and accommodation from the teacher for individual backgrounds and needs. Some of the suggested ways of reaching varied learners are as follows: finding ways to get to know students like using dialogue journals; frequently including small-group teaching in teaching routines, so as to accommodate students that need to be taught in different ways or with extra assistance; giving the students the option to work independently or with peers, which can improve learning for students with particular preferences. In order for there to be a successful and impressive curriculum, it has to be able to be implemented in many different ways to accommodate all learners. || This chapter suggests that teachers really need to focus on getting to know their students and how each one learns. Curriculum cannot be successful if it is not implemented in various ways to suit individual learner needs for no curriculum is worthwhile if learning is not happening. One of the important things I learned from this chapter was the list of different teaching patterns that help many learners succeed. These patterns will help teachers make successful curriculum for varied learners, in a way that is not overwhelming when planning. I would definitely use many of these when trying to reach my students. I realize that if I already have a set curriculum in mind, that I have to be ready to help individual students that might not be benefiting from the original plan I had in mind. ||
 * Cummons Michael || This chapter shows that the reasons for students not being able to learn are numerous. Many students have different needs. It is very important for teachers to find ways to reach different students needs. Helping students get past what blocks them from learning is something that teachers must take responsibility for. There are many different ways for teachers to go about this. One way, is teaching in many different ways, as this gives students opportunities to learn in their own way. Reaching students by using what they may be interested is another way of doing this. || I enjoyed this chapter very much, as it shows ways for teachers to reach different kinds of learners, with many different needs. Many of the scenarios help me as a teacher, as they start the thinking process about how to look at teaching my students. Every student is different than other students in so many ways. Teaching a subject in one particular way is not only ineffective, but also foolish. When something goes wrong in the classroom, I as a teacher must be able to adjust. Having back up plans when my lesson is not working is essential when trying to reach every student. I feel that students are in a way, in control of the lesson, as they are the ones who are actually in charge of learning the material. Ignoring their requests is to ignore the learning process itself. ||
 * Damboise Kelley ||  ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter two of Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction began by elaborating on what was said in chapter one about the who, what, and how of teaching and then continued into how a student’s personal life, like Elise’s, can effect the plans and teaching. Other examples were given to show the different ways that your teaching and student success may be affected by someone’s identity confusion, learning problems, learning styles, etc. Teaching responsively and why it matters was addressed in the book and then there were many different examples of how to begin to become a responsive teacher. || This chapter of the reading was the most interesting because it offered a lot of real life examples of ways that your teaching could be obstructed and how you can be a responsive teacher. As future teachers, we all know that working on student/teacher relationships, improving learning environments, and enabling the efficiency of learning should be at the tops of our lists of things to accomplish in our classrooms. I really liked how the book even gave different examples and approaches of how to become a responsive teacher. One approach that I thought was especially interesting addressed having high expectations and not lowing them. Many of the suggestions were ones you would expect to read, but this particular one said that giving students high expectations and challenges and then giving support and encouragement could help them achieve higher goals than one might have expected. ||
 * Knowles Christina || This chapter focused on the fact that teachers need to understand the lives their students have outside of the classroom. In some examples the book had given, we are told of students who cannot focus in the classroom, not because they did not want to, but because they were too distracted by their home lives. This chapter says that as teachers we need to understand that the subject we teach is not the only thing important in the classroom, but how we teach the students is also important. || I feel that knowing the lives of our students is extremely important because there are going to be circumstances where life gets in the way of a student’s class work. I feel it is wrong to just assume that a student does not care about his or her work because most students do. We should not assume that a student is a slacker or is going to fail because there might be a reason behind them struggling in class. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || In chapter two there are two main focuses. One being how to read your student’s actions, and then how to change your teaching structure once you figure out your student. “The student is the focal point of our work as teachers” (12). This quote sums up the entire chapter I think. Focusing more on your students learning abilities and why they might not understand the material the material you are trying to teach. This chapter gives you an insight to the lives of children in the middle school and high school levels, what might be going on at home and inside their heads. It shows you that these young adults are trying to find themselves and find out where they belong in the big picture. Because of this some students will punish themselves in school just to fit in or just so their parents will notice them. The chapter also tells the reader how to handle their classroom once a problem has been identified and put on the right track. It gives the reader different ideas as how to handle different situations and how the teacher can be accommodating to certain problems. || I really connected with this chapter because I feel I already do some of these things at the Y.M.C.A. day camp I work at in the summer. You have no idea where these children are coming and what their home life is like. They are coming to you as a brand new child and hopefully willing to have fun and learn. You, as the responsible adult, need to provide a safe learning area so that the student will feel motivated to learn. At the camp I work at we are taught that acting out a great deal and not listening may be a cry for help. A lot of the children we see come from homes where their parents are just looking for someplace to send their kids so they do not have to deal with them during the day. So, their acting out and not listening is usually how, at home, they get attention, and not used to a loving environment they carry that same mentality to camp. These same kids will do this at school too. It is the teacher’s responsibility to get to the root of the problem and create a fun and interesting lesson for that student. Every student has the right to learn. In every classroom there are going to be many students that need one and one attention or at least a special motivation. No classroom is perfect, but that is what makes teaching interesting. ||
 * O'Neil Christopher ||  ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || This chapter described several reasons that learning could not occur within a classroom that teachers discover. The examples given were personal crises, issues within a community of racial stereotypes and academic expectations, undiagnosed learning problems, and dominant intelligences that affect the learning patterns. Each of these situations are reasons why learning sometimes fails to occur. The chapter moves on to introduce the concept of teaching responsively, or teaching with the individual students’ needs, as well as the needs of the entire group, in mind. As we have discussed before, student-teacher relationships, the learning environment, and consideration of students’ personal backgrounds are key elements to keep in mind when striving to teach responsively. The suggestions that followed were more specific in that each targeted an aspect of teaching that would directly agree with one of the three above elements; relationships, environment, and background/skill. || I saw the components that fell under the three elements more like a checklist of things to remember to incorporate into a successful learning environment. Under the umbrella of student-teacher relationships, the suggestion that teachers should know things about the student and their personality, as well as allow the students to work together in small groups or alone is something that I would have thought were a standard teaching technique. The same idea goes for using clear rubrics to grade, and even using ‘exit cards,’ as page 21 put it, for assessments. I would have thought that those were standard and more or less easier for the teacher to determine whether or not the course material was being learned in the manner hoped for rather than a way of teaching for the student. ||
 * Trundy Monique ||  ||
 * Webb Christopher || This chapter mainly discusses students and how to deal with teaching them as they juggle being adolescents trying to find themselves and balance the busy lifestyles of teenagers. The focus of the first half of the chapter was about how to overcome certain situations which might inhibit a student’s ability to learn in the classroom. Some examples of difficult situations a student might be facing were identity crisis, having a diagnosed learning problem, personal problems at home or school, and many others. It emphasized how we not only have to factor in our own teaching style as possibly not being effective to students but that other outside factors could be influencing our effectiveness and we need to take note of that. Most of the second half of the chapter is reserved for teaching tips such as; “Offer more ways to explore and express learning” and “incorporate small-group teaching into daily or weekly teaching routines” (page 20). This chapter mainly helps us think about whom we are trying to teach and how that will affect our curriculum and what things we will need to do to adapt. || I thought the best part of this chapter was towards the end when the author said “learning happens //within// students, not //to// them//”//. Just that one simple sentence struck a chord with me and got me to think differently about teaching and how I would teach. I think everyone had that one teacher in high school who simply stood in front of the class the entire period and lectured and had everyone falling asleep halfway through class, I don’t want that to be me. That is why I hope this book and this class will help me develop different teaching techniques and styles so that I can make sure everyone in my class comes out of it with a sound understanding of the content and are able to effectively relate to the material. The chapter also ends with many questions and I thought that was a good way to leave it off because even once you stop reading those questions are still running through your mind and the book is still making you think about things. ||
 * West Simon || This chapter focuses on how students are the must important aspect in teaching, and how they should be the focal point in the way a professional chooses to teach. The chapter says that it seems difficult to imagine someone being an effective teacher if they are not constantly thinking about the students and the art of teaching. The chapter gives several true and important examples of how individual circumstances in student’s lives can affect their ability in the classroom. The examples were very powerful and ranged from a child who found that he was able to learn better if he could pace while he was thinking, to a young lady who was failing on purpose so that her recently divorced parents would have no choice but to meet with one another and discuss the issue. Later the chapter brings to mind that in grade school students are not necessarily attempting to find a vast understanding for the material being presented to them, they are simply trying to develop a sense of self, autonomy, and hopefully some accomplishment. The chapter states that it is all too often students who are able to learn from the original curriculum are seen as successful, while those students who could use some adjusting of the curriculum to assist them are seen as failures. || This chapter helped me see in more depth the practicality and importance of UBD and DI in the classroom, by giving examples of various students, and showing how their shortcomings in the classroom were not a result of insufficient abilities, but was more a cause of home life, cultural tensions, and varying learning styles. It really stuck hard to the idea that students are the most important part of putting together a curriculum. ||