UbDDI+B1+Chapter+4



Kaitlyn Bartlett- Abstract: In chapter 4 of UbD/DI, the authors make their main focal point about being flexible with assignments enough to accommodate all types of students within the curriculum. The authors shed light on seemingly simple ideas. explained how ideas that seem so obvious to most are often overlooked. For instance, the authors talked about how if students do not understand they do not benefit from less homework or readings, the same way an honors student does not benefit from learning or reviewing information they have already experienced. In addition, they highlight that students need to be given equal chances, no matter their background because everyone deserves an equal learning opportunity. Teachers need to focus their curriculum more on the students rather than presenting the material, which can be guided by pre assessments and student self-assessments. Synthesis: Through our student blog entries, many had the same feelings about this chapter— that teachers need to spend more [|efforts] on the students rather than focusing on meeting the standards. The main focus of most students were to help students succeed using the 9 attitudes. Many good points were mentioned about different ways to thoroughly help student of all learning types.We feel that students need to understand why it is important to work together and find enough ways to support [|learning] so that what we teach works for each individual.

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Brody
The fourth chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design focused on students having access to rich curriculum while still valuing learner variance. One aspect of the chapter that resonated with me was the part that mentioned that struggling students don’t learn when they do less of what they don’t understand and more advanced students don’t learn when they do more of what they already know. When thinking back to my school, this often happened. I believe this is often because some teachers would rather have every student in the class do the same type of work as they can better control them. This is a lackluster approach as the best educators have varying levels of the “big idea” in their repertoire prepared so they truly attend to varying students’ needs. Another method I plan to use in my classroom is the individual conferences that Ms. Jacoby used so students could analyze their work. I think more is learned here when students can discuss what needs improvement than an arbitrary and often meaningless grade. With these one-on-ones, teachers can better observe a student’s personal growth rather than if they keep up with the class.

Brittany
When reading a chapter out of a book, I take the fact that I have a slight headache as a good thing. It means that there was so much information entering my brain that it simply could not process all of it at once. That is what happened with this chapter. There were so many good ideas and examples of how to adapt a lesson or a classroom to benefit everyone in the room. If just for this chapter, I will continually reference this book in an effort to continually better the way my classroom runs. Not only for the benefit of the students but also for my benefit as I seek to better myself as a teacher.

Jasmyn
I particularly like the section //Accepting Responsibilities for Learner Success//, I think that there are many teachers that except the idea that if students are getting A’s then they have learned the material and the students that are failing are doing so because they aren’t paying attention or have some sort of underlying issues. “If a student is not growing…the teacher is not teaching that student”, I absolutely agree with this statement. In a group conversation we discussed this issue and our conclusion is similar to the book. If a student has prior knowledge of a topic, he/she may be at an advantage, but it is still the teachers’ job to further that child’s learning of the topic. As a new teacher I believe that it will be hard to identify these types of situations, so I will do my best to engage parents, and “establish an environment that has shared responsibility for successful learning between students, parent and me”.

Max
This chapter dealt with the curriculum. The schedule is a very big part of the student’s success. If the material is too hard the people in the class who are struggling will not learn anything because they are not ready for the hard stuff. If it is too easy then the people who are moving along easily are not learning anything new. You need a variety of material. A strategy I might use is give out assessments that I think everyone can do and maybe throw a bonus question on that the more advanced students could get but would not hurt the students who are not ready.

Leighlan
This chapter was about presenting the curriculum in a meaningful and differentiated way. If the unit is built with the desired results in mind it will be easier to differentiate. If one dose not really know one’s destination, then going there using multiple roots and all ending up in the same place is nearly impossible. This is why just giving a student less or more of the same thing does not work; they end up in a different learning destination. However when one knows where one is going really well it is easy to plan multiple roots to that place. This means that all classroom teachers, in order to reach all students must have knowledgeable teachers. A knowledgeable teacher can find another way of explaining something if the first way fails. This is what no child left behind should mean but doesn’t.

Seth
The nine attitudes that typify teachers who help all learners listed on page 40 really hit the nail on the head. It is hard to identify any particular attitude that stands out more than others because they are all so important.

Jen
This chapter had a significant impact on me because there were many ideas in this chapter that I felt were important and had felt "bad" or not as good of a teacher for thinking these ways. I think thing that struck me as most comforting was the fact that I was not the only one who thought it was not just the teachers responsibility to help the students gain the knowledge they need to be successful, but also the students responsibility. It seems to me that within the last week we have read a lot about how it is the teachers responsibility that students understand all these concepts and that students feel welcomed and safe, but it also seems as if the students were expecting the teachers to take the blame if they were unsuccessful. I learned the importance of balance and the student/teacher relationship as a dynamic that would work most efficiently if both parties worked together in providing the best academic experience possible for the student. This chapter also made it evident to me that in the beginning of the year I have to make it clear to my students why I feel it is important for them to work together and how that will make an effective learning environment for everyone. Many things I learned in this chapter such as getting students to understand why it is important to work together, to get students to set personal goals for themselves, and to have them take responsibility for themselves are all things I feel are necessary to incorporate into my future classroom because it will allow the students to be better off and have a better understanding of themselves.

**Mike**
The chapter gives advice about how you can present your lesson in a variety of ways that will help a student succeed. Some lessons are easier to separate from one another. The chapter also talked how you should never give a student who is not understanding the material less work or someone who understands the material very well more work to keep the student busy. Sometimes you need to adjust your teaching to a student one on one to fit in with their learning style. It is also important that a teachers have different ideas or ways to explain their material just in case you run into a scenario where a student is having a hard time grasping your lesson. The scenarios in the chapter helped me understand the type of problems I might run into in the future with students, but I feel having a one on one student teacher relationship will be very helpful. If my students and I check in frequently then I will know what is working or not working with them, and how can we change the way that I am teaching to best fit in with their learning style.

Kaitlyn Bartlett
In chapter four of DI and UbD the section that I liked the most was about “developing flexible classroom teaching routines.” It was the first section that I actually felt like I could use in a way to help better my students. I agreed with most of the bullets about providing material for different types of learner and arranging your room in a way that helps the students learn better. I feel like it will really start to impact my classroom when I start doing projects. I found it interesting that the chapter kept referring to having alternate assignments for different style learners. Although I found it difficult to think of circumstances with my concentration that I could use this and still successfully get all of my students to that same endpoint, I still liked the underlining idea of it.

Kim
This chapter showed me that there are different needs and requirements a teacher should perform in order to maximize student learning in the classroom. The way this chapter was structured makes it seem like teachers need to be really good at a lot of different things, sort of a “jack-of-all-trades,” but I think the key to this is understanding the concepts behind each idea. I like that the scenarios actually give examples for how each teacher used one of the concepts in his or her own classroom. Instead of giving a generalized explanation, there are concrete examples that someone can use as a basis for his or her instruction. I like how one of the teachers spent time working with each student, regardless of the ability level of the student. I will definitely use this in my classroom, especially during writing workshops when many students could use the one on one instruction.

Casey Mull
In Chapter 4 I learned that it is often beneficial to steer away from traditional teacher-student dynamics. It is often not enough for a student to act purely as a receptor and the teacher as a source of knowledge and direction. Teachers should loosen their curriculum so that students can discern where their interests lie. Students will usually motivate themselves if they are given the freedom to pursue their own interests, to some extent. Differentiated teaching allows for teachers to reach students at different levels, of various interests and learning styles. A way teachers can reach a wide array of students is by keeping the syllabus open for amendment and negotiation. A teacher never knows what the needs of students will be before the onset of the class, so don't ossify the curriculum too hastily.

Lillian Barry
What really matters in planning for student success? This is a question that we have been trying to tackle while working on our MEL projects. Being able to teach and gain understanding from all the students. We are teaching human beings and it is not our job just to read out of the book and have them fill in the blanks. We have to make sure that each student is getting an equal chance to gain the knowledge at hand. " There are many ways I can help my students learn. My job is to find enough ways to teach and enough ways to support learning so that what I teach works for each person who needs to learn the essential content."(p.39) This chapter introduces a deeper meaning to differentiated instruction and how we need to plan out curriculum in a flexible way. If I were to just have my lesson plan for microscope learners many people in my class would not understand then then not be engaged in the subject. The scenario on p 43 and the journey west trip is a great example of being flexible and letting students show their knowledge in the way that they can strongly. The teacher and students must both take responsibility in the education and that will lead to a better community feeling relationship. Our classrooms should not be like they were in the past, we have a new outlook on education. Walking around, letter students use different materials or different projects for different subjects and having the students feel like they can also manage the class is a huge thing. The students will put their trust in me and I will no longer be the disciplinary person standing at the front of class, I can be the tool that is used to further your education in the best way possible for your learning style.