UbDDI+B2+Chapter+2



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Synthesis - Dan B.
Chapter 2 talks about the how a teacher needs to really get to know the students, and engage them in their classrooms. The chapter also talked about how a teacher need to be responsive to each students needs. Responsive teaching means that if a student does not understand the material the teacher will try to convey the material in another way so that they student can understand it. A teacher does not need to individualize each and every lesson, because that would be nearly and impossible and also because in most cases it would be unnecessary because not all students need each and every lesson to be differentiated. The teacher only needs to differentiate if the student does not understand the material the first time around, if every student does understand then there would be no need for the teacher to try and explain it again. Another thing that really jumped out in the blog entries is that a teacher can not only be able to teach in one way, they need to be able to cover the material in a variety of ways; even if the teacher thinks that they have a way to convey the material to all students they could be wrong and a student may not understand what is being taught, and if the teacher can only teach the material one way then the student will not learn anything. The most important person in the schools are not the teachers, or the administrators, the most important person in the schools are the students and the goal is to teach each and every student effectively. A teacher needs to be able to respond to each and every students needs, and if a student does not understand one way the material is presented then the teacher needs to try another way to convey the information in another way so every student can master the material.
 * Abstract**

The thing that is most important in teaching is getting to know how your students learn. It is important to know this because if you know their learning style it will make it easier for you to [|differentiate instruction] if the student does not understand something. Not all students are the same, so you need to be able to teach in a variety of ways so that if a student struggles with a concept then you, as a teacher, can explain it in a way that suits them better. A lot of people also agreed that being a [|responsive teacher] is important because as a teacher you need to be able to teach all kinds of students and change your teaching style if someone does not understand the material. You will encounter students from all kinds of situations and will need to be able to reach them; you may also have students with special needs, like they may have Autism, and you will need to be able to teach them. The first link was a website that first outline the importance of differentiated instruction, and then gave tips to help teachers use it in their classrooms. The second link talked about being a responsive teacher; it said that you can have a number of different kinds of students and you need to be able to teach all of them. The second site also had a number of links on it that dealt with responsive teaching.
 * Synthesis Reflection**

Justin C.
The second chapter of //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// discussed the most important part of teaching, the students. A teacher could go in to the next lesson and be completely thrown backwards by a student’s knowledge. An example of this that really stuck out at me was, “A student’s personal crisis eclipsed the teacher’s well-developed plans” (13). What I got out of the scenario that this quote went along with, a situation outside of school, a situation that the teacher seemed to never have seen coming, threw her off track and the student’s grades started to make more sense. The important lesson that I took out of this scenario was that problems that arise in students are not always classroom based. There are many outside factors that can play a crucial role in a student’s performance when they are in the classroom.

Danny
Chapter 2 covered more things that I have heard and thought about before. The chapter covered how the most important thing in teaching are the students. You will have many different types of students who have very different types of lives. Some students may have learning problems, home problems, social problems, etc. that may affect their learning. It is important as a teacher to be aware of your students and what is going on with them, not only in the classroom but also outside the classroom. By knowing more about your students you will be able to relate the curriculum to your students better. My health teacher Mr. Hatch (who helped influence me to get into health education) use to do many of the things listed in this chapter. One of these things that seem small but really made a big difference is that instead of being like a lot of teachers and staying in their room in between periods, Mr. Hatch would stand outside his classroom door. Mr. Hatch would make sure to talk to anyone that came by, especially if it looked like a student was having a bad day or needed to talk to someone. Every day when I walked by Mr. Hatch’s room in the morning he would always say good morning to me and ask me how I was doing. He would always keep track of his students and their extracurricular activities, so the next day at school he would know how you did in your game or at your art showing the night before. He retired after my junior year and you could tell the difference my senior year without him being there. It is important for students to feel their teachers care about them in and out of the classroom. As the chapter stated on page 16, “They are looking for adults who accept them, value them, guide them, and represent for them what it means to be a competent and caring adult.”

Tyler
Right from the beginning this chapter made it clear that the student is the main focus. After some thought, it seemed odd that I didn’t think of it that way from the very beginning. Schools are made to educate the students. Teachers are only there for the sake of the student. It should be the teacher’s main goal to educate the students to the best of their ability. When I think of school, I think of the principles, the building, the teachers, and all the other aspects. In the end, it all comes down to the student though. Everything that is in place is for that one single purpose. Then it compared the idea of a simple world to the actual world. In a simple world, a teacher just has to give the information, and the student absorbs it easily. In the real world though, that just doesn’t happen, at least not the majority of the time. This led to the idea of responsive teaching. Again, this isn’t something I had never thought of before, but reading about it actually made me really think about some of the problems that you can, and probably will face, as a teacher. Every student is different, and all require something a little bit different. Some may be having some trouble at home or with friends. Others might have their identity at stake, or they learn better some ways than they would others. To effectively help the student, which as mentioned before is the reason for the existence of a teacher, they must use responsive teaching. As a teacher, you identify those specific needs of students, and you teach for those differences. If someone learns better one way than another, it is the teacher’s responsibility to attempt to teach through that method when possible. For example, some kids will learn better simply by sitting on their own, thinking over the information. Other kids might do better if they can discuss their ideas, or hear them from someone else. In that case, you can give students the option of working on their own or working together. In that situation, it allows both types of student to do what they would prefer. If you force them to work one way or the other, you can seriously hinder the other type of students learning. I am glad that I am going into teaching for the reasons I am. I really disliked when my teachers only taught one way, leaving some behind or hindering others who wanted to go forward. Lectures every day, or forced group work that really wasn’t necessary, all of those things seemed to hurt some people in the class, even if they helped others. My main thought going into this was that I would do my best to provide as best I could for those different types of learners, since it was my teacher’s failure to do so that really made me lose interest in school myself. I would like to inspire others, rather than make them lose faith in the entire school system, as I did.

Tiarra
Chapter two shows us that students are the decisive factor in teaching and as they go along in their daily lives, growing and changing, our plans and lessons must also grow and change, adapting to each individual student. There are many different facets which effect a student’s academic growth, some may be obvious while others may not. However a good teacher will find a way to effectively respond to and overcome these personal crises, learning disabilities, learning preferences, interests etc. Giving leeway to autonomy and developing patterns of instruction increase student motivation by playing to their varying levels of interests and abilities. By studying the multiple intelligences of students and learning which activities are most effective for each kind of intelligence a teacher can develop curriculum and teaching methods that will reach a wide variety of students. Developing good teacher-student relationships as well as a comfortable and respectful environment brings energy to the classroom and allows individuals to feel important and accomplished. This chapter models several different approaches to responsive teaching that I will implement in my future classes.

Dan B.
In the beginning of chapter two Tomlinson and McTighe say that the most important part of being a teacher is continuing to seek a deeper understanding of the essence of your subject. I think that this is a very important part to being a teacher, I think that even if you think you know all there is to know about a subject you can still learn more. I think that one of the most important things a teacher can do is to show an enthusiasm and passion for the subject that they are teaching. If a teacher has a passion for the subject it will make the students want to learn and succeed in the class. As a teacher I plan to bring a passion about my subject to my classroom and I will hope to engage everybody that goes through my classes.

Chris D.
In chapter 2 of Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design, many examples of how to make students successful are given. A method that jumped out at me while reading this chapter was the use of informal assessments in order to look at student understanding. It got me thinking about different ways at which I could use this as a way of evaluating how well my students know the material I’m presenting to them without it hurting their grade. Tomlinson and McTighe suggest “have students answer one or two key questions on an index card as a class period ends and turn the card in to the teacher at the end of the class period” (21). I believe that this is an effective way of the students demonstrating their knowledge, or lack of knowledge of what I’m teaching them. If my students can prove to me that they know a certain formula and its applications, then I could move on to a new subject. However, if not everyone can answer the question correctly, or if their slightly unsure of what a formula’s uses are, then I would spend a little more time on that section making sure everyone understands what I’m telling them before moving on to a new section.

Jonathan B.
This chapter illustrates the fact that despite a teacher's best efforts to craft a foolproof curriculum, there can be students who will thwart it based on the inherent complexity of humans themselves. For instance, the girl who failed on purpose because she fervently believed an academic crisis would bring her parents back together. Another instance depicted a boy whose comprehension of and ability to work with the curriculum was being overridden by a constant struggle based on his identity. These cases show that a teacher must be willing to make changes to the plan. Teachers must be dynamic and responsive, and ready to tackle each problem individually. This means getting to know your students well, and how various factors might influence the way they learn. Beyond being responsive, there are proactive ways to build a learning environment that caters to students of all backgrounds. Teaching, I would include variance in teaching regarding assessment, teaching styles, group work, expression of learning, and diversity.

Jen R.
In chapter two, the idea of chapter one is reinforced in greater detail and with new concepts. I learned that if you view teaching as a form of art, and each student as an individual artist, it is much easier to grasp the concept of the variety learning styles present within a classroom. I learned that the best teaching strategies are those subject to change and easily adjustable. These interchangeable strategies allow for the teacher to adapt his/her lesson plans to better suit each individual learning style and benefit the student to the best of their ability. I also recognized that it is important to focus on approaches that enhance responsive teaching in a classroom; meaning that as a teacher, it is my job to detect what style of learning works best for each individual student. I was impacted by the four personal stories shared in the chapter and learned from those that it is easier to benefit all students and incorporate each learning style when you implement various methods of instruction into your curriculum.

Will L.
The second chapter focuses on the students. It is the teacher’s job to make sure that all students are learning and reaching their true potential as learners. It’s important to make sure that how certain material is taught so it is most effective in the classroom. If student’s grades dip due to a lack of understanding, it’s important to recognize that right away so it doesn’t continue. Upon becoming an educator, I will try my hardest to pay attention to the grade patterns of my students. Effective instruction will be evident when students are doing well in the classroom.

Grace K.
Chapter 2 dealt with some of the real-world challenges of differentiating instruction. It was reassuring to me that the book acknowledged that tailoring a lesson to each individual student was unrealistic, and that instead we should focus on making a pattern of differentiated instruction. I think about this a lot, as a future social studies teacher, because there are so many resources for teachers in our concentration to differentiate instruction. A history class could //easily// incorporate traditional folk music, art, poetry, video of historical events or speeches, clips from movies or plays dealing with a historical event, and any other of a vast pool of resources we have at our disposal. I am at once intimidated and energized by the thought of it, and I think the major thing I got out of this chapter is that it is okay to feel both of those things. The chapter stressed starting small if things seem too daunting, and since sometimes I feel like my problem is too many ideas, I think this is good advice. There were several things that I was relieved to see the chapter cover, particularly how a teacher might implement “small-group teaching,” the fact that teaching to the “high end” is good for a classroom if done supportively, the use of effective rubrics that focus on quality rather than quantity, and the mention of basic reading strategies. I feel like social studies lends itself easily to short daily read-alouds (done by the teacher or by willing students… all the better if they’re theatrically inclined) as well as group in-depth reading of things like primary documents.

Grady B.
In this chapter, I was further reassured from my initial misgivings regarding teaching to the needs of so many students, especially in the “Basic Approaches to Responsive Teaching” section, where the difference between differentiation and individualization was laid out plainly. I can see how it would be much more attainable to “implement patterns of instruction likely to serve multiple needs” (pg. 19), as opposed to trying to design dozens of individualized lesson plans. I can see, however, that while likely not ultimately attainable, striving toward being as individualized as possible would be a positive goal to work towards. I also found myself interested in the method of informal assessment described on page 21, where students turned in a note-card after each class, answering a key question that was answered during the period. Steps like this one and the preassessment strategy laid out in chapter I would provide invaluable, nearly real-time data, which would allow for immediate response in subsequent lesson plans. Being able to use this information effectively would require skill of its own, but just implementing these steps would constitute a decisive move in the right direction.

Kaitlin T.
Tomlinson states: “Although the physical, mental, and emotional characteristics of students vary between kindergarten and high school, their basic needs as learners do not,” (16). This particular quotation seems pretty obvious, but I never actually thought about how we, as students, physically, mentally and emotionally grow from year to year, but our needs as learners don’t appear to change at all. It’s important to keep that in mind; it might be beneficial to speak with previous educators of some particular students to see how they learned the best and what their instructor found to be the most challenging for them.