Tiering

                            

As a teacher, I want offer my students a differentiated approach to their readiness levels with essential knowledge, understanding, and skill. I want to make sure I do this at a level that is appropriate for their individual needs and skill levels. One way to do this is to use the tiering approach, which involves work or activity that fits each student and what is best for them.

Establishing clear objectives about activities and assignments is one of the key ways to tier instruction. Teachers should prepare and develop assignments and activities that are engaging and interesting for students. Leveling according to ability is important to keep learners motivated to complete the work assigned to them. There is no more “one-size-fits-all” anymore, instead, for teachers to be successful, teachers need to have specific insights into students’ readiness by assessment. Knowing the fundamentals of students’ skills is an essential prerequisite to discovering their potential.

                           

Developing differentiated versions of challenging and fun assignments creates a variety of versions for students to choose from, according to their skill and interest levels. Differing the levels of difficulty helps equalize the work load that students complete, and gives them the confidence to strive to do their best with future work. 

                                         

 If teachers can truly utilize the tiering technique, students of all ability levels will feel academically successful. By creating differentiated levels of work, and continually equalizing them, students are able to make goals that help them to reach a steady pace of improvement. Doing this creates a disciplinary connection to improved stages of development, which opens doors for further solutions, decisions, and approaches. The process of planning designing, and monitoring by the teacher, allows the student to set a steady pace of continued progression.  And that, folks, makes everyone happy!

You Gotta Differentiate, Smarty Pants!

A “How To” for Mixed-ability Classrooms Instruction

Students of all academic levels such as gifted and talented, require appropriate strategies for instructional learning.  It’s up to the teacher to implement and challenge these students by offering strategies, materials, and resources that make use of their advanced interest and readiness.

The challenge that comes in differentiating is helping students make sense of ideas, what material is taught, and how students show what they have learned. Using open-ended and productive learning are the most beneficial ways of challenging the gifted.

Goal setting and planning: involving students in their individual goal setting and the planning of learning activities, one to one with the teacher.

Group investigation: students working in cooperative mixed-ability groups on open-ended tasks or in like-ability groups working on appropriately challenging tasks. Usually the focus is on the process and thinking skills.

Attention to social issues, real world experiences, and community projects: performance assessment tasks, role-plays, simulations, etc. based on authentic situations of interest to students

Emphasis on Thinking skills: giving students the opportunity to think aloud, discuss their thinking with their peers, and reflect on their thinking in journals.

High-level questions: questions that draw on advanced levels of information, requiring leaps of understanding and challenging thinking.

Long term projects: an enrichment opportunity in which students investigate concepts, issues, topics or individuals. 

I wonder if teachers really are prepared to keep gifted and talented students engaged during most lesson. I feel like these students are often overlooked and given extra time to read in order for the other students to finish the assignments that come too easy for them. As an new teacher, my goal is to really plan ahead for students who are fast finishers by providing them with extensions of the lesson that help them stay involved, and feel like what they do and say matters. I feel that if all the students are continually moving up on the learning ladder, we are all headed in the right direction. No student should stay still during the learning cycle. All students should be improving and gaining a new understanding of material taught as the year goes on. I want to be the type of teacher who is mindful of all my students abilities and who keeps them interested and constantly asking questions! Go US!

Tell me what you know!!!

Pre-Assessment: Getting to the heart of the matter

Pre-Assessment is a great way to determine what students know about a topic before it is taught. If used regularly, it can provide teachers with great information that will make instructional decision about students’ strengths or needs, easier to determine. Pre-assessment helps teachers to determine patters or groups ahead of time, so they can prepare for instruction that will meet more of the students’ needs.

                                                                

Some ways to provide pre-assessments are:

·         Pretests

·         Writing prompts
·         Student Interviews
·         Graphic Organizers
·         Prediction
·         Work samples
·         Observation
·         Surveys or Questionnaires
·         Game activities
·         Journals

Sometimes, it takes getting creative to learn what our students already know, but in doing so, we gain a far greater understanding of what we need to teach. If we can teach what we know they need to learn, we are making a big difference in what students will retain. Pre-assessment is a valuable tool for us as teachers and if we take advantage of it, we can close the gap that may be growing in our students minds and with their abilities to process and participate academically.

I wonder how many teachers really take full advantage of pre-assessments? I feel like most teachers jump into lessons without much thought as to how far students have come in the learning process and how this will fit into their learning curb. My hope is that more teachers will take the time necessary to implement even simple procedures, as asking questions, or playing a game, in order to gain access to students insights and learning. I am going to make every effort to be the type of teacher who really cares about students learning and who uses pre-assessment as a tool in my toolbox!

Getting Parents Involved in the Classroom!

                                          

Some people say they want to be a teacher because they like working with kids. That is great, but when you become a teacher, you have to be able to work with many adults on a regular basis, such as secretaries, janitors, administrators and parents! It is important to be able to develop good communication and interpersonal skills in order to facilitate a bright future in teaching.

Working with parents is key in developing a successful year! If you can get parents on your side, you will find your job can be much easier and your classroom will run much more smoothly. When you are faced with parents who don’t want to be involved in their child’s education, it’s good to remember that they may have bad feelings about school themselves. They often reflect their own experience from school onto their child and maintain a distance because of this. Other times, parents are removed from their child’s education because the only time them hear from the teacher is when their child is in trouble or not doing well. This type of negativity can carry over into how the parent feels about school altogether.

As a general rule, I feel it’s a good to tackle such a sensitive subject right from the beginning by letting parents know you care. One way to do this is by sending home a getting-to-know you letter that allows the parents to fill out a questionnaire about their feelings, their child’s situation, and person information that will help them open up to you. Offering this opportunity for parents to tell you how they feel, can open the doors to great communication and a better experience for both of you for the whole year!

As a parent, I know I loved to be involved in helping in the class. I as lucky enough to have great teachers who put me to work and let me do as much as I could to help them. I read with students in the hallway, I filled homework folders, corrected papers, made bulletin boards, and much more. I felt utilized and the teachers often expressed to me their appreciation for my help. What a rewarding way to get involved.

I say, get parents involved by providing them with a warm welcome, and making sure they know you are both on the same side and want their child to succeed! It will make your job easier and might change their attitudes toward school for the good!

                                                    

Hand-In-Hand

The Hallmarks of a Differentiated Classroom are all individually important, so lets examine them one at a time!

#1- A Strong Link Between Assessment and Instruction:

Assessment and instruction are inseparably connected.

(They go hand-in-hand!)

The teacher continually assess student knowledge, understanding, and skill in both formal and informal ways, making ongoing adjustments to instructional plans to ensure progression toward individual and group goals.

This means there is a need for constant assessment, which in turn, means instruction should also be looked at a second time to make sure it in line with the assessment being done. If you keep the two connected, you'll be sure to meet your goals and have a cohesive lesson that is inseparable!

                        

I think this is important because if you create a strong link between the two, your students are continually on the receiving end of something that is in their best interest. I feel that teachers who offer continual attention to details such as assessment, have the ability to plan a lesson that is rich in learning and guidance. Like I said, hand-in-hand!

What NOT to do....

(Ever wonder what a differentiated program is not???)

It is not: Individualized instruction!

It is not: Chaotic!

It is not: Another way to provide homogeneous grouping!

It is not: Tailoring the same suit of clothes!

It is not: More tasks and assignments but different ways of providing learning experiences!

You got it- don't even try it!!! Keep to the curriculum and hallmarks and you'll be just fine. It's been tried and tested and kids love it!
                                                    
I love having my boundaries clear cut! I feel like knowing what is okay and what is not, is super important and useful. I think it's important to keep a clear head about things and really focus on what you can do and count your milestones instead of your mishaps. If you keep on track, and you'll be just fine!