Week 4 (3rd Reading)

The first part of our reading was on pages 100-103. I thought the "student profile survey" is valuable piece of information that will help me understand my students and thier needs better.

• I feel that the profile survey has a good questions to ask yourself coming from the student. I wish I would have been given a survey like this because it would have helped my teacher, my classroom peers and myself. I want to describe myself using the questions and then tell you what I would do if I were my teacher. Through the questions I new that I like to wiggle when I learn, I like noise when I work, I like to work with objects and many others. So knowing this about a student I would know that on certain projects I would put my student with others on a project where they are aloud to wiggle and maybe listen to music since they like to listen to noise as they work/learn. I would do this because those students would be able to learn they way they are the most comfortable with it. Doing this would also help the students who like to learn in while sitting still and need to work in quiet because they wouldn't be distracted and annoyed with the students who don't learn and work the same way they do. Also with the same survey I couldn't help but think of Gardner's "multiple intelligences" on some of the questions. I know by having the students use this as a pre-assesment it would help understand how to group my students on group projects because that way I knew that each child could offer something to the project. The thing that I would change about this survey would be have the students assess themselves with all of the questions but on a rating scale. I hate when there are questions and there is only a black and white answer when describing yourself.
• The second survey I would like to use on my older students. I honestly dont know how I would use the "student interest survey" with younger students. Maybe if I were to read it to them aloud. After reading the questions there were a few I would want to write about but I wouldn't want to write in every questions. I would let students write one word answers on some questions then on other questions (of their choice) I would have them write a longer explanation.

I was able to look at the different pre-assessments that were posted on blackboard. i would have to say i would only use the first 2-3 surveys that talked about reading in my Student tecahing classroom because I'm in second grade. Or maybe I don't know how to use the other surveys and the ones at they beginning reminded me of the reading inventory I gave to the students in my classroom last field experience. The "garfield survey" helped me but it also help my field experience teacher know more about the students needs and interests while reading.

Differentiation 2nd reading

I absolutely loved the reading. "Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom" is a great book that continues to help me understand how I can be a good teacher to my students.

The part that I was able to respond to the most was the Cogs of Differentiation. I liked the visual aide to help me understand what the student seeks, what the tecaher responds to and how curriculum and instruction are the vehicle.

I know especially for my students I need to make sure that my students can always feel affirmation from me. I want a class where the students feel accepted and safe how they are. I want my students to feel that and I know it is important because I went through school rarely feeling lost and not accepted. Through that I know my learning experience was hindered.

Differentiation 1st reading

I want to be honest when I say that the reading assignment kind of made me frustrated. I do think a lot of the reading I will be doing in various classes this semester will make me frustrated because as Dr Bryan Waite told us we should be thinking as we read is, "Isn't this how every teacher should be?" Thats what I thought through the reading.
A few of the ideas that I pulled out of the reading is one the questions that I should ask myself as a teacher of being responsive of my teaching are:
Who I teach?
What I teach?
Where I teach?
How I teach?
In order to be a responsive teacher it "takes all these parts" to understand my students needs.
Another good idea I was able to pull from the text is about having a learning profile. The pro's and con's of having a learning profile is that its great to know the way a student learns the best but also a con is to make sure you let the child to learn any other ways the student is able to learn. Allow the student to change.