Why is differentiating instruction so important?

Educators nowadays are talking about differentiating instruction.  “Differentiating instruction is soo important”… “Differentiating instruction is something every teacher needs to do”… “Differentiating instruction this”… “Differentiating instruction that.”  But what is differentiating instruction and why is it soo important?  As a future teacher I find myself asking these questions, and after learning about differentiated instruction, I agree that it is important to each and every student’s success.

According to an article by Carol Ann Tomlinson on readingockets.org, differentiating instruction is tailoring instruction to meet students individual needs.  When a teacher uses more than one method of teaching, this is considered differentiating.  There are four elements that can be changed during differentiation:  content, process, products, and learning environment.

Since classrooms are now including all students, there may be varying learning levels in one classroom.  There can be special needs students and gifted students all learning in the same environment.  This is where differentiation comes in.  A teacher can first differentiate the content being taught.  This could include having students read books a different reading levels, having in-class ability grouping, and much more. 

Differentiating the process is changing how the students learn the material.  Some students learn best by listening, whereas others learn best through seeing or even using manipulatives.  For those tactile learners, teachers should provide manipulatives, but they should also provide a visual to aid those who learn best that way.  Differentiating process can also be providing different lengths of time or support to students.

Differentiating products is giving students different options on what they’re graded on.  This could be used during any kind of project or book report.  Giving students options allows them to choose a method that best suits their learning style, but they are still coming up with a product that you know satisfies your objective for the lesson.  Although the products may be different, each student has learned in their own way.

Finally, differentiating the learning environment could be providing students with quieter places if need be.  As a teacher, it is your job to set guidelines for the classroom and make sure students know how the classroom works.  Allowing students to work in the back of the room in a “comfy” spot could be considered differentiating the learning environment as well.

In the book “Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing?” by Julie Ramsay, she talks about how one size does not fit all.  She tells how her class needed work in different areas.  Even though they all had to do one project, there were multiple ways for them to learn.  Each group was targeting a different area, and this shows how differentiated instruction can work well in a classroom.  Although differentiating may provide a little more work as a teacher, it will add to the success of students in the long run, which is what matters most.

From just reading to “reading like a writer”

Anyone can simply read a paper, but being able to “read like a writer” is a little different.  What is reading like a writer?  It’s not just reading for the entertainment of reading.  Reading like a writer is being able to analyze the paper you’re reading and pick out certain writing traits that are essential to any well written paper.  Reading like a writer is just as it sounds:  Reading like a writer who knows the traits would read.  It is being a little pickier, and a little more in tune to what a good piece of writing should contain.

So what are these so called essential traits?  Well, there are in fact 6 traits.  Education Northwest has a great page on these 6 traits of writing.  It gives a brief definition of each trait and some examples.  This site actually calls them “6 + 1 traits” because they add in presentation as an extra trait.

The first trait is Ideas.  The idea is what the paper is about.  It includes the theme, the main idea, and all the supporting details.  It is very important to have a strong idea in a piece of writing, otherwise readers won’t be interested and they may even be confused what exactly the point of the writing is.  The second trait is organization.  It is important that the ideas in the writing are organized in a logical way that will make the most sense to the reader. 

The third, fourth, and fifth traits are voice, word choice, and sentence fluency.  First of all, having voice is when your readers can hear you in the story.  They can get some of your emotions from the writing, and “hear” you telling it.  Word choice and sentence fluency both make writing appealing to readers, and they make reading the piece easy and enjoyable.  These three traits all help the reader get a sense of the writer and take pleasure in reading the story.

The sixth trait is conventions.  This is simply the correctness of the paper, meaning there are no spelling or grammar errors.  Having an error free piece of writing makes it seem more professional, and the reader will think more highly of it.

Every good writer considers these traits when writing their own paper.  Therefore, if you want to read like a writer well, you must consider each of these traits when reading someone else’s writing.  As teachers, we need to teach our students these six traits, and have them reading like writers.  This not only strengthens their ability to critique someone else’s writing, but it also strengthens their own writing ability.

Love that Poetry

Poetry has never been something that I have particularly enjoyed writing, especially when I was younger.  To me poetry always seemed like something that was supposed to be elegant and masterfully composed, containing flowing words and hidden meanings.  It was a thing to be admired, created by great poets, but not something I felt that I could really do myself.  Of course, as a student in school I would put up with teachers’ attempts to create a “poet” out of me, but I never thought anything I wrote was good enough to be considered real poetry.

As the years went on I realized that writing poetry doesn’t have to be such a daunting task.  Being able to write poetry isn’t some magical gift only bestowed upon those great enough to compose it.   Writing poetry is really not that hard.  In fact, it’s actually quite fun.  It’s a great way to express feelings, or get a thought out, while not having to use many words.

Poetry uses a different form than regular writing, which is why I believe many students are afraid of it.  Students are taught the writing process and how to write five paragraph essays from an early age.  They get comfortable writing in a certain way, and then when asked to write a poem, they freeze up and don’t think they can do it.  As a teacher, I want to be able to show my students that poetry doesn’t have to be scary.  It comes in many formats, and anyone can write poems.

The first part of the problem is that the poems that kids are exposed to when they are young are usually the cutesy rhyming kinds poems.  They grow up reading poems like the ones by Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein, and then students are stuck with the misconception that poems need to rhyme.  Now, I am not saying that they shouldn’t read Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein’s poems.  I am personally a big fan of both.  In, fact one of my favorite books of poems growing up, and to this day, is Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends.  However, I think it’s important that young students are exposed to many kinds of poetry, so they don’t get stuck on the idea of rhyming.

The second part of the problem, I believe, is that once students get older and are expected to study poetry, many of the poems used in schools are hard to understand.  Works by Shakespeare are great, but it’s hard for students to connect to something they don’t comprehend.  Students are taken from the simple poems of the elementary days, and jumping to complicated works that use unfamiliar language.  This causes students to get frustrated, and therefore not like poetry, when in reality poetry can be so enjoyable.

I just finished reading Love that Dog, by Sharon Creech.  I loved it!  It tells the story of a student named Jack who hates poetry.  He feels that only girls write poetry, and he doesn’t think he can do it.  However, his teacher won’t stop assigning poems for him to write.  The book is written sort of like a diary, and it tells Jack’s story through poetry that he writes.  Throughout the story the teacher provides the class with many different examples of poems, and one really inspires Jack.  His attitude about poetry transforms throughout the book, and in the end he is able to tell a touching story through his poetry.  I think a lot of students would enjoy this book, because they will be able to relate to how Jack is feeling.  Poetry is important for students to learn, and as teachers it is important that we get our students inspired and excited about writing poetry!

To Blog or Not To Blog… To Blog!

Blogging is a great way to make connections and get your voice heard.  I had never considered making a blog before this, but I now realize that it can be very beneficial.  When you write something, you write it for a reason, so why keep it all to yourself?  A blog is a great way to let other people see your thoughts and ideas.

I think blogging is a great resource as a teacher, because you can not only put your ideas out there, but you can get ideas from other teachers.  There are so many great teachers out there who have a lot of great lessons and ideas for their classroom.  It’s a good thing to be able to share and pass around a little of that greatness among teachers.

Blogging is a good tool to use with students as well.  Students have grown up with technology and are comfortable with it.  Give them a page that they can customize, make their own, and write their thoughts, and students will be enthusiastic about writing.  Their writing will not only benefit, but thrive.

When writing a blog however, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.  Richard Byrne has some good tips on what you should know about blogging if you are goingn to start a blog.  The appearance of a blog should be attractive to readers and easy to read.  The posts on your blog should be relevant, and most importantly you should post consistently.   If I ever have my students make a blog, I will be sure to have them post consistently, just as I will be with this blog.