Week 3 Reflection

We’re taking a bit of a detour this week, and looking more closely at hallmark #1. Keeping this hallmark in mind, take a look at Fulfilling the Promise, pp. 100‐103; How might you use the information this would produce, in differentiating? What would you, personally, want to add to or remove from this inventory? Explain.
I think these surveys are a great way of allowing students an opportunity to assess their own learning in a way that does not put a label of good or bad on specific topics. For the Student Profile Survey, I know that I would not put "Very Logical" under the "Like Me" category. I worked once in a team setting and realized that it was okay that I wasn't the most organized or most detail oriented worker. I had group mates that relied on my not being. I was more of a creative genius in the group and others in the group felt comfortable organizing the PowerPoints or editing while I was more the person who helped create the ideas and word things well. Anyway, that may be a tangent but what I'm getting at is that students can be very confident taking these surveys and be happy to shout their strengths from the mountain top. The Student Interest Survey I found a little harder to wrap my head around. I think there are some questions that students, well myself and other adults even, do not really know about themselves unless they are actually confronted with a particular situation. I don't know that I could have identified what ways of learning worked or didn't work for me maybe even until I got into this program...I never really thought to address them. Teachers had different styles and I kind of think I just assumed it was my job to perform no matter how the material was being presented. I think something more like the intelligences test we took might work better at really assessing what type of learner a student is or even a test that offers different scenarios and options (e.g. If you were asked to answer the multiplication problem 8x9, and you did not already know the answer, would you want to use colored blocks or to work it out on a piece of paper, or, "At Thanksgiving dinner in your home, what are you most likely to be doing right before dinner is served? a)Helping cook B)Playing outside with the cousins c)Playing on the Wii?).

Also “read” (review/skim, etc.) the “File of Inventories/ Pre‐Assessments”posted on Blackboard in the “Inventories” folder, inside of the “Differentiation” folder. Be sure to scroll through the entire document, and notice the variety of types of inventories there are. If you are interested, the "Index to Inventories" document is just that -- an index that gives you information and advice about when or how to use different inventories. What are some relationships you see between this variety of inventory types, and what we are beginning to learn about differentiating content, or process, or product for readiness, or learning profile, or interest?
From these inventories I noticed a lot of opinion words like likes or dislikes, preferred, would rather, etc. It seems, that learning, and teaching, should actually be something that students enjoy! Imagine that. I also felt that a lot of assessment should be going on. I think that the desire to see where students are comfortable and strong does not necessarily negate that they may need to work in the ways that are not their favorite but it does then show the teacher that something in the approach needs to change. People usually dislike something that they find difficult or don't really understand. So, if a student is assessing that they think of a math problem in one way, I as their teacher would likely show them another way to try and broaden their knowledge base, but would be comfortable with them doing math the way they understood it best. I think differentiation is just about finding strengths and building on them and learning about biases and trying to change them. Mine strengths as well as my biases are changing all the time.

1) Carol Tomlinson mentions "definitions" or partial definitions of differentiation in chapter one. What makes sense to you, in attempting to define differentiation?
An element of differentiation that makes sense to me is what was termed, "Learning profile." This means material is presented or offered in the way the, "students learn best." I know that certain classroom activities really get me going because they're "my thing." What a great thing for a student to feel and know that they are good at the activity in class and to know their strengts. We can only help them identify those strengths if we offer opportunities to work with them.

2a) Carol Tomlinson mentioned a metaphor of baseball camp in last week's reading, and introduces the metaphor of taming the fox in chapter 1 of Fulfilling the Promise. Can you think of a metaphor that indicates your current understanding of differentiation?
I hope this is not too close to the metaphor of the baseball camp but it got me thinking in terms of athletics as well. The metaphor I was thinking of though is of a personal trainer. I understand the metaphor of baseball camp and think it only works because a baseball team would include a coach who wants to win and so it would be harder to help the student feel good about progress when their grades reflect on the teacher. So I think of a trainer. I was a swimmer and really bulky and muscly. That was appropriate at the time but it's not now. Now I'm focused on being healthy and also on looking cute. I've never really been "cute" because I'm fairly large in stature (just plain tall). When I worked with a personal trainer, we assessed my goals and the were just to trim down. The way I lift weights has to be different than it used to be because I'm not trying to build muscle, just tone. I'm not training for an competition or marathon but someone who was, would need to train differently than I do. Also, once goal weight or body type is achieved, maintenance becomes important and so the training is typically not as intense. When I am older, I know that I'll have a different type of workout then too. This is like how we can differentiate for our students. They all have different needs and different things that drive them. Along with that, they have different limitations. My mom has bad knees so training for a marathon with lots of running would not work for her but swimming may be great. Once she has made some progress with her health and fitness, her knees will improve and she'll be able to add more strenuous activity. This would be like scaffolding and building from where the student is to where they want to be.

About Me!

1. What is your favorite book for kids… something you would like to use in your future classroom? Why do you like it?
Not a fair question! I love too many to count. My favorite Christmas presents were a stack of picture books on my Amazon Wish List. Cute and fun right now I love The Biggest Thing In The Ocean. It's about perspective and looking on the bright side. Another, and this one I gave to my parents for Christmas. It's called The Empty Pot and it's a beautiful book about how your best will always be good enough.

2. Name your three favorite T.V. shows, even if you don’t have time to watch them! What can you (or what are you willing to) tell me about your T.V. viewing habits? I’ll tell you mine if you’ll tell me yours! I loved The Office...but have given it up recently because it got too dirty for my tastes. I used to love a show called Pushing Daisies (really beautiful show with a lovely color palate and style about a man who can bring things back to life but can't touch them again or they die...he brings his girlfriend back to life but can never touch her...and he solves murder mysteries with a private detective by bringing the victims to life an asking them questions and then redeading them). The show got cancelled after two seasons. Bummer! My roommates love a new show called Modern Family and I like watching it too, when I have time.

3. Do you collect anything? Tell about your collections:
I collect aprons. I love things to do with the '50s (well not racism) but the classic, cozy, idea of a mommy in a kitchen and someone to come home to with cookies and a smile and warm hug. Some of them I have purchased from antique stores and some were inherited from my grandmother.

4. Do you keep any kind of a journal (or blog?) besides this one? Tell me about it, and what you like to write about:
I do keep journals and blogs. I have a blog that is public that I keep with pictures and thoughts. It usually contains my musings. I started it because I was sick of feeling like I needed to be married or have children to post about in order to have a blog. I have interesting things to share and I share them. I also have a private blog I keep documenting an interaction (or more) I had with a lovely other human being that day. Sometimes it is just positive and gratitude filled and sometimes it is negative with musings and lessons learned or what to do differently in the future. People are very important to me and I want to be a part of their lives.

5. If you had to be the sponsor of an after-school group, select your 1st, 2nd & 3rd choices:
__ contemporary moral issues __peer relationships
__national security __world peace
__career opportunities & choices __art or music appreciation
__gender issues __ethnicity issues
__death & dying 2 sports
3 book club 1 writers group
__ecology __tutoring

6. Have you ever taken art lessons or attended art classes outside of school? Tell about your artistic talent and/or interests:
I bought a sketch book once. I liked doing pencil drawings and think I could be pretty goo if I really tried. I liked working on shading. I had a friend tell me once that drawing is as much about what you don't put down on paper as what you do (referring to the light and dark spaces on a paper and how no lines in nature are actually lines...like drawing a jaw line or a nose).

7. Have you ever taken music lessons or belonged to musical groups outside of school? Tell about your musical talent and/or interests:
I can sing. I was in choir in high school and in my religious group. I learned to play the piano but it would take a while for me to polish that up and I played the violin as a kid.

8. Have you ever taken dance lessons or belonged to dance groups? Tell about your dance talent and/or interests:
I grew up in dance until junior high. My parents knew I'd be tall and wanted me to be graceful and have control over my body. It was fun but I never felt like I fit in.

9. Have you ever taken drama classes or performed in a theater production? Tell about your theater talents and/or interests:
I took an acting class for fun once (the cute boy I liked at the time wanted to take it). It helped me get a little out of my comfort zone and my teacher liked me. I think he thought I was a pretty good phsical comedien because my facials and body language are fairly overt.

10. What have I not asked you, that you would like me to know about you?
You have not asked if I am a happy person and the answer is yes. I am so excited about knowing what I want to be when I grow up, finally, that I'm bursting at the seems. Also, happiness is a choice and I chose it a long time ago!