Do all students have a capacity to learn?
I believe that all students have the capacity to learn. I don't think any of us could be teachers if we didn't believe that. As teachers, we all know that every child isn't going to learn at the same time or way as another, but nevertheless, they can learn.
What shapes this capacity?
There are many different factors that shape this capacity. The child's view on school, maturity, their home life, any disability they may have, etc. I have a student who is very low for 3rd grade. He was in the FMD room in K and 1st but moved back into the regular classroom since then. He is a student that struggled at the beginning of the year to read CVC words to me and would not write anything! Today, he has already may such progress. He will answer questions in class, write down everything he is to do, and is completing his work sooner than some of my average students. I am already so proud of him.
How much influence do you have upon this capacity?
As a teacher, I have about half of the influence. The students feed off of my attitude and thoughts about the subject. Of course, the other half comes from home and the community. There are many students at my school who feel they can't learn or don't like school. Most of the time, those opinions have come not from experience, but from things they hear at home. As teachers, we just have to work hard to make more of an influence than what they hear at home and make them understand they can learn and it can be fun.
How do these assumptions about learning shape our instruction?
My instruction is based on many different things. I differentiate my instruction depending on the students. Some of my students get harder work that I know they are capable of completing and it gives them a challenge. My average students have average work that isn't too easy or too hard for them to complete. My low students have easier work to complete. It is easier in the fact that if an average or higher student would complete it, it would take them a second. But for the lower students, it makes them think about the content and show me that they understand it without feeling the work is too difficult. It makes them feel successful and like they can learn. I also like to use the different learning styles to assign work. We have a test that the students can take and it will tell you if they are a mastery, interpersonal, understanding, or self-expressive learner. Based on that information, I know if the student likes to do work that is listed straight from the book, based on feelings, comparing it to other things they know, or doing something artistic.
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To me, differentiating learning is one of the hardest parts of teaching and one of the most rewarding! You hit the nail on the head when you said that by differentiating "it makes them think about the content and demonstrate that they understand without feeling the work is too difficult". I think that by differentiating, it makes each child feel as if they are successful learners and that they can do, learn, and achieve.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of the learning style test. Where did you find this?
My district uses Thoughtful Ed. We got the test from it. You can pay them a ton of money to get a big test for any grade and they will analyze it for you. We didn't have the money to do that but our Literacy coach got this test somewhere. It is only for grades 2-5. I'm not sure if we have one for younger students like yours.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful to hear about your student who is doing well in your room. Through your high expectations and modeling, he is doing what is expected of him. I think that how you are differentiating your instruction is a great way to provide examples for the struggling ones. They see that they can still be challenged just like everyone else:)
ReplyDeleteIvy,
ReplyDeleteIf I had a dollar for everytime a student said to me "why do I gotta go to school, my daddy quit and he makes good money?" well... I'd be rich! These negative attitudes at the age your are teaching, most certainly must come from things they hear at home. Very disappointing :(
However, it was awesome to hear just how much differentiating you are doing in your classroom. It's so hard to differentiate with that many kids, but in the end it really does pay off when looking at student progress. I also enjoyed reading that the lower level students were given work that was something they could do and they were able to feel successful upon completion. Your classroom sounds like a fun place to be :)
Differentiation is such a tricky thing- I like the examples that you use from your classroom. I do agree that everyone learns different and needs to be able to demonstrate their learning in ways that are appropriate. That said- one thing I do worry about with differentiation is dumbing down expectations for students (I am no way implying that you do this but I have seen it done). I think the key is for those students who need scaled back assignments we need to remember to continue to increase expectations and make this more and more challenging as they become more successful--sometimes I see teachers who just make things too easy as they don't want their students to struggle. What are your feelings on this?
ReplyDeleteI see where this could happen. I would like to think that I don't do this. I don't differentiate everything, only some assignments that I feel the students need. When it comes to differentiating to their learning styles, every assignement is at about the same level so the expectations aren't decreased.
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