CPR

Hello! I'm back talking about morning meetings AGAIN...but I believe they are very important and so talking about them can be justified! :)

I had the privilege of attending a panel with 6 speakers on morning meetings. Each one of these speakers were 6th grade teachers and they all did a morning meeting in their classrooms. I had to leave about 20 minutes into the discussion because of a 4 letter word...

Yup, that is right my kids made me leave. They didn't really make me leave, however they were being loud and fussy. So in retrospect, I chose to leave as a courtesy to others that actually wanted to listen and learn from these teachers and to add I felt slightly unprofessional. While I was there for such a sort time, there was one thing that really stuck out to me and has stuck with me all week. One of the teachers referred to her morning meeting the "heart and soul" of their classroom.

She said, "Morning meeting is what KEEPS her class together." Let me repeat that..."Morning meeting is what KEEPS her class together." I just loved that. 

She said her class has what is called CPR. When I think of CPR, I think of this....I'm sure that is what you think of as well.

But when she refers to CPR, she is referring to this:

Classroom-Circle

Power

Respect

Just like CPR can save someones life. CPR in the classroom can save a student and help you to have a community within the classroom. 

When we become teachers, we are expected to know management, curriculum, and the students. We are to see the students as individuals..because that is what they are. However, that is easier said than done. In Fulfilling the Promise, Carol Ann Tomlinson said, "Teaching asks us to do the impossible. It asks us to establish ties with each child-not to establish ties with all the children as though they were one student. They are not. The truth is, we will never really do all each child needs us to do. A simultaneous truth is that the first truth is no reason to stop trying " (Tomlinson, 2003. pg. 22).

Hallmarks

When I hear the word Hallmark, my first thought is...A CARD...ya know, like the one that you send to people! Then I started thinking about what most cards represent...the first thought that came to mind was ENCOURAGING. So basically, you usually send Hallmark cards with encouraging words, thoughts, or messages in them.

A differentiated classroom also has Hallmarks that a teacher should use in the classroom, these too can be encouraging words, thoughts, messages that are portrayed to your students. They also include ways a classroom should work with the help from both the teacher and the student. I want to share the Hallmarks here mainly for me (I don't want to forget them), but other people might enjoy them as well.

As a teacher there needs to be A Strong link between assessment and instruction. The teacher's own absolute clarity about what he or she wants the students to know, understand, and be able to do-about what is truly important to learn in this unit, This clarity helps a teacher focus on their learning goals. There needs to be Shared responsibility for the classroom is between teacher and students, in the goal of making it work for everyone. Achieving one's personal best is really important so Individual growth is emphasized as central to classroom success. A "way up," usually through multiple and varied pathways, and never a "way out." Which is when a teacher scaffolds a child to help them better understand material. A few other Hallmarks are, "Respectful" and engaging work for all students. Proactive thinking and planning for different pathways. Flexible grouping and flexible use of time, space, and materials.

I just really like these hallmarks and think they are huge if we want to have a differentiated classroom for our students.

In Fulfilling the Promise it said, "While students have the same basic needs, those needs will manifest themselves in different ways. Effective differentiation begins with awareness and understanding of basic student needs. It progresses as teachers become more adept at understanding how those basic needs are manifested in the classroom and how each classroom experience meets the learner's needs" (Tomlinson. p.20).

So first things first, understanding the students basic needs! It is important to remember that although students in the classroom will likely have the same needs, they will take on a different "spin" using their life experiences, and will have to be handled differently.

Morning Meeting

Hey!

So today, I'm going to take a second to talk about Morning Meetings. 

What is a morning meeting you ask?                             It is an engaging time for the students in your class to build a strong sense of community, and it sets students up for success socially and academically. 

I LOVE the idea of having a morning meeting in my own classroom. A morning meeting should be around 30 minutes long while sitting in a circle on the floor where everyone can be seen.

Today we were privileged enough to have a quest speaker come to our class and share her expertise on morning meetings. She uses an outline for her morning meeting that I really liked. I'll explain the order she does things and why she does them. 

Components of a Morning Meeting:

Class Creed- They are important to have and it can be a way to teach tid-bits of literacy/grammar, and also teach on a social aspect of life. Students need to understand it, and BELIEVE in it.

Greetings-This is where you are making connections with your students. This time can also be used to discuss/teach things such as eye contact or respect. 

Pledge- Students will STAND and REPEAT the pledge, EVERYDAY! (Did you know it was a law!??)

Memorization- Have a quote or poem for them to memorize. It will never be homework. It shouldn't cause students stress and they should feel no pressure having to memorize something. With saying it daily, they will end up learning it.

Class Business- This is when the teacher will take over and cover things that need to be covered.

Goal Setting- What goals should be made for the week? Have students set goals.

Vegetables- What is good for us. A time to set expectations, or talk about behaviors you noticed or do a little math problem.

Dessert- Compliments don't need to be given everyday. But when you see good behavior, tell them.

Medicine- Do this only when there is a management issue.

2 Literary Terms- These will be on the end of year testing, so in order to be sure the students know them, practice one or two a day.

One quote- have them be INFERENCES. Place them around the room and if there is ever a time that something relates to a past inference, bring it up.

News or Current Events- I LOVE the idea of letting kids talk about a current even and even explaining it to them and comforting them.

Share- Students love to share. Letting them share at this time will save a lot of time in the day.

Class Joke- Share a joke! or do a chant!

During my field observation last semester, I was in a 1st grade class where the teacher did a morning meeting each morning. The students LOVED it! I was able to actually put on a couple morning meetings with my field partner. Our cooperating teacher was really big into doing an activity. It could be any activity as long as it included everyone and made them feel welcomed. She owned this book, The Morning Meeting Book by Roxann Kriete which is full of fun activities to do during morning meeting. I enjoyed reading this book and choosing activities to use for the morning meetings!

In conclusion, morning meetings are a time for the student to get to know you and for you to really get to know the student. You learn things about students during morning meeting that you may have never known about them otherwise. They are a time to create a classroom community of friendship and trust. As a teacher, one very important thing to remember is to NEVER-EVER sit at your desk during morning meeting. It is a time for you to be VERY present!

...now, let's have a morning meeting! :)

a student's needs

Well Hello again! 

Ever had those days when you go to school and cannot focus? 

I have lots of those days, too many to count to be honest. Just like a song I listened to growing up says,  "Sometimes I have to tell my brain to just shut-up, cause the more I think, I think I think too much!" This is totally me during class. I have to be in a mode where I come to school with the right attitude. The attitude of LEARNING. I have to focus just on learning, I can't think of other things during class or I won't learn squat! Elementary school aged students are the same as me.

I really like this quote because in order to succeed in ANYTHING, having the RIGHT attitude is just as important to having the ABILITY to do anything in and outside of the classroom.

In the book it said, "The psychologist Abraham Maslow (1962) helped us understand that until a human has basic needs attended to, until they feel safe and a sense of belonging, their own energy will not be focused on learning. In more recent studies of the brain, we have learned that no matter what, emotions trump learning." (Tomlinson p.15) For a teacher, this is very important to remember in the classroom. If you have a child who doesn't feel safe or like they belong, they will not be focused on learning. Also, it is important to know each child, their home-life, backgrounds, etc. Some children don't get the love and nurture needed at home to do well at school. Some do not have correct support, or correct diet. Some may be lonely, and sad. All things to think about...

Students do not enter a classroom saying, "Please teach me to multiply fractions." Rather, they enter saying, "Will I be affirmed as a person here? Is there a real contribution for me to make here? Will what I learn here be purposeful? Will I learn how much power I have? Will I feel satisfaction?" Just like we learned from the COGS from a previous post, The student seeks: challenge, affirmation, power, contribution, and purpose! 

Challenge is where the student would say to themselves, I work hard, the work stretches me, and I often accomplish things I didn't think were possible.

Affirmation is when the student would say things to themselves such as, I am accepted here, I feel safe here, and people believe in me here.

Power is when they think to themselves, what I learn here is useful, I make choices that contribute to my success, and I am supported here.

Contribution is when they think, I am connected to others with a common goal, and I make a difference in this place.

Purpose is when they think, I understand why I am here, and what we learn reflects me and my world.

Being a future teacher, and not really being able to see these things in the classroom yet, I think it is really important that we remember what it is our students are needing. Also, it is important to remember that each student is going to be different, but in a good way. :) They won't all need the same things and if they do, they will still need them in different ways. I also think it is important to create lessons that are engaging to your students to help keep their attention and focus them on the lesson...Just Remember how important differentiation is for the individual student and their individual needs! Being a good teacher means being able to adjust accordingly. 

Cogs

Hi! :)

In a classroom, remember this...one thing cannot run without the other! In this case, the student needs the teacher and the teacher needs curriculum instruction. I found this visual very helpful in understanding how each of these things need each other in order to run properly.

By understanding this organizer and how it runs, it can be used as a great tool for a teacher who is developing plans to change instruction for each student and their needs. By using each of these, the teacher will have what they need to have a successful differentiated classroom.

Student Traits

HELLO AGAIN!

I'm super excited to be able to post again about differentiation! :) I'm going to write about student traits because I think they are really important. But first, what is a trait? A trait is a distinguished characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature. When I think of a trait a couple came to my mind: Honest, Loving, kind, good, loyal, smart, determined, reliable, hard-working and brave.
When it comes to students they are each going to have their own specific traits some will be the same but some will be different. There are 4 traits to ensure effective learning, readiness, interest, learning profile, and affect. Now lets dig deeper into each trait.

Readiness
Readiness is a student's knowledge and understanding related to a particular sequence of learning. Readiness has a lot to do with a student's schema, prior learning and what they have experienced in life.

Interest
Interest is a topic that causes curiosity and passion in a learner. When a child is curious, they will want to learn and want to understand what is being taught. A good teacher teaches developing interest and also undiscovered interests. 

Learning Profile
Learning Profile is how the student learns best. Teachers need to use multiple way of teaching concepts so students have lots of opportunities to learn new ideas. 

Affect
Affect has to do with how the student feels about them self, their work and the classroom. Remember to create a classroom environment that is safe and inviting to your students. Compliment their work, offer opportunity for classmates to compliment their work. This will help create an loving environment from both the classmates and the teacher. As a teacher be aware of students feelings and emotions.

In order to have success with differentiation there are also 4 classroom elements that need to happen, content, process, product, and learning environment.

Content
Content uses visuals while lecturing, ask students to role play or use manipulative's, provide audio passages of text, and provide text in a student's foreign language why they learn English.

Process
Process is how a student comes to understand the information and ideas from the lesson. Effective processing ensures that students will be able to apply what they have learned.

Product
Product is assessments, or demonstrations of what students have come to know and understand. Products can for example be a student project, a test, or any type of formal assessment.

Learning Environment
Learning Environment has to do with the operation and the tone of the classroom. Lots of factors contribute to the learning environment. Rules and procedures, furniture arrangement, guidelines, expectations and also the MOOD of the classroom.

As you can see, classroom elements and student traits are part of an everyday classroom. They are each unique in their own way, they each serve a role and purpose and are all very important. Teachers who use differentiated instruction truly understand their students, they know what they are teaching, and they are flexible at teaching in order to match each students needs. To be an effective teacher it takes time, patience and listening.

Differentiation

Lets start out with a little quiz.
Think to yourself what answer you would put as you read through the questions.
These are all yes or no questions.

1. Are all students the same?
2. Do all students learn the same way?
3. Are students all on the same level?
4. Do students have the same needs?
5. Are students all from the same background?
6. Do students have the same personalities?

The answer to all 6 questions is NO, NO and NO!
No one student is alike. As a teacher it is very important to remember this. There will be students who learn faster than others, students who have a difficult time learning, students who don't speak much English, students whose cultures or gender results in learning preferences, and students who have given up on the power of learning.

So,, what is it?

It is the idea that instruction needs to accommodate the different ways that students learn.

In the book it states, "The goal of a differentiated classroom is to plan actively and consistently to help each learner move as far and as fast as possible along a learning continuum. 

Studies have shown that 75% of teachers in the United States are Caucasian and in about 25 years from now, 70% of the student population will be non-Caucasian. This is CRAZY! and it really makes me start thinking about what life in my own classroom will be like and who my future students will be. Sometimes just thinking about not being able to communicate with my students because of language barriers is scary. It is also scary to me to not know how to teach a specific student. Learning more about differentiation has helped ease my fears a little bit. I know it will be a challenge, but differentiation is a MUST in the classroom!

I'll leave with this quote from the book, "Schools are like airport hubs; student passengers arrive from many different backgrounds for widely divergent destination. Their particular takeoffs into adulthood will demand different flight plans" (Levine, 2002, p.336). 

Blogging

Oh, Hey! 

I'm Brina and I created this blog for one of my differentiation class at Utah Valley University. I am currently a senior (yay!) in the Elementary Education program and love it! 

One of my assignments for my class is to blog. I know...pretty sweet right!? Throughout this blog I will be discussing in depth what differentiation is and how to do it in your future classroom. A lot of the information I use on this blog will be from the book titled, "Fulfilling the Promise of The Differentiated Classroom" by Carol Ann Tomlinson. I will also be adding a few tid-bits of my own opinions and suggestions.

If you are interested in reading the book for yourself, it can be purchased by clicking here. It is a book you will not be sorry you bought!

Now lets get started...