FIAE+B1+Chapter+1

Analysis: The goal of [|differentiated instruction] is to be fair. We want all of our students to be able to succeed and progress in their academics and in their everyday life. Differentiated instruction is //not// individualized instruction. It is not necessary to create different lesson plans and restructure the unit for every student in our classrooms. Differentiated instruction means that when something doesn’t make sense or work for a student, we find a way to make it clearer and give them the guidance they need to find a way to make it work for them. Often people mistake differentiated instruction as a crutch rather than a teaching tool, they argue that in the “real world” bosses and businesses aren’t going to differentiate to make things easier. When in reality, in the “real world,” differentiated instruction is all around us. Synthesis: We all feel that differentiated instruction is a great tool that we will need to use in our classrooms. Classrooms are places that should foster learning, and in doing so, be fair and equal. Changing some parts of a [|lesson] or an assignment to make it possible for some students to better understand, learn, and complete isn’t making it “too easy” on them; it’s putting them on a level playing field with the students who understand and learn with the original assignment. We all believe that in order to be successful teachers, we must become successful differentiators. By: Bridget Ferry

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Amanda Martemucci
FIAE-Chapter 1: Chapter 1 gives an overview of what differentiated instruction is. According to Rick Wormeli, differentiation instruction is "doing what’s fair for students. It’s a collection of practices strategically employed to maximize students’ learning at every turn, including giving them the tools to handle anything that is undifferentiated” (p. 3). In differentiation, everything “should be fair for students; and it should maximize the students’ learning” (p. 4). Differentiated instruction will be a great way to teach my students. I want all my students to feel like they are being taught fairly no matter what their level or way of learning is. Differentiated instruction will achieve this goal in my teaching.

Bridget
Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition Teachers have been using differentiation for years; it just wasn’t call that yet. Now, differentiation has a name is being adopted as a model of teaching that all teaches should use. The goal is to allow students to show their mastery of the subject being taught in any form that allows them to best show all that they have learned: the goal is to be fair. A differentiated classroom is one in which students learn to advocate for themselves, see each other’s differences as strengths, and begin to understand themselves as learners. Students who learn in a differentiated classroom go on to do better in all learning settings, because they know how they learn best and can adapt better. My goal is to make my classroom a differentiated and fair learning environment for all my students. If I succeed, it means my students will too.

Moe
This chapter emphasized that differentiated instruction actually teaches students how to learn and that it is not individualized instruction. I thought this was very reassuring, because the idea of having to individualize an entire unit to fit each student’s needs is a daunting task. There simply is not enough time to prepare and/or work that has to be done to create an entirely individual curriculum for each student. It also touches on the fact how every student is taught (at some point in their educational career) to rely on an adult for instruction. Differentiated instruction takes some of the pressure off of the teacher, and puts some of the learning into the students’ hands. So as a teacher I would like to put my students in charge of their learning and how they best learn it.

Christina
Chapter one of //Fair isn’t Always Equal// discusses examples of differentiated instruction (DI) in both classrooms and the real world, and stresses the necessity to use DI while teaching. This chapter reinforces the idea that differentiated instruction allows for each student to reach their maximum potential within the classroom. This is achieved when the teacher uses different teaching methods for different students on a needs basis, or when the original teaching style in not conducive to the student’s learning. Differentiated instruction creates an environment in which the students are challenged and supported as they move through the lesson, using various methods to ensure their growth.

Kristen
"Differentiated instruction is doing what's fair for students" (p. 3) and this fairness allows for students to overcome obsticles in their scholastic and professional futures because they have been given the tools to succeed, such as the provided examples - a pair of glasses or prosthetic limbs(p.5). If students aren't given the tools to succeed then they are likely to give up and who would blame them? Differentiated instruction urges them to look further because they can. Some people thing that if we differentiate in school we will be doing students a disservice for the future however there are real world applications for differentiation. As workers, people have choice how to handle problems and those choices are a form of differentiation. Our student's success in the future is the most important evidence that we, the teachers, did the right thing.

Chelsea
The first chapter describes what differentiated instruction is. The book describes it as doing what is fair for students. It means that we have to learn to use practices to give students a chance to succeed. It means that as teachers it is figuring out what works to advance students. It is important to realize that sometimes you only have to differentiate for some students; an example given in the book is giving some students a graphic organizer but not always. Using differentiation creates successful students and as teachers it means that we must do what is fair to advance our students, while it might not be the same as what we give other students. The book says that “it is a compelling, highly effective approach…” (8), when used to help students.

Kevin
The chapter begins by reviewing ways most students have probably experienced differentiated instruction without knowing it. The overview of what differentiation is brings up a good point that if overused it could makes students overly dependent and not prepared for life outside of school. Much of the chapter is spent making the case for why differentiated instruction is important. A number of examples are given to try to illustrate that the real world is also differentiated at times. It seems crazy to me that a teacher could be so far removed from his or her class as to not care if students are failing. How can a teacher whose students consistently do poor not see that as a reflection on his or her teaching methods. Yet, I think it would be hard to find somebody who doesn’t remember a teacher who was like that.

Jesika
This chapter was all about what differentiation is and the world’s attitude (or what is should be) toward differentiation. The chapter started off with the idea that teachers have been doing it for a long time but not calling it that until recently. Some people see differentiation as a crutch when it is in fact a tool. The author applied differentiation to different fields (the military, or a surgeon). This material is very usable for my classroom. I will be able to think about how to differentiate for my students and be able to explain it to their parents in a way that is acceptable to all.