Differentiation

According to Gail Bush in School Library Monthly (2006), "Differentiated instruction is a learner-centered instructional design model that acknowledges that students have individual learning styles, motivation, abilities, and, therefore, readiness to learn."

I know that differentiation is critical to effective teaching. However, I know that it is incredibly difficult to effectively differentiate in a classroom. I teach 4 classes every day. Each class has approximately 25 students who all have different learning styles.

One way that I have differentiated instruction in the past is to create MENU assessments. Here is an example of a MENU assessment that I have used in the past:

The Outsiders MENU assessment:

1 Point ·         Timeline of major events in novel ·         Create a 6 panel comic strip of the major events of the novel. ·         Describe each of the major characters using figurative language. ·         Create a movie poster that illustrates the three most important scenes in the novel.	2 Points ·         You know Johnny’s family. Write them a sympathy note expressing how you feel about what happened to Johnny. ·         Create a Facebook profile for one of the characters in The Outsiders. In addition to the profile, create a wall conversation with at least 10 comments that demonstrates your understanding of the character.
3 Points ·         You are Ponyboy and you are now a grandfather. Tell your story to your three grandchildren about what happened at the church. ·         In the novel, Soda is heartbroken when Sandy does not respond to his love letter (pg. 174). Imagine that you are either Soda or Sandy. Make an inference about their situation by either writing the letter from Soda’s point of view or responding to the letter from Sandy’s point of view.	4 Points ·         Graduation speech from Ponyboy’s perspective. ·         Advice column.
5 Points ·         The two opposing groups in The Outsiders are the Socials and the Greasers. Think of two opposing social groups today. Describe in a narrative one possible confrontation that may occur between the two groups. Be sure to include dialogue, descriptive details, and a well-structured sequence of events. ·         Write and perform a slam poem that raises awareness of gang violence in our society.

**Total points must add up to 20 in order to receive credit for this assignment.

This was a fun way to assess whether or not students understood the novel. Looking back, I wish I could have integrated the media center in this assignment. Students were able to write, create poetry, artwork, etc. There is a huge opportunity for them to use technology as well. Next year, maybe I will coordinate with the MC in order to effectively hit all learning styles and differentiate successfully.

Taxonomy Reflection

This week in LIB 5070, we were asked to reflect on how our practice fits within a specific taxonomy that was discussed in our weekly reading.

The specific question that was asked of classroom teachers was: Where are you as a teacher and how could you take your resource-based teaching a step further?

First, I'd like to discuss what taxonomy #2 is, specifically. This is a "Teacher's Taxonomy of Resource-Based Teaching." It explains the different methods that teachers might use in their classroom to incorporate use of collection/resources. It gives information about self-contained teaching, private collection, borrowed collection, media staff, media resources, and curriculum development.

Currently, as a classroom teacher, I am somewhere between #4 and 5 in the taxonomy. There have been many instances where I have just used my media specialist as someone to bounce ideas off of, and there are other times where I have used Mrs. Brewer and the resources provided in the media center to better a specific lesson or unit.

For example, Mrs. Brewer and I will frequently discuss how I can use technology and specific books in my unit. I am currently teaching a unit on WW2 fiction and nonfiction, focusing on the techniques unique to each genre. We are then comparing print to video/audio. I have gotten resources from her that I can use with my students. I wouldn't have thought about using these materials without planning with her. 

My next step as a teacher would be to try harder to use my media specialist as more of a partner. I would love to sit down with Mrs. Brewer and analyze what my students need, develop objectives together, and figure out ways to present and evaluate curriculum together. I think this will be very neat to try during our "spiral review" at the end of the year where we begin to review all of the standards in the CCSS.

--Andi

Pooh-character Attributes & Teaching

This week in class, we did a personality assessment. 

I learned that I was both a Pooh and a Rabbit.

Here are some attributes of a Pooh (Harmony):

• Caring
• Sensitive
• Nurturing
• Harmonizing
• Feeling-oriented

Here are some attributes of a Rabbit (Production):

• Logical
• Structured
• Organized
• Systematic
• Thinking-oriented

I find that it's very interesting that I am both a Pooh and a Rabbit. This means that I somehow find the balance between thinking with my head and thinking with my heart.

We were asked to reflect on how we see our Pooh-character attributes come through in our teaching. In my classroom, my students are fully aware that I am very easily attached to them. Even if students are behavior-issues, chaotic, and restless, I am almost another mother-figure for them. I love all of my students. I want them to feel like my classroom is a safe-haven for them. I celebrate their accomplishments with them and I grieve their disappointments as if they were my own.

However, I am DEFINITELY a Rabbit as well. I am organized to the point of insanity. I have to have my classroom completely structured at all times. Free time drives me insane. I do not like it when students are unorganized and chaotic. It causes me to even lose my focus at times, which then upsets me, which keeps me off balanced...it's a vicious cycle. I have systems in place for everything from turning in homework to lining up and walking down the hallway. When students do not follow these structures, I can get very cranky, to say the least.

I think that my two characters come together in the perfect way, though. Because I care deeply about my students, I work even harder to create lessons that my students will truly enjoy and learn from. Because I am an organized, structured teacher, students gain self-discipline and have an awareness of exactly what they can expect from my class each day. This helps them to become more organized themselves.

I can also see where my two characters can cause issues. Primarily, I have an issue with classroom management. This has improved over the last few years, but I care too much about "upsetting" my students or "hurting their feelings." I also can get more angry and upset than I should. I'm also a logical and rational person, though, and can quickly remind myself of the task that I have to accomplish. This helps me to go back to my lesson plan and begin again.

Overall, I am shocked at how accurate this test was. I can see why most teachers identify with Pooh, but I think being equally a Rabbit works to my advantage!

Learning Theories --> Behaviorism

This week, my group and I were asked to research behaviorism. I already had a pretty good idea what behaviorism was thanks to my college psychology classes as well as my education classes (love my Tar Heel education)! This assignment really focused in on what behaviorism is and how can I apply it to my work as a media specialist.

1. What have I learned about behaviorism?

--Throughout this process, I was reminded that behaviorism is essentially conditioning. While there are two types of conditioning - operant and classical - I believe that the one that is easiest to apply in a teaching/learning environment is operant conditioning, in which you use reinforcement to encourage or deter behavior. When there is a desired behavior, you use positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior to continue. When an undesirable behavior is displayed, you use negative reinforcement to stop the behavior from occurring again.

2. What does this mean to me?

--As a middle school teacher, I see that consequences and rewards do work with my students. My kids will do just about anything for a reward (especially if that reward is candy). When they exhibit behaviors that are less than desirable, there is a system of consequences (negative reinforcement) that is meant to teach them not to behave in that manner.

3. How might I use this information for work as a school librarian?

--Behaviorism is very simple to use in a school library. This could be used to teach students the norms for behavior within the library. Without these rules and norms in place, students can cause a lot of damage in a place like a library (especially my students). Using positive reinforcement for a successful trip to the library and negative reinforcement for students who behave inappropriately will ensure that the library is respected and enjoyed by both students and teachers.

Thank you Yoga and FlyLady!

I've always been someone who hates waking up early...or....in the morning at all. I'm NOT a morning person. Because of this, I end up hitting the snooze button 10 times, dragging around, realizing I'm going to be late, and then rushing...forgetting stuff along the way.

I've recently started back doing my routines (thank you FlyLady) and also decided that I needed to do yoga first thing in the morning because of how wonderful it makes me feel. I have an "All Day Yoga" DVD and it starts with a 20 minute AM yoga segment. Still...this means I now have to get up at 5:30 in order to do it, eat breakfast, get ready, get my 2 year old son ready, and leave for work by 7 at the latest.

I always have these great plans to get up early and workout. They always fail.

Today, I won!

I set two alarms instead of four. I got up at 5:30 and came straight into my living room, started the DVD, and did my workout. That hunch that I had about yoga making my day start out wonderfully - I WAS RIGHT! From there, everything went so smoothly. I also attribute that to doing my before bed routine :)

Because of the routines (before bed and morning) plus waking up for my AM yoga, I was able to get ready, get Christian ready, and leave my house at 6:50. I was at work by 7:20 and was completely ready for my students at 7:45! Amazing.

This is what all I've able to accomplish today:

1. Got to work by 7:20 instead of 7:40. 20 minutes makes a difference!
2. Graded notebooks and tests for one of my classes. I usually put this off until the day grades are due. Lol!
3. Computer training and a faculty meeting.
4. Home by 4:30
5. Finished cooking dinner (it had been going in the slow cooker all day).
6. Did my Weekly Home Blessing Hour (dust, change sheets, vacuum, mop, polish mirrors and doors, empty trash, purge mail/magazines)
7. Zone Mission for the day: Dust corners and high shelves/ceilings in kitchen
8. Ate dinner and cleaned up after - cleaned the whole kitchen
9. Helped Christian do his FLY Kid's Challenge: Clean his dresser
10. Did stress relief yoga (20 minutes)
11. Most of my before bed routine is done at this point! This means that I can pretty much roll out of bed and do yoga in the AM without worrying about anything!

If I can keep this up, my life is going to be soooooo much easier!

When I Grow Up...

I've thought a lot about this. I'm sure most people have. What do I want to be when I grow up? Does this only apply to careers? Does this also include the kind of person I want to be? I think it does.

Here's who I want to be when I grow up:

1) I want to be someone who has a close relationship with God. Not only do I want to pray and read my Bible like a "good Christian," I want to feel His presence in my life. I want to consistently trust Him and surrender my life into His hands. I want to show my son that this kind of relationship with Him exists and that it is something to work towards.

2) I want to be a good mother. I want to be the kind of mother that gives my child(ren) everything they could ever need and want and more. I want to do this in a way that they are not spoiled or self-centered. I want to guide them to become the person that God meant for them to become.

3) I want to be content in my career. This is something that I am very close to being now. I love my middle school. I love my coworkers. My county is a pretty neat place to work, especially if you work where I do. I think that, with a little more experience, I will be 100% content with my job.

4) I want to be a lifelong learner. I think that I will be someone who is in school or in some kind of course for the rest of my life, and that's ok with me. I have the desire to gain new knowledge. I can't just sit and do nothing to expand what I already know.

5) I want to be someone who is always trying to improve herself. I don't ever want to feel like what I have is ok. I know that sounds strange. I know that what God has given me is enough, but I always want to strive for better. I just feel like that will help me to reach my full potential.

6) I want to be healthy. I want to be in shape. I want to be a healthy weight. I want to be able to run around with my kids and not get so winded. I want to be able to take part in every aspect of life. I want to be free to be the person I want to be without worry of sickness

Any other suggestions?

My One Word for 2014: Surrender

verb (used with object)

1.

to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand orunder duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.

2.

to give (oneself) up, as to the police.

3.

to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.

4.

to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).

5.

to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.

verb (used without object)

6.

to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.

noun

7.

the act or an instance of surrendering.

8.

Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.

9.

the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.

I copied and pasted this right from dictionary.com. It almost seems like the very definition leads people to believe that surrender is a bad thing. It is negative. You lose control or lose power in some fashion or other. 

If you assume that all surrender is bad, you're dead wrong. In 2014, I am focusing on the word 'surrender.' I want to give up all of the bad elements in my life. I want to abandon unhealthy habits. I want to relinquish all problems and give them up to God. I hope to surrender my life to God's will and allow him to take control.

I hope that God uses this year to transform me in the best way possible. I know that in 2013, He used my one word, 'trust,' to get me in the exact position I needed to be in to succeed as a teacher, mother, and a person. I'm happy overall with the outcome of 2013 and I expect great things to happen in 2014.

I just need to "let go and let God." 

--A