Stacey+N

media type="youtube" key="3jO9cDzxaqg" height="344" width="425"media type="custom" key="4821613" width="477" height="317" [|Carol Tomlinson]

Monday, October 19, 2009: I believe differentiation is providing my students with opportunities to learn to best meet their needs. This involves assessing their prior learning so that I may plan the lessons and activities to meet their readiness levels.

Monday, November 16: I am becomming more aware of the students' reactions to environmental changes in the classroom. I am constantly wondering about what I am doing to make the environment safe and caring...or what I may be doing or saying that might cause them to shut down. The other day I forced myself to participate in the game the students were playing in the gym. We laughed and cheered and I had more participation and excitement from all of the students than I had had all year. I found myself connecting to the students in a way I never had...I wonder if they felt the same and are they expecting (or hoping) that I participate in every activity? I think I still have a lot of work to do!

Learner Profile Plan: I would like to make a learner profile card for each of my 12 students. Having done that, I feel it would be easier to complete the learner profile sheet on each student and share this information with parents.

I have always considered myself a visual learner and the tests confirmed this in many areas. I realized also, that I have other strong learning styles depending on the situation, content, etc.

I believe if we looked carefully we would be able to identify many ways we could allow students to choose. We are hoping to provide students with a meaningful, relevant education and allowing them choice puts some of the responsibility on the students to make meaning for themselves. They have a sense of ownership because they have chosen to do a particular task and it isn't something we are forcing them to do.

Tuesday, January 26,2010 I have realized this year how important consistent routines are for my students. It only makes sense...adults are constantly trying to establish some type of structure and routine in their lives so why does it take us so long to figure out that children need this too? When children are unaware of what is expected of them or what is happening, they become dysregulated and are unable to give their full attention to their learning. There are many simple but effective ways of ensuring children are regulated in the classroom. I feel I have done many things to create a supportive learning environment and now need to focus on how to create a true DI classroom and instructional program. My journey continues...

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 I find that even if I haven't put a lot of things into practice, I am at least thinking about it and have changed the way I approach my year and my planning. I have put a lot of time and energy into creating a supportive learning environment and most specifically establishing procedures and routines. I have also attempted some preassessments in order to guide my planning and instruction. One thing I am working on right now is developing a spelling program that will meet the needs of the students, challenge all students and not create a planning nightmare! Any suggestions???

January 25, 2011 The Junie B Jones story stands out in my mind as an example of how students are affected by the changes we make in our classroom. The students in that story are shocked, curious and excited that their desks have been moved and I am very aware of how my students notice the smallest details and any changes that are made in the classroom. My goal the past few weeks has been to try and improve my classroom environment both physically and emotionally. I am very aware of the students needs to access their chairs, have access to the teacher and the teacher to them, and to feel welcomed and comfortable in their learning environment. These children spend an enormous amount of time in their classroom and I think we need to be very sensitive to their needs. I have also been working very hard to teach them to clean up their areas and put their things away - and it occured to me that I must work on doing the same. So, while the goal of the Junie B Jones story was to talk about flexible groupings...I was also reminded of the impact the physical environment has on the students. While I had many other thoughts this is the one that stands out at the end of the day:)

April 12, 2011 I am really enjoying the chance to go in-depth through the curriculum and make the most sense of the outcomes. This really forces me to have a deep understanding and allows me to be sure of what I am teaching my students and what they are expected to learn. I appreciate the support that is provided during this process and would welcome the opportunity to continue planning in this group setting. I am a little fearful about heading off into the unknown by myself! In the past I have made it through stages 1 and 2 and usually get stuck on stage 3. My goal is to push through and finally complete a unit!