Potential Power of a teacher is limitless!

Good morning, all you movers, groovers, shakers and shapers of young minds. We are beginning our 4^th week together and DCE is a great place to be!

Students look to their teachers for safety, approval and learning. Classrooms and learning have changed so much.  More than ever before, greater pressure is being placed on the educator to get all students to learn equally, successfully, and at the same pace.  This will never happen because it’s like trying to teach a fish, a tiger, and a monkey to climb to the top of a tree and get there at the same time!

Huh!

We all keep reading and hearing about differentiation.  What is it? It is a way of thinking and responding to the way students learns. We all have ways of responding to one another and to the material we learn, so how can we use what we know about ourselves and our students to meet their needs?

For us to differentiate in our classroom, it is essential to do the following:

·        Connect and build relationships with our students.

·        Know and understand student differences in learning, social and emotional development.

·        All students should have access to curriculum that meets their needs.

·        Build a sense of belonging for all students.

·        Use a variety of assignments and provide choices

·        Testing and evaluations should be based upon students learning style.

·        Use evaluations to drive individual instruction.

Finally, I think this quote is the result of NOT differentiating. “When a teacher tries to teach all students the same thing at the same time: 1/3 will already know it; 1/3 will get it; 1/3 won’t get it; so 2/3 of the kids are wasting their time! Scott Willis ASCD

As we go into September, let’s Labor smarter not harder! Have a wonderful week!

Jodie Petrulo