UbD 8, MI 8, 11, 12

Chapter 8 from Understanding by Design emphasized how easily a teacher can incorporate differentiated instruction with grading and reporting achievement. Many of the tips in this chapter I found useful and could envision myself using these tips in my own classroom. Grading and reporting achievements for students can be easily produced if an educator adheres to the following advice: grades should be based on standards, not everything needs a grade, grade by established criteria, focus on achievement, and avoid grading based on mean averages because they do not represent a students progression of understanding over time. I want grades to represent a students best work, personal growth, and their work ethic.

Chapter 8 from Multiple Intelligences focuses on how the MI theory can be used regarding classroom management. I thought the tips in this chapter were very useful. As a teacher, it can be hard to establish a relationship with all of your students. However, if teachers tune into their students multiple intelligences, it is a step in the right direction of establishing a relationship, and respect so class time is not wasted by distracted or uninterested students. MI can be used when transitioning from activities or getting the attention of students at the beginning of a class.

Chapter 11 from Multiple Inteligences applies the MI theory to special education. MI can benefit students who take part in the special education program because it can be converted into a growth paradigm. Growth paradigms focus on the positive aspects of students with cognitive or physical disabilities, instead of a deficit paradigm which concentrates solely on backtracks, errors, and personal weaknesses. The MI theory can also be used to inspire special needs students. There are many famous intelligent people who had overcome many different obstacles, and giving students with special needs hope and inspiration regarding the world of academics could improve their lives indefinitely. I really enjoyed reading the boarder implications for MI theory in special education because as a future teacher, I am going to want students in my class who may have a special need, because diversity in the classroom should be celebrated, not isolated.

Chapter 12 of Multiple Intelligences focuses on the relation between cognitive skills and the MI theory. Bloom’s taxonomy is related as a checklist for how students would learn in an MI school or classroom. The chapter key ideas are students possess multiple intelligences, no two students are going to be the same, and a teacher like myself should account for those scenarios in the classroom.

Combination of MI, UbD, FIAE Books

Chapters 5, and 6 of MI and 6, and 7 of UbD/DI 

        Chapter 5 discusses the importance of applying the MI theory inside the classroom and offers many different activities that engage each of the eight intelligences. Since the beginning of educators, philosophers such as Jean Jacques believe that, “students should learn not through words but through experience” and these notions still hold meaning and should be applied within our classrooms. Chapter 5 also suggests focusing on a topic, adjusting it to fit the intelligences by selecting appropriate activities, and then setting a plan in motion. Chapter 6 goes more in depth about different activities for the eight intelligences. I think I would be inclined to use most of them, some examples I found very useful for appealing to intelligences that I myself do not have a good sense of. For example, logical-mathematical intelligences, the chapter offered the an activity of science thinking. Science thinking could be applied to social studies to further students understandings of technological advances made throughout the WW2 era and how this affected the outcomes and causalities of war. Combined with Chapter 5, Chapter 6 offered many interesting ways on how to incorporate the MI theory and differing intelligences inside the class room.

        UbD/DI explains the importance of implementing backwards design when planning a unit, and gives a brief over view of the stages. The chapter then goes on to explain important traits teachers should use in their class rooms such as flexibility. Flexibility, a part of responsive teaching, is important when designing units because it allows for teachers to adjust to students understanding. Chapter 6 focused on breaking the old model of teaching, and reaching towards inspiring students, and new habits becoming familiar and less daunting for older, or newer teachers. Chapter 7 in UbD/DI focuses on teaching for understanding in an academically diverse classroom. Making sure students understand the content is a necessity for the success of all classrooms, and teaching for understanding should include multiple differing approaches such as “whole-class, small-group, and individual approaches” Putting all the stages, and focusing on stage 3, teachers refer to the WHERETO model, that pulls together understandings for students. I found the WHERETO model very thought provoking and a tool that I will use when planning the activities for my unit.

All these chapters had a common idea of how to use different activities when conveying understandings of a unit. There are many different ways, to compensate for different learning levels and intelligences teachers will encounter in the classroom.

Chapter !0: MI

       Chapter 10 discusses the importance of assessing through the multiple intelligences. Unlike standardize tests that take a student out of their normal learning element, standardize test should be more focused on what would “happen in real life” which would cover many of the facets of the MI theory. The book offers ways in which educators can provide their students with authentic assessment, such as samples of work, photographs, or informal assessments. I learned that by using the MI theory, their becomes eight ways in assessment. This allows students to show their learning and understandings in ways that they are comfortable with and most likely suited for success. These types of learning translate into MI portfolios, which teachers argue should be a representation of the students learning. Portfolios are marked with the “5 C’s” of celebration, cognition, communication, cooperation, and competency which are determined by the teacher and their knowledge of the MI theory, and thats students specific learning abilities.

       I think this chapter was very insightful and I could imagine using MI assessments in my classroom to help students increase their motivation. MI goes to show that every student is going to express themselves and their knowledge in a way that they see fit, however, if a teacher can respond to that and provide them with actual reflection, and assessment on what they are expressing, students and teachers will create a more productive communication among each other. It would be interesting to see how results of content knowledge vary from MI assessment to regular assessment.

Chapter 6: FIAE

        Creating good test questions is key to not only creating a good rapport with your students,  and creating an environment where students don’t completely dread test taking in your class. I had a teacher who would completely mess up tests, quizzes, anything graded because she would either not add the score up correctly, or she would mess up on a couple of the questions, throwing students off of what was being asked. I do not want to create that kind of environment in my classroom, so as a teacher, I will use many of the steps listed throughout this chapter. Some suggestions include, avoiding confusing negatives, making clear prompts, keeping it short, including special questions, and making questions authentic to instruction.
        Another category that was included was using a variety of questions and prompts on a test or exam. I know as a student I tend to zone out if I am taking a 80 question multiple choice exam, which consequently will derail my grade sometimes. I want my students to not completely dread taking my test, and one way I can do that is making them visual stimulating and not having 80 fill in the bubble questions. Another way I can make my assessments interesting is creating a couple of bonus questions at the end. Bonus questions gives kids the chance to make back points if they completely missed just one question. As a teacher, I understand that students will have their days, and I am not going to penalize them if they miss one question, so I might as well give them a chance to redeem themselves while taking an assessment.

Chapter 5: FIAE

        Chapter 5 discusses the topic of tiering. Tiering is changing assignments difficulty level, either making it harder, or easier, for an individual student that is designed for students success. Similar to Differentiated Instruction because teachers are changing plans based on results for the betterment of their students. When educators make an assignment, they should not make it maximized to full difficulty for their students. Tasks should be focused more specifically on what that grade recommends and then tiered upward to meet the needs of advanced students. The chapter goes on to provide a plethora of examples on how to upscale a lesson, or understanding for a student who has essentially, already mastered that learning target. By adding more or extending the concept to different or other areas, or allowing the students to analyze of defend their completed work, students will be further immersed in their work, and their level of thinking will be evaluated. 

       RAFT(S) are an important tool that can be used to as a tiering technique, and the social studies version I could see myself using in a classroom. RAFT stands for role, audience, format, and time. It is a table of different situations and can be tiered because the choices in the table can be switched to accommodate a more elevated style of thinking. I think tiering is an important part of adjusting after assessments in the classroom, and will most definitely have to use it in mine because of the projected different levels and styles of learning, but also what students prior knowledge to the content subject is.

Chapter 4: FIAE

       Portfolios, rubrics, and student self-assessment are three types of assessment that are important to a curriculum for varying reasons. Portfolios are a great sample of student work because it shows progress and the evolution of their knowledge over a period of time. It can also give insight to their own thoughts about their work if they are asked to explained why they picked certain pieces. Portfolios are cool because they vary within themselves whether its the amount of work, how much time has past through this portfolio, or what type of media it is. Another type of assessments are rubrics. Rubrics are great for students and teachers because both become aware of expectations of whatever is being graded. Students have something to refer to when working, and teachers can personalize the rubric to capture what big ideas they are trying to achieve through their students. Lastly is student self-assessment, which gets students in touch with their own work because they are easily able to reflect on it when assessing themselves, it also creates a common dialogue between teacher and student about that assignment. 

       As a student, I have had all of these assessments and have learned thoroughly through my assignments and assessments. As a teacher, based on my experience, I think I will try to incorporate all three in my classroom because I would not want to solely focus on one way to test students knowledge. Similarly to Chapter 5 in Multiple Intelligences, when teachers offer different types of assessments, students will be able to express their knowledge proficiently in hopefully all, but if not, at least one type of assessment. 

Chapter 3: FIAE

       This chapter focuses on different types of assessments in a differentiated classroom and criteria for what makes a good assessment. Pre-assessments are used to help teachers understand knowledge or basic understandings that students might already possess prior to the unit. This helps teachers maybe add or drop information to a unit depending on the knowledge levels of the classroom. Formative assessment are assessments that occur during learning, such as check points to make sure students are not falling behind, and everyone is where they should be as far as content knowledge goes. Summative assessment are more or less post assessments given to students near the end of a unit to determine the knowledge or mastery they have conceived because of a unit. The chapter also focused on characteristics of good types of assessment, such as it can reveal common misunderstandings. Another idea that makes up good assessment is advancing learning instead of just documenting it. When a teacher conducts a formative assessment, it is important to take action regarding the results, instead of simply entering them in the grade book.

       Chapter 3 provided me with helpful tips that I may use when I am a teacher forming my own assessments. I will use formative assessments in my class to make sure my students are on the same page as my understandings and standards stated in section 1. I also believe that there is real benefits for backwards design, and think its important that stage 2 is all about assessment, because many teacher I have had in the past have completely missed the mark regarding good assessments, and I want to learn from there mistakes while applying my new found knowledge in my classroom.

Chapter 2: FIAE

      Mastery in chapter two is defined as students who can convey and apply six facets of learning to whatever subject they are learning. The six facets of understanding are explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge. Mastery is not just regurgitating information on a quiz or assignment. Teachers should be aware that just because students can reciprocate facts on a worksheet does not mean that they are masters in the subject area. Once a student has reached the mastery level in a subject, that knowledge will stay with them for a long time, verses students who memorize the answers to a test, and then completely forget what they have “learned.” 

      I like how the chapter included a list of different ways to test students for knowledge and mastery in the content areas. Yet it reminds teachers that just because a student can create an interactive slide show does not mean that that student has mastered the content. This was helpful because as a teacher, I will be looking for students who present mastery in specific units so I can tailor to both their needs, and the needs of the others in the classroom. I thought it was interesting that the chapter also included tips for first-year teachers for whats important to master. Helpful resources cited included textbook sequence, other colleges, and curriculum guides. These are insightful tools I will use in my classroom. My resources will keep me grounded and remind me what important to my students, and for my curriculum. 

Chapter 1: FIAE

       Throughout the first chapter of “Fair Isn’t Always Equal” differentiated instruction was introduced and applied in many classroom, and real life scenarios. Scientists knowledge of the brains capacity has progressed dramatically and is still in underway. Educators face the task of making sense of new founded research, and finding a way of incorporating it in the classroom. Differentiated instruction is defined as doing whats “fair” for each student. As teachers, it is our job to do right by our students, even if it means pulling a little more weight to find ways that they will receive and interpert information. Differentiated instruction might make the difference between a student who is not interested in learning, and a student who thrives in the classroom. The chapter also deciphers the pros of differentiated instruction in the classroom and in the real world. For a classroom example, students how have experienced differentiated instruction are more prepared for a higher education because they are aware with how they learn material. Differentiated instruction can also be found in the real world, such as the military, or a mechanics shop. 

       This chapter was insightful because it really highlighted the importance of using differentiated instruction in the classroom. As a teacher, I will try to comply to my students different learning levels, and learning styles, to give them an insightful school experience within my classroom. I will use this as a teacher and keep up to date with current scientific research and how it can be applied in my classroom.

Chapter 5: UbD/DI

       Effective assessment is essential for checking for understanding among students. Throughout the chapter, the analogy of snapshots verses photo albums were applied to different types of assessments. Snapshot basically represent a big test that may not completely represent the whole of a students understanding. While a photo album consists of smaller test taken over a period of time that represent understanding through diversity of assessment. An emphasis on various types of assessments at differing times such as pre-assessments, and post-assessments can give specific information about that students content knowledge. Effective assessment also includes making the measures with the goals, or in other words, remembering stage 1 when mapping out stage 2. Also, it is important for teachers to keep in mind there are various assessments to select when deciding, and picking the right one for a specific understanding will capture student understanding more than a assessment that doesn’t well exemplify the understanding.

       As a future educator, I thought it was useful that the book discussed responsive assessment, which included assessing before teaching, providing feedback early and often, and encouraging self assessment and reflection. When students are able to reflect on their own work, it opens a window for a discussion with the teacher. If students graded their own work, and it does not represent the teachers grade, there is a basis for a conversation about that students work. I think this is a very valuable tip, and I will use it in my classroom. These are strategies I can envision using in my own classroom to help students build a comfortable environment while still upholding the meeting of criteria standards through assessments.