Chapter 14 Assesing

Chapter fourteen of fair isn’t always equal is all about setting up the all powerful report card. The chapter talks about how there are multiple ways to set up a report card and gives three different examples of different report card formats. The first system it suggests is a system of letter number combinations. In this set up students are given a letter grade based on mastery shown and a number grade based on effort or growth shown. The second format is a standards mastery format in which students are given a report card that lists what standards they need to master and to what degree they have all been mastered. Finally the chapter talked about the modified report card which is a report card set up in a way so that students in a gifted program and students in a special needs program have there needs met.
As a group we were surprised by how many ways that there were to set up a report card I mean after all isn’t a report card a report card? After reading the chapter each of us sort of picked a grading style that we liked but we did have one overarching question. Because we will unfortunately have to fallow whatever format that are district has for making report cards how should we attempt to put the better feedback onto the report card if the report card format where we work doesn’t already contain a way for us to do so can you attach things to report cards? who do you talk to if you want to make a change?

Synthesis Chapter 13 Assess

This chapter discussed the different ways to set up gradebooks that support a differentiated classroom.
Some of the various ways that were shown were separating by the standards that each assignment met, separating the gradebook into topic sections, arranging the assignments so that all assignments weighted the same amount are together, etc. Lastly (and most traditionally), the book also mentioned arranging the gradebook chronologically by assignment, which allows you to see the student's growth over time.
Each of these set-ups, though seemingly different from each other, have one thing in common; they all support differentiated instruction by creating a set-up that is conversation friendly. All of these systems create a list of grades that are more than just numbers. They all, in one way or another, support the idea of student growth and enabling teacher/student or teacher/parent conversations about the grades. They give them meaning, a sense of growth and a goal to be aimed at.

Assesing Chapter 7

Assessing chapter 7 is about the different variables that grades can test. The chapter suggests that grades can test how well a student is at memorizing material or just how well they can take tests. The chapter also explains that students can find grading scales confusing, because a B grade in one class may match up to a D grade in another and that in an ideal world all teachers would standardize what it takes to get each grade. But sadly this isn’t an ideal world. The chapter goes on to explain that if we want to make good grades and assessments, then we must grade our students so that grades are a measure of learning.
As a group we found this chapter very interesting. We did come at the chapter in several different ways however. Some viewed it with shocking realization about their teaching methods, others looked at it as a way to better connect with the reading from previous chapters, and still others tried to look at the chapter through the eyes of our future students

DIUBD Chapter 10

DIUBD chapter 10 is a summary of the entire book. It talks about stage one, stage two, and stage three and how we can apply them into a classroom properly today. The chapter then goes into a discussion that includes advice from teachers and other help full ideas such as don’t be afraid to try something new and when you do try something new don’t just throw it away after one try. Feel free to try it multiple times, because what doesn’t work for one group of students may work for another.
As a group we thoroughly enjoyed this chapter we felt that it provided a valuable overview and gave us a lasting resource that we could use to teach others about DIUBD. We also liked that the chapter sorted of reminded us that lesson planning was not something that is easy, but that it is all worth it in the end when the kids are learning.

Fair Isn't Always Equal; Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom - Chapter 12

Book: Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Wormeli

Chapter: 12 – Grading Scales

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

Chapter twelve is about the debate between the two main types of grading scales: 100-point and 4-point scales. The main argument of the chapter is that the 4-point scale is a better choice of the two. It is better because smaller scales make individual distortions less likely. The 4-point scale is based off of expectations based rubrics. A 4-point assignment is broken down into steps, and the student receives credit for the steps they completed, versus on the 100-point scale students are only responsible for the final answer, and receive no credit for the process it took to get there. The 4-point scale is truer to the differentiated idea of student mastery.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

We liked this chapter. The four point scale grades with rubrics, which incorporate many aspects of learning, not just the final answer. In a differentiated classroom the process of learning is the most important thing, so why are we using a system (100-point) that directly contradicts the progress we are trying to measure?

Synthesis Chapter 10 Assessing

This chapter talked about redoing assignment for credit. It gave teachers various methods of preparing for and actually having redos. The first and most important thing discussed was the fact that the redone assignments need to be done at the teacher's discretion. By doing this, the teacher has placed her or himself in a position of "full coverage," when it comes to parents and students. Another idea mentioned was to have students get their original work signed by parents in order to keep them informed of their progress and of the fact that they needed to do a retake.
Another concept discussed that we as a group felt was necessary was to change the formatting of any redone work. This ensures that all students are genuinely learning as opposed to memorizing material, as well as engaging in higher order thinking (for example, if you gave an experiment for the retake instead of a second written test).

Our group felt that this chapter was extremely necessary because it is a topic that is very controversial and was discussed at length during our classroom portion of practicum, both in seminar with Beth and in our actual schools. We also felt like parents being included in the process was a fairly good idea, along with having some sort of sign-and-return contract at the beginning of the year for parents and students to sign regarding retake policies.

Synthesized Chapter 9 Assessing

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter covered ten approaches to avoid when differentiating instruction and grading assessments. The author gives each approach within the text and then explains in depth why this “approach” should be avoided if you really care about differentiating your instruction or grading fairly. The first approach to avoid is incorporating nonacademic factors such as attendance, behavior, and effort into the final grades. The second approach is avoid penalizing students multiple attempts at mastery. Third is avoid grading practice such as homework which is meant as more of a study tool then an assessment although it can be used as a formative assessment. The next thing to avoid is withholding assistance with the learning when it’s needed, with and emphasis on when it’s needed. Teachers must realize when it is necessary. Next comes avoiding assessing students in ways that don’t accurately show their mastery. Avoid allowing extra credit and bonus points is the next approach. The seventh thing to avoid is group grades which are unfair to students that get paired with someone who doesn’t do their work. AVOID GRADING ON A CURVE is the next approach and one I completely agree with. Next is avoiding recording zeros for work not done, instead you should assume the assignment is incomplete. The last approach to avoid is using norm-referenced terms to describe criterion- referenced attributes.
How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
I thought this was a great tool for us as teachers and I really liked the idea of avoid grading on a curve, because it doesn’t make any sense! Aaron disagreed with #9 which said don’t put zeros in for incomplete work, and he made his case in class the other day. Mackenzie liked the chapter because she thought some of the points were controversial and made her think, as well as thinking the chapter was very reader-friendly. Renee loved the chapter and agreed with everything it said. She loved the idea of putting learning before grades.

Fair Isn't Always Equal; Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom - Chapter 11

Book: Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Wormeli

Chapter: 11 – Six Burning Grading Issues

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter covers many topics in relation to grading, the first one being about whether or not teachers should record a zero for work not turned in. It boils down to the fact that an F ranges from 60 (commonly) to 0 on the 100 point scale. As differentiated teachers we should be more apt to record a higher F than the lower one. The second topic is about grading gifted students. It discusses how accelerated students should be graded. Should students who skip grades be graded on the same intellectual level as their older classmates? As teachers we should be fair to each student, so it would depend on the situation. The third discussion is about weighted grades. The concept of weighted grades is derived from the thought that the more complex and difficult a task or concept is the more credit we want to give students for having mastered it. The argument is how can anyone judge what is complex and difficult? Every student is different, being challenged in differing ways from their peers. The fourth topic is automaticity versus concept attainment. Is it more important for students to be able to apply concepts or to have them memorized? Issue number five is about grading late work. Should you take off a few points of a letter grade? Is it an occasional or chronic happening? All of these factors need to be considered before taking action with late work. The final issue is grading special needs students in inclusion classrooms. Who should grade a special needs student, the regular classroom teacher or the special educator? The chapter ends with a firm stance that the two should collaborate and develop a grade based off of what they both expect of that student.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

This chapter talked about some topics we had never considered before. When is comes to whether to give a sixty or a zero for uncompleted assignments some of us would opt for the sixty option, being a differentiated educators we are here to help student motivation. Others in the group are less comfortable just giving a sixty for a zero. What about the struggling student? Weighted grades frustrate us greatly. You cannot place any student over another; they all achieve great things and overcome complex problems. When is comes to automaticity or concept attainment many of us lean more towards automaticity. We would rather have our students gain skills and content instead of just content. Late work should only have a few points removed, but students should be held accountable in other ways. Finally with special need students we agree with the text. Their assessment should be derived from the thoughts of both educators.

Fair Isn't Always Equal; Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom - Chapter 8

Reflection on Reading

Book: Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Wormeli

Chapter: 8 – Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavior?

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter is about why grades exist, and how in some ways they are unnecessary. The idea that grades are unnecessary stems from the fact that grades should be derived from student mastery, as in if the student understands the content they have earned full credit. Therefore there should be no grades, because knowledge should not be a race. But then the topic of effort, attendance, and participation come into the conversation in regards to grading. If we eliminate grades, then how do we gauge these things? Should we incorporate them into grades anyways? Should we simply let students act how they act and not have it reflect in their grade? Should we base content on attendance, so that missing class sets you back with knowledge, not with a grade? These are all questions that are asked in this chapter. This chapter concludes with the idea that no matter what feedback you give you need to tell student how they are performing in some way.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

This chapter brought up a topic that we had never thought about before, eliminating non-academic factors in grades. We have pondered the idea of eliminating grades altogether, but altering them is an area we have never approached. Some of us liked the idea of eliminating not only non-academic factors, but grades altogether. Grades, if used, should represent student learning, but is learning something you can measure? Knowledge should not be a race. Students should be allowed to learn what they have to learn at their own capacity, and not be penalized for having learning differences in the classroom. Some of us think that grades and effort are very important factors in the classroom, this is where the differences in our group have shown the most.

Synthesized Chptr 8 UbD/DI

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
Chapter eight is about grading and reporting achievement. The purpose of grading and reporting is to provide high quality feedback to important audiences like parents and students, not just assigning a letter to a piece of work at the end of a time period. The chapter presents 6 principles to effective grading and reporting. The first principle stresses that grades should be based on learning goals and performance standards. The second principle states that you should use valid evidence for grading. Principle three says grading should be based on established criteria and principle four says not everything should be included in grades. I really liked principle five which says we should avoid grading on averages (mean). And lastly principle six states that you should focus on achievement when reporting grades and report other factors separately (i.e. behavior). The authors then include in the chapter a section regarding grading and how rigid, undifferentiated grading can cause special needs students to fail classes they should be passing. They then introduce a reporting system that will benefit ALL students by focusing and reporting out on three different factors: grades for achievement of goals, progress towards goals, and work habits. In their final thought the authors bring up that backwards design should also take effect in your grading system, because the goal is to see if students learned the material, not if they aced your specific assignment.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts.
Renee felt like this was a good review chapter that reinforces information that we should already know as future educators. Mackenzie whole-heartedly agreed with the part of the chapter that talks about presenting your expectations to the students ahead of time so they know what is expected of them. Aaron brought up a concern about principle six. He said that always grading positively may not put emphasis on students’ mistakes so they don’t know what they need to work on. The thing that stuck out the most to me in the chapter was principle five. I totally agree that you shouldn’t grade on averages as you aren’t giving the kids a fair grading system if you don’t.

Synthesis Chapter 11 MI // Team 4

This chapter discussed the multiple intelligences and special education. Our group loved this chapter because when dealing with special education students, the multiple intelligence theory removes all of the negative stereotypes and stigmas associated with special education (i.e. "disorders," "diseases," and "disabilities"). Instead, the multiple intelligence theory focuses on the positive aspects of special education. For example, if a student is dyslexic, they will instead focus on gearing that child's education toward logic and math, or perhaps even art. The theory also suggests that all students have the capability to learn, and that a learning "disability" should not cause a child's education to come to a halt. Rather, the better way of handling the situation is to reformat the child's education in a way that suits their natural intelligences.

Our group loved this chapter because it brought special education to a positive place. It focused on the fact that every child can learn and that even children who don't learn typically can still learn well. Also, the section that talked about having positive role models for children with learning disabilities was amazing! Our group thought it was fabulous that, for example, students who were dyslexic would be able to see that bestselling authors that they may have heard of were also of that condition, or that Einstein was considered "learning disabled."

MI - 12 - MI & Cognitive Skills

Team 4

Practicum Block 1

Reflection on Reading

Book: Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom - Armstrong

Chapter: 12 – MI and Cognitive Skills

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter discusses how the use of the multiple intelligences can be used to help students achieve more in the classroom cognitively. It discusses this by using the skills of memory and problem solving as primary examples. It goes in depth as to how using the intelligences helps students to learn more effectively and develop the skill they are utilizing. For example when it comes to memory you could help students with spatial intelligences to visualize the concept, or for students with interpersonal intelligences the concept could be discussed. When it comes to problem solving bodily kinesthetic learners could act out the concept, where as naturalistic learners could use nature analogies to understand the concept. The chapter ends with many examples for how to foster cognitive skills in the classroom.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

This chapter is a good resource for methods of developing skills in the classroom, while still adhering to the needs of your learners. We appreciate the rich resource that this chapter is. We like how we are accomplishing two things in one by using the intelligence theory. Becoming a more informed student is only improved by becoming a more self-resourceful student at the same time.

Synthesized Chptr 8 MI

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter is all about classroom management using the MI’s. It begins by explaining teachers have always had trouble settling down a rowdy class at the beginning of a period, and the chapter then gives an example from each intelligence of a way to gain the classes attention and settle them down. Armstrong then talks about preparing for transitions, and suggests having a specific cue for when you are about to switch activities. He also describes different ways of teaching/expressing the classroom rules using each of the eight intelligences. Using MI to split into groups is the next section, and then after that managing individual behavior is brought up with some discipline methods for each type of intelligence. Lastly, Armstrong explains that MI theory is valuable with classroom management, but isn’t a substitute for a professional who can deal with emotional or behavioral issues.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
Mackenzie liked this chapter as a resource for a bunch of tips and tricks to use in the classroom that relates to the MI’s. I liked the chapter because of the group ideas, and how splitting up the kids using the MI’s can be really fun. Renee plans on using this chapter as a resource for her teaching career as effective ways to manage her classroom. Aaron favored the part f the chapter talking about MI’s to deal with behavioral issues within the classroom.

Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom - Chapter 14 Synthesis

Team 4

Practicum Block 1

10/25/2007

Reflection on Reading

Book: Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom - Armstrong

Chapters: 14 – Multiple Intelligence and Existential Intelligence

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter discusses the possibility of a ninth intelligence, the existential intelligence. The chapter defines this intelligence as being a student who questions everything, and is continually trying to get to an answer, or a deeper level. It discusses how this intelligence can be mistaken for an advocacy for religion, but in reality it is simply just a form of deeper thought; philosophical. The chapter concludes with a discussion on how a classroom could be adapted for such a learner, and it basically says to help them understand by helping them to find the answers to their own questions.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

Not all of us liked this chapter. Some of us really liked it, and valued the content it had surrounding the ninth intelligence, but some of us did not understand the intelligence itself, and some of us could not see how it could be incorporated into the classroom. We looked at the idea of a ninth intelligence with a careful eye, and Renee and Mackenzie really like the concept, and agree with it completely. Ryan and Aaron had a harder time warming up to the idea. They could not see how it could be used, or how it was an intelligence at all.

MI Chapter 13 Synthesis Team 4

We all stated in our abstracts almost the exact same thing, down to wording. We said that the chapter talked about three "new" ways of implementing the multiple intelligences into the classroom. The first was with technology, beyond sole including of the typical "math geek" type of student. The book gave an excellent chart for each intelligence showing software programs that could be used to engage that particular type of learner. The second way of using the intelligences in the classroom was through cultural diversity. The book stated that since we know an intelligence is only as meaningful as the culture who is utilizing it, it is obviously going to be important to know how each varying culture values, respects, and uses each intelligence. Lastly, the chapter talked about using MI's in career counseling through using tools that help students sort through possible professions based on your academic and intelligence strengths.

We thought that this chapter was great, but felt that the technology piece was a little outdated. We felt that we already knew how to use a computer with students other than the stereotypical "math geek" as the book worded it, and that actually, that stereotype is going away more and more rapidly. We particularly liked the section on career counseling, because we had had experiences in high school, clubs, etc, where it was very beneficial to know your strengths and weaknesses academically, and having that knowledge while choosing a profession for the rest of your life will definitely be essential.

DIUBD Chapter Seven

DIUBD chapter seven is a very deep chapter it covers several key pieces of knowledge necessary to bring deep learning to the classroom. First the chapter discussed uncovering learning and how learning should always be uncovered and never simply covered. The next big section was about the facets of understanding and how they should be used in the class room to make sure that all students are engaged more often so more deep learning can take place. Finally the chapter talks about the whereto lesson plan design. It explains that whereto allows teachers to put multiple intelligences directly into their lesson plan ensuring that kids get what they need.
Above all we loved the whereto system because it allows us to make sure our kids are getting what they need. This looks like a great extension on the set of acronyms tools we already have in our bag. Most of all we like that whereto is a tool that can help guide teaching it feels very easy to manipulate and it doesn’t feel restrictive like some of us thought the other acronyms such as rafts did.

Multiple Intelligences Chapter Five

Multiple intelligences chapter five is all about instructing students in a way that is compatible with all of the intelligences. The chapter then spends some time giving unique examples of what you could do to incorporate the multiple intelligences into your lessons as much as possible. The author then goes on to explain the difference between traditional and mi teaching and why mi teaching is so much more powerful. Finally the author goes into explaining how to develop mi lessons using a seven step approach and gives an eight day example of a lesson plan made in this way.
As a group we came at the chapter from several different directions some of us loved the chapter for the thematic instruction section which reminded us of the GRASPS that we are using personally for the unit. Others enjoyed the chapter for the rich ideas that they harvested to use in their lesson plans thanks to the plethora of mi exercises on the first few pages. But regardless of where we came from while reading we were all in agreement that this would be an invaluable resource both now and later in our careers.

Team 4's Chapter 6 Multiple Intelligence Synthesis

We agreed as a group that this chapter in large, pretty much piggy-backed off of chapter 5. It discussed in greater detail how to tailor assignments to each intelligence. The chapter was structured by dividing it up in 40 examples, 5 for each of the 8 intelligences, of ways to tailor lessons to that particular way of learning.
The chapter talked about the fact that the point of the reading was not to make us feel as educators that we have to tailor each of our lessons in 8 different ways to cater to each intelligence, but rather to make sure we are giving continuous variety, so that our classroom does not become stagnant and so that our students' minds will all have a chance to be truly engaged at least some of the time.

We felt that the chapter was very effective in the sense that it gave us lots of concrete examples. We also liked the fact that this chapter didn't use any metaphors for learning-- it was straightforward and made us easily understand how we will apply these skills in the classroom.

Team 4's Chapter 6 Ubd Synthesis

This chapter discussed how to teach responsively in classrooms with diverse learners. It described studies that told us as educators how to make sure that each student is always involved. We also all noted that the chapter discussed how important it is to make sure that all students are getting an opportunity to apply their skills to real life. Real life application should not be reserved just for those students who have "mastered" the skills. In fact, studies show that students with lower skills more rapidly improve if they are asked to apply their skills to real life situations.
Out group also noted that the chapter talked about having a balance between students pushing themselves and being pushed by the teacher. To some extent, motivation needs to be intrinsic.
Lastly, our group really felt that this chapter focused a lot on the fact that we should be setting up our students to succeed, not fail. This means aligning assessments with the way the students have been taught, using authentic assessment, etc.

We all felt after reading this chapter that we were "satisfied." We felt that the chapter did a nice job of summing up key points about teaching to diverse learners, and that it successfully touched upon points that needed to be discussed-- like assessing effectively, using real life application, and getting feedback from students.

Synthesized Chptr 9 UbD/DI

Team 4(Ryan, Renee, Mackenzie, Aaron)
Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter in UbD/DI is about curriculum and instruction and “bringing it all together” to actually plan a unit. The authors start off by giving a quick review of UbD/DI and highlight some of the key points brought up in previous chapters including determining acceptable evidence and flexibility in instruction. Then for the next portion of the chapter they give an entire sample unit about eating healthy. They give examples of the performance tasks the students will be asked to complete, and highlight how the lesson was planned using backwards design. Within this example they also give a grading rubric designed for one of the performance tasks and show the actual outlines of “Stage 1” for each task. The authors then give another example of a differentiated, backwards designed unit “in action”. This included focusing on students in relation to desired results, carrying out and differentiating the lesson plan, and determining the success of the students. The authors then show an adjustment to an assignment that may have to be done within the course of a unit due to differentiation needs. Lastly, observable indicators in UbD/DI classrooms are discussed and there are four major things we as teachers can observe to make sure our classrooms are successful: the learning environment, the curriculum, the teacher, and the learners.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
Mackenzie felt like the chapter finally wrapped up all the loose ends the book has talked about and made it all make sense. Aaron liked how the chapter gave a good example of all of the material coming together, showing us that all the stuff we have been doing will all come together just as well. Renee liked how the chapter emphasized integrating the two techniques in the classroom for an extremely effective learning environment. I personally liked the part f the chapter where the authors showed an example of adjusting on assignment to several different types of needs.

Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom - Chapter 7 Synthesis

Team 4

Practicum Block 1

10/23/2007

Reflection on Reading

Book: Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom - Armstrong

Chapter: 7 – MI and the Classroom Environment

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

Chapter seven is about the physicality of the classroom and how it can be adapted to the eight intelligences. It discusses how there are aspects of the classroom that must be observed when dealing with the intelligences. For example with linguistic learners you should be aware of how much you are speaking, enough? Too little? You should also be aware of the amount of text on the walls, versus the amount of pictures. For logical thinkers you should be aware of how much structured time is in class. For spatial learners how is the room arranged? Is the room visually stimulating? Or is it boring? Is there a feeling of clutter or spaciousness in the learning environment? For bodily-kinesthetic learners you should keep in mind how much time students spend sitting down, and whether or not they have materials to use with their hands for them to manipulate. Musical intelligences should be in an environment that promotes auditory learning. With interpersonal students you should be aware of opportunities for students to interact with one another, and for intrapersonal students you should be aware of opportunities to work independently. And finally naturalistic students should be in an atmosphere where they have the opportunity to interact with the outdoors at times; whether it be physically going outside, or having a pet/plant in the classroom. The chapter ends with a discussion of the use of activity centers being utilized for each intelligence; giving students the opportunity to learn how they do best in an environment that is encouraging and setup for them to succeed.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

We really liked chapter seven because it stressed just how much we should care about the physical aspects of our classrooms. All too often we wonder why our students do not excel at the same consistency, and sometimes it has nothing to do with the content, but their surrounding environment. We liked this chapter and the examples it gave. From personal experience I can say that classrooms with natural lighting, musical components, where we moved around and had discussion, while working independently, were much more effective than the window less cookie-cutter classroom. We especially liked the concept of quadrants in the class to help with adapting to intelligences.

Synthesized Chptr6: Assess

Team 4 (Ryan, Renee, Mackenzie, Aaron)

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter in assessing gives teachers some information about creating good test questions. The chapter begins by suggesting using a variety of questions on the test, thus making it more interesting and in some ways easier for the kids. Wormeli also mentions making the test efficient for your students, and asking them to “double record” their answers so they don’t accidentally get one wrong because they miswrote an answer. There is also a large section making the test clear and not confusing, and also keeping in mind time restraints for the students. He also mentions adding some fun into the test, and then shifts into making sure the test properly assesses what you want, and the questions pertain to the instruction. To close the chapter Wormeli mentions having questions on your test asking the students if the test met their expectations. Lastly, he mentions tiering certain questions on the test to make sure they are appropriate for certain classes/students.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
Mackenzie liked how the chapter gave the tips about tests including how changing the appearance of a test can make it a better assessment. Renee liked the chapter but did question the suggestion about immediate feedback and how waiting a day before giving results may motivate students. Aaron agreed with the chapter’s perspective about testing for understanding and making sure our tests can’t be passed by luck. I liked the section of the chapter about time restraints and “outside factors” that may affect our students as they take the test because those weren’t things I would have thought of.

Assessing Chapter 3

Chapter three of assessing is all about assessing students properly in a differentiated classroom. The chapter talks about the importance of using pre, formative, and summative exams in the classroom to better develop an understanding of students needs. The chapter explains that to really be good at teaching a teacher must make sure that students maintain an enduring knowledge of essential information (eek) not just one that lasts until the test is over. The chapter also talks about avoiding the fluff that some teachers put in their assignments. Students should be engaged not feeling like they are wasting their time on busy work.
As a group we felt that the chapter wove very well with the other chapters that we read especially Multiple Intelligences chapter ten. We also liked the emphasis that the chapter placed on the importance of removing boring fluff assignments, which all of us have had to suffer through. Finally we appreciated how heavily this chapter stressed the need for good assessment because assessment and grades really are the hearts of our current school system.

Assessing Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of assessing is all about differentiated instruction. The chapter stressed the fact that DI is not individualized learning it is adaptive learning. The book likened DI to giving a child a pair of glasses this isn’t really fair because nobody else gets a pair but it is necessary because without them the student couldn’t do his or her work. Another example of differentiated instruction the book gave was giving the student a CD of their textbook so they could listen to the assignment instead of read it.
As a group we unanimously decided that the chapter had great merit, because it stressed the importance of using differentiated instruction to raise students to a level where they could function like anyone else in the classroom. As apposed to the alternative which is to give them an excuse to slack off. However we did have some concerns with the chapter as well in the form of the fallowing questions. If teachers know about this method and they know it works why don’t they use it? What is the line between assistance and giving the good grades away? And where is the line between fair vs. equal and fair vs. perceived favoritism?

Chapter 5 Assessing Synthesis

We all agreed that this chapter discussed the importance of tiering assessments based on student's readiness levels and intellectual capacity with a certain skill or subject. We also all discussed that this chapter pushed the idea of tiering not only by making certain things less challenging for students with lower readiness levels, but also to make things more difficult for learners who are easily ready to move on.
The ways that one can tier are also very different than what we thought. For example, tradionally one would think that making a test simply "easier" means to reword questions in a way that makes them more based on rote skills and repetitiveness for slower learners. However, the chapter discussed that that is actually the exact opposite of what you should do when tiering for slower learners. The author states that research shows that slower learners actually should be exposed to deeper understanding and application questions, just at different levels. In other words, if you continue to give slower learners basic and repetitive problems, they're levels of thinking will not be heightened. By giving them questions on a test that will relate their understandings to the real world, they are more likely to understand key concepts and move on to a higher level of thinking.
Reflection-wise, some of us thought the chapter was slightly redundant and that the instruction part of ubd and this chapter on assessment were very simliar. However, we did all come to the conclusion that the chapter gave us many concrete examples of assessments we could usein our own classrooms.

Fair Isn't Always Equal; Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom - Chapter 4

Team 4 – Ryan, Mackenzie, Aaron, Renee
Practicum Block 1
10/16/2007

Reflection on Reading

Book: Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Wormeli
Chapter: Chapter 4 – Three Important Types of Assessment

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter is about the topic of assessment. It discusses how there are three essential forms of assessment. The first one is portfolios. Portfolios are important because they cover multiple ways of assessing. They are a differentiation tool that can be very flexible in what they assess and how. The second assessment is the use of rubrics. The chapter discusses how rubrics are tools used to show students exactly how they will be assessed. They show what parts of the assignment are worth more or less. Rubrics are guides for student thinking while preparing for the assignment. The third type of assessment discussed is student self assessment. The chapter describes this as having the student look at a pre-assessment they completed before the unit and then analyze how much knowledge of the subject they have developed. Chapter four stressed the importance of using all of these assessments to depict a well rounded view of the understanding of the student.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

As a team we really liked chapter four. Mackenzie liked it for its emphasis on effective assessment and its quick and to the point text. Many of us appreciated its in depth explanations of the three assessments. Ryan and Aaron appreciated chapter four because they could connect it to assessments that were put on them as students. They connected the content to their lives, so they valued it all the more. Renee liked chapter four because of its emphasis on self assessment. As a team we deemed this chapter as educationally worthy, and the content an asset to educators everywhere.

Synthesized MI Chapter 10

Team 4 (Ryan, Renee, Mackenzie, Aaron)
Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter covers the topic of MI and assessment. It begins by stressing the idea of having a variety of assessments, and gives the basic outlines of authentic assessments. Armstrong then gives some examples of assessments of many varieties The MI assessment projects are brought up next in the chapter, and a brief description of each project is given. Their main purpose is to develop ways to assess kids of different intelligences showing knowledge in the same subjects. Armstrong then covers assessing in eight ways, and gives a running example using Huck Finn and each of the eight intelligences. Nearing the end of the chapter he brings up how MI theory can broaden a certain assessment into a wide range of contexts relating to each intelligence. After that Armstrong gives a large chart showing many different types of assessment you can give to your students, depending on their intelligences, that way it is easy for them to show their mastery/understanding of the subject. At the very end of the chapter MI portfolios are introduced. These portfolios are meant to give a background to each students MI history and some insight to which kind of assessments they perform best on.
How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
I personally liked how the author give examples of one general assessment morphed so it favors each of the eight intelligences. Aaron liked the idea of diversifying tests but was worried about how some tests just can’t be changed to favor a certain intelligence. Renee liked how this chapter brought the individual into the light and how the classroom should be set up to help not hinder the students. Lastly, Mackenzie favored giving various assessments because will be less worried if they know the assessment will be in a form they understand.

Fair Isn't Always Equal; Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom - Chapter 2

Team 4 – Ryan, Aaron, Mackenzie, Renee
Practicum Block 1
10/10/2007

Reflection on Reading

Book: Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Wormeli

Chapter: 2 - Mastery

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter is about how students actually master concepts in the classroom. It discusses how there is a difference between just knowing and actual mastery. It discusses the fact that there are assessments that are thought-provoking and will provide cognitive answers showing real depth in the knowledge of the student. Some examples of these assessments are in class discussions, debates, and journal entries. This chapter discusses how multiple aspects of the student’s knowledge of the topic need to be assessed in order to determine mastery, which is where differentiated instruction comes into play. It connected very well to chapter one.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

We all liked this chapter very well. Mackenzie and Renee liked how it tied nicely into chapter one with the topic of differentiated instruction, while Aaron and Ryan liked how it was more of a resource for new teachers more. We all liked how this chapter discussed the different aspects of understanding, and how we need to make sure that our students understand the concepts we are trying to get across to them.

Chptr 5 UbD/DI

Team 4(Ryan, Renee, Mackenzie, Aaron)

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter’s main focus was assessments used by teachers. It covered many different types of assessments and how to effectively use these tests for understanding. In the beginning of the text it is stressed that using a cumulative, encompassing form of assessment is better than a “snapshot” method where you only use one piece of evidence to determine whether a child knows the material. The authors discuss the three principles of understanding, and how these relate to assessments we should use. These principles include using the GRASPS method to assess learning and when designing new assessments to take the “form follows function” method. Using these ideas you can test to see if your students actually UNDERSTAND the subject rather than just memorize the facts. At the very end of the chapter they also talk about responsive assessment, which allows us as teachers to adjust our teaching style based on the feedback we get from quick, easy checks for understanding.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
I personally liked how the chapter gave us information about assessing correctly and understanding the feedback we get from our assessments. I thought it was important about the responsive assessments and being able to change something if it’s not working. Aaron favored the idea of giving in depth feedback to the kids after their assessments, thus giving them some insight about what they need to work on. Renee mentioned adapting assessments to her different classes and being able to differentiate instruction, and also liked the section covering praise given to students. Mackenzie really liked the concrete examples of assessment given in the chapter and mentioned using the book as a resource.

Chapter 4 DIUBD

Chapter 4 is an excellent chapter that puts a lot of things into perspective. It stresses the importance of the existence of a strong compelling curriculum in every classroom. The chapter explains that if students feel engaged they will be more likely to enjoy school and thirst for knowledge throughout life. The chapter also makes the very important point that as teachers we must each make a continuous effort to take responsibility for student’s learning. If a class is having trouble it can’t be entirely their fault. Teachers must constantly be looking in the mirror, because learning troubles begin with the instructor. The chapter also covered the need for teachers to get to know the ways that their students learn.
Each reader in the group took away something special from this chapter. Some took so much away that they suggested it should be required reading for all teachers. One of the sections of the chapter that impacted the group the most was the section at the very end with the three questions about our personal vision and will. This really forced us to look at our reasons for teaching.

Chapter 1 DIUBD

Chapter 1 of DIUBD covered the ideas of differentiated instruction and understanding by design. According to the book understanding by design is focused on the collection of data. Using this method, teachers can gather a wide variety of information to help them teach their students and organize it into their lesson plans based on standards of learning such as the Maine learning results. Unlike understanding by design the idea of differentiated instruction is less about the standards and more about the students. The book describes differentiated instruction as a way to address the “whom”, “where”, and “how” we teach. What it allows the teacher to do is alter their usual standard based lesson plans to adapt to the needs of individual students. What the book suggests is that teachers should use both methods in their class rooms. Thus they can create excellent lesson plans that adhere to the standards that schools must live up to, while allowing the leeway necessary to bend high standard demands so that all students can gain as much as possible from the teacher’s instruction.
While reading the chapter our group had several gut reactions. The first was that using each of these learning techniques together made far more since than using them apart. The second was that differentiated instruction was a great way to make students learn information not only for a test but to make sure that they retained the information pertaining to the standard that they were supposed to have meet. Finally we decided that there was a danger of letting students slip through the cracks if schools get stuck in the same rut of only meeting standards and not uncovering knowledge they need.

Synthesis Chapter 3 MI in the Classroom

As a group, we have written that chapter 3 basically discusses the fact that even though there are 8 intelligences, every student will have a dominant 2 0r 3 (but will also of course have the potential to develop all 8 to a functional point). The chapter stated that as a teacher, it is important for us to stretch not only our students' thinking (in order to develop their other intelligences), but also to constantly be asking more of ourselves. We thought this was especially pertinent in the areas that we are most "fluent" in -- for example, if a teacher is excellent linguistically, maybe trying to enhance his or her logistical skills would benefit the class.

The second part of the chapter that we all mentioned was the fact that the methods mentioned to discover students' intelligences were very varied. Some methods involved straight out asking the children how they learn, others were more discreet, like looking at past exam records and student report cards. Our favorite however--and this was group-wide-- was the "examining misbehavior" method. None of us had ever of thought to see what a child does when they act out as a way to help the child, but it makes perfect sense. Making that new discovery was very enriching for us.

Reflection-wise, a lot of us learned in this chapter a lot about why some of our educators did what they did. It's a pretty strange feeling that we are now learning about what we once were subjected to.

On a different note, some of us stated that taking the time to cater to each intelligence every class may be very time (and class) consuming. Also, knowing that one student may not "get" your lesson at all because it's not in their intelligence seems daunting.

Synthesized Ch. 4

Team 4(Ryan, Renee, Aaron, Mackenzie)
9/16/07
Multiple Intelligences
Chapter 4

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter focused on teaching the MI Theory to your students. Armstrong stresses that this will help the children realize their own strengths and weaknesses and help them gain insight about why they are “good” at some things and “bad” at others. Armstrong also points out that if kids know about MI then they will be able to understand why teachers may be teaching the same subject different ways. Armstrong also gives some follow-up activities to teaching kids about MI including career days, field trips, famous biographies, and a “human intelligence hunt”. All of these activities will help provide support to your lesson about MI and show kids physical proof that all eight intelligences exist in the working world.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
We felt that this chapter provided some really great information. By teaching kids about their own intelligences they can understand how they learn best and be able to tell us as teachers and their parents at home. We believe it is important to know also know how people around them work and operate so teaching the MI Theory is also good because it will teach kids how their peers learn. This is a vital life skill that the kids can also use when their in the work force. Lastly, we thought this was a way for us as teachers to show that we care and are interested in making sure they all learn the material without being “too friendly”. Many kids express the feeling that they don’t like it when teachers are “fake-friendly” and teaching MI makes us seem like we care but also like we are teachers not friends.

Reflection on Reading - DI-3

Book: Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design - Tomlinson

Chapter: 3 – What Really Matters in Learning? (Content)

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter is all about content. Sometimes there is too much of it, and sometimes there is too little of it. State and national standards are frequently too broad or too specific, but finding a middle ground is something that is needs to happen. So this chapter explains how educators can take a standard (either too broad or specific) and shape it into a highly effective teaching tool in the classroom. It explains how the element of “the big picture” is finding its way into lessons today. Instead of your normal facts and statistics the thought is to teach students concepts that they will remember and apply in the future, and not to teach them things that they just memorize to get the grade, and then ultimately forget a few days later. This chapter does a good job explaining how to do this as well; starting with a standard, shaping it into understandings, and then developing essential questions. Using this technique gets more done in the classroom and has longer educational value in students.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

As a team we really looked at this chapter and recognized it for its educational value. Some of us actually recognize the design from our own classrooms in high school, and for some of us it is a new concept altogether. We all like it for different reasons. Some of us like it because it helps fulfill state education requirements. Some like it because it is an easier way to express content, and others like it because it is highly effective in the classroom and makes lasting impressions on a student’s educational intellect. Collectively we agree that this design is a very large asset to the educational field. It makes developing content easier, and it is more effective, what’s not to love?

Reflection on Reading - DI-2

Book: Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design - Tomlinson

Chapter: 2 – What Really Matters In Teaching? (The Students)

Write a brief abstract of the chapter:

This chapter was about students and their individual differences. These differences could be intellectual, emotional, and physical. They could be a learning impediment, a situation at home, or a physical disability. It explained how we as educators need to recognize these differences in the classroom and use differentiated instruction to work around them to get to the student in question. It is about being sensitive to the fact that in the classroom there are no cookie-cutter-students; they are all different and when their teacher recognizes that they work more effectively in class. It explains that using responsive teaching opens up windows of opportunity in your classroom.

How did you connect to the reading? And briefly reflect on your thoughts.

We liked the chapter. We agree in the fact that teachers need to be there for their students in every academic way they can. We like the concept of responsive teaching and understand how it shows sensitivity to the differences of our students. But we didn’t realize how much students needed/wanted of educators. We as teachers need to get close enough to be easy to talk to, but have enough distance so that we don’t invade their personal space. We need to be there for our students, but the balance in-between is something we are noticing more and more. We noticed that this chapter suggested teaching to students’ strongest intelligence and evaluating them frequently. Taking such a large role in the lives of our students has gotten us excited to get into the field! The last thing we noticed was how this chapter emphasized the fact that learning happens within the student, not to the student. We as educators have to help our students want to learn the material, not expect them to learn it. All in all we really liked this chapter. It reminded us that we have to be there for our all of our students while expecting great things from them.

Synthesized Ch. 2

Ryan Nickerson
9/13/07
Multiple Intelligences
Chapter 2

Write a brief abstract of the chapter.
This chapter was really broken down into two sections. The first part discussed discovering your own intelligences as a teacher. This will help you understand yourself and how you learned best as a child. Also it will help you realize you need to teach to the other types of intelligences in your classroom. You may have one or two kids in your class that are the same as you were as a kid and you’ll be more apt to teach the way you liked to learn best. This chapter reminds you to teach to all intelligences, and by discovering your own you’ll be able to do that well. The second part of the chapter talked about past experiences in peoples’ lives that may have influenced them to fall into the intelligences they do. These were referred to as crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. Crystallizing experiences are often positive experiences that may have turned a person on to a certain intelligence while paralyzing experiences are often events that may have discouraged that person to dislike certain things about an intelligence. By knowing about your students experiences you may be able to help them realize these factors from their past and may be able to help them get past paralyzing experiences. It may also help you personally to understand why you learn a certain way.

How did you connect to the reading and briefly reflect on your thoughts?
We all thought this chapter was especially helpful to us as teachers. By giving us ways to identify different intelligences in the classroom (including our own) and then also giving us ways to obtain help/insight about our students’ intelligences was beneficial. Also, we all thought it was interesting how at such a young age kids can be “turned off” and “turned on” to certain intelligences. We all agreed that it is also our responsibility to teach to all intelligences and to help kids become interested in new intelligences.

Mackenzie Jones // Team 4
9/11/07
Dr. Grace Ward
EDU 221

Chapter Synthesis for MI Chapter 1

As a group we all basically stated that the first chapter in Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom described the actual eight intelligences that Howard Gardener is given credit to having developed. We also all agreed that the chapter identified and described what made each intelligence a “true” – or scientifically sound intelligence. The main components that made them hold up were that a) it has been proven that living “prodigies” have existed in all of these 8 areas of the brain, and that b) certain brain damaging conditions can limit cognition in one or more these areas (in isolation).

We then also talked about the fact that the first chapter discussed each intelligence to the point that we all feel comfortable with discussing them and observing children with them.

We all felt relatively good about teaching with the Multiple Intelligences theory. Some of the “plusses” we stated were that we could all categorize ourselves into these sections, so it makes us more easily accessible to our students, multiple intelligence theory allows us to reach many more kids than in traditional teaching atmospheres, and thirdly, that the research put into the MI theory shows that the field of education is still ever-evolving. Furthermore, MI theory states that some intelligences can be interwoven, which gives us as educators opportunity to make one student’s love of a certain subject carry on to our own classrooms, depending on how successfully we craft our lessons. The reading also opened up our eyes, as one of our members stated that before this reading, he had always thought of intelligence as just one thing. He now understands, however, that breaking it up into sections makes much more sense and describes humans more accurately.

Some of the downsides that some of our group saw to teaching to Multiple Intelligences were the fact that it makes our job much harder as educators (trying to form a curriculum to serve eight potentially different intelligences is a lot harder than planning for one), and that keeping students engaged, even after the plan is made, is eight times as difficult.

Overall, I got a very positive sense from our group’s reaction. We feel that there are many strengths in teaching a variety of students, and that the downsides are very easily managed when proper teaching techniques are used. I also got the impression that our group had a pretty firm foundation and understanding of the MI theory before we began the reading. I believe this contributed to not only our understandings of the material, but also our viewpoints on teaching in general.