Training And Development Agency For Schools

All students deserve a rewarding learning experience regardless of race, gender, economic status, or physical disability, for this reason Walnut Ridge Elementary school implements researched based practices such as differentiated instruction to help meet the individual needs of our students. Teachers are being made aware of the fact that diversity can have a detrimental impact on learning. Through the implementation of differentiation, we are able to expand the learning experiences for all diverse populations, thereby expanding educational opportunities for our students.

Jean Anyon’s article, “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” (1980) has been powerful guide for me in thinking about differentiated instruction, especially when considering the instruction of variance learners in the classroom. Her important contribution notes that the way in which urbane students are typically instructed is through rote memorization by a strict and dominating teacher. While this style might work to get worksheets completed or to get students to behave properly, it does nothing to foster a natural growth of their selves into learning – thinking individually. This does little to foster high-level thinking or intrinsic motivation toward learning. As a current educator in South Los Angeles – Global Education Academy

In order to fully explain differentiation it is important to turn to The National Curriculum and look at what has become known as the ‘general inclusion statement’. This statement contains a statement that defines inclusion as “a demand on teachers not to ignore the three principles of inclusion (below) in their planning” Session 1 / Inclusion, the individual and the environment. In short, these three principals are: To set suitable learning challenges, to respond to pupil’s diverse learning needs, and overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups. In other words teachers are expected to develop lessons

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

Rhonda Haus started her career in the secondary school system where she has seen and been a part of many changes. She gave a unique perspective into Regina Public Schools and highlight the systems specific goals along with their successes and failures. Underlining it all was her message to put the students and to provide the best education for all kids. These goals were measurable and attainable. Kaylan Gazda spoke about the elementary school system and her experience in a variety of grades and schools. Her time in an experimental classroom and in another country provided many challenges. However, those challenges and obstacles made her a better teacher for her current job in a split classroom. Jordan McFarlan was able to provide insight in process of building a new program in a high school from the ground up. He was able to list challenges he faced and ways to respond to those challenges. Jesamy Unger presented what is was it is like to be a student taking education and the lessons she learned throughout her journey. She gave us useful advice for our field experiences and the tip that not everything you need to know about being a teacher will be taught in school. Every member of the panel highlighted you need to make relationships and networks with students, colleagues and even

A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind is an amazingly touching story for any future teacher. It gives hope to every student who is trying to make it in life. It enforces the importance of teacher expectations, human capital, and cultural capital. It touches on funding issues and the irrelevance of standardized testing. Cedric Jennings' life was everything but easy. He never had the opportunity to take the short, easy path, instead always being forced onto the long, winding road; in Cedric's case it gradually led to a world of success. Everyone, future teachers and others alike, should take the lessons in this story to heart, both as an example and as inspiration.

I think that it is challenging and necessary to know your students one-to-one and not just another face for 180 days. Children will rise to the expectations given to them, but they will also fall in the cracks if not given any expectations. I think that it is important to give challenging and doable goals for the students and accommodate where necessary, but also be mindful that accommodating doesn’t become well, you wrote your name on the paper, and so that’s enough. Feed the desire to learn, offer new and different ways to find the answers…even if it is Ford Mustangs or it adds a few extra minutes to your planning and grading time. So what do I still need to learn about this method?

Every day teachers overcome obstacles in the classroom, problem-solve on the go, address failures and challenges, work to create better ways to engage students, and improve methods of educating. Yet, so many of these moments, these everyday victories and triumphs go unnoticed. Teachers are constantly working to support their students and create more accessible and diverse opportunities. In our small district, many of these new ideas and efforts are personally and individually spearheaded by the teachers themselves, who lead, implement, and follow through to make their vision a reality. Thankfully community partners, parents, businesses and individuals readily and graciously offer support and resources to support teachers and students.

Educating Esmé was a biography about Esmé Raji Codell’s first year of teaching and the experiences she had throughout the year. She describes the many challenges faced when working in a school in a low income area and how it differs from that of a high income area. In addition, she talks about the many teaching styles and problem solving techniques she used in her classroom. Some of her methods she used were creative and could easily grasp the children’s attention, but one example of her style I would never use in my classroom is letting one of the children that repeatedly misbehaves teach the class. As a future high school teacher, I feel as if this particular method would be ineffective because of the age range of the children. However, I look up to her desire to educate children

“I am painfully aware that I am not a superhuman. I do the same job as thousands of other dedicated teachers who try and make a difference” (Esquith, 2007, p. 30). These humbling and nonchalant words were spoken by an incredible man, Rafe Esquith. He is a guy of many, many talents, who most could only dream of acquiring. Rafe stretches the boundaries, and goes above and beyond the norms of teaching each day. He spends the majority of his time dwelling in a crowded, poverty filled, vandalized classroom, where the kid’s primary language is morethan likely, not English. He does not see this as a downfall though, he uses this to his advantage and embraces each student like they are his own. Outsiders looking in would be stunned to find such hardworking,

“Twice Exceptional Learners: Who Needs to Know What?” in the Gifted Child Quarterly connects with our chapter seven reading in the textbook, Twice-Exceptional Children: Twice the Challenges, Twice the Joys. I chose this article because I am interested in learning more about twice-exceptionality. I teach in a center based gifted program, and I currently teach a few gifted students who either have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism. The purpose of the study described in this article is “to gain a better understanding of the current knowledge, awareness, and experience concerning twice-exceptionality as reported by educational professionals familiar with gifted education” (Foley-Nicpon, Assouline, & Colangelo, 2013,

I learned quickly that being an effective teacher is an art that takes time and devotion. Many times, teachers are not provided with the necessary materials in order to maintain the various learning styles in a classroom. It is up to the teacher to create an environment where students can succeed. This is a full time job, meaning that a teacher’s work is not done once they leave the school. A teacher must contribute a significant amount of time and effort in order to see positive results in the school and in his or her own classroom. After observing my cooperating teacher’s strategies and learning more about the profession, I knew that I was going in the right direction with my life. I took a significant amount of knowledge away from this experience and have continued to strive to be the type of educator that I was blessed to work with during this experience. .

As children, we absorb information and learn from experiences that mold us into who we are. Many individuals impact a child’s life, but the most powerful and influential role lies in a devoted teacher, a teacher provides growth to students as a gardener would to a garden of flowers. Each child can bloom into a thriving flower so long as you water their garden with optimism, love, patience, and guidance. Throughout my educational experiences I was lucky enough to have educators who poured their knowledge and optimism into me, and now I would like to reciprocate that back to students who are in the position I was once in. Balancing life and school is hard enough for a student, but a powerful and caring teacher can steer you in the right direction. In this autobiography you will read about my educational background, experiences that influenced my decision to become a teacher, and what I believe the role of a teacher should be in a student’s life.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.

When I think about teachers that I have had in the past, several different ones come to my mind. Each of these educators stands out in my mind for a variety of diverse reasons. Whether it is their sense of humor, their tactfulness, their love of the subject matter, their fanatical and sporadic behavior, or their yearning to be childish themselves, I can still remember at least one quality of every teacher I have ever encountered. Every one of these teachers conveyed subject material to their students just as they were educated and employed to do. However, I trust that every professional in the world has an abundance of opportunity for improvement; teachers could discover and improve themselves merely by having