Differentiation

I decided for my differentiation idea to focus on fluency.  We practice fluency daily throughout the week.  This week, I divided my class into three groups to practice fluency.  I have an approaching level group, an on level group, and a beyond group.  I copied passages based on their level for them to practice.  Each group was a different color.  During the practice time, they partnered with a student who had the same color to practice their fluency.  The reason I did this is because I have many low readers who are not able to read the on level passage they are given weekly.  I noticed my beyond readers challenging themselves to finish the passage in a minute.  I noticed my approaching readers feeling success as they finished a shorter passage.

Children’s Principles of Learning

Safe: Students need to feel loved and cared for.  They need to know that they can trust their teacher with any problems they have.

Teamwork: Students will interact together to understand knowledge and make connections to understand the concepts being taught.  Students will help to teach one another by sharing their responses and asking for questions.  Students will be able to rely on their classmates for help and support.  All students will play a role in our team.  Without each member, our team will not be complete.

Meaningful Activities:  Students will participate in activities that are meaningful and relevant to their lives.  They will know the purpose for activities.  Students will come to understand and respect different cultures because they will share their stories as they relate to learning activities.  New knowledge will be presented with prior knowledge in mind so students are able to see the relevance in different activities.  They will be able to see how things are applied to real-life situations.

Relationships: Students will build relationships with one another.  They will interact with one another to learn.  They will play and explore on their own to help build and maintain these relationships.  Students will participate in small and large groups to express themselves and build upon differences.

Active Engagement: Students need to take ownership of their learning.  They need to pay attention and set goals in order to learn.  Students will explore with hands-on activities and participate in collaborative activities.  This will allow students to have control over their learning.  They will be able to make decisions with the assistance of the teacher.

Reflection: Students will know that it is okay to make mistakes and to learn from them.  Students will set goals, strive to reach them, and reflect as to whether they met their goal or not.  They will learn how to solve problems on their own and to assess how it went.

The principals above are very important to me.  I want my students to feel safe, loved, and cared for so they are able to reach their full potential.

Persistence

I truly believe it is important to make mistakes, keep trying, and eventually learn from our mistakes.  We have all had challenging students and often find ourselves trying a variety of approaches until finally we find something that works.  It is important to ask for help and get ideas from colleagues when faced with challenges.  When I am faced with a difficult situation, it does inspire me to “keep on, keeping on” and to not give up.  I want to meet the challenges I am faced no matter how many times I need to keep trying.

This past week, I focused on the mistakes in my classroom.  I have a few students who get upset when they make mistakes.  This week, I decided to point out all my mistakes and tell my class that when we make mistakes we are learning.  My class began pointing out others’ mistakes so we could give a cheer to that student.  They became so excited because they know it means we are learning.  It completely changed the dynamics of my room.  My students have starting embracing each other’s mistakes and are starting to see that it is okay to make mistakes.  I truly believe it is important for teachers to teach grit and persistence.  Things will not always come easy and it is important for students to know that they need to keep trying no matter how many times they fail.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/09/18/lessons-in-perseverance/?utm_source=Teaching+Channel+Newsletter&utm_campaign=89db8a843c-Newsletter_September_21_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_23c3feb22a-89db8a843c-291647637

Empathy

After completing the Glanz survey, empathy was my top virtue.  I see empathy playing out in my life because I look for the positives in every child and situation.  I also try to help my students see the importance of being different and respecting our differences.  I am a good listener and respect what others have to say.  I feel that in life it is so important to be a good person and to always do the right thing.

Empathy can be seen in association, generativity, and presence.  It is essential for teachers to create a caring classroom in which all students feel loved and cared for and know it is okay to make mistakes.  Empathy is important for the success of AGAPE because students need to respect and care about one another.

Summer Learning

What did you learn in your summer reading and writing of the ROL that EVERY teacher should know regarding the topic?

          This summer, I researched best practices in reading.  I learned so much.  I learned about how each piece of reading is important to helping a student learn to read.  For example, students need to be able to decode words in order to read fluently and students need to be able to read fluently in order to comprehend.  There is so much to know about reading.  I also read a lot about the importance of reading aloud to students.  Every teacher in every grade level should read aloud to their students.  Students may hear and learn things they might not be able to read on their own.  Students need to hear and see model reading so they know what they should look and sound like.

Why should/how is your topic (be) important to others who teach in your level/concept area?

Before third grade, the focus in reading is teaching students to learn to read.  After that, student read to learn.  If students can’t read, they will struggle in all other areas.  It is important for all teachers of all ages promote the love of reading.

How has it or will it impact or shape what you have already done and will be doing in the upcoming weeks?

          Within my research, I read about the importance of reading aloud to students.  This is something I plan on doing daily in my classroom.  I plan on reading a variety of genres and texts to my class.  I also read about the importance of independent reading.  This year, I want to make time to have my students read independently each day.  I want to help my students become fluent readers so I am focusing on fluency for my action research.  I am going to make time for daily repeated reading practice to see how it affects my students’ fluency.

What does it specifically look like in action in your teaching and/or what could other teachers do in their classrooms to honor the research?  

          In my classroom, we have a morning block of reading instruction time and an afternoon time of ability grouping for reading.  I plan on incorporating what I have learned over the summer into my reading block.  I believe the best thing other teachers can do is promote the love of reading.