The evidence in my growth lies in my ability to feel confident in what I do. I also know that feedback from my coach and my student sample work shows that I am improving.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Self-Assessment
My current level of understanding, knowledge and skills is at an emerging and applying level. I feel like I do a very good job of identify strengths and needs of my students. I feel like I am able to determine where my students are performing. However, it has been challenging for me to know HOW to differentiate the instruction and work for each group level. I have attempted to provide lessons that address the different learning styles of students and even attempted to break students up based on skill level, however I have not done it consistently. I also try and integrate art, drawing or pictures to provide visuals. I still feel like I am not moving "fast enough" or challenged enough my high skilled students, and I "leave behind" or don't give enough attention to my low skilled students.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Phung, I'm experiencing a lot of the same confusions and insecurities with my group of students. That tension between offering enough challenge for higher achieving students while moving at a pace appropriate for slower learners, I think, is the essence of the need for differentiation. Meeting that need seems to boil down to a matter of knowing students' patterns, strengths and challenges and taking the time to incorporate this knowledge into a unit/lesson plan.
I agree that consistency feels like a big challenge right now. I feel like I'm operating at a rate of having 2-3 thoughtfully-planned (i.e. take into account the varying needs of students) classes per week, but haven't broken through that threshold yet. I think, like so many things, it's partly a matter of practice and familiarity. As we've grown more comfortable with our positions as classroom teachers, I believe that the space and energy have opened up for us to push ourselves into differentiated classroom practices. My analogy for right now is running on a treadmill that's set a few speeds too fast. It can be done, but it's not comfortable and it's not sustainable. My hope is that as we continue to practice our craft we'll find our stride, so to speak. I don't think we'll ever be comfortable, and I don't think we should be, but I do believe that as we grow and evolve as educators these practices will become more ingrained and accessible in our day-to-day teaching.
Post a Comment