Week 5: Chapters 5 & 6

1. In chapter 5, Tomlinson discusses 5 (five) bullet points about the differences between teaching curriculum that is important, and “covering” what she calls “scaling Everests of information [that is] not effective for our students." Choose two of the bullets to explain what they mean to you, and how they help you envision the kind of teacher you want to be.

1. "The brain is inefficient at rote memorization and seeks instead to make meaning of information. If we don't make meaning of what we study, we are likely not to remember it, be able to retrieve it, or be able to use it."

I know from personal experience that unless my brain can wrap a meaning around a concept and make a personal connection to it, that it will be harder to retain that information. As teachers make their lessons personal for their students and help them make connections to it, they will not just hear the information, but will be able to internalize it. I want my students to have passion with the lessons that I teach. This won't "just happen" without purposeful planning on my part. I'll need to know about my students interests and personalities for this to happen.

2. Students in schools, classrooms, and educational systems that teach less and teach it better score higher on standardized measures than students in schools that seek coverage of massive amounts of information with little emphasis on understanding.

In my own learning, the topics that I've had greater experience with have been retained longer and my desire to learn it has increased. I believe having themes of the week and centering my lessons around that theme will give my students greater understanding and experience with the topic being taught. This will help them retain the information better and internalize it.


2. From chapter 6, share 2 (two) exact quotes that are meaningful to you and explain why they matter to you.

"Aim High. It is likely that we underestimate what any student can accomplish, often establishing as performance ceilings goals that ought to be planks in the floor. That is the case for advanced learners, students with learning problems, English language learners - and teachers, for that matter. It is highly likely that students achieve much more when we present them with tasks that we genuinely believe to be beyond them, and then set out to ensure their success on those tasks. Aiming high means, at least, that all tasks require serious thought, that they deal with important ideas, and that they cast students as problems solvers."

I have a good friend who has a daughter in sixth grade. She is very advanced for her age and is often bored in class as her lessons are more like floors than they are ceilings. The goals that she sets for herself are things that she has already accomplished. She doesn't have to try in order to succeed in class. She needs something to aim for and a ceiling to reach for and challenge her. If her teacher used differentiation skills in the classroom, she would feel better about the work that she does and would enjoy school more.

"The most successful students understand that their success results from their own efforts. Although they will not succeed 100 percent of the time, they know that their continued effort is likely to lead to success. Students who have been less successful in school often attribute success and failure to luck, teacher bias, chance, and lack of ability. It's critical to student success that each student realize his or her persistent effort is linked to success."

This is one lesson that I've learned while back in college. I realize that I am in charge of my own education and what happens with it is what I make of it. I've had the opportunity to witness other students who struggle more and didn't receive the scores that they desired. I've also witnessed their excuses on why they received the poor grade and they often attribute it to something other than their fault. I want my students to know that their efforts do make a difference and that they are capable of achieving great things if they put their heart and mind to it. They are in control of their success and they can do anything they set their minds to.