Reach 108 Self-Assessment

Differentiated instruction is such a powerful piece of a quality classroom. Being at Rocketship and in the Reach program is helping me to put the pieces together so that I can more effectively teach the diversity of learners all 82 of them who sit in my classroom everyday. At the beginning of the year, I had very little information about those 82 students and it has taken months to really grasp all of the factors that combine to make each student who he or she is. I began thinking about how I could possibly teach all 82, and know each one of them in specific ways relative to their socio-economic background, language, motivation, experiences, personal interests, and learning styles. There is so much information to consider when evaluating and creating differentiated instruction. Although I am no master at the grandiose task, I feel like my school and my teacher training program are guiding me in the right direction. I find that I am doing certain things right like carving out effective blocks of time to work in either small groups or one-on-one students. I am searching for appropriate ways to teach the curriculum and implement those strategies to ensure that all of my students are understanding the topic in relevant ways. I have looked at where I fall in terms of the continuum and I have placed myself professionally in between emerging and applying for TPE 4,5, and 7. In terms of TPE 2 and 3 Monitoring student learning during instruction, and interpretation and use of assessment, I again have placed myself between emerging and applying. After reading the articles, I am more aware each step of the way how important those pre-assessments are because they provide the information for alternative learning paths for students. These pre-assessments will guide me into the right direction of making sure instruction is where it should be for individual students. UbD planning will help me plan and focus on the "what" part of instuction, and the DI piece will focus on the who, where, and how. I am understanding that these two pieces of a quality classroom need each other, and even the best curriculum will falter if it does not address the who, where, and how. I look forward to growing professionally and developing my skills as a teacher to tap into combining UbD with Differentiated Instruction and finding effective strategies that meet the needs of a wide range of learners. I would like to challenge my students to achieve at their level and eventually moving over into more innovating teaching where as to guide my students to start making appropriate choices for their learning. I have a way to go on this road to mastery, but I am on the path and seek any and all support in that adventure.