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Sam Leal
Chapter 6: Responsive Teaching with UbD in Academically Diverse Classrooms

In Chapter 6 of Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe’s book Understanding by Design it discussing the importance of being able to teach the awesome curriculum design plans a teacher makes to each student in the classroom. The chapter is about how to reach the students. Teachers can make these great curriculums and lesson plans and teach them, but often times it can go right over the head of many students. The chapter talks about the importance of having core elements and focus points that the teacher wants all students to learn. Showing ways in which the teacher can reach all students in a very differentiated classroom.

One way in which studies have shown to reach out to students often labeled as “low-performing” students is by giving the subject material meaning and understanding. The most perfect example of this for me is my older brother. He’s always been unbelievably gifted and smart, but did poorly in school because it just didn’t mean anything to him. When college came around the material he was being taught now had a purpose and meaning to him and he has done really well. My brother much like many students need to make real connections of the material to the real world for it to be important for him to learn and that’s not an easy task for teachers. An important word used in this chapter is implementation. It’s one thing to create a great lesson plan, and it’s most important to be able to implement that lesson into a classroom of many different learners.

Ethan Guthrie Herrell
Understanding by Design: Chapter 6

This chapter focuses on 1) validating the union of teaching by design with differentiated instruction, and 2) elaborate on how being responsive teaching and being flexible further meld with these two ideas. The challenge in this lies with the fact that we are not trying to “cover” the material as much as we ant the kids to “uncover” what the material means. Students have varying levels of ability with different mediums, so teachers have to balance the amount of time available to them in the classroom with the need to use different modes of instruction to meet every student’s needs, while also insuring that students are never bored when their preferred medium isn’t being used.

There is also a discussion of having a regular routine. Routine is important because while it is all well and good to mix things up, the students shouldn’t have curve balls being thrown at them everyday. We can’t run a successful activity if half the class has to run back to their lockers to get something and the other half say they left it at home. The whole lesson is a failure before it even starts.

And remember, change is sometimes painful at first, but substituting the old ways for the new will lead to more success rather than just making them add-ons. That way, they won’t feel like burderns. toc

Alex Randall
UbD/DI Chapter 6 This chapter focused a lot on differentiated instruction, touching upon several of the ideas that we have read thus far or gathered from //Fair Isn't Always Equal//. The point of this chapter's differentiated instruction is to focus on how to teach effective curriculum to a diverse group of students and to get them all to think at higher levels and to "'experience instruction aimed at meaning and understanding'" (84). As defined in chapter 1 of Rick Wormeli's //Fair Isn't Always Equal//, differentiated instruction is defined as "doing what's fair for the students" (3). It is certainly important to use differentiated instruction to help students learn at higher levels of thinking. Without differentiated learning (as I have said before) students would suffer, teaching would suffer, and the education system would probably collapse. Differentiated instruction is needed in all forms of teaching, no matter how you look at it. But, this chapter takes differentiated instruction a little further to talk about how students need to know what the end results are expected to be and what is to be expected of them. It also discusses using tools flexibly in classrooms for effective teaching.

Cidney
This chapter went over some of the core beliefs of differentiated instruction, highlighting the main ideas from some of the previous chapters. The chapter also covers strategies for using classroom elements like time and space for effective instruction, clustering learner needs, and selecting instructional strategies that support responsive teaching. UbD/DI is all about meeting the needs of each student, and this chapter focuses on ways to do so.

The most important piece I gathered from this chapter is that “thinking about categories of student need and instructional strategies for addressing them makes planning in response to learner need more manageable that the premise of planning for each learner” (96). Statistically, it is virtually impossible to design a custom curriculum for each student that serves them best. Instead, focusing on categories of concern can allow for a more stress-free and effective teaching approach. Strategies like tiering, small group instruction, and clustering are just some of the methods for providing instruction to those who need it. Rather than focusing on the individual, focusing on bigger categories and problem areas allows the teacher to relay information in a way that is helpful to students and does not stretch the teacher too thin.

Colby Hill
UBD Chapter 6 I’d like to open with a statement that I have been thinking for too long that this chapter mentions right off the bat: “students need opportunities to learn the ‘basics’ and opportunities to apply them in meaningful ways” (85). Tomlinson and McTighe go on to mention how low-level skill drills are just smashed into students who don’t get it the first time. I’ve always been in big disagreement with this idea. Students of any level have potential to shine in //something;// the teacher just needs to find the way to do it. I was stuck in low level math for way to long, and each year I was taught the same thing. Over and over. I needed something besides these drills to get me to learn. And yes, it is true, that the students must know the goals in order for the students to reach them. I plan on showing my students what exactly it is they should know by the end of the unit. Otherwise, it’s just a game of waiting and guessing for the student. It always helped me as a student when I got to see in advance what we would be doing and what would be expected. Even if this doesn’t necessarily work for someone, it can’t hurt either. Flexible use is a great strategy for students. It can give students the ownership they may need in order for them to actually complete the work. Negotiating due dates for instances. Other flexible use ideas that I like include using audio or video to teach (if not overdone), mixing lectures with group discussion, or connections with key ideas or students’ cultures and interests.

Elizabeth Sargent
Chapter 6 of //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// focused on instructional decision-making in a classroom built on backward design and differentiation. It requires old teacher to break new habits and new teachers to get into routinely flexible approaches that support a variety of learners. Old teachers must shift from just curriculum planning to how they deliver the curriculum.

For students to understand or master curriculum they must be able to apply it to real life situations and think critically. They need to know the basics and through teachers have opportunities to apply them in real life situations. I gleamed a lot of information when the example came up with coaching. When players do sideline drills they are working on skills they utilize in the game. But, students need to be able to play the game as well. Therefore, in the classroom students can’t just practice and memorize the curriculum. They have to work with the material in real life situations and be able to apply it in different situations. Taking student interest into consideration is a great way to do this. For example, one of my interests would be softball; so teaching me about physics might be easier to show me through the actual playing of the sport. Explaining how physics interplays with each motion I make, what is involved in pitching and hitting. Letting students know what they are expected to do is also important, which is why I think the idea of putting a poster up for all students to see helps define goals and lets the students know where they are work wise.

Jordan Hale
Understanding by design and differentiated instruction are crucial components that, when merged correctly, form a beautiful bond in the classroom to help students learn better. If properly applied through teaching the curriculum, these two concepts will help reach every learner. The authors give us four questions to consider while planning for the delivery of the lesson: “Who are the students I will teach? What matters most for students to learn here (Curriculum)? How must I teach to ensure that each student grows systematically toward attainment of the goal and moves beyond it when indicated (instruction)? How will I know how is successful and who sis no yet successful with particular goals (assessment)?” (84). Teachers need to plan not only the lesson itself, but the delivery of the lesson. It is also important for teachers not to forget about time for ‘ad-lib’. In other words, if students really get into a topic and have a good discussion that runs over another activity, how will you cope with it? My lesson plans will always have room for ‘ad-lib’ time. When students generate their own discussions that is when they are most involved with their learning because it is their own ideas, therefore, more motivation. I loved the fact that this chapter came out and said that “there is a need for balance between student construction of meaning and teacher guidance.” (85) I feel as though teachers should be guides to their learning, not drivers. Guides help them by catering to their specific needs as a learner, making the right resources available and guide the student to make connections. Drivers on the other hand, drive you right to the information and don’t offer any ways to make connections. If the students discover something for themselves, they are more likely to remember it!

Karina Sprague
While most of this chapter was a repeat of the readings from __Fair Isn’t Always Equal__, I did get some new ideas from it. I like the idea of teaching the basics before moving on. As a cheerleader and a cheering coach, we are always taught “perfection before progression”. You have to be able to perfect the small things before you can move on to the big picture. This same theory can be used in the classroom in an effective way. For example, if you are going to teach a lesson using power point, you should go over the basic skills needed to use power point. This will ultimately save time in the future because students will not be interrupting class with questions about operating the software. However, it can be used poorly, too. Teachers can spend so long teaching the basics that they use up the entire class time going over too much stuff. That is where the time management part comes in. This chapter touched on time management a little bit when talking about planning lessons and teaching basics. Teachers should also be prepared to have flexibility. Not all lessons will work for every class, nor will every student learn the same way. Teachers need to be able to be flexible with equipment, tasks, and lessons.

Emily Haskell
Chapter 6: Responsive Teaching with UbD in Academically Diverse Classrooms

One of the first things that really stuck out to me in this section of the reading was the idea that “students need opportunities to learn ‘basics’ and opportunities to apply them in meaningful ways” (85). I thought this was an amazing idea. For years I have been taught that you need to learn the material for the test and that was it. We as students were never really given the opportunity to show what we learned in a meaningful way. Teachers may have had us write a few papers, but that never allowed us to be creative.

In a future classroom I would really like to give my students the opportunity to show their creativity and understanding. This not only showcases their knowledge, but it helps them to learn the material even better.

There was another part of this chapter that really stuck out at me. On page 88 it talked about a “classroom where student differences are of little importance in instructional planning.” Here I have to say that I was in shock. Aren’t we learning that student differences mean //everything// when it comes to instructional planning? I mean, we just read an entire chapter on how to address every intelligence in one lesson plan!

I understand that there are other kinds of differences that are very often overlooked when planning lessons, but why are they? Shouldn’t we be teaching according to these differences? No matter how small or few differences there are between students I believe there should be some kind of acknowledgement.

Spencer Hodge
The first thing that caught my eye in chapter 6 of UbD/DI was students needing to know the basics. This applies heavily to my content area because to develop further in social studies and do higher order thinking you should know the background information or history of certain areas. As a teacher, I will need to make sure that my students spend enough time to learn the basics and understand why they are crucial to learn. If they’re not learning the basics I will have to make sure to not jump ahead without them as this would surely cause my students to become unsuccessful, which is unfair to them. Another key thing I read about was that I should share with my students the content standards I have set for them at the beginning of the unit. I agree with this because it would allow my students to know what’s expected of them and what they will learn, as well as how they will demonstrate this knowledge.