Issue 94: Jun 07, 2010 Connections Newsletter

Assignments: How Does ‘Choice’ Make a Difference?

Cindy Riedl
Jun 07, 2010

Take a moment to think about what it would be like to go to a restaurant that did not provide a menu. Instead of having the opportunity to select from a variety of different options, a four course meal is delivered to your table as soon as you take a seat. It is called ‘Pot Luck' or the ‘Experience' - your tastes and food preferences do not matter. If it is steak, it is served one way, crispy on the outside and bloody in the center. What do you mean you mean you want your money back? First off, you might be a vegetarian or possibly you don't eat meat that will bleed all over your plate. What if you had loose dentures - this kind of steak would be out of the question. There is a good chance that this dinner is not the delectable experience that you had hoped it would be. Salivation has stopped! Where is the motivation to return, let alone stay long enough to pay the bill?

Now relate choice to assignments where student interest, readiness and learning preference are not considered. It is important to remember that no matter what your students' ability levels may be, all the students sitting in any given classroom are not alike and still need some degree of differentiation in order to achieve to their highest potential. The use of differentiated assignments that focus on the same standards enable all students to show their knowledge and/or skill, sometimes by choosing how they want to explain their understanding or sometimes by having a little extra support or challenge. Differentiating assignments creates equity in the classroom with high quality, relevant assignments for all students. At-risk students receive additional supports that assure success and greater challenge is added for those students working above grade level. Differentiating assignments increases the engagement of all students!

The key to developing manageable differentiated assignments is to have the same expectations for all students that can be graded using the same critera or rubric. In other words, you should guarantee that all students are answering the lesson essential question and have reached an understanding of the standard(s).

Identifying the new critical content and skills for an acquisition lesson is essential before considering the assignment. If it is going to be an Extending Thinking assignment, students also must have a lesson in the use of the Extending Thinking strategy before the assignment to ensure that they understand the expectations of that particular strategy before refining or deepening the level of understanding of the newly learned content and/or skill.

There are many types of ways to differentiate assignments. Most teachers are familiar with the R.A.F.T. (Role/Audience/Format/Topic) Students take on the role to address a given audience on your topic using a particular format. I use R.A.F.T. to help students get comfortable with making choices that are appropriate for them. It takes a little modeling and encouragement but soon they adjust and actually look forward to having the opportunity to choose how they will respond to the content. When possible, examine the examples and directions for effectively using R.A.F.T. in the K-5 or 6-12 Differentiated Assignments books.

After a comfort level has been accomplished with R.A.F.T., I introduce Tiered Assignments that require the use of an Extending Thinking Strategy to develop an engaging task that clearly focuses on key essential concepts. After I have created this task, I think about variation among my students who will be completing the learning task and adjust the task to appropriate challenge for different learners. Then I match each student to the appropriate task.

The R.A.F.T. and Tiered Assignments are just two ways to differentiate assignments. Learning-Focused Differentiated Assignments notebooks will provide many other examples and techniques for differentiation strategies. Keep in mind that you are not expected to differentiate all assignments. Concentrate on differentiating assignments that extend thinking with higher level thinking strategies. Provide variety and choice with clear and high expectations to allow students to express their understanding of the content, concepts or skills.

 

Getting Ready for Back to School

jennifer Partrick
Jun 07, 2010

Why is there an article about back to school before the year even ends? Think of what you can do now, at the end of the year or during the summer, to prepare for next year as you read this article.
As you begin getting ready to go back to school, do you feel bombarded by a multitude of things to do? Classrooms to be assembled, bulletin boards to fix, schedules to work out, books to be checked in, technology to be hooked up, and the list goes on. While all of these are important we must not lose sight of the goal of teaching. The goal is to prepare our students for the next step. What is the next step? The next grade of course. How do we get our students to the next grade? We teach our standards.

To help reach that goal we must know where our students are academically when they enter our classrooms. We know this by looking at our students' portfolios from the last grade in addition to how our students performed last year. We need to know their strengths and weaknesses. The more we know about our students when they enter our classroom the better prepared we will be to give them the support they need.

So, what are we looking for in their portfolios? We want to know how our students scored on their end of grade tests. We want to know the levels at which they passed or failed. Next, we need to know their reading level, because, if they are reading below grade level, that is most likely why they failed the test in the first place. We need to look at writing samples to get a glimpse of their vocabulary use, spelling rules they have internalized, and mechanics. This is an important piece on the literacy radar. Having this information gives us insight into what needs to be taught in order to help students reach proficiency.

With this in mind, you will have an idea of where your students are academically. You can then begin to plan how you will structure classroom time to ensure that whole group instruction in addition to flexible grouping is taking place daily. Students are placed in flexible groups based on their area of need so instruction is focused and direct. Flexible grouping is used to work with students on their instructional level to teach them how to read and the nuances of text. Studying work samples in portfolios and attending to students' work habits in the first couple of weeks of school gives you insight into the skills that you need to teach. Use data collected from interim tests during the year to change and reorganize flexible groups. Knowing this information will help you get organized and will help you with identifying specific skills to teach in order to support students so they can be successful.

 

Part II: Heads-Up Homework Hints for Administrators and Parents

Debbie Willingham
Jun 07, 2010

Homework is often the "four-letter-word" for parents, sometimes even more so than for students. Parents know that the time their children have available between leaving school and bedtime is limited and filled with extra-curricular activities, family time, church events, and just time to wind down and relax. On top of all that there is the implied expectation that parents should be supportive of teachers' assignments and facilitate time for their children to complete homework. What we hope they realize is that giving homework on a regular basis increases achievement beginning at least by second grade, with the impact on student achievement increasing as students advance through the grades. In the primary grades homework should emphasize study habits and learning skills, and traditional homework assignments (pencil/paper work) should be given sparingly. Students should be able to complete homework with minimal help from parents; parents should be supportive when students get frustrated or discouraged, but they should not do the work for them. This is important in terms of building students' capacity and efficacy in feeling confident that they can complete such assignments.

Parents' role in homework is to set aside a regular study time and location that is not interrupted by family plans, school or extracurricular activities, television or computer time, and with a definite beginning and ending time. They should establish a study area, away from household distractions, with good light and space for studying, with the materials their children need to do assignments and with a safe place to store them. Parents can also help their children organize school materials and help them keep their bookbags cleaned out. Parents can provide ongoing support by emphasizing the importance of reading, encouraging their children to read independently and reading aloud to them. When there is no specific homework assigned, they should take the initiative to make reading a daily event.

Administrators have the job of juggling the roles of teachers, students, and parents when it comes to homework. They should ensure that homework policies and regulations are shared with staff, students, and parents from the first day of school. They need to promote coordination, consistency, and articulation among teachers within grades, teams, and departments. They should help develop and support programs and practices that assist students in successfully completing homework, and they should make homework a topic of parent and faculty meetings. Administrators can best help all parties concerned by being clear on homework expectations and consistent in their personal expectations. Homework should be an integral, consistent, and pervasive part of students' education, and it should be a positive expectation rather than the burden is sometimes becomes.