Differentiation Reading Response

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson, pg 100-103

I think it's helpful that one of the surveys gives answers for the students to choose from and one is open for the student to respond. I think both are important because some students will not know what to tell you and having prompts is helpful, but also hearing their open responses is useful.

The responses from the learning profile survey could help you begin to see how students learn best. It would make you more aware of preferences so you can plan for them. Just having this in the back of your mind would make you aware of which teaching strategies you are planning and who might need a change or a choice. Sometimes you may want to use this info to form groups. I didn't think of anything I would want to add to this.

The about me survey provides lots of info. This could guide you in helping children make connections with others, lesson planning with a variety of strategies, and pairing children to help each other. Knowing students interests can be valuable as you look for ways to integrate what's important to them with what's in the core. This is a great survey. There's one question I would consider adding: "Is there anything about school that worries you?" I want to know if their worried so I can help them find ways to fix, cope, and conquer.

"File of Inventories/Pre-Assessments"

I could see myself using any of these tools. I especially like the idea of students self assessing. A self assessment tells the teacher where a student is, but it also reminds the student of where he can go. I like the checklists for teacher observation because they give the teacher a place to start. My biggest question would have been "What should I look for?" Even if these checklists turn out to be not exactly what I need they can be built on as I experience more teaching and assessing. A method, besides these resources, for pre-assessing the class is the "what we know, what we want to know, what we've learned" strategy. I love how it can show what the students already know, what the have misconceptions about, and what's important to them about a topic.