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Abstract- Stephanie Lennon
Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe begin chapter 4 of //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// with a brief description of what is important when it comes to students succeeding. Not only is it important to have a curriculum that is engaging and fascinating, but it is also important to have a teacher who remains involved in the students and what they need to learn. It is a teacher’s job to understand that all students learn differently and should be treated accordingly. Of course, understanding is only the first step. Effective teaching styles need to be developed through experience and taking risks. Ideally, all teachers will reach this level of professionalism at their own pace but there are nine specific attitudes and skills that will hopefully be acquired along the way. Tomlinson and McTighe describe each of the 9 characteristics and then provide a scenario further explaining them. Of course, it is not necessary to be proficient in every single one of these areas, but it is important to at least have an understanding of each. For example, one of the nine attitudes and skills focuses on the importance on self-reflection as a teacher progresses through his or her career. I found a great web[|site] that provides teachers with a list of questions that they should ask themselves on a regular basis to determine whether or not their teaching is effective.

There are certain connections that can be made among the responses to Chapter 4 of //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design//. A few people focused on the importance of the nine skills and where they believe they fit on those scales. A few others believed that this chapter was repetitive but in a somewhat necessary way. There were also a few people who emphasized the importance of being an effective teacher. If we fail as teachers, students will also fail, and for the most part, the blame will be put on us. I came across a really great [|website] that provides a lot of helpful information for helping students succeed in the classroom.

Rachel B.
This chapter overwhelmed me a little bit. I think I’ll have to read it over to truly understand it. I believe I get the general concept of it and I agree with what Tomlinson and McTighe are explaining in the text, Integrating: Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design, will be the way to go in the classroom. I think because I processed what I saw in school as how I may be teaching and this book being full of new concepts I’m a little overwhelmed. I’m afraid I wont remember it all. I truly thought that it was ok to give students who are doing well more work, but now that I see it from a different perspective I get why that doesn’t work, it’s not helpful because that’s showing that you lack clarity about essential outcomes.

Jen T.
The nine attitudes and skills from this chapter would have made an excellent addition to our good teacher lists for Beth. I liked the section about accepting responsibility for learner success. The scenario where Mrs. Pasarella spent extra time with the advanced and struggling learners felt good to me. I would say that the only problem is the students in between who could be on the edge of being a struggling learner or have the potential to be an advanced learner. Where do they fit in? Mr. Alvarez has the right idea by keeping a tally of the number of time each student speaks. Making sure everyone is speaking is a big part of having an open and supportive environment to work in.

Rachel F.
This chapter definitely had some repetition of information but it was really important repetition. Early on, it re-emphasized how important it is that a rich-curriculum means nothing without proper instruction. I know how crucial it is that I recognize the variety of learning styles that will co-exist in my classroom. Another key thing I noticed was connecting lesson plans to students' interests. This chapter points out that if you involve the interest of the students in the plan for the day then they will be more motivated and willing to learn. A little later on in the chapter, it talks about accepting responsibility for learner success. I especially liked this portion because it involves really getting to know your students and the way they learn. When I was in high school, everyone in my class always had to stay on the same page as the teacher. If you didn't understand something then the teacher would help you. However, if your misunderstanding endured, you would just fall behind. This type of teaching is looked down upon because teachers should continually help struggling students until they succeed. This information plus the rest in the chapter impacts me and my future classroom so much because it continuously allows me to become a better teacher. I'm always so fearful of becoming a bad teacher but each time I read these chapters, I learn a great deal more.

Sara
It is a rather daunting thought that the teacher is responsible for the student’s success. While it is definitely a given in the teaching profession, it makes you wonder about the students who don’t want to succeed, how do you engage a student that doesn’t want to be engaged? A teacher must work with all parts of the student spectrum, and to successfully engage all types of student’s takes skill and an ability to invest one hundred and ten percent. I hope to be able to be that kind of teacher. I also want to build a respectful classroom, one where differences are celebrated and not mocked. I also plan to get to know my students and use my knowledge of them to enhance their learning experience. The concept of a notebook page about each student is a good one, and I hope to utilize it in my own classroom. I want to be the best teacher possible, however I am afraid I will fall short in places. Hopefully through conscientiousness and devotion I can become a good teacher.

Karin
This chapter points out all of the important ideas for managing a successful classroom full of thriving students. I learned that the keys to reaching every student are including variety and differentiation, and monitoring student progress. Only by knowing how my students learn, what they are capable of, and what interests them, and also by following their progresses carefully can I even hope to make any kind of difference. This will have a huge impact on the classroom, because differentiated instruction is important; not all students are capable of learning the same way or in the same amount of time. Instead of giving those students who learn slower less work, I will try to present the information in a way that will help them to understand better; instead of giving students who learn more quickly less work, I will present the information in a way that challenges them and helps them think more deeply about it. I like the idea of keeping a notebook with a page for each student in the class and adding information throughout the semester. That might be a tool I use in my future classroom.

Courtney T.
The part of this chapter I found to be the best was when it stated that some teachers may give kids that are behind less work and ones that are ahead more work to incorporate differentiation. That should not be the case, the kids that are ahead should receive work that extends on the knowledge they already know just as the ones that are behind. But still my problem with grouping students based on what they know on a given topic still bothers me. I know it is to benefit them so they can be assigned work to further their understanding but I still feel like it is labeling them or at least the students will look at it like that. The ones that are ahead may notice that the group of kids further behind aren’t doing more difficult assignments like them and that could cause a problem. It makes sense to me to determine where students are and base their work upon that but students may see it differently because middle school and high school can be vicious places.

Stephanie P.
The differentiated classroom was a major focus in this chapter. The dominant points that were focused on were the attitudes and skills in a differentiated classroom, clarity, responsibility, respect, awareness, classroom management, students coming together to be successful, flexible classroom teaching routines, instructional strategies, and progress. These are all very important factors in a differentiated classroom because they improve student confidence and their ultimate success. The thing I found very helpful in the chapter was under each heading, they described it, gave how teachers in those types of classrooms typically are, and then gave a scenario for the reader to better understand it. Another part that I found interesting was at the end, it pointed out that there is no perfect lesson, perfect day, or perfect teacher. It's all about doing your best as a teacher to address your student's needs. They sum it up in a quote saying //"For teachers and students alike, the goal is not perfection but persistence in the pursuit of understanding important things"// (page 56). I will use this in my classroom because I know no one is perfect but I can strive for persistence and to be the best teacher that I can be.
 * Chapter 4: "What Really Matters in Planning for Student Success?"**

Stephanie L.
Students can only succeed when the teacher succeeds. Without effective instruction and planning, students won't be able to get much out of the lesson. This chapter provided us with a list of important characteristics that every teacher should be developing throughout their career. They described each characteristic and even gave examples that explained them even more. One example that particularly jumped out at me was the teacher who kept notes for each of her students. She was very organized and professional about it and it seemed like something that worked effectively when being aware of how each student is different. This is definitely something that I would like to do in the future. I also liked the idea of keeping a tally of which kids are called on during class. I am definitely more of a verbal learner so having these important things written down would help me be a better teacher.

Megan
This chapter was very repetitive of the last three. It basically reiterated that you can have the best curriculum out there but it won’t be helpful to you or your students if you can only teach it one way. It also again mentioned ways to figure out which students possess which learning styles. The part I did like was the notion that the teacher is responsible for whether or not a student fails. Yes, it is a scary thought. My students failed because of me. But then you need to think about what if they succeed because of me? You need to have the right attitude. We can’t blame students. I feel that too often teachers use the excuse like “oh it’s Joe’s fault. He’s lazy and won’t put in the effort.” Once a teacher thinks this they give up on the student and then there is no hope for them. I think that if you’re accusing a student of being lazy, you yourself are being lazy. We need to motivate students to learn and stop blaming them if they don’t.

Geoff
Chapter four of DI/UbD establishes nine “attitudes” that teachers need to take in order to effectively integrate differentiated instruction. Taking a look at each of them, I can point out a few that I will not have much of a problem with, and a few I may have a lot of trouble with. For instance, I should not have much of a problem with accepting responsibility for the success or struggles of the students, or with certain aspects of developing successful classroom management routines; I understood the former to be a responsibility of a teacher before I entered college, and I have the organizational skills to implement the ladder to a high level. Others will be more challenging for me. Developing flexible teaching routines and incorporating and expanding on a variety of teaching strategies are things that will probably take me awhile longer to develop; I certainly hope that Practicum will go a long way in helping with that. Nonetheless, if not achievable “attitudes” or “skills” at the moment, they will make for very important, and hopefully reachable, goals that I will try to fulfill this semester and beyond.

Jordan
Chapter 4 What Really Matter in Planning for Students Success? I think that this chapter made many good suggestions for running a differentiated classroom. I really like the idea of pre-assessing students to see what they already know and what they aren’t so sure of. Continued assessment will help to keep track of their learning and understanding. I also think that making certain resources, like graphic organizers, available for students when lecturing or reading can be very helpful for those who perhaps don’t take good notes or need something to better organize their work. The last idea that I really liked was giving students the options to work alone or with a group. I know that I am a very interpersonal learner, so I often prefer to work alone. I think that it would have been nice to have that option a little more when I was in middle or high school.

Jen P.
I learned that a skill of a teacher who really helps her students will “accept responsibility for learner success” (p. 40). I really believe that. I have had teachers and professors who did the opposite. As someone who does not learn very well aurally, a teacher who gives very unclear directions once aurally is difficult to deal with. As a teacher, I always want to be clear and concise. I also will explain directions in more than one way. Even writing down key points while I speak will reach at least three of the eight intelligences. My students should be able to study and learn effectively on their own, but I still need to be a guide.

John T.
In the beginning of this chapter, particular emphasis is put on the humanizing of students. The chapter echoes a point that was made earlier in the first two chapters: no matter how good the curriculum is, the quality or instruction has to be just as good if there is to be any learning. When I read the nine steps, I felt like I had read them before in this book and somewhat in MI. The concepts are the same anyway, and while it may seem redundant, it is in fact a way for us to get these ideas ingrained into every thought process we have about teaching. If we constantly learn about the attributes of good teaching and are constantly focusing on them, we will know the desired outcome of our teaching before we've even begun to teach. One quote that really jumped out at me was: "If a student is not growing-even if he or she is making As-the teacher is not teaching that student"(44). This quote puts the last four chapters into perspective. The UbD and DI methods are not necessarily about getting students good grades and high test scores, but they are instead focused on helping students grow as individuals. ___

Tracey Hollingsworth
Chapter 4 – What Really Matters in Planning for Student Success?

Chapter four addresses the attitudes and skills of responsive teachers who practice effective differentiation in the classroom, and why they matter. Teachers must be able to accept responsibility for the diversity among students and be willing to encourage growth, see their potential, understand their environment, and create a sense of community. Teachers using Differentiated Instruction will attend to the quality curriculum and instruction. By engaging students in their curriculum and their own learning, teachers will be able to help teenagers build their lives. Teachers are like coaches who seek out students’ strengths and deficiencies. Teachers are the true catalysts for change; Change is what I strive for.