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Abstract- Jenna
The majority of the class has come up with the following main point of Chapter one of Fair Isn’t Always Equal: this chapter discusses the idea of differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is a fairly new teaching strategy that was discovered in the 1990’s (known as “The Decade of the Brain”). Neurological research showed that the brain absorbed knowledge differently in multiple ways. Differentiated instruction is “the collection of best practices strategically employed to maximize students’ learning at every turn, including giving them the tools to handle anything that is undifferentiated” (Wormeli, 3). This is a highly effective method of teaching because it ensures that every student is receiving a fair chance of succeeding in the classroom. The chapter also addressed the issue of differentiated instruction being a crutch. This is simply not the case. Differentiated instruction allows the students to become highly competent and independent thinkers. The students are more willing to take risks and be creative, as well as being tolerant towards their peers. Differentiated instruction does not mean that the teachers make learning easier for the students… Instead, it provides the appropriate challenge that enables students to succeed. Many people in the class view differentiated instruction as a fair and realistic approach to teaching. They understand that differentiated instruction can be found in the outside world (the military, surgeons, etc.) as well as the classroom. Every person in the class came to the conclusion that to be a successful teacher and to have successful students, they must implement differentiated instruction in their classrooms so that every child’s specific and individual needs are being met.

Reflection- Jenna
The class believes that [|differentiated instruction] should be exercised within a classroom to ensure every child’s success. It was interesting to see that everyone in the class agreed that there were multiple forms of differentiating in a classroom. Whether a teacher is rephrasing a question, moving seats according to interest, giving a choice for assignments, etc., that teacher is [|differentiating] for a student. By allowing students to learn through their strengths, teachers are ensuring that the students are able to depict their mastery of the content. The “one size fits all” method of teaching is proven to be ineffective because not every child learns the same. When a teacher differentiates for the students, that teacher is taking half of the responsibility of the students’ success. The class agreed that responsive teaching and differentiated instruction enables students to be creative, take risks, and become [|autonomous] learners. It was also interesting to observe that the class was able to recognize the fact that differentiation can be found outside of the classroom as well.

Ben
Chapter 1 In Chapter 1 of //Fair isn't Always Equal// it talks about Differentiated Instruction. DI is when your classroom is keeping the fairness of students in mind. Making sure each student is given the same opportunity to succeed, whether that is spending extra time with one student or moving them to a more appropriate seat in the room, every aspect must be looked at. This impacted me since I have had classes where teachers would move not just me, but other students to where they needed to be, or they would create excerises to which options for different learners were accessible. This can impact my classroom later on since I will have students that need different scenarios to have the equal chance to succeed.

Dani
Chapter 1 Chapter 1 of FIAE discusses why differentiation works and why it is a good idea. I learned that differentiation doesn’t make students dependent on teachers to adjust the curriculum for them but rather make them tolerant individuals or are intrinsically motivated. These students are creative, hey take risks, they are competent and independent. This affects me because that is exactly how I want my students to be when they leave my classroom. I want them to know themselves, be creative, be smart, be compassionate and take risks. I think that differentiation can help me accomplish this. This affects my classroom because it will be easier to manage a classroom of students who are intrinsically motivated.

Cam
In this chapter the idea of differentiated instruction is considered to be a positive learning strategy that requires teachers to do anything to meet the needs of their students. Around the 1990s there was an excel in neurological research that enlightened educators. However, what we learned in twenty years of research could change in the blink of an eye tomorrow. As advanced as we are today, the brain is an organ that is still being explored. All of these advancements of today are not enough to change the way we teach. This chapter has impacted me in my early profession because I will not hold back the differentiated instruction in my class. Some might think it is babying students, but really it is translating the challenges for a student with particular learning styles. This impacts my students because it will only better prepare them with the knowledge and understanding they need to carry into the following years.
 * Chapter 1; The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition **

Jason
This was an interesting chapter because I got a better understanding of what differentiated instruction really is. I learned examples of DI are things like moving students closer to the board; handing out graphic organizers; or giving out different problems for more advanced students. I felt this chapter did a lot for me because I am much more willing to believe in DI now; I really did not agree with the idea of DI until I realized all the many types that we encounter every day – I always thought that it was more like having to give different students different work and time frames. I am more than willing to practice DI in my classroom; I think that I would allow for my students to work together on group assignments along with allowing those who do not work best in groups to work alone. I agree that it is not what we teach, but it is what the students learn that is most important.
 * FIAE Chapter 1, The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition. **

Marcy
Modern research about the brain has uncovered information not available to teachers of the past. The idea of using this information to make more effective teachers is to teach in the way the brain normally learns. Differentiated teaching is highly effective teaching. The end result is better through this method and that is what teachers are held accountable for. The government does not care about how you taught the students, it cares about how much the students learned. This affects me as a teacher because differentiating my teaching will help my students so much. They will appreciate the challenges that are appropriate for them and so are motivated to achieve because they are held accountable.

Nicholas
Chapter 1: I learned about differentiated instruction in this chapter. The overall idea is that fairness is reached when you are able to meet each individual student’s needs. For me as a teacher, I need to be sure to meet each individual student’s needs in order for each student to become successful as a learner. I need to be sure that I am ready to teach out of my comfort zone in order for them to grasp new concepts. My students will need to be patient and have respect for their classmates when it comes to learning new ideas and concepts.

Lindsey
The first chapter of the book discussed the impact differentiated learning may have on students. Rather than assuming that a lifetime of receiving differentiated instruction would leave a child incapable of becoming an independent learner, it is actually the opposite. Were a child to receive this instruction for years and then have it taken away, they would have a much deeper understanding of their own learning habits, and thus be able to assist themselves even when they struggle. The glasses analogy is given, showing that removing the prop that children need to be successful in an effort to give students an equal learning experience does not benefit either child, but instead detriments the student who can not see across the room. The same may be applied to children who have a hard time understanding a concept. The teacher should not neglect their needs in an effort to make the classroom fair, but instead should spend extra time with the student and work around his or her learning style. Furthermore, if a student is not assisted in their learning style, they are far more likely to simply give up as it is evident that the teacher does not have the student’s best interest in mind, but merely wishes to teach concepts rather than students. The differentiated learning style can be seen not only in schools, but in the real world, thus it is essential for teachers to provide students the opportunity to be successful, whether it is equal or not.

Jenna
Chapter one of __Fair Isn't Always Equal__ explained discoveries of the brain that were not available to past generations of people and teachers. Tests and discoveries showed that the individuals' brains processed information differently. Therefore, differentiated instruction is a highly effective form of teaching. When an educator differentiates for a student, that teacher is giving the child a fair chance of succeeding. Differentiation does not mean that teachers are giving certain students an advantage not available to other students. Differentiation ensures that a student who struggles with one way of learning has the opportunity to depict understanding through a different method of learning. By giving the child the chance to use their strengths to process information, teachers are encouraging self-growth and understanding. The teachers are also giving a fair amount of responsibility to the learner. The student is held accountable for using the differentiated instructions provided to them. There is a common misunderstanding that differentiation is a crutch. However, this is simply not the case. Instead, differentiated instruction provides necessary and appropriate challenges that enable students to thrive. The chapter also mentioned that nobody cared what teachers taught. If students came away with knowledge and understanding, that was all that mattered. My differentiated instruction will be very valuable to my students. Students will be able to see that I am making a conscious effort to take responsibility in making the environment a fair place to learn. If I am making a noticeable effort, my students will hopefully become motivated and take the other half of the responsibility to make an effort to learn.

Andrew D
The first chapter of this book is all about differentiated instruction and how it’s the best way for students to learn all throughout their years of education. Differentiated instruction is defined in this book as doing what’s fair for the students. The point of it is to maximize each students learning. Students who go through education experiencing effective differentiated instruction are competent and have the best shot at succeeding. One of the key points of DI is it doesn’t make learning easier for students. It allows students to be challenged in a way they can thrive. Undifferentiated classrooms convey to students they can give up if something is just not working for them. In classrooms like this it is hard for students to succeed and graduate. This chapter impacted me because it makes me realize even more how important it is to differentiate in the classroom because at the end of the day the goal is for every student to maximize their learning, not just some. It will impact my classroom because I will make a great commitment to differentiate in every class I teach so that each and every student has an opportunity to succeed.

Andrew F.
This chapter discussed the importance of having a differentiated form of instruction, this means teaching and giving the learners the tools they need to be successful. But this leads some parents to question are we as educators are providing too much of a crutch for students? Differentiated Instruction actually prepares more students for real world situations where they will be forced to think on their feet and adapt to change quickly. The two examples the book provided was about marines during basic training putting together their rifles (some get it in 4 tries, others need the manual, and some can just understand the best through verbal instructions.) The second example was that of a surgeon, adapting the right tools and know-how based on the certain individuals body and situation.

I feel this chapter was important because it states that DI is needed within a classrooms from K-12, as a way to further enhance the students graduating from US high schools. It also stated the simple truth, that despite this systems effectiveness it does not make the learning process any easier, but instead provides the right amount of challenge in order to make the learner become more engaged. This helped me see more the more long-scale effect of the education model we are currently being taught in practicum.

Lizzie
This chapter made me analyze and understand the idea of differentiated instruction as well as its’ definition and rationale. All teachers, even though they may not call it differentiated instruction, do just that, differentiated instruction. In order to truly master this type of instruction we need to understand how student’s think. This can be difficult since what we know how the brain learns and how it works is still being tested. One of our goals as teachers should be how to get the classroom to reflect what as been distilled from the research. Teachers need to step up and use the tools that have “stood the test of time.” When teachers do not spend as much time on identifying tasks for certain students, they can make sure they have taught in the best way possible for the students’ brains to learn and understand. Differentiated instruction is doing what is considered fair for students. It’s a collection of the best teaching strategies which then gives teachers the best tools possible to handle anything. Because of such differentiated approaches each student can develop and individual style and strengths. Teachers can give students tools to handle their own learning, making them their own advocates for their education. It is true then that, “what is fair isn’t always equal” and the overall goal is to be fair and appropriate not “one-size-fits-all equal”. It is not we teach that is important but what the students have learned that matters. This approach to teaching is a variety of the best ways or practices to maximize students’ learning with all material and giving them the tools to handle anything they may encounter. Not only does differentiated instruction help all students’ to learn but it helps the teacher to develop different and unique learning styles keeping the classroom entertaining and comfortable. Creating a safe, relaxing, and fun learning environment is important to a student’s learning. Differentiated instruction allows for many new ideas and activities in the classroom as well as helps the teacher to control the class in a less controlling way. This chapter has helped me to understand why differentiated instruction is so crucial to good teaching. It is not the material you teacher but how you teach it that matters.

T ed
Chapter one explained the differentiated instruction mindset, which focuses on fairness in instruction and assessment for students. The example of the two kids sitting at the back of a class, one with glasses and one without, was very well-crafted. I hadn’t heard it before. I like how the book, which I assume will focus on assessment, referred to Differentiated Instruction as a mindset, implying its value could exceed instruction. As we’ve pointed out in other readings, the Differentiated Instruction mindset is one that I wholeheartedly agree with and plan on using in my own classroom eventually.