Yesterday in class we watched Rick Wormeli's, Flexible Grouping Video. One thing I really liked about the video was the number of ways he differentiated in his classroom. I realized it is possible to differentiate and it isn't as exhausting as I thought it would be. :) Mr. Wormeli adjusted to the needs of the students by dividing the students into two groups: struggling students and advanced students. He didn't tell the students which students were in what groups but the students were able to figure it out on their own. One part of the video I thought was interesting was when a student from the advanced group asked to go to the "lower" group. I feel this taught that even though you are differentiating, students still want to be apart of activities that look or sound fun to them. There were a lot of things I learned from this video but I think the biggest take-away I got from it was the 3-2-1 Exit Slips. I love the exit summaries because I feel they really help you as a teacher understand what needs to be differentiated for your students. In the 3-2-1 Exit Slips students share 3 things they learned, 2 comments about personal reflections and connections, and 1 question about the topic they are studying. Honestly before seeing this approach, I wasn't a big fan of exit slips because I felt they were a waste of time and students didn't share actual concerns. Watching this video changed my opinions and now I want to use them in my class. Differentiating is understanding who your students are and what they need from you as the teacher.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
3-2-1... BLAST OFF!!!
Yesterday in class we watched Rick Wormeli's, Flexible Grouping Video. One thing I really liked about the video was the number of ways he differentiated in his classroom. I realized it is possible to differentiate and it isn't as exhausting as I thought it would be. :) Mr. Wormeli adjusted to the needs of the students by dividing the students into two groups: struggling students and advanced students. He didn't tell the students which students were in what groups but the students were able to figure it out on their own. One part of the video I thought was interesting was when a student from the advanced group asked to go to the "lower" group. I feel this taught that even though you are differentiating, students still want to be apart of activities that look or sound fun to them. There were a lot of things I learned from this video but I think the biggest take-away I got from it was the 3-2-1 Exit Slips. I love the exit summaries because I feel they really help you as a teacher understand what needs to be differentiated for your students. In the 3-2-1 Exit Slips students share 3 things they learned, 2 comments about personal reflections and connections, and 1 question about the topic they are studying. Honestly before seeing this approach, I wasn't a big fan of exit slips because I felt they were a waste of time and students didn't share actual concerns. Watching this video changed my opinions and now I want to use them in my class. Differentiating is understanding who your students are and what they need from you as the teacher.
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Good summary of the video, and that parts that appealed to you. You said, "I feel this taught that even though you are differentiating, students still want to be apart of activities that look or sound fun to them." I don't believe that's what that boy was saying. You probably won't have time to look at that part again (but let me know if you need the password to see it on your own), but I think what the boy was saying was that he didn't think he was "ready" to be in the higher group. That's different from just wanting to do other activities that "look or sound" fun. If kids want to be in a different group because other things look and sound more fun than where they are, the teacher hasn't followed the hallmarks, especially #6. 5 pts.
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