Chapter 4 UbD

Chapter four expanded on chapter three’s idea of flexibility in the classroom.  Most of the chapter talked about dealing with differentiated classrooms and being able to teach to each student.  One key part of the chapter I found interesting was the discussion of how every subject has a “kindergarten version” and a “Ph.D. version.”  This is an interesting perspective on teaching that would encourage adapting the classroom material to the students you have in a particular class.  The book obviously does not want to say dumb a class down or smarten it up each year, but keep the material at a challenging (but not overly so) level.  The chapter brings up the critical point of having students comfortable with each other and the teacher.  It reminds me of what my geography teacher said about the beginning of class. If you speak at least once in the classroom out loud, you will be more comfortable speaking in discussion throughout the year.  A comfortable student is more likely to share his thoughts and ideas with the class and by extension would probably improve academically and socially.  One of the discussions in the chapter talks about the futility in having every student complete the same tasks with the same materials and time constraints.  At no point in my education have I ever had a test where everyone in the class completed the text at the same time.  In addition until I started college (and even after that), many of the students would place requests about time extensions or changes to what was being tested or the way we were being tested.

Chapter 3 UbD

Chapter three in the UbD/DI focuses on backwards planning and its effectiveness in flexible teaching.  Backwards planning stresses goal centered development and allows for variances in activities or lecture depending on the students’ needs.  It sounds like the backwards planning is a more reliable plan to have when stuck on how to teach a subject or class.  The chapter also focused on how subjects in the classroom should not be too broad or narrow but connect to multiple (related) areas of focus.  This would help my choosing of topics to cover in a class (after looking at state/school requirements).  Topics like the Indus River valley might not be ideal topics due to the small amount of information and relatable details.  Instead I would look at topics like the Romans that could be linked to several other topics and provide an in-depth discussion in the class.  One part of the chapter I felt was really interesting is the second sin of planning and teaching.  Even as a student I would think it would be awesome if I could cover every topic in the textbook, but that is unrealistic to condense for one year’s worth of material.  This chapter impacted my planning by looking at the topics I have to deal with and picking the most efficient and comprehensive topics.  The backwards planning itself provides a systematic approach with flexibility for needs or unforeseen problems.  In my own opinion planning activities after evidence is effective because the evidence is not dependent on the activity.  If the activity does not work out or is not understood, you can still explain the evidence rather than scrapping the whole plan.

Chapter 4 MI

As with almost all of the other chapters read so far, chapter four discusses ways to incorporate multiple or all intelligences in the classroom.  As opposed to chapter three that talks about homing in on a single strong intelligence, chapter four discusses balanced or overlapping methods to teach the different intelligences.  The chapter talks about how teaching multiple intelligences to students can be beneficial for them and for you.  It helps the students realize how they figure out problems best and how to improve in other areas.  After explaining to the students about multiple intelligences, it is suggested to reinforce that idea by doing various activities that focus on different intelligences.  Career day is one suggested approach as the teacher can bring in a variety of jobs that fill in all the categories.  In addition some of those jobs require different intelligences.  Students would see the intelligences used to effect while providing a learning opportunity.  This chapter showcases some of the ways the backwards planning can work.  The goal would be for students to understand how multiple intelligence works and maybe how strong their different intelligences are.  The evidence would be how the intelligences work and function and some of the possible activities are listed throughout the chapter.  This could be an activity used early on in the school year to help plan future lesson plans.  In addition it might help suggest ways for students to study, take notes, or learn from the lessons given in class.

Chapter 3 MI

Chapter three initiates with the discussion of finding a student’s strongest intelligence and basing the content around that intelligence.  The book indicates that it may be easier to identify the strongest intelligence based on how a student misbehaves because it will be a “cry for help” in a manner that they are comfortable with.  In addition to misbehavior, the book suggests seeing what students do during free time. From the reading I can see observing the student would be helpful in all areas based on watching what they choose to do.  As a teacher I should be watching (in non-stalker manner) the after school activities they join, preferences for assigned homework, etc.  The chapter encourages this by looking at grades, talking with other teachers or parents, and looking over the work the students have submitted.  I think the biggest impact this chapter has on my classroom is to work on observation skills.  This ties in with the theme of the class paying attention to all of our senses.  By tailoring our classroom lectures and activities to each student’s favored intelligence, we can better educate different learning styles.  I think that some of this observation of students is a little disconcerting.  Looking over the checklist I would feel a little uncomfortable if my teacher noticed that I hum occasionally to myself or that I put my hands all over something I have just seen.  I guess in terms of setting up the perfect learning environment could be worth it but it seems a little excessive.

Chapter 2 MI

The most critical part of this chapter discusses the impact the students may feel from the learning environment and other factors that foster or hamper intellectual development.  The chapter discusses how discouraging parents or teachers that humiliate students could slow or stop the development of a student’s intelligence.  From this reading, I understand the key role a teacher plays in the development of a student’s intelligence and the need to be delicate and purposeful.  With this in mind, I hope to respect each student’s individual ideas and restrain myself from downplaying their hard work if it is in contrast to my own intelligence development.  The chapter also discussed figuring out my intelligence strengths and building support to manage the intelligences that I am not as strong in.  The idea of working with other teachers to get ideas to teach towards other intelligences is something I plan on doing once I become a teacher.  My aunt and the book talk about team teaching.  The book uses team teaching to supplement intelligences a teacher might not be as equipped to deal with.  My aunt team teaches with another teacher (she is special ed) which allows for combined classes with a very large variance in learning styles.  Both the book and my aunt use team teaching to meet the needs of a wider range of student skill levels.  Though it is questionable whether or not my school would have team teaching, I could try some ways to come close (guest speakers, advisers, etc.).