I know every teacher has said that their goal is reach all learners and engage their students but I ask, are we really doing our best job reaching this goal? With recent push from No Child Left Behind I feel that I need to work with my lower students to improve test scores. I constantly prepare extra lessons and materials for my lower students to practice skills that they are struggling with. I usually think I’m doing the right thing because the students who score low need my help, my job is to teach them and I’m willing to take the extra effort but after reading “Susan Goodkin and David G. Gold: In Focus on Proficiency, Bright Kids Lose,” I am reminded that I am doing so much for only a fraction of my students. I have a handful of students every year that are advanced and score very well on their tests and I rarely take extra time to prepare something special for them. I easily can challenge them by offering higher leveled reading books or suggesting more challenging writing assignments but I should be preparing special projects to meet their abilities and interests. The authors of this article are hoping to change that. Having advanced students sit in the classroom while we do repetitive lessons for my lower to average students is only causing the advanced to be bored and act up. I have read and learned in the past that differentiated instruction is the best solution but I struggle with pulling this off properly. I am only one person and I can’t be with four groups of students at the same time.
The article states that current educators need to find solutions to meet advanced learners needs and I couldn’t agree more. The advanced learners have every right to learn to their full potential. They are important to our future too, they can easily be our next doctors and engineers. The article suggested that students should be able to be grouped with students of similar abilities and spend at least half the day with those groups. I think that would be a great idea for all learners but how does one pull this off and who makes the decisions of the groups and curriculum that each group focuses on? Last year my grade level tried this with three different reading levels and it was difficult because one teacher ended up with 25 students while another teacher had 12 students. I also felt that I was not in control of my student’s learning and had trouble discussing student’s growth with parents that quarter. The authors also urge for educators to forget the scary myths of allowing students to move up a grade. Most teachers I know frown upon this but I have not been in a situation to investigate this opportunity. I do believe that it depends on the student’s age and maturity level because a student grows drastically between kindergarten and second grade. I would love to hear anyone’s stories or advice on students advancing grade levels or spitting students into groups based on their ability.
Why restructure? Does it really do anything?
15 years ago
Reading your post and the article you chose really opened my mind in making sure that those students in my class who are at grade level target or above, aren’t left behind. I, too, tend to work harder in preparing more lessons or giving more individual attention for my students who are lower or who don’t do well on the tests because I don’t want them to be left behind. I’ve become more aware of the feelings that my average or above average students might feel because they aren’t getting that “extra” attention that the other students are receiving. I will be more conscious of ALL of my students and trying to give them equal time but helping each of my students to succeed! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post-are we really doing what is best for all students? I spend so much of my time preparing lessons for students who are not at grade level, I do not always challenge the advanced students. There have been times when I push my advanced students to only find myself with a room full of students who are stuck and need my help. Grouping students seems like a good solution until the low group becomes the 'dumb' group. I like reader's workshop because sometimes it is group work and sometimes it is individualized, but it is always changing to meet the needs of the students no matter what their level.
ReplyDeleteFinally! An article I can definitely relate too.
ReplyDeleteYear after year, all we hear as educators is: How do we improve our test scores!!! So therefore, what are we taught to do? We are taught to teach to the test! After several inservices throughout the years we were taught to revamp our programs, revamp our special classes, revamp our curriculum, etc. During all this 'revamping' were our advanced students ever thought of?
As teachers, we know that ALL students need to be taught to the best of THEIR abilities. Not one student should be denied an education.
My son, for example, gets his work done early, understands math and science better than most older kids, and LOVES school. Will he continue to love school when teachers are focused on "No Child Left Behind?"
There are math programs out there that are designed to suit the needs of ALL students. One is SAXON Math. Children are placed in grades that coincide with their ability. AS a 6th grade teacher, I teach both 6th grade math and also 7th grade math for those that are advanced through the SAXON program.
WHY CAN'T STUDENTS MOVE UP A GRADE IN SUBJECTS TO BETTER SUIT THEM???
Find prgrams that meet the needs of ALL students, not just those who fit under "No Child Left Behind."
Several third world countries are twice as advanced than the United States in math and science. 20 or so years ago that was not the case.
Thank you, Trista for the article and you may have given me an idea for Blog #2!!
Denise Turnqiust
I could not agree with you more about gearing our differentiated teaching towards the low end acheivers. It has long been my argument. How can we be so many differnt teachers at one time in one classroom. Some where some how some one is going to suffer. It is easiest to leave the high achievers alone so they can work independently. They need to be challenged too. How many times to we hear - I'm bored. Why are the bored? Can we change that?
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that I remember being split into diferent groups for reading and math when I was in elementary school. It seemed to work then. Teaching styles and concepts come and go. They cycle through. I think mabye it is time for the old way (that worked) to come back around but maybe with a new technology twist and addition.
Great thoughts Trista. I too struggle with making sure each of my students are differentiated at their level and not just focusing on the students who are low.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the part about having 25 students in a classroom and then another classroom is left with 12. I had to laugh because I too have come across that issue last year. I come from a school that is lucky enough to have 4 sections of second grade, which allows for 4 differentiated classrooms, right??? Well we tried it. We were left with 19-23 high ability students, 20-30 middle ability students, and after pulling students for special services; we were left with 9-12 low ability students. What a mess! I too then felt out of control. When it came to conferences or even just having a discussion about a student, I felt lost and had to look around me to get those answers because the child was not in my room.
As far as advancing a grade... I had a student last year that was extremely smart. I spent a lot of time ensuring the student was challenged and was able to get the most out of second grade even though he was already performing at a third grade level. But then I had to think, was he mature enough for third grade? Would he continue to be mature enough as he approached high school? I think some teachers might forget about how the student behaves other than academically when thinking about advancing a grade.
Awesome article!
Jenna Farkas (Brendemuhl)