Fulfilling the Promise Chapter 6

Curriculum and Instruction as the Vehicle for Responding to Student Needs:
Rational to Practice
The job of a teacher is so important. How the teacher guides teaching and learning will inevitably sculpt the learner's sense of self-worth-and how the teacher directly and indirectly affects the student's sense of value will necessarily shape how and what the student learns. The teacher is an aid in preparing the students for life. It would be great if every student walking out of elementary school left with a sense of self-worth and knowing how they learn best. We can do it! How? Just letting each student in your classroom know that you care, that they matter, letting your students see that you will do whatever it takes to build not only their sense of worth, but also his or her sense of power as a learner.
This chapter suggests some concrete ways in which I can make sure that curriculum and instruction are important, focused, and engaging. Ways in which each student in my classroom is well served as a human being and as a learner. Some suggestions are; focus student products around significant problems and issues, use meaningful audiences, help students discover how ideas and skills are useful in the world, provide choices that ensure focus, look for fresh ways to present and explore ideas, and share your experiences and invite students to do the same. It is also important to plan your curriculum so that the work for each learner is challenging and scaffolded. The trick is to place task just a bit ahead of a learner's comfort zone, and then also provide the support necessary to help the learner gain comfort and proficiency with the tasks. Some strategies suggested for this type of demanding and supported curriculum instruction are; to use tiered approaches, incorporate complex instruction, to use a variety of rubrics to guide quality, to provide learning contracts at appropriate times, to aim high, to take a "no excuses" stance, to become computer savvy, to help students realize success is the result of their own effort, to use the new American Lecture Format (which I totally agree with), to designate a "keeper of the book", to try ThinkDots, to directly teach strategies for working successfully with text, to use think alouds (which I do everyday), to use small group instruction as a regular part of instructional cycles, to establish peer networks for learning, to promote language proficiency, to use weekend study buddies, to make peer-critique or peer-review sessions a regular feature (which will work well if you have established trust in your classroom, if there is no trust this will fail miserably!), to cue and coach student responses, and to team with resource specialist. Whew! How in the heck do I do all of this?
I must admit I read ahead. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed after these last two chapters. I want to be a differentiation teacher, I really do! But, is it possible? I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders! I want the students who walk into my classroom to have the experience of a lifetime. I want them to walk out at the end of the year realizing their self-worth and realizing they have learned things that will help them in the world. I am willing to try this, I am willing to take the risks so I can better the lives of my students. Like it says in Chapter 7 all I can do is "just begin." I am ready to begin!