Kristen Swanson's List: Differentation

• gatekeeper skills of reading and writing

  • Reading and writing need to be emphasized across the curriculum.
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• Skills had an identifiable purpose

  • Sometimes we lose sight of this part...
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• Because needs rather than labels guided her instruction, students moved freely among peers and opportunities. Both her teaching and her students seemed less restricted, freer.

  • Yes!
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• Become an assessment junkie. Everything that a student says and does is a potential source of assessment data. Assessment should be an ongoing process, conducted in flexible but distinct stages, and it should maximize opportunities for each student to open the widest possible window on his or her learning.

  • I love the phrase: assessment junkie!
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• willingness to do whatever it takes
• does not always involve individualized instruction

  • Differentiation has to be manageable for each teacher.
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• movement every 10 to 15 minutes.
• if that's what they need

  • We need to be aware of what they need. ALL students must reach the highest standards possible. Set the bar high!
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• Thus, we allow tweens to redo work and assessments until they master the content, and we give them full credit for doing so

  • 2nd Chance Learning
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• I know I'll never forget when my teacher got “caught” plagiarizing. The sensations were simply too real.... Although my teacher is extremely moral, it was frightening how close to home it struck. The moment when my teacher admitted it, the room fell silent. It was awful. All my life, teachers have preached about plagiarism, and it never really sank in. But when you actually experience it, it's a whole different story.

  • Emotional connections make learning "stick."
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