The intelligences are not mutually exclusive -- they act in consort. Multiple Intelligence (MI) Theory was not developed to exclude individuals, but to allow all people to contribute to society through their own strengths (Helding, 2009)
b. Schedule 1:1 time with each student - the conferencing piece is indeed valuable! It provides insights into the learner's way of thinking, what strategies he or she actually use, and what strategies will help him or her to become better readers (Lipton & Hubble, 2008)
Universal design is designing products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for modification or specialized design. Universal design for instruction is a set of principles that help in the process of designing the classroom environment and instruction so that they are contributing to the learning of all students (Samuels, 2007)
Children are sensitive to the atmosphere created in the classroom. Is the classroom warm and inviting? Are all areas of the classroom accessible to all children? Are the walls bleak and lacking in color or do the decorations help to make the students feel comfortable? Are areas well defined as to their design and purpose (Scott, Leach, & Bucholz, 2008)? Decorating a classroom with some kind of warmth can help promote a sense of comfort and security
This is a true moral and self-esteem booster! b. Invite outside speakers and plan field trips to pique student interest - Guest speakers offer different perspectives on topics and are often much better equipped to talk about how things happen and work in the professional world for which the students are preparing (Wolfe, n
Teachers should apply the strategy of universal design for learning to make sure that activities, materials, and equipment are physically accessible and usable by all students. Teachers should also expand safety procedures to all students, including those who are identified with a disability, and when teaching, repeat printed directions orally (Sterling, 2009)
2). In order to accomplish this in a given school district, professional development plans for teachers could follow the approach used by the New York State school system which requires: 1) mentoring during the first year of classroom teaching with well-publicized mentor selection criteria, mentor preparation, defined mentoring activities, and time allocated for mentoring; and, 2) complete a specified number of professional development training hours each year to maintain the validity of their teaching certificates (individual school districts will be responsible for determining the content, delivery, and providers of professional development training) (Barney, Cordes, Darilek, Doolittle, McCombs & Naftel, 2004)
7). Although they may be leading the way, teachers are still faced with a number of challenges and obstacles in implementing standards-based curricula and instruction in the nation's schools, the foremost being a paucity of resources and a lack of specific training for the purpose (Bay & Reys, 1999)
"Although the teams are representative of the entire learning community -- administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders -- it is the teachers who most often implement the suggested plans. As teachers recognize their influence, they emerge as leaders of the process" (emphasis added) (Kearney, p
In order to accomplish this in a given school district, professional development plans for teachers could follow the approach used by the New York State school system which requires: 1) mentoring during the first year of classroom teaching with well-publicized mentor selection criteria, mentor preparation, defined mentoring activities, and time allocated for mentoring; and, 2) complete a specified number of professional development training hours each year to maintain the validity of their teaching certificates (individual school districts will be responsible for determining the content, delivery, and providers of professional development training) (Barney, Cordes, Darilek, Doolittle, McCombs & Naftel, 2004). In contrast to the professional development plan requirements for teachers that are focused on improving the delivery of educational services within the classroom, administrators are faced with a number of other external considerations that may not ever be considered by the teaching staff (London, 1995)
Indeed, a primary consideration in all curriculum reform initiatives to date has been to ensure the inclusion of knowledge, understandings, processes, and skills that provide competency in a given field (Stotsky, 2000). With school curricula now being increasingly linked to standards-based examinations as a measure of academic achievement, an increasing number of teachers feel they must "teach to the test" and many are being directed by administrators to do so; as a result, general "curriculum development" has ceased to be a primary professional concern (Pinar, 2004)
Furthermore, administrators are assuming more and more responsibility for implementing standards-based curricula and instruction in the nation's public schools (Stotsky, 2000). In recent years, the phrase "standards-based" has been used to describe a wide range of educational materials ranging from individual units to collections of classroom activities, to components that are "added on" to existing materials (Reys, Trafton & Wasman, 2001)
6). Furthermore, administrators are assuming more and more responsibility for implementing standards-based curricula and instruction in the nation's public schools (Stotsky, 2000)
As I mature in the profession, I hope that new teachers can look to me as an example. Twenty years ago, Lieberman and Miller (1990) noted that new leadership roles for teachers were emerging (Gehrke, 1991
They noted that "literacy coaching provides job-embedded, ongoing professional development for teachers (International Reading Association [IRA], 2004). The goal is to build "collaborative relationships with teachers" (L'Allier, p
The State of Wisconsin has made available on the Web its "Educator Toolkit," a document that guides teachers in the creation of professional development plans. The state's Department of Public Instruction takes a strong stance in favor of the formal professional development plan and sets forth an objective to ensure that educators "are broadly informed, deeply committed, and perform actions that will keep Wisconsin schools and districts places that motivate and engage all students and will result in enhanced student learning" (Mahaffey, 2005)
I hope to have a mentor, or perhaps more than one mentor, who can help me become the best teacher I can be. A 20-year study by the New Teacher Center showed that mentoring programs "accelerate the effectiveness of new teachers, fast-tracking their progress to exemplary teachers with the ability to positively impact student achievement (Moir, 2009, p
Classroom management among special populations can be more challenging than in the general student population. However, even given the smaller class size and individual attention of the special education classroom, classroom management is the key to success, both for individual students and for classroom performance as a whole (Oliver & Reschly, 2007)
At this point in time, if I am having a problem with any teaching strategy, this would be the appropriate time to seek help in my teaching skills. Curriculum- Second semester- semester long project One of the keys to differentiation is that several elements and materials are used to support instructional content (Hall, 2002)
Instead, I would put desks into small groups or clusters. I would try to have different areas in the room, such as a reading area, a music area, a discussion area, and a project area (Shalaway, 2011)