Chapters 8-10

These chapters mad what differentiation really is more clear to me. It gave me more concrete things to think about actually using differentiation. I found the equalizer themed chart very helpful in the many areas that can be differentiated. It took it from a more abstract, hypothetical thing, to a more concrete thing that I can see how to change lessons in many different ways to fit the needs of my students. It is very important to be aware of the many different needs and areas students can be different in. It helps you to recognize more areas of need and give the students what will help them grow the best.
It is important to get the students interested in the topic that is being taught so the students will want to learn. I forget that every topic needs to be interesting to the students in order for them to become motivated and deeply involved. It is easy to just teach what is in the book and not give it much thought, but through that students are usually left behind and bored. If it is engaging, then all will have more fun. It is also important to notice when the students have found something they are particularly interested in and give them a chance to study it deeper. Teaching is not all about having the students master the standards, but inspiring them to learn and explore information deeper on their own. We say frequently that it is the teacher's job to make students life long learners and motivate them to want to know more than what is just presented in class. It was neat reading about how teachers were able to provide time for the students to investigate the topics that really interest them. They were able to format assignments in a manor that the students got all of the required information, and was able to learn about what they really liked deeper. It was also neat reading about how they gave many different options for presenting their information also. There were many helpful charts included that makes it easier for me to see how this can be done.