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Thursday, August 28, 2008
Describe how schools respond to differences in children's development.
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Schools should first respond by recognizing and acknowledging that each child is unique and they may all have a different development. Schools should create programs for different development stages, whether positive or negative. I often see schools that have programs for children that are developmentally delayed but my elementary school promoted programs for advanced students as well. Therefore, every time a student was pulled out of class it was not a negative thing.
I teach kindergarten and it seems like the districts do not take in to account what is developmentally appropriate for young students. Case in point, my district just adopted a new math curriculum that requires you to complete four to six work sheets a day. How is this apporpriate?
School districts should provide the materials and support needed to meet each child's different learning style. I am fortunate at the school I teach we are given an aide for 4 hours a day. She helps during literacy stations and small intervention groups. She also does all recess/lunch duties. Our team loves our aides! For grades that do not classroom aides, I have heard they divide the students by reading level and have students switch classrooms for reading groups. By doing this each teacher concentrates on the same group of students at the same reading level. Students then go back to their classroom to continue literacy stations. I thought this was a great idea.
I am a special education teacher and everything I do is tailored to that individual child. But in the school that I work at, they will pull out that child or groups of children that are struggling or falling behind.
From my experience, school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies. My district is currently adding a new phonics program to our curriculum. We are expected to implement it fully in our classrooms using only parts of the program's required materials. The program is catered to help the low to mid level students in my class. My problem is, with the majority of my kids high, how can I find more time in my day to make sure that they are being challenged? Why not just use the Harcort leveled program the way that it is supposed to be used? That allows me to pull students back to work based upon their ability, but focus on the same skills at different levels.
I don't know if schools do this anymore. I can recall when I was in kindergarten, we learned through songs, hands on activities, play time and various other things. Now, I talk with my friends who teach Kinder and I walk into their rooms and the kitchen has been replaced by a computer that the child is required to do a specific website that helps them work on letter sounds. The fun pictures have been replaced with a Math Meeting board and the pressure is on the teachers to produce reading students. Where is the play-self exploration?
I am pleased to see that schools are working hard to make sure every child receives the special attention they need. I teach kindergarten and I recently found out my students' DIBELS scores. The ones who were categorized as "intensive" were immediately taken out by the Title One specialist for a half hour every day. I was so shocked because my old school, the lower children did not receive any extra help. I think that many schools are working hard to create good ELL and Title One programs so the children who are a little behind and the ones learning English are getting the extra help they need. I think it is also important for teachers to modify every lesson in a way where the concept is easily understood by children at all levels.
I think that some school districts think that as long as they purchase a reading curriculum that has below level, at level, advanced, and ELL sections then they are doing okay. I work for a school who has purchased this set but does way more for differences in children's development. We have reading blocks. These blocks are across the grade levels. We separate our groups by skill level. THis allows our students to get the focused instruction that they need. My school has many resources availiable to help in teaching styles. My proncipal encourages explorative play. We have centers, recess, and my students sit in groups. Each classroom has a projector connected to a computer. This has been huge in helping students learn in a variety of ways. I do not agree at all with Districts who take away the fun of being in school. I used to work for a district that did not allow recess, centers, or did not want students to sit in groups. Hello!!!! How to children learn to become social human beings???? All children develop differently and it is our job as educators to take those differences into account when we teach our children.
I think that often times schools and educators do not respond to differences in child development. I am an early childhood special education teacher whose job is to be able to differentiate instruction in order to meet each students needs. This is a very daunting task in the face of standards and other assessments that our students must face. I differentiate instruction by asking students questions and giving them tasks that are appropriate for that student. In my classroom the students are often doing different tasks and structered play depending on what is appropriate for them individually.
I teach at a K-8 school. Because AIMS testing starts in 3rd grade, the K-2 teachers get little direction from the school administrators on how to adapt to our students needs. For example, after receiving Foresight scores, the 3rd grade and 6th grade were differentiated based on math and reading scores. If we want to do something like this, based on DIBELS scores, we must do it ourselves. Our literacy centers are expected to be worksheets from the reading program. Our reading coach comments on how low our DIBELS scores are instead of pulling the low students for intensive instruction.
A slightly different angle to consider is how TEACHERS respond to differences in children's development. I have changed my literacy centers so the student can choose from a variety of activities at each center (they have to finish the worksheet before they can go to centers... it's a compromise). Through guided reading groups, I am able to work with students with similar needs. Last year, another teacher and I developed a "walk to reading" schedule so we could provide even more differentiated instruction.
I do not believe that schools respond to differences in children's development. I believe that the majority of schools teach from a euro-centric perspective in their curriculum as well as in their discipline and rule practices. A blatent example is the large number of students of color who are in special education courses. These numbers are exacerbated at schools where the majority of the students are white. The reason for the high number of students of color in special ed courses is not because they are truly developmentally diabled (because, surely, some are), but the majority are placed there because they do not fit the status quo of what a student is supposed to act like. Their cultural differences make it difficult for them to 'fit in' with their white peers, to act and behave the same as their white peers. (Tobin, classroom discussion, 8/26). I do not believe the majority of the public schools in the U.S. utilze practices to ensure all students are responded to positively when it comes to their development. I believe that schools punish and/or reprimand students who do not fit the status-quo, white-euro-centric perspective. These students do not 'fit in' and instead of celebrating their differences and the diversity, they are often punished or outcasted.
I am not completely convinced that all schools are responding to differences in children's development. I do think that many schools believe by purchasing curriculum, designed to aide in teaching multiple levels, they are fulfilling their obligation to meet the differences; leaving the rest up to the teacher. In my case, my school has purchased two reading programs designed to meet the needs of my students. I have to use both programs and it is left up to me to decide how to mesh them together. Unfortunately I have yet to receive the full set of materials that are designed to facilitate the specific needs of my students. I do believe that it is my job as their educator to find ways to meet these needs, but I am only one person and it becomes very exhausting when you are talking about so many different levels to prepare for.
I do not think schools respond to differences in children's development. Schools districts need to understand that every one is different. These million dollar curriculums that school districts buy are not always the best solutions. They do not meet the needs of each and every student. These programs were made for classrooms full of 20 students versus 26 students. They were made for children who have additional support at home. By buying this curriculum, schools just prove they do not respond about the differences in child development.
I also teach special education and am used to the individual child approach. We are lucky to have a principal that expects this approach "teaching to the whole child" from each of our teachers. He keeps student health and life skills in perspective as well as academics. Both are crucial to student development both mentally and physically. I think schools should keep student health as well as academics balanced and make sure they are contributing to the wellness of the child. As mentioned above each student has different needs and different backgrounds and teaching to that student should be specific to that student's specific needs.
Our school is very health conscious. We feel that the healthier the children are, the better they will learn. I have first grade students and they have a need to move. Being able to put movement into every subject has not only shown my students that physical activity can be fun but is necessary for their health and also helps get the wiggles out. Our principal would drop dead if our district wanted us to start completing up to six work sheets a day like in Marla's class! We have a hands-on approach to all learning.
I currently teach kindergarten and I feel it is up to me to differentiate my instruction to fit the needs of my students. My school helps me by providing an instructional assistant for a large part of the day. She helps during literacy and math centers, as well as when I am teaching whole group. Once our DIEBLS scores are available I will recieve an extra person to help with my literacy interventions. I am allowed parent volunteers who can also come in and help during center time or pull students to read to in small groups or one on one. I provide various ways to learn through dramatic play, songs, lots of movement opportunities, hands on activities using manipulatives and a lot of visuals. We also have a listening center area where my students listen to books on tape or cd.
I do believe schools are trying their best in differentiating instruction when it deals with child development. In my classroom I have a reading intervention kit that my aide and I use to pull kids in small group and work on skills that are taught throughout the year. With this new SEI law my students were placed in our classrooms by their different language abilities. Our school has purchased a new program that helps students with their language. The teacher has to figure out were to incorporate this new reading program in with our old one. Also some of my students who are at a bit lower level will be getting pulled by another aide and work with them on their oral language skills. I do feel that I try to do my best in meeting the needs of my students however, sometimes it get very exhausting trying meet and plan for all the different needs of my students.
In my opinion, I feel that school's do not base their curriculum on child development. Schools are held responsible to teach reading and writing more so than ever, not allowing our students to grow in other concepts. Administrators no longer feel that students need that "socialization" to learns, it merely academics. This probably is due to AIMS scores and the data from Arizona students which makes school districts to change their curriculum and reading programs. No longer are schools teaching the basics, such as social studies and science, we are only teaching to the test, and not allowing students to develop their own "metacognition".
Schools respond to differences in children's development in many ways. Some schools have little resources to respond at all because they are in survival mode (inner-city, transient, etc.). Others use monies to fund really beneficial programs such as the Title 1 Even Start Family Literacy discussed in the article. I've noticed in my own school setting how teams of people work together and create processes and outcomes for children to be in settings that will give them the most success. Also, some schools respond to differences in children's development by studying the latest research in discipline, assessments, evaluations of programs, etc. On a different and more personal level, teachers respond to differences by understanding each child and understanding what their brains and bodies are like at the age they are teaching; expect and practice developmentally appropriate practices.
I am not a teacher (I'm getting certified this year), so I am not aware of how schools respond to differences in children's development. However, I do have personal experience with this. I entered the Scottsdale school district’s kindergarten and went there for the first half of the year. Half-way through my mom lost our babysitter and in order to continue to work she had to place me in my preschool’s kindergarten. After that year, I went back to the elementary school to go to first grade. Before I could start they wanted to test me to see where I was developmentally. I did not perform up to “their standards” on the test so they decided to put me into a new program called “developmental first grade” in order to catch me up. By the way, this is the first and only year they ever did this program and I was a guinea pig along with other children. Although I do not think this is fair and it made me feel ostracized from my peers who were “more appropriately mentally-developed,” I had many benefits from that program. In fact, I tested far better than my peers in reading and writing throughout my elementary and secondary school years. It was a huge help, but I don’t think it is necessarily the right way to solve developmental issues. I had to go to “regular” first grade the next year and I felt as if I had been held back a year for a reason I did not understand. They never gave me a chance to catch up on my own, nor did they allow my parents to seek more help outside of school or give them other options/resources that they could utilize to help me develop to a higher level. I think the idea was good, but not practical.
I have worked at a title 1 school and schools that are not title 1. In my experience at the title 1 school, I was one of the teacher assistants who went into classes during the reading block to do small group interventions. Now that I do not work at a title 1 school, I find that I wish I had someone to come into my classroom to help out doing small group interventions. As I read the responses from others in this class, Nancy mentions how she has an aide for 4 hours. If all school districts had the money to have aides, the students would benefit so much! At my school now, our motto is that if the students believe in themselves, they will achieve their goals. The teachers are the ones to have the resources and differentiation for each student to succeed to his or her highest potential. Our school believes that we need to teach to the whole child. This means that we teach not only the academics but the social, emotional, and physical needs for the children. Our school believes that all students should be engaged and actively learning. If students have to do worksheets all day, students are not actively learning. It is the teacher’s job to challenge each child and make the learning purposeful.
I feel that overall, schools do not respond to differences in children's development. Coming from Texas, I have been a little disappointed in several of Arizona's concepts, or lack thereof, in education. For instance, Texas has a pre-first program. Instead of failing Kindergartners, they are promoted to pre-first. I think it is a shame that Arizona does not provide a similar means of handling Kindergarten students who are not ready for first grade.
Nancy, mentioned how she has an aide 4 hours out of the day. I think it should be a requirement for the early childhood grades to have aides. It is so helpful, and beneficial for the students, to have some of the hands on help that an aide provides. I teach Kindergarten and am given an aide for only one hour out of the day.
I think that schools are doing their best to meet the developmental needs of every child. The school that I work at requires that teachers receive every possible means of training available. We are required to obtain our ESL endorsement, Early Childhood Endorsement, attend every district training imaginable, and find ways to incororpate every learning style. At my school we have children that attend reading labs where they receive extra instruction in areas they might not be at developmenatl as their peers. We also have Reading Coaches and a Basic Skills teacher that come in and observe the teachers to see if their lesson are age appropriate, engaing students, and meeting standards. These experts come in to teach lessons to our students and give us feedback.
I actually have a different opinion that some that I've read. I do not believe students should be grouped according to reading levels, in that one level is together, and the other level is together, etc. I believe that by having heterogeneous grouping, students will be successful. The school I teach at does a lot of Kagan structures, and the students are almost always grouped heterogeneously. This allows the "lower" students to learn from the "higher" students, while allowing the higher student to synthesize their thinking by being able to explain what they are doing or how they are doing it. Both students win and expand their understanding: one is being helped and modeled to; the other is doing the modeling. I've heard that people remember what they've taught the most. Of course, small groups for help are also necessary at some point, but for the majority of the day, I agree with our school and having students together unless otherwise necessary (special ed or ESL, for example).
Schools respond to differences in children’s development by offering a variety of programs to meet each student’s needs. My district, for example, offers traditional kindergarten as well as young learner kindergarten which is for those students who just miss the kindergarten cutoff or who may need a little more time to get ready for traditional kindergarten. They offer both full day and half day kindergarten so parents may choose a schedule that is beneficial to their child’s needs. The district also offers Montessori programs, advanced studies programs, services for home schooled students and back to basic schools, among others. As teachers, we teach to the multiple intelligences, used level reading groups to meet each student’s reading needs, and get kids tested for speech, SLD, ELP or any other services that they will benefit from. We also implement programs like math facts clubs and Battle of the Books to help the students who excel in those areas. I think that overall schools do a good job trying to meet each child’s needs.
After reading the above posts I have noticed that some people are responding to schools in general, where many are responding to what they do as teachers. When responding to schools in general, I agree with Susan when she says that “school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies.” I feel that some schools feel like a text book adoption will respond to the differences in children’s development. However, some schools, like the one in which I taught 6th grade (Title One 2000-2005), response to children’s developmental differences was strongly apparent. The last 2 years I was there we implemented a structure of flexible grouping in the subject areas of Language Arts and Math. Flexible grouping allowed our students to begin instruction at the level in which they were ready. Based on school wide curriculum mapping and pre tests directly aligned to state standards, student were grouped, not into the “high” and “low” groups, but based on their strengths/weaknesses in particular standards. In this way, our students were given the strongest foundation and were able to spring forward at a pace that assured them the most success. The beauty of the grouping was that the groups were constantly changing based upon the needs of the children.
I believe it is difficult for schools to respond to differences in children's development when the focus in the classroom is getting through four quarters of curriculum in three quarters time in order to finish before AIMS testing. The Arizona performance objectives are not designed to be developmentally appropriate for all children. As a parent, I was shocked when my kindergarten son left kindergarten reading at grade level, but because the reading standards changed between school years when he entered first grade he tested below grade level in reading. There was a huge push during my undergrad education at ASU in my cohort class to alter the math standard changes because what the state wanted Kinder, 1st and 2nd grade students to do were things that cognitively these little kiddos were going to struggle with...not because they were not smart, but because their brains are not developed to understand abstract math concepts. It makes it a challenge for teachers to figure out how to take those abstract concepts and make them concrete first.
I think schools are trying to recognize that each child is different and not all of them acquuire the same learning styles. Each child comes from different socioeconomic background and do not develop the same. I am not certified yet, but I subbed last year at a Title 1 priimary school and the school has put in their effort to address these issues. They had Reading Coaches to assist with the Reading Programs they had and they had Intervention hour to help the students at all 3 levels such as Intensive as someone mentioned. Also, for the teachers there were trainings and workshops to keep them updated on the latest information and research out there to help with the curricula. Of course its up to the teachers on how to use that. Overall, I think schools are trying to respond to the needs of children of different socioeconomic backgrounds and development. That is a good start.
I have only been in one school district and I am not sure how other school districts might respond to children's development. I know at my school that they test schools with the Dibles test. Based on how they do on the Dibles test will place them in one of the 3 categories: intensive, strategic, and benchmark. I am then suppose to work with the intensive group while some of the strategic group is pulled out with a reading specialist. If you think about it what about the other children that did well on the Dibles test. Are they suppose to be left along because they know their stuff. In my classroom I make an attempt to work with all the levels of children. Secondly, our school is piloting the ELD program. The ELL kids our pulled out of the classroom for the morning time and some of the afternoon to work on literacy skills. (Yes, they are segregating the ELL kids from the the typical kids.)I don't agree with this. I feel that the ELL kids possibly could learn just as much when they are left in their regular classroom. We have done it for this long, why not continue? It will be interesting to see if they do better at the end of the year with this program or not.
It is interesting to see all the different responses to this question. I agree with marla72 when she says, "it seems like the districts do not take in to account what is developmentally appropriate for young students". As mentioned in the timeline overview, most of us attended half-day kindergarten which was definitely developmentally appropriate then. I teach Kindergarten and there are days where I just have to stop and say to myself-they are 4 and 5 years old and they have been in school the same amount of time as a sixth grader. Not to mention all that they are expected to learn each day. Yikes.
Is the ELD program hindering ELL students or is it beneficial? This particular question was asked at our team lunch today. The ELL students are being pulled out, which means they are being segregated. The main purpose of this is to have them excel and test out of ELL. Then we thought about the past and realized most of our ELL students have been retained in the previous years. What exactly is the most beneficial way for our ELL students to succeed in kindergarten?
I think that recent trends show schools are improving at addressing child development differences. Even just reading the literature provided in the last two modules of this class shows that researchers are interested in the cultural and socioeconomic factors that affect child development. I am pleased to see that the emphasis has shifted to implementing culturally sensitive approaches rather than implementing the one-size-fits-all approach. School systems are showing special attention to early childhood development, such as identifying kids at risk and evaluating for programs like Head Start or special education. I have the pleasure of working at a special ed preschool in my district. The school offers many different programs, such as Head Start, self-contained, and reverse-mainstream classrooms. Kids start working to build their school skills right away because it may take them longer to acquire certain skills. Getting an early start on literacy and school readiness makes a significant difference on the overall opportunities for this population. In best cases, it may even allow them to be educated in a less restrictive setting, such as in a regular ed class with supports like resource help.
The schools try to respond differently to the child’s development but sometimes it doesn’t work. For example I have notice that in the public school I work at, the children are suppose to talk to an adult if they do something wrong. Some of the students do not like to talk about what happen sometimes they just stay quiet. Another observation is a child coming over from another country; sometimes there is a quiet time. Although in schools if they do not talk, they are put into a language learning class and they do not get the help they need.
The schools try to respond differently to each development of a child but sometimes it does not work. For example I have notice that in the public school that the children are suppose to talk to an adult if they do something wrong. Some of the students do not like to talk about what happen sometimes they just stay quiet. Another observation is a child coming over from another country; sometimes there is a quiet time. Although in schools if they do not talk, they are put into a language learning class and they do not get the help they need.
After several of the comments and reviewing my own thinking about this question, I have come to realize that this really isn't asking are schools responding, but rather how are they responding?
1. Many schools do purchase curriculum designed to offer ways to teach multiple levels of students. Sometimes the sets include leveled readers and resource books to meet the needs of the diverse students in the classroom. 2. Groupds-Last year I was in a school that did "Walk to Read", where we split the students based off of their skill level. Each teacher would take a different level of students, at which time the intensive and ELL students were pulled to get instruction designed to fit their needs. This did actually work out really well. 3. Some teachers are also lucky enough to have aides, which is a huge help. 4. Many schools offer professional development to try and equip their teachers with as much tools for the classroom. 5. Some school districts spend a ton of money on new technology that can benefit both teacher and students.
In an earlier comment I had said that I was unsure if schools were really doing much at all. After I had time to really think about it, I realized how much some schools are implementing to respond to the differences that occur in our classrooms. That is not to say our schools do everything they can, but that they are trying. Overall, there are many ways that schools are responding to differences in development.
Different schools respond differently to differences in children's development. I have had the opportunity to work in a pre-school, two different private elementary schools and two different public elementary schools and have seen many different ways of responding to individual children's development. My experience has been that many factors play into the way in which a school responds to differences in the development of children and it is based on many factors such as; NCLB, private vs. public schools, different administrations and leadership, etc.
The school that I currently teach at is lucky to have a principal that taught Kindergarten and understands how a child's development can affect their academic success, especially in the early years. As a result, this school is supportive of providing interventions, accomodations and helps as necessary to meet the different developmental needs of our students. Another school within my district, and just a few miles down the road, has a very different principal and a very different approach. They expect the children to be at the same developmental level that is developmentally appropriate for each grade level. They take action to "find out what's wrong" with those students who are at a different developmental stage. This is disappointing to me, as I understand that each child is different and may be at a different developmental level, in the early years especially, and I believe that that is okay. I also disagree with putting a label on a child at a young age as some children require more time to become developmentally ready in order to learn what is being taught.
The NCLB has set standards and expectations for students. I believe that these standards act as a guide to keep education on course but they can also be a hinderance for children who are not developmentally ready for the information that they are expected/required to learn. Some children will not be successful because we expect them to be at a developmental place at which they are not developmentally ready to be. It is vital that we not forget that young children may not be ready to learn or be pushed to learn all of the things that we expect at such a young age. This is not to say that most children cannot be successful with the standards as they can!
My current school responds to children with developmental differences by providing scaffolding within lessons, differentiated instruction and interventions as necessary. It has been my experience that curriculum provides opportunities to reach all learners and teachers have the opportunity to modify and adjust lessons to fit the needs of each individual student within the classroom. Many teachers teach whole group lessons as well as work with small groups of students and one-on-one as needed. Some schools, when funding permits, can take advantage of reading coaches, resource teachers, paraprofessionals and aides to assist the general ed. teacher in providing opportunities for all students to be successful!
At my school we have a reading lab and students who scored low (intensives) when DIBELS tested are pulled out for 30 minutes of the day for intervention. On top of the 30 min. of intervention, I have to provide them with an additional 30 min. of intervention myself. While my aide and I are working with my intensive and strategic students in small groups my benchmark students are at centers. I think it is great that my intensives and strategic kids are getting extra help. However, I do not agree that I should only be working with my intensive and strategic students because my benchmark students are not getting additional attention to challenge them.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development based on a Euro-American perspective. for example many educators after years of experience have realized that infants, childre, and adolesences interact with adults differenly. These interactions are associated with the child or children's cultural and ethnic background, which many schools do not take into consideration when responding to the child's development. Accordong to the reading Parents, Families, and Children: A Multicultural Perspective" families who have faced prejudice and scarce resources hold beliefs about children that are very different form the beliefs of families in the dominant cultures. It is from the beliefs of the dominant culture that many schools respond to children's developmental differences, which do not individualize for children based on their individual needs. The only children that appear to have their dievelopemntal differences responded to properly by schools are children with an IEP
I work with WESD and this year, the entire district adopted Harcourt Story Town for kindergarten reading. This requires every teacher within the district to follow every lesson on the specific day listed. When hearing something like this, you think, well what about re-teaching a concept if a group did not understand? Basically, that is out of the question because the next day is already planned. In that aspect, the district is not responding to differences in children's development. However, this is where a teacher’s education and team building comes into practice. I am proud to say that the kindergarten team I am a part of is amazing. We meet every Thursday to talk about where our kids stand and what we can do for each child and circumstance. In these meetings, we have created literacy station materials, lesson ideas, intervention material, and higher-level materials to use with students on different development levels. Last year our team went as far as to place every child (about 110 students) in specific groups according to their level. This meant looking at each child’s academic level, maturity level, and personality type. Each teacher (six K-teachers) and assistant (three) had a specific intervention group for 30 minutes each day. Yes, that means that kids were walked to different classes at a specific time. This allowed students’ needs to be meet at their current level. Teachers had a different lesson regarding their group’s needs. These groups ranged from students that needed higher level, at level, or below level material. On top of creating these groups, we rearranged students as needed. If a student advanced in a group, they were placed in a different group so they continued to grow based on their development.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development based on a Euro-American perspective. In saying that, I feel that school's do not base their curriculum on child development. Due to AIMS scores and the data from Arizona students, some administrators no longer feel that students need that "socialization" time to learn, it is strictly academics . I agree with sonyam when she says “After years of experience, many educators have realized that infants and children interact with adults differently. These interactions are associated with the child or children's cultural and ethnic background, which many schools do not take into consideration when responding to the child's development. According to the reading Parents, Families, and Children: A Multicultural Perspective" families who have faced prejudice and scarce resources hold beliefs about children that are very different from the beliefs of families in the dominant cultures. It is from the beliefs of the dominant culture that many schools respond to children's developmental differences, which do not individualize for children based on their individual needs.” The only children that appear to have their developmental differences responded to properly by schools are children with an IEP”
I believe that schools respond poorly to differences in children’s development. I do not feel that schools consider the many ways in which a child’s cultural perspective can affect their development as discussed in Ch 18 Parents, Families and Children. There are often blanket rules and guidelines that must be followed by everyone although they might be offensive to some cultures. For example teachers often want students to be silent when working which would be great for cultures that view being quiet as a sign of respect. On the other hand to a culture that values talking and communication this might be a hard thing to understand.
I currently work at a daycare center and there are a couple of ways that the school responds to differences of development. The first is simply by acknowledging that each child is unique, determining how each child is unique, and then encouraging those characteristics that make each child unique. Then the teachers use activities that encourage different styles of learning. It takes patience and awareness because I often work with children one on one. I do not try to compare each child to their peers, but work with each of them in the areas that they need help.
Nancy, I am so jealous of your aide! I also teach kindergarten, but share an aide for less than an hour a day with 6 other kindergarten teachers.
I agree with Sarah and with Susan who said, “school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies.” Sometimes I feel like private school might be the way to go. I have an extreme discomfort using my school’s adopted reading, writing and math curriculum because I think it does not address the different ways children learn. The program is supposed to be read word-for-word and does not offer any differentiation or adaptations for different learning styles or cultural differences. This just goes to show that textbook companies are not always doing what is best for the children but what is best for their bottom line.
I teach Kindergarten in the Peoria Unified School District and I feel that at my school they try their best to address differences in children's developmental stages. There are many services that help children who are developmentally behind in other words, those who need more one-on-one instruction, it is called PAL. This service starts in first grade and they can have it all the way up to eighth grade. There are also services for ELL or gifted. The ELL services can begin in Kindergarten as well as the gifted program. If a child has speech delays there are also speech therapists on campus for Kindergarten through eighth grade. The child must be observed in the classroom setting and qualify for the services. If the child does not qualify there are still other means of accomodations for the students needs. I feel that our district has put their best foot forward in trying to help students who need certain services. The education system has come a long way since my grandparents went to school.
I don't believe that schools respond to differences in children's development. I believe that most of the curriculum used in American schools caters to Euro-Americans. I also believe that standardized tests favor Euro-American middle to upper class kids. I worked as a literacy tutor in an inner-city elementary school in Ohio where 98% of the students were minority and qualified for free or reduced lunches. Part of my job was to help prepare the third graders to take the state mandated reading test. When the students took the practice test in the fall, 44% of the third graders failed it. After going over countless practice tests, the day of the official test came. I sat with 2 children, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, as they took the test. I used my finger to follow along with the words as they read out loud. I was not allowed to give any help or special instruction. First off, these kids were reading at below grade level but were required to take a test that they were destined to fail to begin with. Then the stories included names like "Jennifer" and "Toby" that were not at all familiar to them. They were not able to pronounce the names of the characters in the stories. Another story was about a guinea pig. The kids thought it was a rat in the picture and could not understand what the questions were asking when they read "guinea pig." They did not know what a guinea pig was. Another story was about the fable "Midus' Touch" where everything he touches turns to gold. These kids had never heard Cinderella, let alone this fable, and could not answer the questions. I feel this is a prefect example of American schools not doing enough to incorporate the diversity within our children's cultures and developments.
Every child is an individual and they need to be taught as individuals. Schools respond to differences in children's development by teaching with multiple intelligences in mind, developing programs that are useful for ELL students, title 1 students, and Gifted students and more. I know teaching to all students as individuals is a difficult task but through research and small changes a school can make a big difference. Teachers don’t have to teach something in all ways, just see what the possibilities are, and then decide which particular pathways seem to be the most effective teaching tools. After reading the article by Perry, I realized that the programs aside of schools such as the one from the reading Title 1 even start family literacy programme and others like head start programs are making a considerable difference in the knowledge of the Latin American population.
I think my school does a good job at differentiating instruction. We just had a new reading adoption and there are many materials and extra support kits for those who are strategic, excelling, and English language learners. I teach kindergarten and there is a big push for reading with a little bit of math. We teach a ninety minute core block that includes whole and small group instruction. Along with additional reading interventions that is thirty-five minutes. When we teach small groups and interventions we group our students by ability because we understand that students learn differently. This allows us to meet the needs of every student.
I think schools respond to differences in children's development in various ways. I think classroom teachers are all faced with the challenge of differentiating for their students. I think that in any classroom you walk into you will find students at all different developmental stages of their lives. If you have a good support system in you school, or district, there should be materials or people there to support you. In our school, we have a literacy coach, math coach, as well as a Title 1 reading teacher. These people are all here to help us implement quality instruction so that all of our students are reached. We have K-3 assistants who work with our literacy coach providing tutoring to those who need it. There is also a gifted program for those who qualify. The average/ high average kids are serviced by me, in the classroom. I think that schools have a very important role when working with students at all developmental levels. We are all responsible for teaching state standards (which may or may not be developmentally appropriate). It is how we go about it in order to reach all developmental levels that will make the difference in these children's lives.
Based on my experience (one school), I find my school works very hard in response to differences in children’s development. We have a reading specialist that works with Kindergarten through third grade. She uses the DIBELS assessment to identify students who need reading intervention. Students identified as “intensive” receive small group instruction (specific to the intervention) from the reading specialist. Student’s identified as “strategic” are progress monitored numerous times throughout the school year to determine if specific intervention is required. We also offer SAGE to students excelling in the general education curriculum. The Harcourt curriculum used as my school offers intervention material, ELL materials, and leveled books in response to differences in children’s development. Our new math curriculum offers leveled practice pages and homework pages. Another way we are responding to differences in children’s development is moving towards the RTI model (Response to Intervention). We will offer 45 minutes at the end of the day where students will receive small group instruction based on their needs (phonics, fluency, comprehension, etc.). Students who are at benchmark in these areas will be offered enrichment activities.
I believe that in my district, schools are attempting to respond appropriately to the differences in children's development, but it is a struggle. I teach an ELD Kindergarten class in a Title 1 school - much like the community discussed in the Perry article. My school has provided me with full reading, science, math, and social studies curriculums with the appropriate materials. These programs are all beneficial, but they are all come from different publishers. It is then left up to the classroom teacher (or grade level) to decide how to integrate all of those materials - as well as the legal requirements from the state for ELD classrooms.
My school attempts to support development with these programs and my school is one of the few in the district that provides us with highly qualified instructional aides in each Kinder class to help support learning and work with students. We also have a parent educator in our school to work with parents and help teach them how to better support their children in the home. However, there are set expectations for all students and there is no system to account for developmental abilities. The students are grouped based on their AZELLA scores and then it is left to the classroom teacher to differentiate based on any other developmental needs.
In the grade levels above Kinder, my school does offer a gifted program, split into level reading groups, and have interventionist support; however, the bureaucracy of the education system (especially ELD) limits the ways that my school is truly able to respond to differences in child development and support your students based on anything beyond special education or language level.
I teach Kindergarten. It has been my experience that development is not very much taken into consideration. Our district-mandated reading program offers primarily worksheets rather than hands-on instructional tools. Our district's pacing guides require unrealistic skills to be mastered by December. It doesn't account for the fact that students need more time with concepts early in the year because they are new to them. Later in the year students tend to be more comfortable and can learn material at a faster pace.
FROM SAMANTHA SCHARAEDER Schools should be able to allow children to learn at their own developmental level. But due to AIMS, state standards, and the want and need for more money we have to make our students perform and perform well to prove ourselves. In my district we have been mandated by the state to have this ELD model for our ELL students, it is a great model but the teachers are going through trainings while they are teaching this new way. Our district wants to put RTI into effect but seems to have hit a bump in the road and the people in the district are confused about which road to take. We have speech therapist at our school but sometimes due to scheduling they are in speech when in their class math, reading or writing is being taught.
As a "new again" Kindergarten teacher, I was impressed how quickly my students were tested and scored by I.A.s. The second week of school I knew exactly which students were my Intensives, Strategics and Benchmarks. As Sara pointed out in her blog, the Intensive and Strategic students are getting all of the attention. All students get 90 minutes of the core reading instruction. Those that tested out Stratgic, get an ADDITIONAL 30 minutes of instruction, while the Intensive students get an ADDITIONAL 60 minutes. This is how my school district responds to differences in children's development. I agree with Sara; what about the Benchmarked students? The school is not responding to their needs. My main focus is suppose to be the intensives, while the aides ( I get 3 for a 30 minute intervention time)work with my other students. If I were a parent of a benchmark student, I would want to know what kind of additional instruction my child was getting.
There are many different ways that schools are responding to differences in children's development. I teach two developmental preschool classes. The first way that I differentiate is by separating my students into AM and PM classes. My AM class contains my students that are developing at a lower or slower pace (usually my younger 2-3 year olds) and my PM class contains my students that are a little more advanced than the AM students (usually 4-5 year olds). This makes it easier to differentiate instruction further within each class for each student. This is just within my classroom. The school uses dibels scores and district assessments to adjust each students' independant reading levels. There is a gifted program as well as an intervention specialist that helps students that need it. Each classroom as an aide that assists students on a regular basis during each subject/class as well.
Schools also have to respond to the differences in student's families and cultures. Schools allow for open enrollment so that parents can take their children to schools that are higher perfoming or in a different area of town. They are sensitive to cultural holidays and parent concerns. They also offer free and reduced lunches, as well as breakfast for students who are having difficulties at home. All of these things affect children's development in our schools.
As a kindergarten teacher I see some of the same things that Jill has seen in class. My strategic and intensive kids get to work with me during "interventions" while the benchmark students SOMETIMES get extra help from the aides. My benchmark students begin to become bored by the end of the year, as they grasp all the concepts being taught and sometimes act out. All students should be pushed to their highest limits, and benchmark students are sometimes just pushed aside.
I am a third year teacher this year and have realized that since the state standards determine what we teach, child development is sometimes not taken into consideration. I remember as a first year teacher going to a team member and asking how she would be teaching money to her students. She went on a tangent how counting money is completely developmentally inappropriate. I can remember saying, "It's on the state standards so I have to teach it." Right or wrong...if it's on the state standards my responsibility is to teach it.
I don't know much about this. I am aware that there is testing done. I believe that what Jill described in her posting, is what the school that I recently gained employment at is doing. I think it is terrific that schools screen all the children in the first days of the school years. I assume the children are placed into programs that are appropriate for their individual needs. Ongoing measurement and the flexibility to adjust the program given to a child is a proactive approach. I would image some schools/districts are better than others. I would hope that lower income schools would have the means to not allow there to be any economic barriers. Federal and state standards are necessary. The scoring system where schools report their student’s test numbers and ultimately the schools performance is the best system I can image.
School is quickly becoming more of an academically structured "teach to" place. In Kindergarten, where it used to be a place of developmental growing and learning through directed play and socialization, has changed into a strictly academic area. Since young children learn through play, teaching this way is not developmentally appropriate. Insteadm kindergarten teachers now have to manipulate the curriculum needs into a form to fit each child's development. (I teach Kindergarten.)
Whether it is through textbooks, or assigning specific students to each class, schools are trying to separate their students based on each childs different development. We have 6 kindergarten teachers at our school, 2 have all the pre-emergent/emergent, 2 have only emergent, and two have emergent/intermediate. Along with that our reading series allows us to teach in many different ways; using hands on activities, worksheets, pictures, games, and songs to be sure we fit all the childrens needs. I am also very fortunate to have an aid all day which can help my struggling students. We need to be sure we learn each childs individual learning style and teach to fit all our students needs.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development by providing interventions and gifted programs for children. They also have on level programs so students receive individualized instruction in a small group setting. I think schools and teachers feel the pressures of standardized testing and are often times unable to focus on the differences of children because they are required to meet certain standards. This is why it is very important for parents to play an active part.
Every school approaches differences in students differently. I feel that it is important to try many methods before just putting students in Special Education. Every child learns differently, so it is vital to find out what works for each student. A school that my friend works at uses intervention groups to help students. They place all the students in groups based on their reading level. The groups consist of about 7 students and are taught at their level. The students take a reading test once a week to see if the intervention is working. If it is not working then the team meets and tries a different method for the student. Finally, if the techniques do not work the student is placed in Special Education. I feel this method allows students to be successful without just putting them in Special Education.
I’m not sure “schools” respond to differences in children’s development as much as “individual teachers” do. Although my school uses a specific curriculum to teach reading, I believe it is too repetitive and even my lowest students get bored with it. I always supplement my lessons throughout the day by integrating concepts into other areas of curriculum. I group my students into four reading groups and meet with each group for 15 minutes every day during our literacy centers. This allows me to modify lessons to better meet the needs of my students.
Re: Nikki Henson's comment ~ I, too, questioned why we're trying to teach kindergartners to count money. My high achievers couldn't accomplish this goal, much less the rest of the class. I also questioned why this is a state standard, yet it is not on our kindergarten report cards...like so many other concepts.
I believe schools react pretty well to the dfferences of education for children.The district provides different programs that can help the child to get where they have to be. An example, is by providing tutoring programs, esl clases etc.
I am a kindergarten teacher and believe teachers are trying their best to responding to the differences in children's development. I see many good things that reading programs are now doing that are differentiating to the unique needs of most all of our students. I love that my school offers after-school tutoring for students who need the extra help in math and reading. I also appreciate that there are math,reading, and homework clubs as well as running and computer clubs implemented during recess before school starts. This really helps students who are reaching out for motivation to learn, to stay positive in a school environment, and to provide the extra help they really need. However, factors that impede their development are usually out of the principal's hands. They entail district politics and money.
I am a kinder aide for six kinder classes and the teachers are trying their best to value each child individually. The thing that gets to me is the intervention reading program we will start on Monday. We are pulling out children for the mainsteam classroom and help them with their reading. The thing is the results are from dibels (which is not a good test) and the teachers testing in the beginning of the year. I don't believe that is enough. I will also have to agree with the person that said what the school curriculm is like. We have to follow a curriculm that doesn't cater to the child's needs only what they need to know by the end of the year.
I am pleased to see that schools are working hard to make sure every child receives the special attention they need. I teach kindergarten and I recently found out my students' DIBELS scores. The ones who were categorized as "intensive" were immediately taken out by the Title One specialist for a half hour every day. I was so shocked because my old school, the lower children did not receive any extra help. I think that many schools are working hard to create good ELL and Title One programs so the children who are a little behind and the ones learning English are getting the extra help they need. I think it is also important for teachers to modify every lesson in a way where the concept is easily understood by children at all levels.
Nancy, you are so lucky to have aides in your classroom. In the two years that I have been teaching I have never had the luxury of having one in my classroom. I had one last year for about a month before budget cuts came around and she was the first to go. I think that aides are crucial in helping schools respond to differences in children's development.
I work as a preschool teacher at a university lab school where I am also responsible for teaching college students how to work with young children. In this environment, I feel very lucky because developmentally appropriate practice is integrated into everything I do as a teacher. I have basic goals and standards for my curriculum but I have the flexibility to adapt to each individual child's needs. For this age group (3-5), this is extremely important because there can be a wide range of difference between developmental levels across each developmental domain. One child may be socially very mature but find numbers uninteresting or frustrating whereas another child might be writing their name at 3 but be very clumsy physically. If I were to expect each child to be at the same level, I would be totally ineffective as a teacher. I believe all good teachers should (and most do) adapt their teaching methods to individual needs but if I were a public school teacher, I think this would be much more difficult.
There were a few people that made comments about different districts doing what ever is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the curriculum. I also agree with statements made about the districts being sensitive to teaching the students at their developmental level. They might be sensitive to it, but that’s as far as it goes. I teach developmental preschool, I have been trained to teach at each child’s level. But when I pass the kids to kindergarten, students go through an ‘educational shock”. They have gone from a language rich environment with opportunities to explore and learn through hands on activities, all based on their level and experience to kindergarten, where the product is very important and the process, well, that was for preschoolers. The students go from expressing themselves through art, music, creating and exploring to performing exactly the way the teacher expects. I spend a couple of months at the end of each school year to expose the students to the style of teaching they will receive in the following school year. I do this to expose them to the expectations that will be expected of them for the rest of their education. I am sure the school districts know the best way to teach is at a child’s individual level, but in my opinion, it isn’t happening. The teachers have a set curriculum they have to follow and the students have to be prepared for assessments. More often then not, the teacher is the only one in the classroom which makes it difficult to differentiate instruction to meet each student’s individual needs. I have two full time instructional assistants as well as the speech, occupational, physical and vision therapists in and out of my classroom. With so many qualified people in my class we are able to plan appropriate activities and facilitate their learning at their developmental level. I feel for the teachers that know there is a better way to teach, but are restricted by curriculums that are supposed to teach to different levels. We can’t just plug these kids into certain holes and expect them to turn out a certain way. It’s not fair.
First and foremost every school is going to handle these issues differently. I have taught K in a low sec area and in a very high sec and as it always is the higher sec has more tools and better facilities to respond to the differences. It may be brand new OT equipment or lap top computers for the gifted class. The only ay a school can respond to these differences is to use everything they have. Any school either new or old will never be able to meet all of the students needs it remains one more job for the teacher to do. If the teacher is willing to put in the extra time development will be assisted, if the teacher is not then the student will most likely fall through the cracks.
75 comments:
Schools should first respond by recognizing and acknowledging that each child is unique and they may all have a different development. Schools should create programs for different development stages, whether positive or negative. I often see schools that have programs for children that are developmentally delayed but my elementary school promoted programs for advanced students as well. Therefore, every time a student was pulled out of class it was not a negative thing.
I teach kindergarten and it seems like the districts do not take in to account what is developmentally appropriate for young students. Case in point, my district just adopted a new math curriculum that requires you to complete four to six work sheets a day. How is this apporpriate?
School districts should provide the materials and support needed to meet each child's different learning style. I am fortunate at the school I teach we are given an aide for 4 hours a day. She helps during literacy stations and small intervention groups. She also does all recess/lunch duties. Our team loves our aides! For grades that do not classroom aides, I have heard they divide the students by reading level and have students switch classrooms for reading groups. By doing this each teacher concentrates on the same group of students at the same reading level. Students then go back to their classroom to continue literacy stations. I thought this was a great idea.
I am a special education teacher and everything I do is tailored to that individual child. But in the school that I work at, they will pull out that child or groups of children that are struggling or falling behind.
From my experience, school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies. My district is currently adding a new phonics program to our curriculum. We are expected to implement it fully in our classrooms using only parts of the program's required materials. The program is catered to help the low to mid level students in my class. My problem is, with the majority of my kids high, how can I find more time in my day to make sure that they are being challenged? Why not just use the Harcort leveled program the way that it is supposed to be used? That allows me to pull students back to work based upon their ability, but focus on the same skills at different levels.
I don't know if schools do this anymore. I can recall when I was in kindergarten, we learned through songs, hands on activities, play time and various other things. Now, I talk with my friends who teach Kinder and I walk into their rooms and the kitchen has been replaced by a computer that the child is required to do a specific website that helps them work on letter sounds. The fun pictures have been replaced with a Math Meeting board and the pressure is on the teachers to produce reading students. Where is the play-self exploration?
I am pleased to see that schools are working hard to make sure every child receives the special attention they need. I teach kindergarten and I recently found out my students' DIBELS scores. The ones who were categorized as "intensive" were immediately taken out by the Title One specialist for a half hour every day. I was so shocked because my old school, the lower children did not receive any extra help. I think that many schools are working hard to create good ELL and Title One programs so the children who are a little behind and the ones learning English are getting the extra help they need. I think it is also important for teachers to modify every lesson in a way where the concept is easily understood by children at all levels.
I think that some school districts think that as long as they purchase a reading curriculum that has below level, at level, advanced, and ELL sections then they are doing okay. I work for a school who has purchased this set but does way more for differences in children's development. We have reading blocks. These blocks are across the grade levels. We separate our groups by skill level. THis allows our students to get the focused instruction that they need. My school has many resources availiable to help in teaching styles. My proncipal encourages explorative play. We have centers, recess, and my students sit in groups. Each classroom has a projector connected to a computer. This has been huge in helping students learn in a variety of ways. I do not agree at all with Districts who take away the fun of being in school. I used to work for a district that did not allow recess, centers, or did not want students to sit in groups. Hello!!!! How to children learn to become social human beings???? All children develop differently and it is our job as educators to take those differences into account when we teach our children.
I think that often times schools and educators do not respond to differences in child development. I am an early childhood special education teacher whose job is to be able to differentiate instruction in order to meet each students needs. This is a very daunting task in the face of standards and other assessments that our students must face. I differentiate instruction by asking students questions and giving them tasks that are appropriate for that student. In my classroom the students are often doing different tasks and structered play depending on what is appropriate for them individually.
I teach at a K-8 school. Because AIMS testing starts in 3rd grade, the K-2 teachers get little direction from the school administrators on how to adapt to our students needs. For example, after receiving Foresight scores, the 3rd grade and 6th grade were differentiated based on math and reading scores. If we want to do something like this, based on DIBELS scores, we must do it ourselves. Our literacy centers are expected to be worksheets from the reading program. Our reading coach comments on how low our DIBELS scores are instead of pulling the low students for intensive instruction.
A slightly different angle to consider is how TEACHERS respond to differences in children's development. I have changed my literacy centers so the student can choose from a variety of activities at each center (they have to finish the worksheet before they can go to centers... it's a compromise). Through guided reading groups, I am able to work with students with similar needs. Last year, another teacher and I developed a "walk to reading" schedule so we could provide even more differentiated instruction.
I do not believe that schools respond to differences in children's development. I believe that the majority of schools teach from a euro-centric perspective in their curriculum as well as in their discipline and rule practices. A blatent example is the large number of students of color who are in special education courses. These numbers are exacerbated at schools where the majority of the students are white. The reason for the high number of students of color in special ed courses is not because they are truly developmentally diabled (because, surely, some are), but the majority are placed there because they do not fit the status quo of what a student is supposed to act like. Their cultural differences make it difficult for them to 'fit in' with their white peers, to act and behave the same as their white peers. (Tobin, classroom discussion, 8/26). I do not believe the majority of the public schools in the U.S. utilze practices to ensure all students are responded to positively when it comes to their development. I believe that schools punish and/or reprimand students who do not fit the status-quo, white-euro-centric perspective. These students do not 'fit in' and instead of celebrating their differences and the diversity, they are often punished or outcasted.
I am not completely convinced that all schools are responding to differences in children's development. I do think that many schools believe by purchasing curriculum, designed to aide in teaching multiple levels, they are fulfilling their obligation to meet the differences; leaving the rest up to the teacher. In my case, my school has purchased two reading programs designed to meet the needs of my students. I have to use both programs and it is left up to me to decide how to mesh them together. Unfortunately I have yet to receive the full set of materials that are designed to facilitate the specific needs of my students. I do believe that it is my job as their educator to find ways to meet these needs, but I am only one person and it becomes very exhausting when you are talking about so many different levels to prepare for.
I do not think schools respond to differences in children's development. Schools districts need to understand that every one is different. These million dollar curriculums that school districts buy are not always the best solutions. They do not meet the needs of each and every student. These programs were made for classrooms full of 20 students versus 26 students. They were made for children who have additional support at home. By buying this curriculum, schools just prove they do not respond about the differences in child development.
I also teach special education and am used to the individual child approach. We are lucky to have a principal that expects this approach "teaching to the whole child" from each of our teachers. He keeps student health and life skills in perspective as well as academics. Both are crucial to student development both mentally and physically. I think schools should keep student health as well as academics balanced and make sure they are contributing to the wellness of the child. As mentioned above each student has different needs and different backgrounds and teaching to that student should be specific to that student's specific needs.
Our school is very health conscious. We feel that the healthier the children are, the better they will learn. I have first grade students and they have a need to move. Being able to put movement into every subject has not only shown my students that physical activity can be fun but is necessary for their health and also helps get the wiggles out. Our principal would drop dead if our district wanted us to start completing up to six work sheets a day like in Marla's class! We have a hands-on approach to all learning.
I currently teach kindergarten and I feel it is up to me to differentiate my instruction to fit the needs of my students. My school helps me by providing an instructional assistant for a large part of the day. She helps during literacy and math centers, as well as when I am teaching whole group. Once our DIEBLS scores are available I will recieve an extra person to help with my literacy interventions. I am allowed parent volunteers who can also come in and help during center time or pull students to read to in small groups or one on one.
I provide various ways to learn through dramatic play, songs, lots of movement opportunities, hands on activities using manipulatives and a lot of visuals.
We also have a listening center area where my students listen to books on tape or cd.
I do believe schools are trying their best in differentiating instruction when it deals with child development. In my classroom I have a reading intervention kit that my aide and I use to pull kids in small group and work on skills that are taught throughout the year. With this new SEI law my students were placed in our classrooms by their different language abilities. Our school has purchased a new program that helps students with their language. The teacher has to figure out were to incorporate this new reading program in with our old one. Also some of my students who are at a bit lower level will be getting pulled by another aide and work with them on their oral language skills. I do feel that I try to do my best in meeting the needs of my students however, sometimes it get very exhausting trying meet and plan for all the different needs of my students.
In my opinion, I feel that school's do not base their curriculum on child development. Schools are held responsible to teach reading and writing more so than ever, not allowing our students to grow in other concepts. Administrators no longer feel that students need that "socialization" to learns, it merely academics. This probably is due to AIMS scores and the data from Arizona students which makes school districts to change their curriculum and reading programs. No longer are schools teaching the basics, such as social studies and science, we are only teaching to the test, and not allowing students to develop their own "metacognition".
Schools respond to differences in children's development in many ways. Some schools have little resources to respond at all because they are in survival mode (inner-city, transient, etc.). Others use monies to fund really beneficial programs such as the Title 1 Even Start Family Literacy discussed in the article. I've noticed in my own school setting how teams of people work together and create processes and outcomes for children to be in settings that will give them the most success. Also, some schools respond to differences in children's development by studying the latest research in discipline, assessments, evaluations of programs, etc. On a different and more personal level, teachers respond to differences by understanding each child and understanding what their brains and bodies are like at the age they are teaching; expect and practice developmentally appropriate practices.
I am not a teacher (I'm getting certified this year), so I am not aware of how schools respond to differences in children's development. However, I do have personal experience with this. I entered the Scottsdale school district’s kindergarten and went there for the first half of the year. Half-way through my mom lost our babysitter and in order to continue to work she had to place me in my preschool’s kindergarten. After that year, I went back to the elementary school to go to first grade. Before I could start they wanted to test me to see where I was developmentally. I did not perform up to “their standards” on the test so they decided to put me into a new program called “developmental first grade” in order to catch me up. By the way, this is the first and only year they ever did this program and I was a guinea pig along with other children. Although I do not think this is fair and it made me feel ostracized from my peers who were “more appropriately mentally-developed,” I had many benefits from that program. In fact, I tested far better than my peers in reading and writing throughout my elementary and secondary school years. It was a huge help, but I don’t think it is necessarily the right way to solve developmental issues. I had to go to “regular” first grade the next year and I felt as if I had been held back a year for a reason I did not understand. They never gave me a chance to catch up on my own, nor did they allow my parents to seek more help outside of school or give them other options/resources that they could utilize to help me develop to a higher level. I think the idea was good, but not practical.
I have worked at a title 1 school and schools that are not title 1. In my experience at the title 1 school, I was one of the teacher assistants who went into classes during the reading block to do small group interventions. Now that I do not work at a title 1 school, I find that I wish I had someone to come into my classroom to help out doing small group interventions. As I read the responses from others in this class, Nancy mentions how she has an aide for 4 hours. If all school districts had the money to have aides, the students would benefit so much! At my school now, our motto is that if the students believe in themselves, they will achieve their goals. The teachers are the ones to have the resources and differentiation for each student to succeed to his or her highest potential. Our school believes that we need to teach to the whole child. This means that we teach not only the academics but the social, emotional, and physical needs for the children. Our school believes that all students should be engaged and actively learning. If students have to do worksheets all day, students are not actively learning. It is the teacher’s job to challenge each child and make the learning purposeful.
I feel that overall, schools do not respond to differences in children's development. Coming from Texas, I have been a little disappointed in several of Arizona's concepts, or lack thereof, in education. For instance, Texas has a pre-first program. Instead of failing Kindergartners, they are promoted to pre-first. I think it is a shame that Arizona does not provide a similar means of handling Kindergarten students who are not ready for first grade.
Nancy, mentioned how she has an aide 4 hours out of the day. I think it should be a requirement for the early childhood grades to have aides. It is so helpful, and beneficial for the students, to have some of the hands on help that an aide provides. I teach Kindergarten and am given an aide for only one hour out of the day.
I think that schools are doing their best to meet the developmental needs of every child. The school that I work at requires that teachers receive every possible means of training available. We are required to obtain our ESL endorsement, Early Childhood Endorsement, attend every district training imaginable, and find ways to incororpate every learning style. At my school we have children that attend reading labs where they receive extra instruction in areas they might not be at developmenatl as their peers. We also have Reading Coaches and a Basic Skills teacher that come in and observe the teachers to see if their lesson are age appropriate, engaing students, and meeting standards. These experts come in to teach lessons to our students and give us feedback.
I actually have a different opinion that some that I've read. I do not believe students should be grouped according to reading levels, in that one level is together, and the other level is together, etc. I believe that by having heterogeneous grouping, students will be successful. The school I teach at does a lot of Kagan structures, and the students are almost always grouped heterogeneously. This allows the "lower" students to learn from the "higher" students, while allowing the higher student to synthesize their thinking by being able to explain what they are doing or how they are doing it. Both students win and expand their understanding: one is being helped and modeled to; the other is doing the modeling. I've heard that people remember what they've taught the most. Of course, small groups for help are also necessary at some point, but for the majority of the day, I agree with our school and having students together unless otherwise necessary
(special ed or ESL, for example).
Schools respond to differences in children’s development by offering a variety of programs to meet each student’s needs. My district, for example, offers traditional kindergarten as well as young learner kindergarten which is for those students who just miss the kindergarten cutoff or who may need a little more time to get ready for traditional kindergarten. They offer both full day and half day kindergarten so parents may choose a schedule that is beneficial to their child’s needs. The district also offers Montessori programs, advanced studies programs, services for home schooled students and back to basic schools, among others. As teachers, we teach to the multiple intelligences, used level reading groups to meet each student’s reading needs, and get kids tested for speech, SLD, ELP or any other services that they will benefit from. We also implement programs like math facts clubs and Battle of the Books to help the students who excel in those areas. I think that overall schools do a good job trying to meet each child’s needs.
After reading the above posts I have noticed that some people are responding to schools in general, where many are responding to what they do as teachers. When responding to schools in general, I agree with Susan when she says that “school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies.” I feel that some schools feel like a text book adoption will respond to the differences in children’s development. However, some schools, like the one in which I taught 6th grade (Title One 2000-2005), response to children’s developmental differences was strongly apparent. The last 2 years I was there we implemented a structure of flexible grouping in the subject areas of Language Arts and Math. Flexible grouping allowed our students to begin instruction at the level in which they were ready. Based on school wide curriculum mapping and pre tests directly aligned to state standards, student were grouped, not into the “high” and “low” groups, but based on their strengths/weaknesses in particular standards. In this way, our students were given the strongest foundation and were able to spring forward at a pace that assured them the most success. The beauty of the grouping was that the groups were constantly changing based upon the needs of the children.
I believe it is difficult for schools to respond to differences in children's development when the focus in the classroom is getting through four quarters of curriculum in three quarters time in order to finish before AIMS testing. The Arizona performance objectives are not designed to be developmentally appropriate for all children. As a parent, I was shocked when my kindergarten son left kindergarten reading at grade level, but because the reading standards changed between school years when he entered first grade he tested below grade level in reading. There was a huge push during my undergrad education at ASU in my cohort class to alter the math standard changes because what the state wanted Kinder, 1st and 2nd grade students to do were things that cognitively these little kiddos were going to struggle with...not because they were not smart, but because their brains are not developed to understand abstract math concepts. It makes it a challenge for teachers to figure out how to take those abstract concepts and make them concrete first.
I think schools are trying to recognize that each child is different and not all of them acquuire the same learning styles. Each child comes from different socioeconomic background and do not develop the same. I am not certified yet, but I subbed last year at a Title 1 priimary school and the school has put in their effort to address these issues. They had Reading Coaches to assist with the Reading Programs they had and they had Intervention hour to help the students at all 3 levels such as Intensive as someone mentioned. Also, for the teachers there were trainings and workshops to keep them updated on the latest information and research out there to help with the curricula. Of course its up to the teachers on how to use that. Overall, I think schools are trying to respond to the needs of children of different socioeconomic backgrounds and development. That is a good start.
I have only been in one school district and I am not sure how other school districts might respond to children's development. I know at my school that they test schools with the Dibles test. Based on how they do on the Dibles test will place them in one of the 3 categories: intensive, strategic, and benchmark. I am then suppose to work with the intensive group while some of the strategic group is pulled out with a reading specialist. If you think about it what about the other children that did well on the Dibles test. Are they suppose to be left along because they know their stuff. In my classroom I make an attempt to work with all the levels of children.
Secondly, our school is piloting the ELD program. The ELL kids our pulled out of the classroom for the morning time and some of the afternoon to work on literacy skills. (Yes, they are segregating the ELL kids from the the typical kids.)I don't agree with this. I feel that the ELL kids possibly could learn just as much when they are left in their regular classroom. We have done it for this long, why not continue? It will be interesting to see if they do better at the end of the year with this program or not.
It is interesting to see all the different responses to this question. I agree with marla72 when she says, "it seems like the districts do not take in to account what is developmentally appropriate for young students". As mentioned in the timeline overview, most of us attended half-day kindergarten which was definitely developmentally appropriate then. I teach Kindergarten and there are days where I just have to stop and say to myself-they are 4 and 5 years old and they have been in school the same amount of time as a sixth grader. Not to mention all that they are expected to learn each day. Yikes.
Is the ELD program hindering ELL students or is it beneficial? This particular question was asked at our team lunch today. The ELL students are being pulled out, which means they are being segregated. The main purpose of this is to have them excel and test out of ELL. Then we thought about the past and realized most of our ELL students have been retained in the previous years. What exactly is the most beneficial way for our ELL students to succeed in kindergarten?
I think that recent trends show schools are improving at addressing child development differences. Even just reading the literature provided in the last two modules of this class shows that researchers are interested in the cultural and socioeconomic factors that affect child development. I am pleased to see that the emphasis has shifted to implementing culturally sensitive approaches rather than implementing the one-size-fits-all approach. School systems are showing special attention to early childhood development, such as identifying kids at risk and evaluating for programs like Head Start or special education. I have the pleasure of working at a special ed preschool in my district. The school offers many different programs, such as Head Start, self-contained, and reverse-mainstream classrooms. Kids start working to build their school skills right away because it may take them longer to acquire certain skills. Getting an early start on literacy and school readiness makes a significant difference on the overall opportunities for this population. In best cases, it may even allow them to be educated in a less restrictive setting, such as in a regular ed class with supports like resource help.
The schools try to respond differently to the child’s development but sometimes it doesn’t work. For example I have notice that in the public school I work at, the children are suppose to talk to an adult if they do something wrong. Some of the students do not like to talk about what happen sometimes they just stay quiet. Another observation is a child coming over from another country; sometimes there is a quiet time. Although in schools if they do not talk, they are put into a language learning class and they do not get the help they need.
The schools try to respond differently to each development of a child but sometimes it does not work. For example I have notice that in the public school that the children are suppose to talk to an adult if they do something wrong. Some of the students do not like to talk about what happen sometimes they just stay quiet. Another observation is a child coming over from another country; sometimes there is a quiet time. Although in schools if they do not talk, they are put into a language learning class and they do not get the help they need.
After several of the comments and reviewing my own thinking about this question, I have come to realize that this really isn't asking are schools responding, but rather how are they responding?
1. Many schools do purchase curriculum designed to offer ways to teach multiple levels of students. Sometimes the sets include leveled readers and resource books to meet the needs of the diverse students in the classroom.
2. Groupds-Last year I was in a school that did "Walk to Read", where we split the students based off of their skill level. Each teacher would take a different level of students, at which time the intensive and ELL students were pulled to get instruction designed to fit their needs. This did actually work out really well. 3. Some teachers are also lucky enough to have aides, which is a huge help.
4. Many schools offer professional development to try and equip their teachers with as much tools for the classroom.
5. Some school districts spend a ton of money on new technology that can benefit both teacher and students.
In an earlier comment I had said that I was unsure if schools were really doing much at all. After I had time to really think about it, I realized how much some schools are implementing to respond to the differences that occur in our classrooms. That is not to say our schools do everything they can, but that they are trying. Overall, there are many ways that schools are responding to differences in development.
Different schools respond differently to differences in children's development. I have had the opportunity to work in a pre-school, two different private elementary schools and two different public elementary schools and have seen many different ways of responding to individual children's development. My experience has been that many factors play into the way in which a school responds to differences in the development of children and it is based on many factors such as; NCLB, private vs. public schools, different administrations and leadership, etc.
The school that I currently teach at is lucky to have a principal that taught Kindergarten and understands how a child's development can affect their academic success, especially in the early years. As a result, this school is supportive of providing interventions, accomodations and helps as necessary to meet the different developmental needs of our students. Another school within my district, and just a few miles down the road, has a very different principal and a very different approach. They expect the children to be at the same developmental level that is developmentally appropriate for each grade level. They take action to "find out what's wrong" with those students who are at a different developmental stage. This is disappointing to me, as I understand that each child is different and may be at a different developmental level, in the early years especially, and I believe that that is okay. I also disagree with putting a label on a child at a young age as some children require more time to become developmentally ready in order to learn what is being taught.
The NCLB has set standards and expectations for students. I believe that these standards act as a guide to keep education on course but they can also be a hinderance for children who are not developmentally ready for the information that they are expected/required to learn. Some children will not be successful because we expect them to be at a developmental place at which they are not developmentally ready to be. It is vital that we not forget that young children may not be ready to learn or be pushed to learn all of the things that we expect at such a young age. This is not to say that most children cannot be successful with the standards as they can!
My current school responds to children with developmental differences by providing scaffolding within lessons, differentiated instruction and interventions as necessary. It has been my experience that curriculum provides opportunities to reach all learners and teachers have the opportunity to modify and adjust lessons to fit the needs of each individual student within the classroom. Many teachers teach whole group lessons as well as work with small groups of students and one-on-one as needed. Some schools, when funding permits, can take advantage of reading coaches, resource teachers, paraprofessionals and aides to assist the general ed. teacher in providing opportunities for all students to be successful!
At my school we have a reading lab and students who scored low (intensives) when DIBELS tested are pulled out for 30 minutes of the day for intervention. On top of the 30 min. of intervention, I have to provide them with an additional 30 min. of intervention myself. While my aide and I are working with my intensive and strategic students in small groups my benchmark students are at centers. I think it is great that my intensives and strategic kids are getting extra help. However, I do not agree that I should only be working with my intensive and strategic students because my benchmark students are not getting additional attention to challenge them.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development based on a Euro-American perspective. for example many educators after years of experience have realized that infants, childre, and adolesences interact with adults differenly. These interactions are associated with the child or children's cultural and ethnic background, which many schools do not take into consideration when responding to the child's development. Accordong to the reading Parents, Families, and Children: A Multicultural Perspective" families who have faced prejudice and scarce resources hold beliefs about children that are very different form the beliefs of families in the dominant cultures. It is from the beliefs of the dominant culture that many schools respond to children's developmental differences, which do not individualize for children based on their individual needs. The only children that appear to have their dievelopemntal differences responded to properly by schools are children with an IEP
I work with WESD and this year, the entire district adopted Harcourt Story Town for kindergarten reading. This requires every teacher within the district to follow every lesson on the specific day listed. When hearing something like this, you think, well what about re-teaching a concept if a group did not understand? Basically, that is out of the question because the next day is already planned. In that aspect, the district is not responding to differences in children's development. However, this is where a teacher’s education and team building comes into practice. I am proud to say that the kindergarten team I am a part of is amazing. We meet every Thursday to talk about where our kids stand and what we can do for each child and circumstance. In these meetings, we have created literacy station materials, lesson ideas, intervention material, and higher-level materials to use with students on different development levels. Last year our team went as far as to place every child (about 110 students) in specific groups according to their level. This meant looking at each child’s academic level, maturity level, and personality type. Each teacher (six K-teachers) and assistant (three) had a specific intervention group for 30 minutes each day. Yes, that means that kids were walked to different classes at a specific time. This allowed students’ needs to be meet at their current level. Teachers had a different lesson regarding their group’s needs. These groups ranged from students that needed higher level, at level, or below level material. On top of creating these groups, we rearranged students as needed. If a student advanced in a group, they were placed in a different group so they continued to grow based on their development.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development based on a Euro-American perspective. In saying that, I feel that school's do not base their curriculum on child development. Due to AIMS scores and the data from Arizona students, some administrators no longer feel that students need that "socialization" time to learn, it is strictly academics . I agree with sonyam when she says “After years of experience, many educators have realized that infants and children interact with adults differently. These interactions are associated with the child or children's cultural and ethnic background, which many schools do not take into consideration when responding to the child's development. According to the reading Parents, Families, and Children: A Multicultural Perspective" families who have faced prejudice and scarce resources hold beliefs about children that are very different from the beliefs of families in the dominant cultures. It is from the beliefs of the dominant culture that many schools respond to children's developmental differences, which do not individualize for children based on their individual needs.” The only children that appear to have their developmental differences responded to properly by schools are children with an IEP”
I believe that schools respond poorly to differences in children’s development. I do not feel that schools consider the many ways in which a child’s cultural perspective can affect their development as discussed in Ch 18 Parents, Families and Children. There are often blanket rules and guidelines that must be followed by everyone although they might be offensive to some cultures. For example teachers often want students to be silent when working which would be great for cultures that view being quiet as a sign of respect. On the other hand to a culture that values talking and communication this might be a hard thing to understand.
I currently work at a daycare center and there are a couple of ways that the school responds to differences of development. The first is simply by acknowledging that each child is unique, determining how each child is unique, and then encouraging those characteristics that make each child unique. Then the teachers use activities that encourage different styles of learning. It takes patience and awareness because I often work with children one on one. I do not try to compare each child to their peers, but work with each of them in the areas that they need help.
Nancy, I am so jealous of your aide! I also teach kindergarten, but share an aide for less than an hour a day with 6 other kindergarten teachers.
I agree with Sarah and with Susan who said, “school districts are forced to jump through the hoops created by the government and the textbook companies.” Sometimes I feel like private school might be the way to go. I have an extreme discomfort using my school’s adopted reading, writing and math curriculum because I think it does not address the different ways children learn. The program is supposed to be read word-for-word and does not offer any differentiation or adaptations for different learning styles or cultural differences. This just goes to show that textbook companies are not always doing what is best for the children but what is best for their bottom line.
I teach Kindergarten in the Peoria Unified School District and I feel that at my school they try their best to address differences in children's developmental stages. There are many services that help children who are developmentally behind in other words, those who need more one-on-one instruction, it is called PAL. This service starts in first grade and they can have it all the way up to eighth grade. There are also services for ELL or gifted. The ELL services can begin in Kindergarten as well as the gifted program. If a child has speech delays there are also speech therapists on campus for Kindergarten through eighth grade. The child must be observed in the classroom setting and qualify for the services. If the child does not qualify there are still other means of accomodations for the students needs. I feel that our district has put their best foot forward in trying to help students who need certain services. The education system has come a long way since my grandparents went to school.
I don't believe that schools respond to differences in children's development. I believe that most of the curriculum used in American schools caters to Euro-Americans. I also believe that standardized tests favor Euro-American middle to upper class kids. I worked as a literacy tutor in an inner-city elementary school in Ohio where 98% of the students were minority and qualified for free or reduced lunches. Part of my job was to help prepare the third graders to take the state mandated reading test. When the students took the practice test in the fall, 44% of the third graders failed it. After going over countless practice tests, the day of the official test came. I sat with 2 children, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, as they took the test. I used my finger to follow along with the words as they read out loud. I was not allowed to give any help or special instruction. First off, these kids were reading at below grade level but were required to take a test that they were destined to fail to begin with. Then the stories included names like "Jennifer" and "Toby" that were not at all familiar to them. They were not able to pronounce the names of the characters in the stories. Another story was about a guinea pig. The kids thought it was a rat in the picture and could not understand what the questions were asking when they read "guinea pig." They did not know what a guinea pig was. Another story was about the fable "Midus' Touch" where everything he touches turns to gold. These kids had never heard Cinderella, let alone this fable, and could not answer the questions. I feel this is a prefect example of American schools not doing enough to incorporate the diversity within our children's cultures and developments.
Every child is an individual and they need to be taught as individuals. Schools respond to differences in children's development by teaching with multiple intelligences in mind, developing programs that are useful for ELL students, title 1 students, and Gifted students and more. I know teaching to all students as individuals is a difficult task but through research and small changes a school can make a big difference. Teachers don’t have to teach something in all ways, just see what the possibilities are, and then decide which particular pathways seem to be the most effective teaching tools.
After reading the article by Perry, I realized that the programs aside of schools such as the one from the reading Title 1 even start family literacy programme and others like head start programs are making a considerable difference in the knowledge of the Latin American population.
I think my school does a good job at differentiating instruction. We just had a new reading adoption and there are many materials and extra support kits for those who are strategic, excelling, and English language learners. I teach kindergarten and there is a big push for reading with a little bit of math. We teach a ninety minute core block that includes whole and small group instruction. Along with additional reading interventions that is thirty-five minutes. When we teach small groups and interventions we group our students by ability because we understand that students learn differently. This allows us to meet the needs of every student.
I think schools respond to differences in children's development in various ways. I think classroom teachers are all faced with the challenge of differentiating for their students. I think that in any classroom you walk into you will find students at all different developmental stages of their lives. If you have a good support system in you school, or district, there should be materials or people there to support you. In our school, we have a literacy coach, math coach, as well as a Title 1 reading teacher. These people are all here to help us implement quality instruction so that all of our students are reached. We have K-3 assistants who work with our literacy coach providing tutoring to those who need it. There is also a gifted program for those who qualify. The average/ high average kids are serviced by me, in the classroom. I think that schools have a very important role when working with students at all developmental levels. We are all responsible for teaching state standards (which may or may not be developmentally appropriate). It is how we go about it in order to reach all developmental levels that will make the difference in these children's lives.
Based on my experience (one school), I find my school works very hard in response to differences in children’s development. We have a reading specialist that works with Kindergarten through third grade. She uses the DIBELS assessment to identify students who need reading intervention. Students identified as “intensive” receive small group instruction (specific to the intervention) from the reading specialist. Student’s identified as “strategic” are progress monitored numerous times throughout the school year to determine if specific intervention is required. We also offer SAGE to students excelling in the general education curriculum. The Harcourt curriculum used as my school offers intervention material, ELL materials, and leveled books in response to differences in children’s development. Our new math curriculum offers leveled practice pages and homework pages. Another way we are responding to differences in children’s development is moving towards the RTI model (Response to Intervention). We will offer 45 minutes at the end of the day where students will receive small group instruction based on their needs (phonics, fluency, comprehension, etc.). Students who are at benchmark in these areas will be offered enrichment activities.
I believe that in my district, schools are attempting to respond appropriately to the differences in children's development, but it is a struggle. I teach an ELD Kindergarten class in a Title 1 school - much like the community discussed in the Perry article. My school has provided me with full reading, science, math, and social studies curriculums with the appropriate materials. These programs are all beneficial, but they are all come from different publishers. It is then left up to the classroom teacher (or grade level) to decide how to integrate all of those materials - as well as the legal requirements from the state for ELD classrooms.
My school attempts to support development with these programs and my school is one of the few in the district that provides us with highly qualified instructional aides in each Kinder class to help support learning and work with students. We also have a parent educator in our school to work with parents and help teach them how to better support their children in the home. However, there are set expectations for all students and there is no system to account for developmental abilities. The students are grouped based on their AZELLA scores and then it is left to the classroom teacher to differentiate based on any other developmental needs.
In the grade levels above Kinder, my school does offer a gifted program, split into level reading groups, and have interventionist support; however, the bureaucracy of the education system (especially ELD) limits the ways that my school is truly able to respond to differences in child development and support your students based on anything beyond special education or language level.
I teach Kindergarten. It has been my experience that development is not very much taken into consideration. Our district-mandated reading program offers primarily worksheets rather than hands-on instructional tools. Our district's pacing guides require unrealistic skills to be mastered by December. It doesn't account for the fact that students need more time with concepts early in the year because they are new to them. Later in the year students tend to be more comfortable and can learn material at a faster pace.
FROM SAMANTHA SCHARAEDER Schools should be able to allow children to learn at their own developmental level. But due to AIMS, state standards, and the want and need for more money we have to make our students perform and perform well to prove ourselves. In my district we have been mandated by the state to have this ELD model for our ELL students, it is a great model but the teachers are going through trainings while they are teaching this new way. Our district wants to put RTI into effect but seems to have hit a bump in the road and the people in the district are confused about which road to take. We have speech therapist at our school but sometimes due to scheduling they are in speech when in their class math, reading or writing is being taught.
As a "new again" Kindergarten teacher, I was impressed how quickly my students were tested and scored by I.A.s. The second week of school I knew exactly which students were my Intensives, Strategics and Benchmarks. As Sara pointed out in her blog, the Intensive and Strategic students are getting all of the attention. All students get 90 minutes of the core reading instruction. Those that tested out Stratgic, get an ADDITIONAL 30 minutes of instruction, while the Intensive students get an ADDITIONAL 60 minutes. This is how my school district responds to differences in children's development. I agree with Sara; what about the Benchmarked students? The school is not responding to their needs. My main focus is suppose to be the intensives, while the aides ( I get 3 for a 30 minute intervention time)work with my other students. If I were a parent of a benchmark student, I would want to know what kind of additional instruction my child was getting.
There are many different ways that schools are responding to differences in children's development. I teach two developmental preschool classes. The first way that I differentiate is by separating my students into AM and PM classes. My AM class contains my students that are developing at a lower or slower pace (usually my younger 2-3 year olds) and my PM class contains my students that are a little more advanced than the AM students (usually 4-5 year olds). This makes it easier to differentiate instruction further within each class for each student. This is just within my classroom. The school uses dibels scores and district assessments to adjust each students' independant reading levels. There is a gifted program as well as an intervention specialist that helps students that need it. Each classroom as an aide that assists students on a regular basis during each subject/class as well.
Schools also have to respond to the differences in student's families and cultures. Schools allow for open enrollment so that parents can take their children to schools that are higher perfoming or in a different area of town. They are sensitive to cultural holidays and parent concerns. They also offer free and reduced lunches, as well as breakfast for students who are having difficulties at home. All of these things affect children's development in our schools.
As a kindergarten teacher I see some of the same things that Jill has seen in class. My strategic and intensive kids get to work with me during "interventions" while the benchmark students SOMETIMES get extra help from the aides. My benchmark students begin to become bored by the end of the year, as they grasp all the concepts being taught and sometimes act out. All students should be pushed to their highest limits, and benchmark students are sometimes just pushed aside.
I am a third year teacher this year and have realized that since the state standards determine what we teach, child development is sometimes not taken into consideration. I remember as a first year teacher going to a team member and asking how she would be teaching money to her students. She went on a tangent how counting money is completely developmentally inappropriate. I can remember saying, "It's on the state standards so I have to teach it." Right or wrong...if it's on the state standards my responsibility is to teach it.
I don't know much about this. I am aware that there is testing done. I believe that what Jill described in her posting, is what the school that I recently gained employment at is doing. I think it is terrific that schools screen all the children in the first days of the school years. I assume the children are placed into programs that are appropriate for their individual needs. Ongoing measurement and the flexibility to adjust the program given to a child is a proactive approach. I would image some schools/districts are better than others. I would hope that lower income schools would have the means to not allow there to be any economic barriers. Federal and state standards are necessary. The scoring system where schools report their student’s test numbers and ultimately the schools performance is the best system I can image.
School is quickly becoming more of an academically structured "teach to" place. In Kindergarten, where it used to be a place of developmental growing and learning through directed play and socialization, has changed into a strictly academic area. Since young children learn through play, teaching this way is not developmentally appropriate. Insteadm kindergarten teachers now have to manipulate the curriculum needs into a form to fit each child's development. (I teach Kindergarten.)
Whether it is through textbooks, or assigning specific students to each class, schools are trying to separate their students based on each childs different development. We have 6 kindergarten teachers at our school, 2 have all the pre-emergent/emergent, 2 have only emergent, and two have emergent/intermediate. Along with that our reading series allows us to teach in many different ways; using hands on activities, worksheets, pictures, games, and songs to be sure we fit all the childrens needs. I am also very fortunate to have an aid all day which can help my struggling students. We need to be sure we learn each childs individual learning style and teach to fit all our students needs.
Schools respond to the differences in children's development by providing interventions and gifted programs for children. They also have on level programs so students receive individualized instruction in a small group setting. I think schools and teachers feel the pressures of standardized testing and are often times unable to focus on the differences of children because they are required to meet certain standards. This is why it is very important for parents to play an active part.
Every school approaches differences in students differently. I feel that it is important to try many methods before just putting students in Special Education. Every child learns differently, so it is vital to find out what works for each student. A school that my friend works at uses intervention groups to help students. They place all the students in groups based on their reading level. The groups consist of about 7 students and are taught at their level. The students take a reading test once a week to see if the intervention is working. If it is not working then the team meets and tries a different method for the student. Finally, if the techniques do not work the student is placed in Special Education. I feel this method allows students to be successful without just putting them in Special Education.
I’m not sure “schools” respond to differences in children’s development as much as “individual teachers” do. Although my school uses a specific curriculum to teach reading, I believe it is too repetitive and even my lowest students get bored with it. I always supplement my lessons throughout the day by integrating concepts into other areas of curriculum. I group my students into four reading groups and meet with each group for 15 minutes every day during our literacy centers. This allows me to modify lessons to better meet the needs of my students.
Re: Nikki Henson's comment ~
I, too, questioned why we're trying to teach kindergartners to count money. My high achievers couldn't accomplish this goal, much less the rest of the class. I also questioned why this is a state standard, yet it is not on our kindergarten report cards...like so many other concepts.
I believe schools react pretty well to the dfferences of education for children.The district provides different programs that can help the child to get where they have to be. An example, is by providing tutoring programs, esl clases etc.
I am a kindergarten teacher and believe teachers are trying their best to responding to the differences in children's development. I see many good things that reading programs are now doing that are differentiating to the unique needs of most all of our students. I love that my school offers after-school tutoring for students who need the extra help in math and reading. I also appreciate that there are math,reading, and homework clubs as well as running and computer clubs implemented during recess before school starts. This really helps students who are reaching out for motivation to learn, to stay positive in a school environment, and to provide the extra help they really need. However, factors that impede their development are usually out of the principal's hands. They entail district politics and money.
I am a kinder aide for six kinder classes and the teachers are trying their best to value each child individually. The thing that gets to me is the intervention reading program we will start on Monday. We are pulling out children for the mainsteam classroom and help them with their reading. The thing is the results are from dibels (which is not a good test) and the teachers testing in the beginning of the year. I don't believe that is enough. I will also have to agree with the person that said what the school curriculm is like. We have to follow a curriculm that doesn't cater to the child's needs only what they need to know by the end of the year.
Lisa Giannone
I am pleased to see that schools are working hard to make sure every child receives the special attention they need. I teach kindergarten and I recently found out my students' DIBELS scores. The ones who were categorized as "intensive" were immediately taken out by the Title One specialist for a half hour every day. I was so shocked because my old school, the lower children did not receive any extra help. I think that many schools are working hard to create good ELL and Title One programs so the children who are a little behind and the ones learning English are getting the extra help they need. I think it is also important for teachers to modify every lesson in a way where the concept is easily understood by children at all levels.
Lisa Giannone
Nancy, you are so lucky to have aides in your classroom. In the two years that I have been teaching I have never had the luxury of having one in my classroom. I had one last year for about a month before budget cuts came around and she was the first to go. I think that aides are crucial in helping schools respond to differences in children's development.
I work as a preschool teacher at a university lab school where I am also responsible for teaching college students how to work with young children. In this environment, I feel very lucky because developmentally appropriate practice is integrated into everything I do as a teacher. I have basic goals and standards for my curriculum but I have the flexibility to adapt to each individual child's needs. For this age group (3-5), this is extremely important because there can be a wide range of difference between developmental levels across each developmental domain. One child may be socially very mature but find numbers uninteresting or frustrating whereas another child might be writing their name at 3 but be very clumsy physically. If I were to expect each child to be at the same level, I would be totally ineffective as a teacher. I believe all good teachers should (and most do) adapt their teaching methods to individual needs but if I were a public school teacher, I think this would be much more difficult.
There were a few people that made comments about different districts doing what ever is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the curriculum. I also agree with statements made about the districts being sensitive to teaching the students at their developmental level. They might be sensitive to it, but that’s as far as it goes. I teach developmental preschool, I have been trained to teach at each child’s level. But when I pass the kids to kindergarten, students go through an ‘educational shock”. They have gone from a language rich environment with opportunities to explore and learn through hands on activities, all based on their level and experience to kindergarten, where the product is very important and the process, well, that was for preschoolers. The students go from expressing themselves through art, music, creating and exploring to performing exactly the way the teacher expects. I spend a couple of months at the end of each school year to expose the students to the style of teaching they will receive in the following school year. I do this to expose them to the expectations that will be expected of them for the rest of their education. I am sure the school districts know the best way to teach is at a child’s individual level, but in my opinion, it isn’t happening. The teachers have a set curriculum they have to follow and the students have to be prepared for assessments. More often then not, the teacher is the only one in the classroom which makes it difficult to differentiate instruction to meet each student’s individual needs. I have two full time instructional assistants as well as the speech, occupational, physical and vision therapists in and out of my classroom. With so many qualified people in my class we are able to plan appropriate activities and facilitate their learning at their developmental level. I feel for the teachers that know there is a better way to teach, but are restricted by curriculums that are supposed to teach to different levels. We can’t just plug these kids into certain holes and expect them to turn out a certain way. It’s not fair.
First and foremost every school is going to handle these issues differently. I have taught K in a low sec area and in a very high sec and as it always is the higher sec has more tools and better facilities to respond to the differences. It may be brand new OT equipment or lap top computers for the gifted class. The only ay a school can respond to these differences is to use everything they have. Any school either new or old will never be able to meet all of the students needs it remains one more job for the teacher to do. If the teacher is willing to put in the extra time development will be assisted, if the teacher is not then the student will most likely fall through the cracks.
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