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In my opinion, the authors emphasize these terms to draw attention to the individual student as an independent learner, not the whole class as collective learners. The focus on "continuous progress" for all students requires that the teacher selects relevant objectives, pre-assesses to determine who has already mastered the concepts, and then plans learning experiences and assessments that challenge all students to "extend their learning," regardless of their academic level. This requires calculated planning on the part of the teacher. As stated in the introduction to Chapter 4 (pg. 45), "...the purpose of continuous progress: teaching students content and skills that they haven't already mastered." Knowing each students prior knowledge of the content is crucial to accomplishing this goal.
ReplyDeleteI really like the term 'continuous progress.' To me, it signifies movement along the learning continuum for each individual learner. I even used this term in my conferences with teachers last week! Unfortunately, when I phrased it like that, a couple of teachers told me that they don't think some of their higher students are making continous progress. They're just in a holding pattern. (As I read my responses to these questions, it reminds me of how much work there is to be done.) Teachers must be intentional and purposeful. We have to plan so that students can extend their learning and not run in place as a teacher called it in the first chapter. Every child has the right to continuous progress, but the teacher has to start with knowing his or her students personally and academically. With the eduphoria Aware program, teachers have easy access to their students' data. Hopefully, teachers are integrating that information with what they learn about their students as people.
ReplyDeletePatricia, your comment about "knowing his or her students personally and academically" hits at the crux of the matter. Eduphoria Aware allows teachers to individualize learning plans for each student based on their performance on benchmark testing. But, we need to look beyond the numerical data and also consider the affective domain of each child. Home issues, health concerns, learning disabilities and poverty are but a few of the variables that can affect learning. Addressing those non-academic issues are crucial to ensuring that each child experiences "continual progress."
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the term "continuous progress" lends itself to students seeing the importance of being a lifelong learner and not simply thinking that they are "smart enough" now. I think that by empowering them to make decisions in their learning, you are teaching them a lifelong skill that will be invaluable to them as adults. In life, they will have to continue to grow in their knowledge/skills in order to be competitive in this everchanging job market.
ReplyDeleteThe authors clarify differentiated by writing "intentional use of Bloom" so that students are challenged with units that "remove the learning ceiling" (p. 80). This is another thread that is woven into the idea that EACH student makes "continuous progress". Continuous progress - those words are found at least three times on page 61 and I can't venture to say how many in the chapter. Currently, I give whole group instruction by teaching to the top of the class and going back for reteaching and remediation for struggling students. Assessing for prior knowledge is an intentional act for exposing students who can only make continuous progress via differentiated learning opportunities. Using Bloom's Taxonomy for planning assists in who is probably most capable of any given task. I look forward to the day when this is a natural part of my weekly planning. How painful is it?
ReplyDeleteWanda said...
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion,the term"continuous progress" is the key for a student's success personally and academically. All teachers are called upon to differentiate and teach strategies that focus on meaningful and motivating instructional content for their students. SPED teachers are accountable for targeting and modifying instructional content to meet IEP goals and to determine the starting readiness so that contineous progress and learning is at their instructional level. pg.51 caught my attention because these are my inclusion and resource students that receive science instruction in the general education classroom. The example of the pre-assessment strategies K-W-L Chart (Sarah) is a struggling student that knows basic items that are required for electricity. The use of the chart gives me a starting point to plan my modified instructional content and objectives (science IEP)so that the differentiated teaching style visual (hands on)can be implemented and used in planning our (gen)lessons effectively so that the TEKS are covered to ensure continous progress and learning is taking place at her instructional level.
I love the vocabulary in this book! What about on page 46 when they write twice: Preassessment makes differentiation strategies defensible. And later on the page: Assessments...provide educators with a consistently emerging understanding of each learner's needs in the classroom. The authors stress consistent and continuous learning and understanding. They don't want teachers or the students to meet with inertia! And they don't want anyone to waste time...on page 50, they say time can be irretriveably lost. Wow, I am grieving already for irretrivably lost time...
ReplyDeleteThe authors want to kick our butts into gear!
When I think of continuous progress I think of us as adults. We strive to make continuous progress in our daily lives every single day. Whether it is a personal goal to lose weight, finish a project, or become a better professional. We also know what happens when we do not make continuous progress - we get stagnant and do not achieve any of the things we have set out to achieve. Our students need to have continuous progress also. Page 46 refers to kids learning continuously which is the ideal goal for all of us in education. If our students are continually learning then there is no time for off task behavior and students are constantly engaged thus increasing their knowledge, improving them as individuals, and developing life-long learners. This in turn extends their learning because they are always striving for more - more challenges, more information, more learning. As teachers, we make intentional decisions in order to achieve our goal of continuous learning for our students.
ReplyDeleteSharon g I agree with what you said about developing life-long learners. Everything that I read talks about preparing students with 21st century skills for jobs that do not even exist today. If these jobs do not exist today then there is no model for students to look back on and see what has worked in the past and what has not worked. They are going to have to be dynamic thinkers and problem solvers. By developing our students today to be continuous learners we instill in them the values that they need to achieve successful futures.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the authors keep mentioning these key phrases in order to hit home that these students need to be challenged in order to become the great thinkers that they are designed to be. When we as educators allow/promote this extended thinking we can show the student how to reach for bigger and better ideas/concepts and then show them to the world in order to help all of us. If we as educators keep them in a review stage they will never know that they can change the world and some may never learn how great their minds are.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of continual progress leads to students making intentional decisions that create lifelong learners. Students that are making progress are more likely to enjoy the learning process and will extend that learning into the future. Consistency in teaching does not mean doing the same thing, but rather having consistent high expectations that create curious learners. The authors then say, "Students can learn to challenge themselves with learning experiences when they find that what they are being asked to do is not challenging enough for them." (p.75) This will encourage these students to think outside the box and to learn the 21st century skills that will lead to success outside of the school.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote that melanie put in her comment, The authors stress consistent and continuous learning and understanding. They also mention that for the teacher teaching the same thing and not advancing the student with different activities can make one tired of the material and bored. I totally agree with it! We can't just sit still and teach the same thing over and over especially for those teachers that teach the same subject several times a day. It has got to get monotonous. As educators we have to grow and learn new things - technology- the same goes with our students. It's life.
ReplyDeleteI think that these terms are emphasized because they want to make students individuals with differing needs, starting points and abilities, not a one size curriculum fits all. I like the comment on page 79-80 “ the level of performance has no ceiling.” Putting an arbitrary limit on any student is foolish, but with these kids unless we give them an open ended curriculum we will never know what they can really do.
ReplyDeleteI like what sharon g. said about teaching them to be life long learners. These kids are so smart and have so many interests that we can't possible teach them "everything" in school. Our biggest service to them might be to teach them how to learn anything.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Matthew C--I really like how you related continuous progress to our own ongoing goals...I automatically went to weight loss and gym time too!
ReplyDeleteIntentional design is a key point because we need to be mindful of who is in our class, what knowledge they are bringing to the table, etc., so we can create meaningful learning experiences. On page 68, "What is the intent of the learning experience? You must make a conscious choice as to the product or products...choice works well, but not all the time." I like this because the kids do have to take a TAKS test at the end of April and while you can differentiate, create choices, etc., there are some things (TAKS) that are nonnegotiables.
ReplyDeleteSharon and Matthew you both wrote what I was thinking when I logged on about the life long learners. It's absolutely essential to encourage the joy as well as the work involved in learning for our students. By differentiating and beginning where students are at on the Bloom's Chart, we are building more opportunities for success.
ReplyDelete"Teachers should strive toward the goal of continuous progress for each child. This is the key to instilling a love of learning so that children become lifelong learners." Continuous progress is really one of the fundamentals of this book as stated in the quote above from page 21. Even though our focus is the gifted child, we all have diverse classes. Our knowledge of the standards plus our knowledge of our students (preassessment)should drive our "intential decisions". At this moment, the most powerful information I have received in this reading is the idea of making continuous progress as stated on p. 61, "by offering a variety of learning experiences on the same topic by varying process, content and product choice." This has really been a big ah-hah for me on a new way to use Bloom's to "extend learning for all." I am excited about using this in my classroom!
ReplyDeleteOn page 61, the author states, "No one is left running in place when he or she could be learning new things--making continuous progress." I think this sums it up in a nutshell in that each learner is considered and planned for individually by the teacher. Each child should be making continuous progress at his or her own level and never left standing still. The teacher is making "intentional decisions" based on data and observations for each child in order to support and extend their learning. This is what differentiation is all about. It is looking out for each child so that throughout life and not just in school, they will experience "continuous progress."
ReplyDeletePatrice T. said, "Teachers must be intentional and purposeful. We have to plan so that students can extend their learning and not run in place as a teacher called it in the first chapter." I totally agree that we must as professionals have a plan for students to ensure that they are being held to their own individual high standards and not allowed to simply remain stagnant.
ReplyDeleteI feel the author repeatedly refers to "continuous progress" because it is something that we should all strive for. We hope for children and adults to be lifelong learners. I love the paragraph on page 86 that states "the key to differentiation is not more, but different" and "each is getting challenging assignments that strengthens her brain and provides continuous progress." Those statements inspire me to do more for my students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with shardie's comments about challenging our students. I love her comment...If we as educators keep them in a review stage they will never know that they can change the world and some may never learn how great their minds are. I think many of our students have great potential and we just need to help them see it.
ReplyDeleteI think the authors keep referring to these key phrases to keep bringing us back to what we should be doing in the classroom everyday. I love how the author says it on p. 61, “No one is left running in place when she could be learning new things- making continuous progress.” This quote helps me visualize each student in the classroom as runners. As a teacher, I need to make sure that every student is learning or running at a pace that allows them to grow and keep wanting to learn or run. I need to be intentional with my planning to make sure that no one is moving too fast and missing key concepts, and also make sure that no one is bored because they have already mastered the material.
ReplyDeleteThe crucial point made by the authors is that every student, at every level of ability, needs to make continuous progress and extend academic learning. This is made possible by a teacher doing very planful, intentional preparations based on on-going assessments of student needs and abilities. These preassessments are the foundation and justification for differentiation (p. 46-47). Without proper planning and assessing the teacher winds up being a disciplinarian rather than an educator (p. 45).
ReplyDeleteI feel these terms are strategies for differentiating instruction.
ReplyDelete“What can I do for my students so they can make continuous progress and extend their learning? (59) As educators we should be asking ourselves this question every time we teach a lesson. We want ALL our students to make progress, extend their learning and make good choices.
Sharon spoke about empowering kids to make a choice in their learning as being very important in the learning process. I could not agree more. I actually experienced this today when I gave a gifted child an option of what he would like to do in place of reviewing for Taks since he made a 98 on his released benchmark. He seemed dumbfounded that I asked but at the same time so pleased and honored to be given the choice!
ReplyDeleteI think the authors used these words over and over to show that differentation is a continious process that takes time and effort. It is not something that is learned and mastered in one day. It is a process that is continiouly critiqued and adjusted.
ReplyDeleteI think that the word intentional is used to show that you must plan and put effort into planning and implementing. I have seen fantastic teachers and I have seen teachers who are not so fantastic. I feel that the fantastic teachers feel that they do not know everything and they are always trying to continiously improve. Less fantastic teachers are content with being stagnent, which is a shame for the students they teach.
@Sharon G: I love your comment about empowering students to be lifelong learners and to let them take ownership in how they learn for the future. I think that if we give students the freedom to make choices and explore themselvelves, they will not be so depenent on others to tell them exactly what to do to solve problems in the future. They will feel confident enough to take risks and think for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI believe that authors refer to these terms to remind the reader to think in these terms. If we read them often enough, we will start to think in those terms, then use them and put them into our practice. There are also several places where the author states "that bears repeating" and restates the sentence of phrase just read. (second paragraph p. 46 is one example) I think the authors are driving home the teacher's accountability in the education process. (page 47 and others) We can't just go about our business the way we always have. We must shift our thinking to match that of our students. We must provide "the best match of content, process, and product to each child". (p. 47) That's a tall order! But it is do-able. We just have to be make continuous progress ourselves and be intentional in our process.
ReplyDeletein response to mcushing - I like what you said about making kids into dynamic thinkers and problem solvers. They do have to take that test, but they have to think to do well on it. We need to teach them to think but also to think outside the box. One of my PGP students simply cannot do that and breaks down when she can't find the answer in a traditional manner. We are working on "thinking strategies" together and she is making baby steps toward thinking outside the box. We'll see how that goes...
ReplyDeletein response to scentanni - Isn't it great when kids get to decide for themselves what they can do and how? I wish I'd had those kinds of choices when I was in school! Of course, we were still using typewriters and real chalk on the boards back then, so the choices might not have been quite as appealing.
ReplyDeleteI think the author emphasizes continuous progress because teachers need to embrace their student's learning as a never-ending process; one which not only includes teaching, practice, evaluation but pre-assessment, monitoring, and adjusting. We have to be aware of our students needs throughout the year and understand that they continually change; as they learn, as we change the objectives, as they gain experience and are exposed to new things. It is up to us not only to teach, but to grow in our awareness of our students as they grow as learners.
ReplyDeleteI also like the quote that scentanni mentioned about students being left running in place when they should be approaching and learning new things. I know from my own life that being in a position which I am required to do the same things repeatedly, there is no challenge to learn or do more not only does boredom set in, but bad habits are sometimes created. Continually challenging students will set them up for a lifetime of success, with the ability to confront and overcome challenges rather than adapt to complacency.
ReplyDeleteStagnant is a word mcushing used to describe a purpose for continuous progress, as well as building life-long learners. This reminds me of looking at each day as a mental journey, dare I say race, to ignite problem solving with new strategies and processes that connect and enhance previously learned skills. Teachers are, in my opinion, in the position to help grow brilliant Americans that can deal with the crises that we in this country face today. We are clearly in need of "exploiting" human minds for their own sakes, as well as for the good of a free world and democratic society.
ReplyDeleteI really like what Sara Russo said about consistency: It doesn't mean doing the same thing every day, but rather consistently having high expectations for all students. I think that really good teachers also consistently have high expectations for themselves. We have to model continuous progress in our own lives if we want to instill that mindset in our students.
ReplyDeleteScentanni points out the authors' use of students running in place to describe children in the one-size-fits-all classroom. We're guaranteed to get nowhere fast, right? Note to self...don't think about the treadmill at Bally's, it just doesn't want to fit here.
ReplyDeleteTwo different statements jumped out at me in Chapter 5 that I think have some bearing on why the authors emphasize these concepts so often. The first is on p.63 in the sentence 'Planning the concepts to be taught for the year must be intentional;there is no time to waste. The reality is that there really is not time to waste - children's brains are like sponges that are continually ready to suck up new learning and experiences. We are remiss if we don't honor that by failing to be intentional in allowing them to learn as much as possible. The other comment I liked in regard to continuous progress was on p.78 where the authors were talking about respectful tasks as ones which provide all children opportunities to learn new things at a level of challenge that requires mental stretching to reach. What great mental shape we would all be if stretching in this way was a part of our regular routine!
ReplyDeleteThe author’s repeated mentioning of “continuous progress”, intentional decisions”, and “extend their learning” is to emphasize the necessity to provide learning experiences within each individual child’s zone of proximal development, and convince us that “one size fits all” instruction causes their to be a “learning ceiling”(page 63) in our class rooms, especially for the most able learners. Just today, some of my 10th grade students showed me that “intentional decisions” and “product choice” (page 65) remove the “learning ceiling” in the academic classroom. I have had such a good experience with these GT book studies that I decided to copy the format for W. History instruction and offer it as an option on a 2-5-8 Menu as a means of differentiating. Today, we wrapped up the 2nd book study via blog. About 14 students from different class periods chose to do the 2nd book study, which compared and contrasted the book The Frindle to the Age of Enlightenment. Just want to share that I was just reading their final blog and Voice Thread comments and… I’m just in ….awe…. of these 14 students’ (academic) thinking, literacy skills, tech skills, commitment to the process, true ability level, etc, etc, etc. Although, I am overjoyed about the outcome thus far, I can’t help but feel remorse and regret for all those students in past years who have sat hunched over in my classroom to accommodate my low “learning ceiling”.
ReplyDeleteRE: Mcushing
ReplyDeleteI like that you considered adults when thinking about "continuous progress". I find that I have the most success when applying new concepts/strategies in the classroom when I first consider what my reaction or other adults' reactions would if this strategiy was used in the delivery of a prof. development session.
The authors emphasize terms like "intentional", "continous progress", and "emphasize their learning" because there is a disconnect at times in what teachers think they are teaching well and what students are actually learning. "To ensure students are challenging themselves (pg. 78-79)" and being challenged by their teacher, we must be organized in our assessment and differentiating. We must, as teachers, be intentional because at the end of the day, we know if we know if we truly did everything we could for a student or not. Why waste anyone's time? This is my third year teaching World Geography. By year three, I'm hoping the first students I ever taught came out of my class knowing the 7 continents and maybe a few life lessons about integrity. I wish I had figured this out sooner, but I am finally understanding how to make every lesson count! This book reinforces some of the things I already do and has given me great ideas to continue growing my ability as a teacher to "emphasize [student] learning".
ReplyDeleteSharon G. was spot on when she said that "continuous progress lends itself to students seeing the importance of being a lifelong learners". That is the ultimate goal isn't it? That we help students be responsible to learn, know how to find answers themselves, problem solve, etc. The concept of continuous progress encourages every student to grow at their own pace but still grow instead of become stagnant. Our GT students will become stagnant if they keep getting ceiling assignments that limits their creativity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Patty when she says "there really is no time to waste". Teachers, including myself, must understand the critical importance of just doing the front end work so that their students learn.
ReplyDeleteI think that the authors repeatedly use those terms because in my opinion, that is what the focus of the book seems to be...creating a learning environment where learning is always happening--where it is continuous and intentional. On page 80, they make a point of reminding us that "the intentional part is what makes the task differentiated, and not just different." I really love that quote. I don't think that I've always done a good job of that...of removing the learning ceiling...I need to remember that just because the task may look and be different, I may have not completely made it truly differentiated for each student.
ReplyDeleteRe: S. Acevedo--
ReplyDeleteWow! How incredible to see the ceiling removed by using a differentiated format for your learners. Talk about intentional decision making on your end to provide a continuous, meaningful learning environment for your students.
"Continuous progress", "intentional decisions", and "extending their learning" seem to be at the heart of the conversations in this book becasue that is certainly the point the book is trying to get across. We wouldn't be here if we weren't all trying to do something differently, not necessarily better, but just different, than what we are already doing, not only for our GT kiddos but for all kiddos. Just as I am expected to have modifications for my below level learners and make sure that I am reaching them at their level, the same needs to be true for those at the top. They deserve as much of our time and energy as any other student in the class, and have a right to have their learning extended beyond the concepts for which they've demonstrated mastery. If we are trying to creat lifelong learners, then we must make sure that every student is truly being given the opportunity to learn at their level!
ReplyDeleteI feel the authors are repeatedly referring to continuous progress, intential decisions, and extending their learning because differentiation is a skill that takes time and effort to implement and master. Teachers and students never stop learning. It amazes me how teachers can complain about professional development because I am always looking for a better way to present a topic to students. Page 45 says that “in order for differentiation to be effective, assessment must be an ongoing part of teaching and learning”. On page 59 the author states, “what can I do for him, her, or them so they can make continuous progress and extend their learning”. The author feels that not only should students always be learning, but they should build upon their knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe term that stuck with me the most was “intentional”. Located on page 69 in the second paragraph was the statement, “…the keyword is intentional. The teacher matches the learning experience to the student…” I strongly agree to this statement because everyone in the class is engaged in active learning on a day to day basis. The two Quotes that created food for thought for me are “…instructional decisions are based on your professional understanding.” (page 47) and (page 80) “Remember the intentional part is what makes the task differentiated and not just different.”
ReplyDeleteEveryone’s post was thought provoking and was great to read. After reading and finding so many comments to agree upon I decided that loliver summed it up stating the common phrase, “one size does not fit all” …this includes students and adults who pursue learning, problem-solving, and goal setting.
ReplyDelete