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In my opinion, the author is mentioning these terms to draw the reader to the fact that the concept of learning on a higher level is always changing and evolving. The “continuous progress” emphasizes how the learning does not have an end. There is logic to the sequence. Yet, it is not always so linear. The “intential decision” shows the planning and purposefully intent for a desired outcome. (page 58) The “extended their learning” emphasizes how learning should not be limited to the minimum standards of the state. Student-led inquiry motivates new learning and extends the learners’ schema. Amitch
ReplyDeleteI think the author refers to these terms because our goal is not just to teach to the minimum standards, but instead to spark curiosity and motivation, and to create life-long learners. I really like the idea that "as long as the student is working on a challenging level, the actual product choice often is irrelevant" (79). Freedom of choice = motivation = learning/thinking!
ReplyDeleteA Mitch, I agree that "student-led inquiry motivates new learning and extends the learners' schema." Well put! Given a set of guiding questions or content, the students would get so much out of student-let inquiry. And given their choice of how to present their final product, this would further build motivation.
ReplyDeleteIn response to weedin, I love how you said that teachers' goals is to spark curiosity and motivation, not just the minimum standards. Teachers actually get even more excited about teaching when they see their students' desire for knowledge just burst and bubble up. Makes you feel like what you are doing everyday is so right. Spot on, weedin! Spot on!
ReplyDeleteI think the authors emphasize these terms because learning is a lifelong experience. We do not master one topic and stop learning about it. We should push our students to go beyond their thinking when they have mastered a topic. Everyone does not learn the same way or is interested in the same topics. For example, on page 71, the author states that one reason we should use Bloom Charts is that it gives everyone in the class an opportunity to learn. Some students will be learning a brand new concept, while some will be learning more about the concept and others will be able to take it in a new direction geared for them.
ReplyDeleteI think the authors repeatedly use the term "intentional" decisions to stress the importance of using pre-assessment to guide instruction. As stated on p. 83, "The key is intent - why are you, as a professional educator, modifying this content, process, product, or assessment for this particular child or cluster of children?"
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Remember, the intentional part is what makes the task differentiated and not just different." (p. 80)
The terms "continuous progress" and "extend their learning" emphasize that each student should be challenged at his or her individual level of readiness. I do believe that all students are capable of higher-level reasoning, and that each student should be encouraged to reach beyond the lower Bloom's levels.
On p. 71 the author states, "Our goal isn't to review material we already know;our goal is continuous progress for each student." I am convinced the author emphasizes this and the ideas of intentional decisions and extending learning for students like Marsela on p.75 that has "been there and done that." My niece is one of those students. She is GT and my sister just showed me a letter she has written in response to a survey from the district that begs for more challenge and differentiation in her classes. I hope her teachers are reading this book!
ReplyDeleteI agree with ms. gio that all students should be given the chance to extend their learning to higher levels on Blooms. I've been amazed at the ability of some of my struggling learners to respond at higher levels of thinking given the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIn response to illgl, WOW! I hope your niece's teachers are reading this book too! Hopefully those surveys actually spark change. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDelete“Continuous progress” is emphasized by the authors when you consider the strategies for implementing differentiation. In Chapter 5 on page 78 all learning experiences must be equally engaging so that each child experiences an “extension of their own learning.” This extension of their own learning is allowed through an engaging activity that meets their level of cognition, meets their interest, and offers them a variety of fun, individualized product choices. On page 80, the intentional effort on the part of the teacher is matching the level of content, process, product for each student. The intentional part is what makes the task differentiated and not just different.
ReplyDeleteThey are emphasizing these terms because they are integral to our students' learning. We as educators "intentionally make decisions" based on what the needs of the learners so that they can have :continuous progress" of learning at their level of proximal development, which in turn "extend their learning." p.71 explains how Venn diagrams helps with this whole process because you can continuously add to the Venn diagram which will expand the learners knowledge base of the content. I think this why they keep using these terms because they want us to have these terms in our head when we are planning so we can continuously challenge our students.
ReplyDeleteIn response to weedn... I agree that we need to make life longer learners that can only happen if we challenge their learning like you stated. Teaching the minimum isn't going to sparks the curiosity of students, going above and beyond it what makes students enjoy learning.
ReplyDeleteIn response to ms. gio... I agree that all students can be challenged to learn at a higher level no matter where they are in their learning. All students have a learning curve we just have figure out how to challenge them to get to them to that level.
ReplyDeleteTeaching is not telling and repeating is not learning.
ReplyDeleteIf all my students can do is exactly what I have shown them, then I have failed. I liked the statement, “Learning experiences combine content, process and product.” (p 62) My product is not any on the Product List on p 67 or even physics itself, but teaching them how to think and make good decisions. My class is challenging because learning how to learn is HARD Work!
One of my goals is to have the students take the problem solving skills I painstakingly teach them with GUESS (Givens, Unknown, Equation, Solve, Solution) and apply it to every other class. For example, in history/English/psychology class they could ask: What are the facts in the article? What are we looking for? What philosophy or world view is being used? What needs to be done to work through this problem? And, finally, what is the solution?
After they can successfully apply this to the classroom, they can then apply the problem solving strategies to real world problems. We even discuss this through the year. As you can tell, the answer is only a small part of my class – the process is what is fundamental. To me that is the essence of the third question: “What can I do for him, her or them so they can make continuous progress and extend their learning?” (p61) I strive for: Teach him or her how to make informed, intentional decision based on all of the information available.
Most of my students discover a great sense of accomplishment and pride (after the wailing and gnashing of teeth) in problem solving and learn that with a little work and perseverance, they can learn anything they want.
As stated simply at the beginning of Chapter 5 on page 61, by offering a variety of learning experiences on the same topic/concept, a teacher must vary the process, content, and product. This allows for the “continuous progress” of each child since each child is matched with what they know and are able to do. “Intentional” decisions are made by the teacher for each child’s needs and capabilities. By applying Bloom’s and setting the goals high and appropriate for every student you are “extending their learning” experience individually. The authors emphasize these terms often because that is what differentiation is all about. How to accomplish this is being reinforced in this chapter by differentiating the levels of cognition for every student and varying activities and products.
ReplyDeleteIn response to kimberlym, Amen that "all students do not learn the same way or are interested in the same topic". We do need to raise the bar for those students who are curious and thirst for knowledge on a topic they feel passionate about. We cannot afford to suffocate these students and hold them back! Let them go and see how far their quest takes them!
ReplyDeleteRE susand’s comment that “we cannot afford to suffocate these students and hold them back! Let them go and see how far their quest takes them!”
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more! We cannot (ok, should not) hold them back, but they can be frustrating.
A few years back, I had a student who (to be honest) drove me nuts with his incessant questioning and picking at every little thing! When we were studying elliptical planetary orbits around a sun (at one foci), he wanted to know ‘What is at the other foci?’ I was at a total loss! In frustration, I told him to go to college, become a great physicist, and name it after himself. I still use, ‘The Chad’ to describe the other foci!
BTW: He went to an Ivy League College, studied physics and is now working on his graduate degree in physics ….We might be teaching about ‘The Chad’ in the future! This student has definitely exceeded this teacher and his quest is not over! My point is, sometimes they take our best and even our aggravation and run with it on their own.
I know one way to deal with the situation would been to tell him to ‘go write a report about it’ but I think that actually discourages them! Who wants extra work? They are, after all, only kids! In high school, the need to fit in often exceeds most others – especially for the gifted. I think we need to craft the lessons so they can proceed on their ‘quest’ without the teacher turning it into drudgery.
"Our goal isn't to review material we already know;our goal is continuous progress for each student(p. 71)." Yes, our goal is not just review, but at the same time it is important that we do so that our students can see, understand and actually build on their concepts no matter what level they may be on. This way they can see how they are taking their more basic knowledge and building on it for challenge and to direct their learning in a new direction. This leads to learning being continuous and a lifelong process. No one is ever finished learning anything whether we are learning something extremely brand new or we are building on the foundation we already have.
ReplyDeleteIn response to weedin on June 13th: My most simple and basic response is to your statement- "Freedom of choice = motivation = learning/thinking." Great way to sum things up:)
ReplyDeleteIn response to illgl on June 14th: Responding to the different levels of Bloom's is not just for our more gifted learners. If we don't expect all of our students to challenge their thinking, they won't. We want them all to understand that challenge is neccessary if you are going to learn. If we expect our students to rise to the challenge they will. It's amazing and unfortunate that some don't think that some of their students are capable of "rising to the occassion" and as a result, their students don't which is tragic for the students. So, yes, I definitely agree with you that all students must be given the opportunity to extend their thinking.
ReplyDeleteI think that the authors are continuously repeating these key terms to stress to the reader (us as educators) that the differentiation process is in our hands. On page 45, the books stresses that the teacher must 1st decide what he or she "wants the students to know, understand or be able to do." If the teacher is not designing instructional objectives carefully, all students will not have continuous progress and extend on their learning. The teachers are the key to facilitating and extending learning by making smart choices when planning their instruction.
ReplyDeleteIn response to tjensen on June 16th, I couldn't agree more with your last paragraph about telling the student to "go write a report about it." Most children would not be excited about writing a report and I completely agree that it would be discouraging. Fitting in with peers is so important to children, and that is why I love the idea of differentiation for all students. This way each child is completing the assignment that is "just right" for them and the gifted children don't feel as if they don't fit in because they have to do "extra" work.
ReplyDelete"You'll see the phrase continuous progress several more times, because that's what learning is all about." p. 3 We are teachers because we want to help students learn, not just in the classroom but become life long learners. If continuous progress is not being made, the student is not learning.
ReplyDeleteMaking "intentional decisions" shows that we are using knowledge of the students (and curriculum) to guide continuous progress. When the authors were talking about preassessment, "It's evidence; it's proof that you have not made learning decisions based on whimsy." p.47 "Content may be tied to one or more disciplines and must be significant, because time is usch a precious commodity in classrooms. We simply can't open our texts to Chapter 1 in the fall and believe that children's leaning needs will be met by the end of the spring semester as we cram in those last precious chapters." p. 62-62 Making intentional decisions allows us to use best practices to reach our goal of continuous progress for each student.
Extending the learning is important especially for GT students because they are able to explore ideas on a higher level and we as teachers want to encourage that. Not doing so can lead to underachievement. "High grades alone will not prepare a student to do well when he eventually meets an academic challenge; but perseverance, study skills, responsibility, and problem-solving will. A child only learns these skills and values when confronted with challenge, so the first rung of the ladder of academic success is a precarious place to stay." p. 13
I think the authors use these terms so the reader will not forget that planning, preassessment, and differentiation are the keys to meaningful learning. A teacher who has not planned well can't guide students to a desired outcome. This is stated on page 45 in chapter 4. " The teacher is like the captain who doesn't chart his course and doesn't know his destination. She soon becomes more of a disciplinarian than a teacher." You have to plan well and know what you want your students to learn. Extending the learning gives students choice on how they will present what they have learned. I love the Bloom's Charts that are described on pages 70, 74, and 76. Students are learning the same content but due to the teacher giving a preassessment, they are learning on their level of readiness. I like the idea of centers or workstations that were described on pages 73-74. It would take time to get these planned but would be worth the time and effort.
ReplyDeleteIn response to a mitch, "Teachers actually get even more excited about teaching when they see their students' desire for knowledge just burst and bubble up. Makes you feel like what you are doing everyday is so right." You nailed it. Nothing makes me go home with a smile on my face like this does - feeling like I've really made a difference.
ReplyDeleteThose 3 phrases were repeated throughout this chapter b/c they are essential in our classrooms. You have to go in to a lesson with the intent of having a certain outcome or continually progressing with your students. On page 92 - they gave an example of how students can all be working on the same topic, but within their different levels in groups. "...Venn diagrams prove to be an excellent strategy that will provide continuous progress for every student."
ReplyDeleteIn response to weedin:
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! Teachers are sometimes so focused on the outcome that they forget that when a student is motivated by choice, they are more willing to produce something they are proud to share.
I defintately feel that the authors are using those terms so that teachers become cognizant of the importance to really address the needs of your students during instruction and have a purpose in mind while you teach. When students are challenged they have the opportunity to excel.
ReplyDeletep.75, "Everyone must be challenged to stretch mentally."
p. 80 "you must intentionally match the level of content, process or product with each student's interest, needs, abilities or skills levels."
In response to amandas, I agree with your statement, "differentiation process is in our hands." I think sometimes as teachers we get caught up with the many things we need to accomplish on our plate that we sometimes forget that we have a great in the learning process of students.
In response to swagner, I agree that the feeling we get when we see our student's motivation to continue learning is what motivates us to continue in this profession because that is how we can tell that we are making an impact.
In response to amandas:
ReplyDeleteExtending their learning - that is something that I started this year but really need to continue next year. When my students were excited about something, I made sure to ask them to research, share with friends, etc. We have to develop lifelong learning at such a young age. By doing this we will make their lives a continuous learning process.
The terms "continuous progress," "intentional" decisions, and "extend their learning" are repeated throughout the book because they are the essentials in differentiation for students. Strategies, learning experiences, questions, assessments, etc... are all used when “making modifications to the curriculum rather than writing curriculum that differentiates.” (page 3) The content is intentionally designed to meet the needs, interests, and abilities of the students.
ReplyDeleteWhen we make learning meaningful for all students, they will continue to learn, make progress, and extend their thinking/learning. “Planning learning experiences to address a wide range of learner needs is key to helping students make continuous progress.” (page 61)
The authors do a good job of writing about the intention of a learning experience. On page 68 they state teachers must “make a conscious choice as to the product or products--which products your students will focus on for the year, which ones they must complete for a particular learning experience, and which ones will be available for individual choice.” We are the “decision makers. We must intentionally match the level of content, process, or product with each student’s interest, needs, abilities, or skill levels.” (pg. 80)
Our charge is to facilitate our students’ success.
In response to tjensen on June 15th, your GUESS strategy sounds as if it can be used in many content areas and will help your students as they progress throughout their education and careers.
ReplyDeleteIn response to sermonsl on June 20th, I also liked the information about centers and the Bloom’s charts. I noticed more Bloom’s Charts at the back of the book in Appendix F on pages 205-212.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I believe the authors consistently use the term "continuous progress," so that as teachers we are always thinking about each individual student's ability when planning. Going all the way back to pg.6 "Allowing each child to learn on an ongoing basis is the reason to differentiate," meant to me that for all students to progress they needed to work at their individual levels.
ReplyDeleteAs for the terms "intential decisions and extend their learning," I believe this is to remind teachers that planning needs to have students engaged in learning experiences that match their readiness (page 82.) and bright students should never hit that "learning ceiling."
In response to ratliffb June 15th, I agree that the purpose of the authors is for us to keep these terms in our minds when we plan for instruction so that our students are engaged in the learning experience.
ReplyDeleteIn response to teresah June 20th, the charts and dap tools in the back of the book work well in the classroom. I also like the My Way inventories for the beginning of the year.
ReplyDeleteI believe the author emphasized "intent" as this is the goal or focus of what is being presented to the student. Without it, the student may be learning, but it may be a different skill or concept than was intended Pg. 71 “The key is intent-why are you, as a professional educator, modifying this content, process, or product for this particular child or cluster of children? I particularly like the part on extended learning. The beginning of the school year often focuses too long on reviewing material, where many are ready to move on.
ReplyDeletePg. 57 “ As you well know, you can’t learn what you already know….” Preassessing and differentiation from the first week would allow students to immediately engage.
June 15, 2011 9:39 PM
ReplyDeletetjensen said... Teaching is not telling and repeating is not learning. This really caught my attention! How true. I also liked...and copied your GUESS strategy to use with my middle school L.A. class. Thanks.
I think the authors are emphasizing these terms because they are crucial for teachers to consider when planning meaningful learning activities for their students. On page 61 the book says, "No one is left running in place when she could be learning new things - making continuous progress." If a teacher is intentionally planning differentiated lessons to extend learning opportunities then this would be a reality.
ReplyDeleteIn response to tjensen's comments about "The Chad" - What a great story! I agree that students might not want "extra" work, but they want something they choose and doesn't make them stand out. It's a fine line at that age.
ReplyDeleteIn considering the authors' use of these terms, particularly the word "intentional", it seems to me that they are making the point that to truly differentiate, and meet the needs of ALL of our students (GT, PreAP, OL, SPED, etc.), we are compelled to make the best possible pedagogical decisions we can. For example, on page 68, it says, "Once again, the word intentional comes into play. What is the intent of the learning experience?". While this particular section is referring specifically to the product choices put before students, I think it gets to the heart of what we do - what is our intent? It should be to "bring down the wonders" (Carroll)so our students can extend their learning as far as possible.
ReplyDeletenlopz (June 17th) I couldn't agree with your statement more ("If we don't expect all of our students to challenge their thinking, they won't. We want them all to understand that challenge is neccessary if you are going to learn. If we expect our students to rise to the challenge they will. It's amazing and unfortunate that some don't think that some of their students are capable of 'rising to the occasion' and as a result, their students don't which is tragic for the students.")This gets to the heart of a disturbing ideology that (thankfully) seems to be much less prevalent in SBISD - but that I've heard from other educators at conferences I've attended. That ideology is the belief that On Level kids are not capable of higher order thinking, so they are not challenged because "they can't handle it", which means that they aren't challenged, so they don't have the opportunity to practice/learn those higher order thinking skills, which then sets up a vicious cycle of underachievement. Thankfully, this is not true for our students! :)
ReplyDeleteThe author repeats the phrases "continuous progress," "intentional decisions", and "extend their learning", because these are the key factors that the reader should take away from this book. These powerful statements command a response from the reader. "Intentional decisions" mean that the teacher must plan and focus learning on the individuals student's learning level, style, and give intentional choices to students. "Continuous progress" is key for students not to become stagnant in their learning. If a student already has knowledge and understanding of a content objective then take them further so their mind is challenged. If a student has no knowledge or understanding then that is where you begin with that student. "Extending learning" means to always set the bar high and always have high expectations. Take students through the Bloom's levels for content areas. By providing continuous choice of products students take ownership in "extending their learning". Page 68 says it best; "You are the decision maker; you plan to give students a choice of products when what they are to learn is more important then how they show you what they have learned. An interesting byproduct may be increased motivation to learn." Students need to be challenged and encouraged to further their learning experiences to become "lifelong learners", which is part of SBISD's 5 year plan.
ReplyDeleteIn response to AmandaS on June 17th at 2:13, I completely agree with you. If we continue to ask ourselves the 3 guiding questions mentioned in this book,
ReplyDeletepage 9 "What do I want students to know, understand, or be able to do? Who already knows, understands, or can use the content/demonstrate the skill?
what can I do for him/her so they can make continuous progress and extend their learning?"
then we are compelled to differentiate based on our students needs daily.
In response to amartin on June 20th at 10:33, You are so correct, we must plan ahead to meet the needs of each of our studnets. All students should feel challenged. We must make smart choices and plan according to our student's needs. Preassessments should be done for each unit of study, and interest surveys should be done at the begininning of the school year. Planning for choices is key, therefore students help to guide their learning.
ReplyDeleteI believe the authors are reminding us and stressing to us that learning is an ongoing process. Teachers have to understand that they can't pull out the exact same activity every year, making no adjustments, and still expect it to reach the needs of every learner. By reminding us that there are "intentensional decisions" to made, teachers are reminded that our planning takes some thought and must be taken seriously. Pg. 67 reminds us that we must make a point to intentionally use Bloom, and that we must challenge all of our learners. As for the Continuous Progress piece, it just reminds me that we must continuously assess where the students are at so that they do not get stuck with a label of which they will never get rid of. I went back to pg 25 and thought again about how it's ok for each of the kids to be learning at different levels because it helps them to make that continuous progress. Also, I truly believe that humans are curious by nature, and that we want to encourage thinking and exploring of topics. No one knows everything about a specific topic. There is always more to be discovered.
ReplyDeletebbielik, I think you are absolutely right in saying that Continuous Progress means that a student should not be allowed to just sit in a room and not continue learning. Your term, "stagnent", hit the nail on the head. I think it's sad to see any learner just sit and waste away, regardless of their level.
ReplyDeleteTjenson, "Teaching is not telling and repeating is not learning." Very true! If all the student can do after we cover a topic or unit is reguritate the information that we presented, we truly have failed them. I have listened to my husband and "the guys" talk car talk so many times that I can repeat the information and probably sound like I know my stuff, when truly, if it requires much more than fueling up the car, putting air into the tires (still challenging to me on some days), or adding some windshield wiper fluid to the car, I'm probably in bad shape. I can repeat back what I have heard, but I guarantee you all do not want me to be the one to work on your car. The ability to repeat back information does not show knowledge/understanding of the topic.
The authors successfully present their idea on page 71 by making the following statement, "Our goal isn't to review the material we already know; our goal is "continuous progress" for each student. Student choice comes into play only among learning experiences that will challenge the student. That's where the "intent" comes in-you (teachers) design your Bloom Chart with options appropriate for cointinuous progress, and you (the teacher) limit those choices depending on the preassessment results." This clear explanation helps to visualize how to develop our students' learning potential given any specific topic. Previous mention of the validity of preassessment helps to set the stage for future lesson design and learning opportunities for students.
ReplyDeleteThe words continuous progress and extend their learning are used a lot because those words define differentiation. If you are using those words in your classroom and using them right, then differentiation is occurring. Since, I teach in an elementary grade level, the example about Jerome on pgs. 77 and 78 really came to life. It talked about how to create a Bloom Chart when studying insects (which is a hot topic in our classroom toward the end of the year). I like how they spoke about Jerome's situation and how he already knew a lot about insects so he should be learning at a more complex level or higher level of learning than others in his class based upon his pre-assessment. Furthermore, the over all idea behind those repeated phrases is that all students are still held accountable for learning but at different levels.
ReplyDelete@ rpiccalo - I love the metaphor you use to illustrate the idea that regurgitation of information is not learning. We as educators should strive to move students beyond knowing facts to a deeper understanding of patterns, concepts and the ability to think critically is different scenarios.
ReplyDelete@ amandas - I agree with you that "fitting in" is so important to middle school-age children. They don't want to appear smart for fear of being called a "nerd." I think that's why including choice from the very beginning while nudging the GT students to the more complex assignments/projects would help by giving them more control over their own learning, thus improving their status with their peers.
ReplyDelete