tame me

A couple blog posts ago, I wrote about taming the fox, a metaphor on using differentiation in the classroom. Chapter 5, in Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom, explains more about "taming" our future students. "Although the teacher's role bears some of the hallmarks of the counselor, parent, coach, social worker, and so on, those are not the teacher's central role. It is mandate of the teacher to teach"  (p. 56). While it is important for us as teachers to be their coach and to counsel with them, it is far more important to equip the students with "intellectual wherewithal" that is becoming more and more necessary to succeed in a society that demands academic preparation.

One thing that stood out to me as I was reading chapter 5 of Tomlinson's book, is when she was talking about an 8th grade algebra teacher she once had. Tomlinson stated, "She taught Algebra. But she did not teach me." That kind of scared me. I don't want to be that kind of teacher. What if I think I'm teaching my future students, but in the end, all I've done is taught the curriculum. I don't want that to happen. You can bet your bottom dollar that I was paying close attention when she talked about her German teacher, a teacher who was successful in teaching the students and not just the subject matter.

Tomlinson's German teacher was successful because:

-She always seemed sure her students could succeed & gave them work so that they could prove this
-She had eye contact with her students & smiled a lot
-She made each student's presence feel significant
-She helped the students understand the importance of the subject & how it relates to real world experiences
-She checked understanding and proficiency & worked with individuals when needed

In essence, her German teacher was saying, "I will learn about you and do whatever it takes, using this subject matter, to make sure you are a fuller and more potent human being than you were when you walked in this room. Please be my colleague in that quest."

Tomlinson gave five characteristics of curriculum and instruction in the classroom that genuinely helped her learn. The work needs to be:
1. Important
2. Focused
3. Engaging
4. Demanding
5. Scaffolded

I completely agree with this! When I look back at my own personal experiences, I can relate. My Psychology teacher in High School, whose name is Ms. Leek, truly wanted each of us to succeed. She knew me by name, she knew what my hobbies and interests were, she made learning so interesting and challenging; her class was not easy. I had to work hard, but I was motivated to learn because she helped me see the importance of Psychology. This pales in comparison to many other teachers I have had. I cannot remember their names, and I cannot remember what I learned. All I remember is feeling frustrated and/or bored.

I have included the following page from the book because it breaks down the five characteristics of curriculum and instruction listed above.

I wanted to include this because if I ever forget in the future what curriculum and instruction should look like in the classroom, the basics are all right here. At the beginning of the year, my students will be saying, "tame me" and I will have a better idea of what that looks like.