Recent Changes

{the_key_to_Classroom_Management.pdf}
Power points used
and overview.ppt} {PATHWAYS 1-3.pptx} {Mutiple Intelligences- The Basics.pdf}
{How children learn.ppt}
{Bridging.pptx}

The questionnaire has around 50 questions abour student's preferences and it will give a profile of the different intelligences of each student that looks like this:
After the whole class has completed the questionnaire, a similar map will be obtained for the group itself. This information will also be useful to inform the choice of activities for the class.
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
This is a summary of the main facts that can be observed regarding María José (MJ) alone or in comparison with the group (whole class, just boys and just girls).
MJ has a particularly strong development of her logical and spatial intelligences. All her other scores are at least 33% below those in the strong areas.
Although the linguistic intelligence appears to be the lowest, MJ is not someone who has trouble communicating. She prefers to be quiet many times but if she communicates an idea, her use of language (oral and written) is good.
Her low intrapersonal score makes sense with the comment made before about her preference to work alone or at least not in a big group (at least in maths)
In reference to the group (whole class / boys / girsl) MJ’s scores in logical intelligence is a 69% above the average of the class (boys and girls too). This is in agreement with the description of her academic performance.
The profile generated for MJ in this test enriches gives a more concrete ground to the perceived necessity of giving her more challenging activities and try as much as possible to differentiate with her taking advantage of her exceptional skills. One cannot simply ignore the obvious difference revealed by the graphs regarding her development of logical intelligence. The possibility of accelerating the curriculum with her seems plausible when looking at this data.
{business card of diego's student.jpg} business card of diego's student.jpg
2. BUSINESS CARD
As “visually smart” as María José appears to be based on her MI TEST results, it was difficult to engage her into drawing a business card. She ended up doing it just to get rid of the task.
Although there were much richer business cards in the group, there are some things that can be inferred from María José’s work:
Although, a sport is “mentioned” (volleyball), there seems to be no strong reference to group activities. There are however references to individual activities such as reading, writing, playing the piano and doing maths. This is in agreement with the relatively low score for interpersonal intelligence. Maria José is neither rejected nor she rejects people but it is evident that she prefers to engage in individual activities.
The fact that she includes maths as one of the things in her card is evidence that not only she is good at it but that she enjoys it. This relates to the commitment she expressed in the small chat we had about the possibility of accelerating her curriculum (see next section).
She wrote a career choice strongly related with maths which is industrial engineering. This emphasizes the fact that she wants to do something with her life that makes use of her skills in maths.
YES, YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES SEEM TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER WELL.
3.
Engaging Twenty first Century Learners
{Teaching Tomorrows Leaders Kirk.pps}

{myway.pdf} {A_Primary_Interest_Inventory[1].pdf} {People Bingo Bridges.doc}
{Grouping Strategies Matrix.docx} {DIFFERENTIATION MATRIX.docx}
LearningPrint new.pdf} {High Hopes Talent Assessment.pdf}
INTELLIGENCES (Link: MI TEST)
The questionnaire has around 50 questions abour student's preferences and it will give a profile of the different intelligences of each student that looks like this:

{Grouping Strategies Matrix.docx} {DIFFERENTIATION MATRIX.docx}
{CH PaperTowerBuilding.doc} {TLC LearningPrint new.pdf}
ASSIGNMENT 1
RATIONALE FOR STUDENT
Name: María José Consuegra
Grade level: 9
Subject: Maths
Age: 15
DESCRIPTION
María José has obtained exceptional results in every assessment (formative/summative) starting with the pre-test that was given on day one of this year. Initially I thought that she was just schoolhouse gifted but when facing more challenging tasks, she gave me evidence of exceptional talent in maths. Below, is a summary of the main points that explain the choice of María José as my case study:
Her average performance at the end of the first half of the first term was 6/7 without showing an exceptional effort.
By the end of term 1, her average was still 6 (this included all sorts of assessments such as investigations, tests, worksheets, independent and group work)
So far during term 2, her grades average to 6/7 again.
María José recently obtained 8/8 in one of the investigations about patterns. This specific piece of work was revealing of her true talent. She generalized (with almost no assistance from the teacher) the pattern she found in a way that is only expected at much higher levels of math studies.
In general Maria José finishes her class assignments much faster than the rest of the class. Fortunately, she represents no disruption to the class when she is finished but I can see in her face that she feels under-challenged and bored during most of the lesson.
Looking at her overall performance and attitude, it is evident that she would reach much higher levels if she were given more readiness-appropriate tasks.
Although she performs well at the social and emotional level, María José doesn't seem to enjoy working in groups so much so. The best choice for her to really grow will then be individual assignments (in-depth investigations or accelerators) more than activities that depend on the interaction with peers. When facing challenging math situations she seems to be more like a "loner".
COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEARNER'S PROFILE
Two instruments will be used to profile Maria José but they will be applied to the whole class. The idea is not only to get to know her better but to profile the group at the same time and have a reference to know where she is in reference to the class.
1. QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCESINTELLIGENCES (Link: MI
The questionnaire has around 50 questions abour student's preferences and it will give a profile of the different intelligences of each student that looks like this:
After the whole class has completed the questionnaire, a similar map will be obtained for the group itself. This information will also be useful to inform the choice of activities for the class.
2. BUSINESS CARD
The business card is used to get more personal information about the students. It is expected to reveal a similar profile as that found with the questionnaire but this one will include a personal "touch" from each student. In a piece of paper each one will include three things (this is what I want them to include in the business card but it can be changed and adapted as required):
1. Name.
2. Career choice. This will reveal important information about the students' interest that will later on be used to design a class assignment or homework that gets them engaged.
3. Different drawings/words that represent the areas of interest for each student (music, sports, significant aspects, etc)
3. CHAT WITH STUDENT
Because the implementation of this idea involves the assignment of differentiated tasks, it is important to discuss with the student the perspective she has of being treated differently and being assigned more advanced material and tasks to complete.
An individual chat will be held to explore how she feels about this and to get an idea of how committed she will be to the completion of her “advanced” tasks.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE INITIAL COLLECTION OF DATA ABOUT THE LEARNER’S PROFILE
1. QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MULTIPLE INTLLIGENCES
The whole class went to the computers lab and they all took the Multiple Intelligences test on line. The results were sent to me and not only I could see María José’s results but also a learning profile of the whole class.
The graphs generated by the test, are measuring relative ability in different areas based on how students answer a series of 40 questions regarding their preferences (when learning or in every-day situations) The scale (over 25 points) is not given in specific units so it will be regarded as a mere reference to compare the development of different types of intelligence. In the following graphs you can see the results: {DIEGO MI CHARTS.jpg} DIEGO MI CHARTS.jpg
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
This is a summary of the main facts that can be observed regarding María José (MJ) alone or in comparison with the group (whole class, just boys and just girls).
She wrote a career choice strongly related with maths which is industrial engineering. This emphasizes the fact that she wants to do something with her life that makes use of her skills in maths.
YES, YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES SEEM TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER WELL.
3. CHAT WITH STUDENT
An informal conversation took place to ask María José what her perspective was on having special material or tasks assigned to her.
I first explained to her how I perceived some disengagement from the class when the tasks that were proposed were not appropriate for her readiness level and that my intention was to give her something that would represent an actual challenge. I told her that this could happen in two ways. One was that I could have her work on more complex applications of the topics that everyone was studying and the other was to explore topics that were out of the syllabus for her grade level. I told her that it would all depend on how much “free” time was left after the common material was covered.
DO REMEMBER THAT IF SHE SHOWS MASTERY OF "COMMON" MATERIAL, SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. WE HER TO HAVE DIFFERENT WORK, NOT MORE WORK. PRETEST HER ON COURSE MATERIAL FIRST AND COMPACT HER OUT OF WHAT SHE KNOWS.
María José is not a very outgoing person and sometimes it is hard to even get a word from her but in this conversation I could see that she seemed excited about being treated differently. I cannot say whether she feel excited about learning more or about the fact that her skills in maths were being recognized with more than just a good grade in a report card. Regardless of the reason, she not only looked determined and committed to engage in some differentiated task but also expressed her will to accept more challenging tasks.
When we talked about the types of tasks that she might be assigned she definitely favored those that were individual. She did not reject the group tasks but was not encouraged when success depended on anyone other than herself. This side of Maria Jose’s profile will be addressed using two approaches. The first will be to actually give her what she prefers (independent tasks) but also (this will be the second way) to intentionally assign some tasks where team work is required. It is as important to build on her strengths and exceptional talent as it is to take her out of her comfort zone and make her work with someone else. AS LONG AS THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR THE POSSIBLE PAIRING OF INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPING OF THEM.
HYPOTHESES
When given the option, María José will prefer activities that use a combination of visual and logical intelligences than those that use only logical skills.
Activities that require individual work will be more appealing to María José than those in which the success depends both on her work and someone else’s. Working alone would probably give better results.
By giving her more adequate challenges, María José will increase her engagement in the class and enjoy lessons more than she traditionally does.
Working independently at her own pace will be more appealing to María José than moving on together with the group
Getting together in groups of similar readiness level will be more motivating for Maria José than being part of a group of mixed abilities.
GREAT HYPOTHESES. I ESPECIALLY LIKE HOW YOU INCLUDED DATA TO FORM YOUR IDEAS.
IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATION
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
STRATEGIES
Resources / Products
Her performance so far indicates she gets very good results with little effort.
The MI test puts her way above the class average.
Maria José recognizes that the drill work is too repetitive and not challenging for her
Worksheets will be planned to include application questions that are challenging for Maria José. She will be asked to specifically skip some parts that are too easy for her to focus on really challenging questions.EXCELLENT BUT DO COMPACT HER OUT OF WORK ALREADY MASTERED.
RESOURCES
Text books and different web pages where application questions of different level can be found are a valuable source of materials.
The access to a broad band internet connection is a MUST here. MI test and MyiMaths website depend on this.
Depending on the choice of Maria José’s group for the End of Unit presentation, different materials may be required.
MyiMaths membership is required. The school recently bought this so the access to the website is granted.
PRODUCTS
Products that show Maria José’s response to the differentiation strategies include:
MyiMaths on-line assessments.
End of Unit Presentation (each group decides the most convenient way of displaying information)
Written invstigations.
Worksheets exploring applications of trigonometry.
HOW ABOUT SOME SPATIAL PROJECTS AS THAT IS ONE OF HER STRENGTHS?
According to María José’s MI profile, her visual/spatial intelligence is as developed as her logical intelligence so having visual/spatial options in exams will let her go further.
Having this type of option will also benefit the whole class as it is evident from the MI class profile that visual/spatial intelligence is one of the most developed ones (after the interpersonal one)
In summative tests, visual/spatial questions will always be included as possible options to demonstrate understanding.
Maria José’s pace in general has been faster than the group’s. She recognizes she feels underchallenged. Depending on how she evolves when facing the new topics, a compactor might be created so more advanced topics can be covered with her.
Curriculum compactor
As much as Maria José has exceptional skills in maths, it is important to help her build some team work skills. There is no evidence whatsoever that indicates any type of disability to work in groups so an opportunity to do it will only represent a potential benefit.
Group assignments. This could be done by (1) getting together with someone with lower readiness level to achieve a goal that will benefit both NO DON'T DO THIS. or (2) putting María José together with another high-performance student to foster mutual progress. YES, THIS IS MUCH BETTER.
Maria José’s pace in general has been faster than the group’s. She recognizes she feels underchallenged
The use of MyiMaths˜ lessons and homework to let María José progress at her own pace GOOD IDEA, BUT ELIMINATE WORK THAT IS MASTERED.
˜My iMaths is a web-based resource in which students can go through pre-designed lessons and then jump straight to application questions with different difficulty levels. The teacher can monitor individual progress of each student.
Engaging Twenty first Century Learners
{Teaching Tomorrows Leaders Kirk.pps}

{myway.pdf} {A_Primary_Interest_Inventory[1].pdf} {People Bingo Bridges.doc}
{Grouping Strategies Matrix.docx} {DIFFERENTIATION MATRIX.docx}
{New TLC Form.pdf} {CH{CH PaperTowerBuilding.doc} {TLC LearningPrint new.pdf}
ASSIGNMENT 1
RATIONALE FOR STUDENT
Name: María José Consuegra
Grade level: 9
Subject: Maths
Age: 15
DESCRIPTION
María José has obtained exceptional results in every assessment (formative/summative) starting with the pre-test that was given on day one of this year. Initially I thought that she was just schoolhouse gifted but when facing more challenging tasks, she gave me evidence of exceptional talent in maths. Below, is a summary of the main points that explain the choice of María José as my case study:
Her average performance at the end of the first half of the first term was 6/7 without showing an exceptional effort.
By the end of term 1, her average was still 6 (this included all sorts of assessments such as investigations, tests, worksheets, independent and group work)
So far during term 2, her grades average to 6/7 again.
María José recently obtained 8/8 in one of the investigations about patterns. This specific piece of work was revealing of her true talent. She generalized (with almost no assistance from the teacher) the pattern she found in a way that is only expected at much higher levels of math studies.
In general Maria José finishes her class assignments much faster than the rest of the class. Fortunately, she represents no disruption to the class when she is finished but I can see in her face that she feels under-challenged and bored during most of the lesson.
Looking at her overall performance and attitude, it is evident that she would reach much higher levels if she were given more readiness-appropriate tasks.
Although she performs well at the social and emotional level, María José doesn't seem to enjoy working in groups so much so. The best choice for her to really grow will then be individual assignments (in-depth investigations or accelerators) more than activities that depend on the interaction with peers. When facing challenging math situations she seems to be more like a "loner".
COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEARNER'S PROFILE
Two instruments will be used to profile Maria José but they will be applied to the whole class. The idea is not only to get to know her better but to profile the group at the same time and have a reference to know where she is in reference to the class.
1. QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (Link: MI TEST)
The questionnaire has around 50 questions abour student's preferences and it will give a profile of the different intelligences of each student that looks like this:
After the whole class has completed the questionnaire, a similar map will be obtained for the group itself. This information will also be useful to inform the choice of activities for the class.
2. BUSINESS CARD
The business card is used to get more personal information about the students. It is expected to reveal a similar profile as that found with the questionnaire but this one will include a personal "touch" from each student. In a piece of paper each one will include three things (this is what I want them to include in the business card but it can be changed and adapted as required):
1. Name.
2. Career choice. This will reveal important information about the students' interest that will later on be used to design a class assignment or homework that gets them engaged.
3. Different drawings/words that represent the areas of interest for each student (music, sports, significant aspects, etc)
3. CHAT WITH STUDENT
Because the implementation of this idea involves the assignment of differentiated tasks, it is important to discuss with the student the perspective she has of being treated differently and being assigned more advanced material and tasks to complete.
An individual chat will be held to explore how she feels about this and to get an idea of how committed she will be to the completion of her “advanced” tasks.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE INITIAL COLLECTION OF DATA ABOUT THE LEARNER’S PROFILE
1. QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MULTIPLE INTLLIGENCES
The whole class went to the computers lab and they all took the Multiple Intelligences test on line. The results were sent to me and not only I could see María José’s results but also a learning profile of the whole class.
The graphs generated by the test, are measuring relative ability in different areas based on how students answer a series of 40 questions regarding their preferences (when learning or in every-day situations) The scale (over 25 points) is not given in specific units so it will be regarded as a mere reference to compare the development of different types of intelligence. In the following graphs you can see the results: {DIEGO MI CHARTS.jpg} DIEGO MI CHARTS.jpg
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
This is a summary of the main facts that can be observed regarding María José (MJ) alone or in comparison with the group (whole class, just boys and just girls).
MJ has a particularly strong development of her logical and spatial intelligences. All her other scores are at least 33% below those in the strong areas.
Although the linguistic intelligence appears to be the lowest, MJ is not someone who has trouble communicating. She prefers to be quiet many times but if she communicates an idea, her use of language (oral and written) is good.
Her low intrapersonal score makes sense with the comment made before about her preference to work alone or at least not in a big group (at least in maths)
In reference to the group (whole class / boys / girsl) MJ’s scores in logical intelligence is a 69% above the average of the class (boys and girls too). This is in agreement with the description of her academic performance.
The profile generated for MJ in this test enriches gives a more concrete ground to the perceived necessity of giving her more challenging activities and try as much as possible to differentiate with her taking advantage of her exceptional skills. One cannot simply ignore the obvious difference revealed by the graphs regarding her development of logical intelligence. The possibility of accelerating the curriculum with her seems plausible when looking at this data.
{business card of diego's student.jpg} business card of diego's student.jpg
2. BUSINESS CARD
As “visually smart” as María José appears to be based on her MI TEST results, it was difficult to engage her into drawing a business card. She ended up doing it just to get rid of the task.
Although there were much richer business cards in the group, there are some things that can be inferred from María José’s work:
Although, a sport is “mentioned” (volleyball), there seems to be no strong reference to group activities. There are however references to individual activities such as reading, writing, playing the piano and doing maths. This is in agreement with the relatively low score for interpersonal intelligence. Maria José is neither rejected nor she rejects people but it is evident that she prefers to engage in individual activities.
The fact that she includes maths as one of the things in her card is evidence that not only she is good at it but that she enjoys it. This relates to the commitment she expressed in the small chat we had about the possibility of accelerating her curriculum (see next section).
She wrote a career choice strongly related with maths which is industrial engineering. This emphasizes the fact that she wants to do something with her life that makes use of her skills in maths.
YES, YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES SEEM TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER WELL.
3. CHAT WITH STUDENT
An informal conversation took place to ask María José what her perspective was on having special material or tasks assigned to her.
I first explained to her how I perceived some disengagement from the class when the tasks that were proposed were not appropriate for her readiness level and that my intention was to give her something that would represent an actual challenge. I told her that this could happen in two ways. One was that I could have her work on more complex applications of the topics that everyone was studying and the other was to explore topics that were out of the syllabus for her grade level. I told her that it would all depend on how much “free” time was left after the common material was covered.
DO REMEMBER THAT IF SHE SHOWS MASTERY OF "COMMON" MATERIAL, SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. WE HER TO HAVE DIFFERENT WORK, NOT MORE WORK. PRETEST HER ON COURSE MATERIAL FIRST AND COMPACT HER OUT OF WHAT SHE KNOWS.
María José is not a very outgoing person and sometimes it is hard to even get a word from her but in this conversation I could see that she seemed excited about being treated differently. I cannot say whether she feel excited about learning more or about the fact that her skills in maths were being recognized with more than just a good grade in a report card. Regardless of the reason, she not only looked determined and committed to engage in some differentiated task but also expressed her will to accept more challenging tasks.
When we talked about the types of tasks that she might be assigned she definitely favored those that were individual. She did not reject the group tasks but was not encouraged when success depended on anyone other than herself. This side of Maria Jose’s profile will be addressed using two approaches. The first will be to actually give her what she prefers (independent tasks) but also (this will be the second way) to intentionally assign some tasks where team work is required. It is as important to build on her strengths and exceptional talent as it is to take her out of her comfort zone and make her work with someone else. AS LONG AS THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR THE POSSIBLE PAIRING OF INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPING OF THEM.
HYPOTHESES
When given the option, María José will prefer activities that use a combination of visual and logical intelligences than those that use only logical skills.
Activities that require individual work will be more appealing to María José than those in which the success depends both on her work and someone else’s. Working alone would probably give better results.
By giving her more adequate challenges, María José will increase her engagement in the class and enjoy lessons more than she traditionally does.
Working independently at her own pace will be more appealing to María José than moving on together with the group
Getting together in groups of similar readiness level will be more motivating for Maria José than being part of a group of mixed abilities.
GREAT HYPOTHESES. I ESPECIALLY LIKE HOW YOU INCLUDED DATA TO FORM YOUR IDEAS.
IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATION
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
STRATEGIES
Resources / Products
Her performance so far indicates she gets very good results with little effort.
The MI test puts her way above the class average.
Maria José recognizes that the drill work is too repetitive and not challenging for her
Worksheets will be planned to include application questions that are challenging for Maria José. She will be asked to specifically skip some parts that are too easy for her to focus on really challenging questions.EXCELLENT BUT DO COMPACT HER OUT OF WORK ALREADY MASTERED.
RESOURCES
Text books and different web pages where application questions of different level can be found are a valuable source of materials.
The access to a broad band internet connection is a MUST here. MI test and MyiMaths website depend on this.
Depending on the choice of Maria José’s group for the End of Unit presentation, different materials may be required.
MyiMaths membership is required. The school recently bought this so the access to the website is granted.
PRODUCTS
Products that show Maria José’s response to the differentiation strategies include:
MyiMaths on-line assessments.
End of Unit Presentation (each group decides the most convenient way of displaying information)
Written invstigations.
Worksheets exploring applications of trigonometry.
HOW ABOUT SOME SPATIAL PROJECTS AS THAT IS ONE OF HER STRENGTHS?
According to María José’s MI profile, her visual/spatial intelligence is as developed as her logical intelligence so having visual/spatial options in exams will let her go further.
Having this type of option will also benefit the whole class as it is evident from the MI class profile that visual/spatial intelligence is one of the most developed ones (after the interpersonal one)
In summative tests, visual/spatial questions will always be included as possible options to demonstrate understanding.
Maria José’s pace in general has been faster than the group’s. She recognizes she feels underchallenged. Depending on how she evolves when facing the new topics, a compactor might be created so more advanced topics can be covered with her.
Curriculum compactor
As much as Maria José has exceptional skills in maths, it is important to help her build some team work skills. There is no evidence whatsoever that indicates any type of disability to work in groups so an opportunity to do it will only represent a potential benefit.
Group assignments. This could be done by (1) getting together with someone with lower readiness level to achieve a goal that will benefit both NO DON'T DO THIS. or (2) putting María José together with another high-performance student to foster mutual progress. YES, THIS IS MUCH BETTER.
Maria José’s pace in general has been faster than the group’s. She recognizes she feels underchallenged
The use of MyiMaths˜ lessons and homework to let María José progress at her own pace GOOD IDEA, BUT ELIMINATE WORK THAT IS MASTERED.
˜My iMaths is a web-based resource in which students can go through pre-designed lessons and then jump straight to application questions with different difficulty levels. The teacher can monitor individual progress of each student.
Engaging Twenty first Century Learners
{Teaching Tomorrows Leaders Kirk.pps}