Today's class started off with an assessment strategy - the Readiness Assessment Test. I, for one, think it's really beneficial that we have the opportunity to actually take part in these assessments as opposed to just "learning" about them via an overhead or discussion. I'll even admit that I was actually getting nervous at the beginning of class, trying to remember the details of the reading and frantically asking classmates around me if they had actually studied, or just read over the material like me. The RAT is a very effective way to encourage students to stay on top of readings, because instead of providing a negative personal consequence to not doing the readings, the RAT influences the whole group.
There are many reasons why a student might want to learn in any class - to improve his/her knowledge, to earn a high mark, to make their parents proud, to excel in comparison to their classmates. One strategy that I don't think is explored enough getting students to realize that they can work together with their classmates to achieve a better outcome. The RAT takes this idea and introduces students to the idea that their actions have an effect on the rest of the class - for better or for worse. If everyone in the class works on the assigned work, then everyone will be learning and moving forward. But, when some students decide not to do their work, it holds the rest of the class back. A teacher might have to spend more time reviewing concepts previously taught in class simply because students haven't tried on their own to understand it. The RAT really shows students that their personal actions affect the group because if they haven't done the assigned readings, they won't have anything to contribute to the group, and in turn, the entire group could suffer. It's not fair for the other members of the group to carry the weight of someone who hasn't completed the readings. If nothing else, the RAT should evoke guilt from students who did not contribute positively to the group, and hopefully encourage them to contribute more next time by doing the assigned work.
The class continued with 2 very important questions: What is Equity? What is Exceptionality?
I think the problem with understanding equity is that it doesn't mean "equal" treatment. It seems to be something that most people in class understood, however, for some reason it was very hard to put it into words. Equity means inclusion in the classroom, and fair treatment for everybody - not necessarily equal treatment. Often it is very important to treat students equally, across gender, race, age or religion, like in this video I found (link below). If we only provide some students with the opportunity to succeed in a specific area, the students are being limited by the teacher's decisions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqLnMdmzy8&feature=related
But often, when the differences between children is attributed to an exceptionality, it's important to realise this and provide each student with the tools they need to succeed-- even if the type of learning tools differs between students. In our readings, we're been learning that exceptionalities aren't as rare as some people might think. Exceptionalities aren't just mental or physical disabilities - the term also includes things on the other end of the spectrum, such as giftedness. In the dictionary, "exceptional" is described as 'unusual; atypical'. I think that we need to relate this seemingly simple definition to the way we think about students in our classes: "Exceptionalities", therefore, are any factor that makes a students different than others, such that they may require additional tools to succeed in class. It is then our job as teachers to realize these exceptionalities, whether or not they have been previously identified, and to cater to the needs of the student. It's not an easy task, and it's not something you can learn to adjust to right away. But I'm hoping that with a bit of practice (and a growing understanding), I'll be able to provide the best learning environment possible in my classroom for ALL of my students. Exceptionalities shouldn't be seen as a chore on top of everything else for the teacher to work around; instead, they should be seen as something that comes with the students. It is who they are, and to ignore their exceptionalities is a condemnation for failure.
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