Different learners, Different lessons.

Do you know who likes reading blogs with mile long posts? No one.
Do you know who has turned into that blogger that writes long posts? Me.
Do you know who needs to tell me to get my act together and not be so lengthy? You.

Glad we discussed that, now I will work to not be such a rambler and make them shorter.
At least sometimes... Sometimes long posts are just needed, so you get all the good stuff.

To refrain from making this long and boring, I am going to give you a list of the most
awesome points from the reading, "Different Learners, Different Lessons," and let you know why they stood out and were so important to me.

- Teachers begin where students are, not at the front of a curriculum guide.

I think teachers often get caught up in the curriculum and standards that have to be met, which are important; however, it is essential to remember that not all students are on the same page. Therefore, you can't just start at one place in the curriculum for all students. If you do, then some students are going to be left behind from the start and others are going to be backtracking.


- A student competes against himself as he grows and develops, more than he competes against other students.

THIS. This is so important. When teaching a class, it's easy to try to keep everyone on the same track. However, this can turn into a competition on who is succeeding or not with the class. That is NOT what it is all about, at all. It is about the students, INDIVIDUALLY. The only person they are competing against is themselves. They are striving to be better than they were the day before. Not better than the child that sits next to him in class. He is going and developing at his own pace, which is more important than pushing him to compete with someone that is on another level.

- Teachers provide specific ways for each individual to learn as quickly and deeply as possible, without assuming one's road map is identical to another's.

This kind of tied in with the point above. Actually, it ties in with the entire class. This is what we need to understand. EVERY STUDENT NEEDS THEIR OWN ROAD MAP. Not a "one map leads to everyone's success" kind of thing. It doesn't work that way. It has to be specific for every individual in order for them to learn and grow.

- Don't force fit learners in a standard mold.

I learn differently than you, who learns differently from your best friend, who learns differently from their sibling. It could be one of those long chains of people, but what I am getting at is - EVERYONE learns differently. Every single student in your class learns a little bit differently. Some may be better with hands on activities; yet, they still have individual traits that make them learn more towards auditory or another way of learning. When we start to assume that this one cookie cutter mold can work for everyone is where we are hindering the students and wasting our own time. We can't force all the students to one way of learning. They won't learn. Time will be wasted, and I hate to say it, but It will be our own fault.

- Teachers are dogged learners who come to school every day with the conviction that today will reveal a better way of doing things - even if yesterday's lesson was dynamite.

This is something that should be put on a post it note and taped to my desk when I am a teacher. No matter how wonderful of a lesson was given or how perfect a day goes. When the bell rings, that day is over. When the students come back the next day, it's a new start. A new day. Strive to make that day just as wonderful as the day before. Always strive to find better ways of teaching concepts and helping students really retain the information presented. This is an every day challenge, not a once a week kind of thing. Those students deserve every day to be dynamite!


I said I wasn't going to ramble, but I still did. Sorry about that! I just really wanted you to understand why all of these really sunk in with me when I read them. These are essential things to remember when preparing to have my own classroom. A differentiated classroom.

Hope you enjoyed,
- Mallory