Differentiated Learning-could it be an answer for many of the students of D131?
Curriculum goals may be similar for all students, teaching methods must be varied to suit the individual needs of all children: ie. learning must be differentiated to be effective.
Differentiating instruction means creating multiple paths so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process. It allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning.
Differentiating is not new, the concept has been around for at least 2 decades for gifted and talented students. However, it is now recognized to be an important tool for engaging students and addressing the individual needs of all students.
Source: www.enhancelearning.ca
216 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 216 of 216The subject has come up many times about the administration building closing early during certain vacation times and during the summer and I have gone by there at some of these times and noticed a empty lot. This is a mark on the upper management which is the Superintendent since he works there. If he really cared about the taxpayers of this district he would realize that this is stealing from the taxpayers and the children of this district. When you think about 2 hrs of each of these employees pay times 5 days and how many weeks they do it that is a lot from the district. In fact it is a slap in the face to some of the taxpayers when you think that most don't even make as much as some of these employees. So remember when they go to negotiate the Superintendents contract again how he enables his employees to steal from the taxpayers of this district. If they ever go for another referendum I will be sure to watch more closing at these times and to tell the people. In fact maybe we should get some involved to keep at watch on this all the time.
Christmas cannot come fast enough for the Non-conformists at Simmons. In other words, the ones who bust their butts trying to make a difference, not the bumbling administrators and the teachers who are collecting paychecks for nothing. I am sure the kids are not looking forward to the break. Why would they? They can come to class, berate and threaten teachers and classmates and suffer no consequences. Sounds like a Utopia?? No, its a nightmare. The 3 amigos that run the joint should be asked this- Are you comfortable knowing a majority of your teachers hate the atmosphere there, that was created and nurtured by you? If you are, and refuse to change, then pity the students, yes students, who ultimately pay the price. Previously written in this blog were comments from EA High teachers complaining Simmons sends wild animals to their school. Not Cowherd, not Waldo. These are your wild animals and your signature on the place. Embarrassing!
Ellison was alot of things and was held in varied opinions. Pay what you have to and bring him back
Ellison!! He was an even bigger idiot, not to mention corrupt. And I don't mean having an "IN" crowd of teachers, I'm talking criminal.
But he ran a tight ship and the kids did not get away with the vile behavior. The teacher morale was much better then. So he took a few deviations from policy- results are results. Currently, the 3 amigos have their heads in the sand
It's amazing, Randall Ellison was the most hated principal until that time at Simmons. No one was sad to see him go. I also recall him taking legal action against the district when he left. He was asked to resign, he refused, so they fired him.
The mere thought of any teacher wanting him over the current administration tells you just how bad things are at Simmons.
Just remember Mechelle Patterson was assistant principal under Ellison. His protege, so to speak. She learned a lot of her bullying tactics directly from Ellison. She just doesn't have the balls (literally and figuratively) to face her teachers, she stabs them in the back every chance she gets and wonders why she has no loyalty in the building.
Ellison and Patterson have fractured the Simmons Staff so fundamentally, I don't really believe any person could go into that building and bring it together without replacing about half of the staff. With tenure laws what they are, it may be impossible to correct the Simmons debacle.
I really don't know what any one can do to make this better. It seems that some on the board think that Roberts is doing a good job and wants to continue his contract with a nice big salary. Until this community stands up to this board things will stay the same what a shame that the parents of this district don't stand up to this. Things will stay the same and I for one regret this as a taxpayer but until you stand up things will stay the same. I do believe that some on the board see this but they do not have the majority vote since we have some board members that where teacher or administrators on it and believe that they should get that big pension from all of us no matter what the cost to the taxpayers and what they will be paying in property taxes. but I have some relief that the people on the far East side will be paying the most and there are a few that sit on this board.
Teachers become teachers because they want to help. Administrators need to give teachers more reasons to come to school than just money. Students need reason to come to school. I an administrator say he is going to suspend a student for saying “suck my dick” to a teacher, then that student needs to be suspended. If you say you are going to do and don’t, then the students will continue to disrespect both the teachers and administrators. The truth is you can not save any one that does not want to be saved. Don’t let the rest be poisoned by the bad seed.
It is unfortunate how blame is assessed. Fingers can point at parents, teachers, administrators, or students. The teachers get what comes off the bus. The parents send them away to school to get educated, and the administrators hire the teachers, although teachers beware don't be a non-tenure teacher with a masters degree in Dist 131. They will find a way to get rid of you so they don't have to pay your higher wages.
Dist 131 has a measure of insanity in its culture. If you do the same thing and expect different results that is insanity. If you want the same results do the same thing, hire kids out of college and do not rehire after the third year to keep wages low. The hire the next kid that comes out of college and can’t find a job some place else. If you want better results hire more seasoned teachers and keep them around or hire new kids and keep them long enough to get seasoned. You want teachers to make good teaching decisions, keep them long enough to get experience. Having experience is the best way to make good decisions.
Your students are your students, get over it. Give the students some reasons to want to be at school. Provide clubs for after school activities that they want. Don't try to force a chess club on them if they want to play different games. There plenty of ideas out there. Some cost more than others. Lego robotics contest, Rube Goldberg contest at Navy Pier. Ask the kids what they want to do. That is a novel idea. Yes give the inmates some input into their activities.
What reason do kids have to want to succeed? Instead you have Simmons students knowing they pass a couple of classes and go to summer school to move on to the next grade. Some Simmons students want to be eligible for summer school so they have some place to see their friends during the summer.
Not to knock Simmons again, but how many other schools fund raise by having pop machines in the student cafeteria? Sugar, caffeine, and cheese nachos for lunch, just what young minds need to grow?
If you have read this far? Thank you. We need to remember society is very cruel.
Students need to be taught respect, manners, how to behave in public and skills. If they students graduate without these basics from parents, churches, or schools the students will be treated quite cruelly by the public. With out work ethic they will be fired if they can find a job, put in jail if they commit crimes or be on welfare because their only entertainment is having sex which will give them more kids than they can feed.
Teachers become teachers because they want to help. Administrators need to give teachers more reasons to come to school than just money. Students need reason to come to school. I an administrator say he is going to suspend a student for saying “suck my dick” to a teacher, then that student needs to be suspended. If you say you are going to do and don’t, then the students will continue to disrespect both the teachers and administrators. The truth is you can not save any one that does not want to be saved. Don’t let the rest be poisoned by the bad seed.
Students do have access to this material, as I am one of them. I am in band and I stand up for us. We are a family and no matter what politic bullshit you all speak of, we will continue to be that family. I do not care for your negative words, and I do not care for your idiotic comments on our band director. He leads us, and he keeps us together. Whats most important is the feeling we get when do a concert, a sport event, or a jazz concert. That is what we strive off of and that is what motivates us. The music tones out the rest of bullshit and makes it all okay. Do not insult Mr. Liska because you do not know what its like to be in his class, and you do not know what its like to learn in his class. That is your ignorance speaking and we can all hear you loud and clear.
9:01 p.m., you say you're a family--true, but many families are dysfunctional.
I am one of many who are critical of the current EHS band program. However, I have been careful to aim most of my criticism at the ADMINISTRATION, not at Mr. Liska. It is not Mr. Liska's fault that Mr. Kaisershot was BULLIED out of his high school teaching position. Mr. Liska was simply a well-meaning recent college graduate who needed a job, and who was rushed in by a corrupt administration desperate to fill a position that at least a dozen candidates had rejected for good reason.
Because the administration had promised that replacing Mr. K was necessary to improve the EHS band program, many of us keep asking,
"where's the improvement?" We remember a band program that proudly represented East Aurora at Disney World and Universal Studios, and whose students won many first-division awards at the IHSA solo and ensemble contests. We repeatedly ask the ADMINISTRATION (not necessarily Mr. Liska) to show us how replacing (bullying) Mr. K was in the best interests of the students in this district. And we will continue to remind the ADMINISTRATION that this decision was just plain wrong--and the more time goes by, the more obvious this blunder becomes to any of us with eyes & ears who remember the "glory days" of the East High band program!
That I cannot comment on because I never had Mr. K as a teacher, as I went to Cowherd. In a sense I do believe as well that the administration is keeping us away from all those competitions and events because of financial circumstances. At least that's what they tell us. Mr. Liska always has the motivation to go to those competitions and he says that if we work at it, then its definitely possible (Disney, St Louis, even Europe). The problem with the IHSA solo and ensemble competition and the entire band competition, is that some students don't practice. Mr. Liska responds to this by saying if you want to be band, you have to start acting like you want to be in band, or they'll get the boot. There is definite improvement from last years marching band performance as well. We seemed to get along better and play as a whole group better as apposed to last year. This is definite improvement, and improvement is better for the district. Even if it's only in band.
It's amazing that for 20+ years (under the previous band director), students DID practice well enough for many of them to achieve first division ratings in the IHSA solo & ensemble contests! And the administration as usual is lying to you if they are telling you that finances are the reason the band no longer participates in events such as Disney.
I'm glad to hear that the band is getting along better than last year. One reason kids join band is to have fun making music. But many of us are still waiting to hear and see the improvement promised by the corrupt administration several years ago. Bullying a teacher out of his job against the objections of hundreds of students, parents, and community members is just plain wrong--and will never be forgotten by those of us who care about the quality of the EHS band program!
I can assure you that if Mr. Liska were to "bullied" out of his job, then the students would protest that as well. I know I would..
And I would protest as well, even though I'm a friend of the previous EHS band director. Wrong is wrong, no matter who is being bullied.
I would also keep reminding the community about the corrupt administration's role in the bullying, even several years after it happened.
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