| I took a landscaping class recently. During that class | | | | child to select. Opportunities, carefully chosen by the |
| the professor discussed the invaluable need to | | | | teacher, can give us all kinds of personalized |
| understand the nature of plants and the necessity of | | | | information. The child who never selects a messy art |
| enriching our habitat whenever possible. It was an | | | | activity may have sensory issues. A child who never |
| enlightening experience because as it turns out, | | | | selects playtime in the home center or block corner |
| teaching and landscaping have a lot in common. | | | | may be shy or may be autistic. As the child selects |
| Like plants, each child in our charge comes with a | | | | different activities his interests and abilities become |
| unique history, a unique set of abilities, and a unique | | | | apparent to the observant teacher. |
| personality. Sometimes this combination makes it | | | | Recording a personalized classroom activities history |
| easy for a teacher to determine and develop a great | | | | can signal areas the teacher will want to investigate |
| long-term lesson plan. Other times, this combination | | | | further. They busy-bee child who superficially |
| challenges and frustrates teachers, administrators, | | | | engages in 5-6 activities within the play period may |
| and parents alike. It is the "go the extra mile" | | | | be overly enthusiastic, may have trouble maintaining |
| challenge, the challenge to reach the needs of the | | | | interest, or may have an attention deficit disorder. A |
| student within the group and to make a difference. | | | | child who doesn't responds to calls from peers or |
| That was the very reason so many of us chose | | | | teachers or who never wants to look at a book may |
| teaching as a profession. | | | | have a physical problem. |
| Like plants, some children adapt well to group living. | | | | Like plants, some children require a great deal of |
| They're the ones who leap into the classroom | | | | attention. Some require very little personalized |
| situation leaving mom at the door crying because | | | | attention; in fact, too much attention may not be |
| they didn't have time to say good-bye. Other children | | | | their optimum environment. As the teaching staff |
| can work in a group situation or work alone - doesn't | | | | develops the IEP (Individual Educational Program) |
| matter to them. They are so absorbed in the learning | | | | these observations can be discussed and addressed. |
| environment that they'll do well in almost any | | | | Targeted lesson plans can move children to try |
| situation. Then there are other children who find it | | | | different experiences and build confidence. Developing |
| difficult to work in a group situation and prefer to | | | | appropriate incremental goals can add up to a lot of |
| work alone. Some children will naturally lead while | | | | success. |
| others will naturally follow; all contribute in their own | | | | It's not easy failing or succeeding. As a matter of |
| way to the classroom dynamics. | | | | fact, it's a lot of hard, down to earth, work. For kids |
| As educators, we assess each child within 30 days of | | | | it's necessary to get down in the trenches. Consider |
| arriving in our classrooms. We use the results from | | | | the baby learning to sit up. How many times are |
| this assessment like a snapshot of where the child is | | | | those little abs stressed with isometric exercises |
| functioning on a developmental scale today. That's | | | | before he stops failing and succeeds at sitting up? |
| important. Like doctors, we need a baseline to where | | | | Teachers have the daily opportunity to remember to |
| we are today so that we can refer to it tomorrow. | | | | reward learners for trying and failing as well as trying |
| We need to address developmental lags and | | | | and succeeding. It takes guts to try. It takes guts to |
| developmental accelerations quickly for they will | | | | put your ego on the line. And yet learning to |
| impact the activities we offer in the classroom. The | | | | consistently value trying may be one of the student's |
| assessments tell us where we need to begin our | | | | most important school day lessons. As Thomas |
| teaching activities. | | | | Edison said about his search to find the light bulb: |
| But tests don't tell the whole story. What can we do | | | | "Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If |
| to understand each child's learning style, ability, and | | | | I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't |
| personality? Here are a few ways to get that | | | | failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong |
| important information. | | | | attempt discarded is often a step forward... |
| One way is to provide varying opportunities for the | | | | |