Teachers matter too.
That’s something that it’s all too easy to forget as we respond to increasing pressures to measure this, assess that, introduce another learning area, pay more attention to that social problem, etc etc etc!
One place where those added stresses take their toll is in provision for gifted children. Sometimes it just feels like the last straw when, on top of everything else, we’re asked to plan something different, something extra, for the one and only gifted child in the class. It doesn’t help that most of us have had no real training in working with these children and aren’t too sure which ones genuinely fit the bill – or why they need extra help in the first place.
It can come to a head when we see just what’s expected of us when it comes to “differentiation”. There are various lists out there purporting to show what’s involved in achieving differentiation. They are usually lengthy and complex. Frankly, they’re frightening. Little wonder that many teachers say there just isn’t time to deal with this.
But there is another way to do this – and it’s a way developed right here in New Zealand, for our teachers and our schools. Evolving from years of working with (and listening to) teachers, it’s based around asking just three questions. Just three, that’s all. They are:
1. Why is it important for children to learn about this topic? Why does it matter?
2. What concepts do children need to have or develop if they are to understand this topic in depth?
3. What issues might arise when considering this topic? How can we use this topic to help children explore and build values?
Very briefly, what makes this approach not only much less daunting but also both highly effective and genuinely different is that it asks teachers, not just to focus on what they want the children to learn, but to start by critically examining their own thinking about the topic in question. When this happens, very interesting shifts in perspective and depth of thought tend to take place, valuably including a closer alignment with the way gifted children think, and generating for teachers themselves a sense of freshness and heightened interest. The material generated can fit into various planning styles, but one very user-friendly plan is also demonstrated.
This approach is explained step by step in the book Differentiation Made Practical, published by Essential Resources, along with a host of developed plans. Meanwhile, to give you some idea of how it works in practice with surely a very unexpected topic, see the following example on the bottom of this page.
A unit on Walls
[1] Why is it important for children to learn about this topic? Why does it matter?
Walls appear simple but actually represent a considerable technological achievement.
Learning about their structure introduces children to some basic principles in physics.
Walls have a symbolic significance in our language and culture. Learning about walls can help children to understand these symbolic references more fully.
It may also help children to become more aware of how we use symbolism in our language.
Some walls have had great historical significance. Knowing about these is part of our human cultural heritage.
Walls have a great diversity of functions, more than almost any other single physical structure we build.
Learning about walls is an example of looking more deeply and carefully at things in our lives which we normally take for granted. It can help us to become more aware of the value of doing this.
[2] What concepts do children need to have or to develop if they are to understand this topic in depth?
The concept of a wall
Structure and construction
Foundations
The concept of historical significance
Symbolism
Privacy
Barriers
[3] What issues might arise when considering this topic? How can we use this topic to help children explore and build values?
To what extent are we entitled to the privacy walls can create?
How we decide when walls are necessary or advantageous in a building.
Should we have graffiti walls in public places?
Dealing with invisible walls – emotional or social barriers.
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Teacher notes for following Mind-Opening Query – uses of a wall: suggestions: walls can:
Define a space
Support roofs
Give privacy
Create barriers
Play a significant part in the internal or external décor of a building
Provide for the display of works of art
Act as storage places
Contribute to the insulation of a building Conceal items such as electrical wiring Mark property boundaries
Serve as memorials of important events Create a sense of security
Be part of a defence system
Signify power, prestige, wealth
Offer challenges to surmount, e.g. in climbing.
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Mind-opening query
Walls support roofs. Is that all they do? Can you think of any other uses for a wall?
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Establishing our data
Walls are often built of bricks. Why are bricks laid so that the joins alternate from row to row? Why don’t bricklayers just build them straight on top of one another?
Why do walls have foundations? Do all walls need them? Does your local council have any building regulations about foundations?
What is a “load-bearing” wall? Why is it important? Do all buildings have them?
Walls have sometimes played an important part in historical events. Choose one of the following. What can you find out about this wall and its history?
[a] Hadrian’s Wall [b] The Walls of Troy [c] The Berlin Wall [d] The Great Wall of China
[e] The Kremlin Wall [f] The Wailing Wall [g] Tzompantli [h] Wall Street.
Why do people in some parts of the Pacific build some houses without walls?
In what circumstances might a young woman be called a “wallflower”?
What is the “Wall of Sound”?
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Exploring our ideas
How many sports can you think of which use walls as part of their “equipment”? Make a chart, diagram or montage to show your findings.
What living creatures might make their home inside a garden wall? Create an Advent Calendar-style picture to show a garden wall and its inhabitants.
Optional: Make a rubbing of a garden wall to act as the “front” for your picture.
Walls can tell us about their owner’s interests. If a stranger came into your bedroom and looked at your bedroom walls, what could they learn about you? Make a bullet-point list of what they might conclude. Optional: Re-plan or re-organise what’s on your walls to tell a new story about you.
Some towns have decided to have an official “graffiti wall”. Write a set of guidelines for people who want to use the graffiti wall.
Write a short story OR create a cartoon or cartoon strip which illustrates or uses one (or more) of the following sayings:
Walls have ears!
He drove me up the wall.
I’d like to be a fly on the wall…… It’s like nailing jelly to a wall. The writing is on the wall.
Either on your own or with others design a mural for your school which illustrates important things about the school, now and/or in the past. Optional: Discuss with your principal the possibility of painting your design onto an actual school wall.
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Examining our thinking
Does an igloo have walls and a roof, or just walls, or just a roof?
What if my neighbour wants a wall between his house and mine, and I don’t? Who has the greatest right here? How could this be resolved?
Should we have walls between classrooms? Would one big open space be better? What would the advantages and disadvantages of each arrangement be?
Are graffiti walls really a good solution to the graffiti problem, or just giving in to people who want to create graffiti?
Have you ever met a “wall of silence” when someone won’t speak to you? Why might someone act like this? How can we deal with such situations?