EDLD+5368+pt+3

I am in a different situation. I plan for the differentiation for my class of all gifted/talented students. It is a unique class aimed at servicing their needs beyond the normal curriculum. “Backward design is goal directed. We aim for specific results and design backward from them accordingly.” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) This is how/what I teach after the students have grasped the basics and are ready for the differentiated curriculum. Sometimes the curriculum or content is able to be taught with just differentiation for my students. With teaching all gifted/talented students, differentiaition is the most important part of what I do. First I decide how I am going to differentiate, and then I begin looking at how we are going to get there. You could say that I plan the end and then move back to see how we can get there combining the TEKS to compact the material. Being able to compact a lot of our fourth grade curriculum allows the students to focus more on the higher order thinking skills through differentiation.

I have always planned with the outcome in mind. I really only know how to focus and deliver with implementing the backward plan. I don’t think I would know what to do if someone gave me a book to teach from and ask me to follow it. I am very fortunate to work in a district that allows us to use any resources we want to achieve content mastery and application to ensure comprehension.

The pros are the outcome of successful teaching and learning that can be transferred to practicing the concepts rather than trying to focus on the lessons. It is more practical and easy to do. The only cons would be for a first year teacher trying to implement this when they don't really know what they are doing. It is overwhelming when you have data, TEKS, and curriculum handed to you. It is hard for a first year teacher to deviate away from the texts.

Wiggins, G, & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design [Expanded Second Edition]. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/lamar/Doc?id=10081770.