#5thchat is for people interested in chatting about topics in education, especially as they relate to Grade 5. The goal is to connect people who enjoy learning & sharing, plus supporting & creating partnerships worldwide!
Welcome to #5thchat! Tonight we'll be talking about "Discovering your students' strengths & weaknesses to provide RtI & differentiation."
Please introduce yourself to the group so we know who's participating tonight!
Hello #5thchat! My name is Tika, and I am currently a 2nd grade teacher in Las Vegas, but I taught 5th grade for 7 years and ❤️d it. I am excited to learn
Welcome to #5thchat! Tonight we'll be talking about "Discovering your students' strengths & weaknesses to provide RtI & differentiation."
Please introduce yourself to the group so we know who's participating tonight!
FIRST TIME HERE!
Hello, this is Dr. Rachel Turney (assistant professor of education) at William Woods University in Fulton, MO! I teach literacy courses and classroom management for our teacher ed program. #5thchat
A1 All students are different, there are really no two alike The more we try to meet the needs the better connection we make with them, and the more academically relevant they feel in our learning space. #5thchat
A1: Easy. Because if we do not meet their needs then we can not help them. If we do not teach to the whole child we are failing them. Every student is different and we need to treat every student as a unique learner like they are. #5thchat
A1 Every learner is different and one size does not fit all. We must work to meet the needs of every learner if we want every learner to grow. #5thChat
A1 - Differentiation is important because not everyone needs the same things. We can't always teach to the middle. Some kids need a challenge, while some need reinforcement or reteaching. RtI and Differentiation allows teachers to meet everyone's needs. #5thchat
A1: everyone is different and teaching every student the same way just isn't going to help the students be successful. We need to meet the students where they are and honor who they are and how they learn. #5thchat
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A1: Equity is meeting the needs of each student as an individual and TREATING our students as individuals. When we work with human beings we are in a min. by min. changing field. It is our job to be prepared.
A1 it is important to meet the needs of each of our Ss. #equity vs #equality. Our Ss have so much going on in their lives. I am so lucky to have an amazing team to ensure each our Ss needs are met. #5thchat
A1 every student brings a different cultural background into the class and because a person's culture is so complex a simple umbrella method of education will not work the only thing that will work is an individualized model #5thchat
QUESTION 2: In what areas do you feel differentiation or RtI would be most beneficial for your students? Which areas seem less important? WHY? #5thchat
A2: Many believe that differentiation is just giving a different assignment to a student. Not true. I think real differentiation for me needs to be in bedded in my instruction more deliberately. I try but I can do more. #5thchat
A2: I think RTI is more important in reading and math because there are so many basic skills there that are needed for other areas. I'd love to see students getting anything they need for RTI but time is always a factor #5thchat
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A2: I teaching reading education to preservice teachers so I am bias, but I do feel that reading and language acquisition is a really unique process for each student and as such we need to differentiate in this area.
We need to learn and apply the skills to do this!
QUESTION 2: In what areas do you feel differentiation or RtI would be most beneficial for your students? Which areas seem less important? WHY? #5thchat
A2 - I tend to focus my reteaching & reinforcement in math & reading. I give personalized instruction in writing. And I like to provide lots of opportunities for students to be creative (with varied expectations) in science & social studies. But ultimately, all subjects. #5thchat
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A2: I teaching reading education to preservice teachers so I am bias, but reading and language acquisition are really unique processes for each student and as such we need to differentiate in these areas.
A1: I believe it’s important because every child has a different upbringing and meeting specific needs shows that you actually care about each student as an individual #5thchat
Sliding in a little late from MO. A1: Differentiation is showing our students how much we value each of them as individuals and addressing their needs in the way that helps them be the best they can possibly be. #5thchat
RTI does take time, but time that must be given. Many Ss need a tier 1 in the classroom to clear up any misconceptions or small errors in learning. #5thchat
QUESTION 3: In what areas are you (or your colleagues) currently providing RtI instruction or explicit differentiation? Can you share what this looks like at your school or in your classroom? #5thchat
A1: Way back in '88, my Algebra T, Mrs. Stauffer, used to let me test in the hallway. I had massive math anxiety. 🤣 The woman was ahead of her time! People thought she was insane to allow me to do that. We all need a Mrs. S! We need someone to allow us to be our best. #5thchat
A3 Our team will put Ss through the RtI process to help determine the best path of support for that student That can look like a pull out study skills class where Ss can get 1:1 attention #5thChat
A2: I think we must start with the basics in reading and math as those things are the foundations for all the rest. When those areas are solid, we can build on them so our students will find success in other areas. The workshop approach helps reach all students. #5thchat
Hi, parent peeking in! This is interesting... we do bring kids with very different life experiences into a relatively monochromatic educational environment, don't we? Grateful for leaders like all of you. #5thChat
#5thchat These are really hard questions!
A3: I teach college students, but the need to differentiate is the same as any classroom. It's always important to meet students where they are each day and build them up. That doesn't change from K to Grad School!
A3 - I teach a math re-teach/pre-teach group each day for 30 minutes. I don't have any students who need data collection at the moment, so it's more based on classroom instruction than basic skills. My colleagues trade kids based on needs & teach different groups. #5thchat
A3 Today in math, Ss really struggled with a math story problem. I pulled them in groups of three to reteach and practice again. I believe immediate tier 1, if possible, makes a huge difference. #5thchat
A3 - I have divided my students into 4 word study groups based on pre-assessments. I meet with each group once per week to teach the Words their Way lesson and they all practice on @SpellingCity at the end of the week. #5thchat
A2: Honestly, I think differentiation can be most valuable in the area of assessment. Even though I see better and more efficient use of differentiation in instruction, Ss need more opportunities to show what they know. Often, we overlook multiple intelligences! #5thchat
A3 We call our intervention/acceleration time the WIN (What I Need). It is 30 min. I also tutor math and reading for an hour after school 2 days (for each subject) a week. #5thchat
QUESTION 3: In what areas are you (or your colleagues) currently providing RtI instruction or explicit differentiation? Can you share what this looks like at your school or in your classroom? #5thchat
A3: We have RTI staff who push in/pull out for reading and math but many teachers also do interventions or simply work one on one with students in any area, anytime they can. My district is moving in the personalized learning direction and I see more opportunities there #5thchat
QUESTION 4: What are some ways you provide students with reinforcement, enrichment, acceleration, or other forms of RtI or differentiation? How do you specifically meet the needs of your students to ensure their understanding & success? Any advice for us? #5thchat
A3: I have a wide variety of learners with various reading levels in my classroom so this must be intentionally crafted every day. The time it takes is quite a lot I will admit but it is necessary. I am very lucky to have colleagues that are supportive and helpful. #5thchat
QUESTION 3: In what areas are you (or your colleagues) currently providing RtI instruction or explicit differentiation? Can you share what this looks like at your school or in your classroom? #5thchat
A4 Starts w/communication Talking to Ss to hear what they need you to do is a strong way to reinforce & enrich The more Ts listen, the more differentiation Ts can provide #5thChat
A4 - I use @IXLLearning to have my students focus in on specific skills that they need to work on in math and reading for reinforcement, reteaching and enrichment. I also have critical thinking puzzles & activities that look more traditional (packets) like logic puzzles. #5thchat
A4 Once students have mastered a skill they become "Ask Me" experts. I have special "Ask Me" signs that go on their desks. If I am busy with a group, a Ss needing help can go to an expert. The "Ask Me" experts are always changing. #5thchat
A4 I use @Newsela when I teach informational standards to differentiate without taking away content. I differentiate in math using parallel tasks. #5thchat
QUESTION 4: What are some ways you provide students with reinforcement, enrichment, acceleration, or other forms of RtI or differentiation? How do you specifically meet the needs of your students to ensure their understanding & success? Any advice for us? #5thchat
A4: #5thchat I provide a detailed unit plan to all of my learners. Every day has a rough layout that allows for differentiation when needed. In addition, this allows for remediation or enrichment while keeping the class relatively on the same pace. Not perfect but it works well.
QUESTION 4: What are some ways you provide students with reinforcement, enrichment, acceleration, or other forms of RtI or differentiation? How do you specifically meet the needs of your students to ensure their understanding & success? Any advice for us? #5thchat
A4 - In order for me to ensure that my students are "getting it" I often need to repeat lessons over & over, getting students to practice over & over, day after day, in various ways. Permanent learning can be tough for some kiddos - I need to be creative & persistent! #5thchat
QUESTION 5: How do you ASSESS your students in MATH in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills or concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Any tips for MATH specifically? #5thchat
QUESTION 5: How do you ASSESS your students in MATH in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills or concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Tips on how you INSTRUCT them? #5thchat
A4: My teaching position is unique, because I only have kiddos who are qualified as gifted and talented. However, they aren't always qualified in my content area, which can present a challenge. I have to ensure my learning opportunities and assessments are all nonlinear. #5thchat
A4: meeting 1-1, small groups, discussions, I actually try to take notes on every student every day on their understanding-shorthand anyway, students showing of 1-4 after a mini-lesson helps me know who to meet with right away and then I have planned meetings as well #5thchat
A5 - I use exit slips, have my students check in multiple times each class period, use observational assessment, formal assessments, IXL, MAP test data, etc. I stress math fact fluency and some basic memorization of fraction/decimal/percent conversions, etc. #5thchat
A5 We focus on our essentials skills. I use sticky notes, index cards, resource notebooks, exit slips, @quizziz1 , etc to gather formative data. Never forget student conversations as a valuable source of data! #5thchat
A5 We use data from several assessments and tools in order to determine the need to progress monitoring. We differentiate when quick checks and formative assessments show Ss are not getting it yet. #5thchat
QUESTION 5: How do you ASSESS your students in MATH in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills or concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Any tips for MATH specifically? #5thchat
A3: We do RTI for reading in the areas of fluency and comprehension and for math computation. I am a firm believer in strong Tier 1 instruction, knowing your students, and working with them right when you see the need is much more beneficial than strict RTI procedures. #5thchat
QUESTION 6: How do you ASSESS your students in READING in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills/concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Tips for READING specifically? #5thchat
A4: Enrichment comes easily when students are given voice and choice! I love to challenge kids and see them learn to struggle. The success is so much sweeter that way! Showing all kids different ways to learn HOW to do things offers that choice. #5thchat
A6 - In addition to daily reading lessons, I have my students create video discussions with their reading partner(s) as they read novels during our version of Lit Circles. I watch those videos to determine needs in the classroom that aren't discovered on assessments. #5thchat
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A6: At the college level I focus on writing. I ask students to create WordPress blogs, Twitter accounts, and go through the writing process as often as possible. This is, of course, applicable at the K-Grad level with some adjustments.
A5: We use AIMS web data to place students into RTI groups for math. Students who don't qualify for RTI will still get help from their teacher, but won't necessarily be progress monitored. #5thchat
A6 We use MAP, Core Phonics,and DRA scores for RtI. We differentiate when our Ss quick checks and formative assessments show Ss are not getting the concept yet. #5thchat
QUESTION 6: How do you ASSESS your students in READING in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills/concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Tips for READING specifically? #5thchat
A6: In reading, we use AIMS Web data for RTI, but also use IStation, DRA, and classroom work and observation for differentiation in class. One on one conferencing with students helps me truly get to know the needs of my students. #5thchat
QUESTION 7: How do you ASSESS your students in WRITING in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills / concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Do you use any particular web tools, books or strategies? Tips for WRITING specifically? #5thchat
A6: Although I don't teach "reading" anymore as a subject, I like to use short exit slips with just a few questions or google forms to assess I also keep track of how students do for each skill so I can keep going back with them when needed or keep them there for a bit #5thchat
A7 - Each writing period, I sit with half of my students around me & I read their writing & give specific feedback to each student as they are writing. This is completely personalized to their needs based on writing rules & craft. No formal assessments, just feedback! #5thchat
A7 I always have kids do a pre-writing activity and use a rubric that guides my groups. This is one of the toughest areas for me to provide RTI and differentiation. #5thchat
A7: of all the subjects, writing assessment is hardest to systematize. I like to just focus on a couple aspects with each piece (word choice and transitions e.g.) then as a class create rubrics for those aspects. #5thchat
QUESTION 8: How do you ASSESS your students in SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES & ANY OTHER SUBJECTS in order to differentiate or create RtI groups? How do you determine which skills / concepts need to be reinforced or enriched? Any particular web tools, books or strategies? #5thchat
A8: for science I assess to make sure their explanationshave a clear claim, evidence, and reasoning. I use that to determine differentiation. If claim weak, probably need conceptual remediation. If evidence weak, remediate data analysis. If reasoning, then sci content #5thchat
QUESTION 9: What else can you share with the group about how you provide RtI or differentiation for your students? Any advice? Any additional resources? Did you learn anything new during tonight's chat that you mind sharing? #5thchat
A8: I admit that these areas are where I can do a better job of reteaching, reinforcing & enriching. I could spend more time assessing science & social studies than I currently do. I prefer to allow students time to revise work on their ePortfolios to show understanding. #5thchat
#5thchat I believe it is important to share we create common formative and summative assessments and then discuss the data to determine next steps to meet the needs of each student. #PLCs
A9: I’ve always been a fan of the construct that you can differentiatefor content, process, or product. I find I can usually address RTI needs by altering one of those three parts of my lesson #5thchat
A8: I can't say enough how important listening to student reflections on learning is, when I hear them or read what they write after they've had time to reflect it's like finding the key to unlock what they need..usually :-) #5thchat
#9 The quicker you can provide tier 1 support, the quicker your Ss can correct their mistakes and move forward. Take the time to make sure this happens as much as possible. GREAT CHAT tonight!! #5thchat
Thanks to everyone who participated in this evening's #5thchat!
Please join us next week (1/15) as @JuliaGalvanSTEM moderates: "Personalized Learning" (a natural extension of this evening's chat topic)!
If you are willing to moderate an upcoming chat, please let me know! Thx!
A9 - I have expanded my RtI time to an hour each day (rather than 30 minutes) in order to meet more needs & provide personalized learning (Passion Time) & other independent activities that don't require my support. I create a schedule each week for each student... #5thchat
A9 I am firm believer that strong Tier1 instruction is the most important part of Equity. Sometimes our Ss need extra time and different strategies to make progress. #5thchat
QUESTION 9: What else can you share with the group about how you provide RtI or differentiation for your students? Any advice? Any additional resources? Did you learn anything new during tonight's chat that you mind sharing? #5thchat
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A9: It is important to have baseline data for all students and spend time individually when them in the first few weeks of schools...do what it takes to make it happen!
A9 - I have expanded my RtI time to an hour each day (rather than 30 minutes) in order to meet more needs & provide personalized learning (Passion Time) & other independent activities that don't require my support. I create a schedule each week for each student... #5thchat
