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Class 1: The Starting Line

"Even though students may learn in many ways, the essential skills and content then learn can remain steady. That is, students can make different roads to the same destination." (Tomlinson, 1999, p.12-16)

First, we should ask ourselves what characteristics distinguish an effective teacher. An effective teacher must identify what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of their learning. The teacher must be able to guide students so as to maximize their learning. Not only must the teacher be knowledgeable about the content/subject he or she teaches, he or she must also have managerial skills, a repertoire of instructional strategies, and a solid understanding of students' learning characteristics and styles. All of these should be grounded on a strong belief that all students can learn.

Think back to when you were in school and recall a class in which you learned a great deal. What specific conditions were in place to enable and support this learning? Now, think about the most effective teacher you ever had. What characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes made this teacher effective?

Here are examples of what individuals think within Montgomery County: Dr. Weast, a student, and a teacher.

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Having thought about what makes an effective teacher, think about your teaching style. What are your strengths as an effective teacher and how do these strengths relate to the challenges you face daily when teaching in a classroom? The challenges we face such as diversity of cultures, learning styles, experiences, and abilities open a clear reason for creating a differentiated classroom. We need to provide instruction that is qualitatively not quantitatively, differentiated in order to reach more students. We need to be pro-active in the planning stage of instruction to take into account student differences. We need to provide multiple approaches to content, process, and product. A blend of whole-class, group, and independent learning needs to take place. The instruction needs to be continually adjusted to meet the goals of matching the learner to learning. All of this requires careful planning, management skills, and knowledge of the content and your students.

As you read the reading assignments, keep in mind the class in which you learned a great deal and the characteristics of your most effective teacher. We suggest that you use a capture sheet, which works much like writing in a journal, as a note-taking tool for recording important strategies, ideas, and insights.