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Alyssa Wadsworth: Abstract and synthesis
Chapter one of //Fair Isn’t Always Equal// presents to the readers the idea that differentiated instruction is fair, but fair does not always mean equal. One example given is glasses; it is not fair to ask a student to take off their glasses to read something in order to make it equal (page five). From this chapter, including the previous example, the reader can draw the conclusion that the “one size fits all” method of teaching does not actually help many students in the classroom. Differentiated instruction, surprisingly, can include simple things such as seating arrangement, giving extensions on work, or rephrasing an example. Some people gleaned from the chapter that, “it is not always important how the goal is achieved so long as every student reaches the goal.” Sometimes the goal is reaching a standard, and many teachers can miss the mark because not all of their students could learn from their undifferentiated instruction. One important thing that differentiated instruction can do is bring success to the students. If differentiated instruction can bring success to students, that means the teacher has succeeded in their own task of helping the students learn lessons in a fair manner. We can all use the “one size fits all” method of teaching but, after reading this chapter, it does not feel like we would really be doing our jobs if we did not differentiate in our classrooms, including lessons, assessments, activities, et cetera.

Charli Sayward
Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set This chapter defines differentiated instruction as not always being equal, but rather fair to each individual student. I learned that it’s not fair to students if teachers teach everyone in the exact same way. Teachers should be aware of individual needs and change instruction to meet the needs of everyone. Differentiation can be as subtle as rephrasing a question or extending a deadline. It is something that happens every day, so teachers shouldn’t try to avoid it in their classrooms; they should embrace it. Reflecting back on my high school teachers, I was able to think of ways my teachers differentiated for me. I don’t consider myself to have needed special attention, but my teachers would always answer any questions I had and even stay after class to help me one-on-one if I needed it. The way this chapter puts it, differentiation shouldn’t be hard to incorporate in my classroom. The hardest part about it is deciding which ways of differentiating are best for the students.

Kassaundra
Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition Chapter 1 gives an overview and examples of differentiated instruction. I did not realize that things such as how the classroom is set up, where the students are seated, rephrasing examples or giving extensions were considered part of differentiated instruction. This gives me a clearer picture in my head of what differentiation looks like in a classroom. Also, differentiated instruction does not equal individualized instruction. I feel a lot better knowing this because I was afraid I would be spending all my time focusing on how to cater my lessons to every single student in my class. I wasn’t sure how I would pull it off but knowing that I do not have to do that specifically makes me more excited to implement differentiated instruction. Furthermore, students who have differentiated instruction understand how they learn and function and it gives them an appropriate challenge. This can make students more cooperative and in fact help me with my fear of classroom management. It was great to hear that differentiated instruction often makes teachers feel less burdened. This is very good for my students because the more burden and pressure I feel the more I become upset and angry and that is not beneficial for either of us. Hopefully, it will help me to see more success and be happier with my job as a teacher.

Matt Towle
The first chapter in Fair Isn't Always Equal focused on how differentiated teaching really affects students. Students in differentiated classrooms learn more because they are provided with the tools necessary to achieve certain goals. I learned that differentiation is about being fair. Not all students need the same aids to help them with their work. This will impact me in my classroom because I will need to learn to know when to provide students with help and when to leave them to work on their own. Just like the Understanding by Design book discussed, it is not always important how the goal is achieved so long as every student reaches the goal.

Alyssa Wadsworth
In this chapter, differentiated teaching was discussed and defended vehemently. I learned that being equal in the classroom is not as important as it is to be fair in the classroom. An example given to support this idea was taking away a student’s glasses and asking them to read the same thing as a student who does not need glasses. Technically this would be equal, but it is not fair. I also learned that differentiated instruction does not make learning easier for students, only that it creates appropriate challenges for each student in a way formatted to fit their needs. This impacts me as a teacher because I will be able to provide my students with fair assessments and ways of achieving goals. I can do small things, like offering alternatives to examples I gave the rest of the class so they can understand the reference easier, or setting aside time after class or school to give one-on-one help to any students who need it. This will affect my students because they will receive the help they need, and achieve the same goals as the rest of the class, while learning in a style suited to them specifically. My students will not have to worry about conforming to the “one size fits all” method of teaching.

Bri Douglass
In this first chapter it introduces the reader to the idea of what differentiated instruction is. They give an example about two children sitting in the back of the room one of which was nearsighted and needed to where eyeglasses in order to see the board. By taking away these eyeglasses, the book describes, is not making it harder for the student but rather easier because he or she now has an excuse as to why he or she doesn’t understand the material being taught up on the board. When they were first describing this scenario I believed that obviously the teacher was making it harder for the student by taking away his or her glasses. I learned that it was quite the opposite. It is more demanding if the student has glasses and is required to learn the material, without an excuse. This example impacted me because I really didn’t understand the first time I read it but by going over it again and again I came to realize that it is necessary for teachers to provide support so that all students have equal opportunities at success. As a future teacher I need to be able to differentiate lessons, projects, tests and other aspects in order to be equal to all students. This example, to me, also discusses the need to differentiate but also learn the material.

Darcie Simmons
In this first chapter of FIAE I enjoyed how the book actually defined differentiated instruction. I learned from getting the definition that not only is it doing what is fair for every student; it is a collection of the best ways to teach to maximize the students learning. I also learned that while it sounds like differentiated instruction is a crutch for the students, it really isn’t. Differentiated instruction just provides students with “the appropriate challenge that enables students to thrive” (p.4). Differentiated in the classroom helped me a lot in high school. Luckily for me I had a teacher who understood that I was more of an auditory learner, and instead of having my math test and quiz grade based on the written portion, she would let me come in during my free time and go over the problems I struggled with, and give me a grade for talking them out with her. When I’m in the classroom, I will also provide this type of service to the students as well. If I know that a certain student learns in a certain way, and their grades will improve because of it, I will most definitely offer them that help.

**Jenn Baum**
Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition This chapter of Fair Isn’t Always Equal introduced the basic concepts and uses for differentiated instruction. I learned that differentiated instruction does not necessarily mean changing each lesson to individual students, but rather making sure that you teach in a way that is fair to all students of all different learning styles and backgrounds. I can understand why some people may view this teaching style as a way of enabling students by making learning ‘easier,’ however I do not agree with this notion after reading the chapter. Until now I did not realize all of the different ways that I had been exposed to differentiated instruction by having a teacher adjust an assignment, by giving a small extension, rewording questions, or by letting me redo a project. Now that I see differentiated instruction in this context, I realize how important it is and should be in classrooms. By assuming that every single student can fit into a concrete lecture-like lesson, one would surely exclude some learners, preventing him or her from having a fair opportunity to succeed. I want my classroom to be fair to all of my students, so incorporating differentiated instruction into my lessons would aid in leveling out the playing field and would help give me more opportunities to reach as many learners as I possibly can.

Kelly Steinhagen
This reading clarified the difference between being fair and being equal as a teacher in a differentiated classroom. Also, the book explained how differentiated instruction is meant to be used as needed and not as the base of a class. Even so, students will need a constant use of differentiated instruction from K-12 so that they understand how they learn best which will eventually benefit them in college. I feel more confident in my knowledge of differentiated instruction because there were clear descriptions of what it constitutes: helping students succeed by utilizing how they learn best. I also now know ways to include specific aids that will help individual students organize their thoughts while still offering this aid as an option for all students. Hopefully, students in my classroom will have a good enough grasp of how they learn that they can advocate for themselves what will work best. If not, I will be able to attempt alternative ways to help that individual student figure out how they learn.

Ryan Pelletier
Differentiated classrooms are a great a way to effectively educate your students. I feel that allowing students to utilize the tools that help them perform better, allows them to focus on the big idea. This may seem biased to your students when you let one student do their project one way, but if you apply this method correctly the other students should not even notice. You want all your students to think bigger and be challenged. No matter what the level of the students is in the class, I will always try finding the best method to help them excel. I am not giving them tools so that they do not get challenged. I am trying to give them different methods to solving a problem. In life, when they are challenged, hopefully they will be able to use an abundance of resources to help them over come any obstacle.

Taylor Kemp
From this chapter, I learned that differentiation is everywhere in life. Places that I did not even expect it to be it is. It makes sense that it happens all the time, but I simply overlook it so often, I only think about it in the classroom. Also I learned that giving students special advantages, is not really giving them special advantages. If the student does not understand originally, then its not really an advantage to help them. The way that this will impact me is that I will start to take notice of all that is really happening. How this will impact my classroom is that I will make sure to give the students that fair chance with everything that is happening. Its not giving them a one up from the other students, but rather putting them on the same level as the others.

Megan Wallace
I learned that a lot of the little things that teachers do would be considered differentiated teaching. I had thought of differentiated as the bigger things that teachers did when they deliberately tried to make sure they taught differentially. Extending a deadline or making sure a student has their question answered completely aren’t hard things to do. I believe that teaching differentially makes one a good teacher and I really want to be a good teacher. Making sure that every student is engaged and giving them choices about how to complete a project are things that I can easily do in my own classroom.

Justin Stewart
Differentiation is in everyday life including going to the grocery store. Without differentiation in the classroom, we would probably never be able to learn all of the skills that are necessary to graduate. Differentiation is important because, differentiation can be a deal breaker in students’ success. Being the one who can create success in a student or ruining his/her academic career is an important and sometimes scary prospect. Students will see as many different ways to learn and succeed as I can find in my career. Having the necessary skills to join a college classroom and understand the different ways of learning will hopefully be something that I will be able to provide for my students.

Lyzz Stevenson
**Chapter 1**: Differentiated Instruction is a way of teaching by bringing struggling up to par with the rest of the class. This is done by providing support through scaffolding. Students who are at a slower learning level are given the tools necessary to learn at the same level as the average student. This is valuable information as a teacher. Instead of lowering the level of learning for everybody, struggling students can learn at the necessary level for success. This is important so as to build better students. Students who learn with this style will become more successful as they will be more willing to take risks.

Erin
In Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mindset, the author describes how teachers differentiate in their classes. This impacted how I viewed differentiation. He gave examples such as "rephrased a question; extended an deadline; provided a few extra examples in order to help [students] understand something..." (p. 1). When I thought of differentiation, I thought of incorporating different peoples' backgrounds into the classroom or being aware of the different cultures of the students' in the classroom. I will take what I have learned in this chapter into affect in my classroom. I generally understood that I need to prepare for everything from this chapter. I will provide extra help to students who express that they need it. I understand that by helping some students who really need assistance and not helping others who understand that material is not a form of a punishment.

Linda McLaughlin
//Chapter One: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition// This chapter helped further define and clarify what differentiated instruction is and what it means to use it in the classroom. Reading this chapter helped put differentiated instruction in a different perspective, and made me understand that this kind of instruction isn’t necessarily making work “easier” for the students, but rather, teaching in such a way that every person can learn fairly and successfully. “Differentiated instruction does //not// mean we make learning easier for students. Instead, it provides the appropriate challenge that enables students to thrive.” (p. 4). I didn’t realize how many different ways differentiated instruction existed in the world until I read this chapter. I’ve been exposed to it my entire life. This impacted me because it showed me that there are so many ways that I can use differentiated instruction. It made me realize that I share the responsibility of my students’ success. It is going to impact my classroom because I’m going to hold the students accountable as well for their own learning, and I’m going to do the best I can to successfully implement differentiated instruction because it will help provide focus and engagement.

Kaitlyn Haase
Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition Chapter 1 really brought the true essence of differentiated instruction into perspective for me. My “ahh-hah” moment happened while reading the example about taking a student’s glasses away in order to make things “fair” for the other student who did not have glasses. By taking the glasses away, the nearsighted student was unable to read the writing on the board that was on the other side of the classroom. This example clearly shows how some students may need support and assistance that other students may not need in order to learn. This will impact me as a teacher because I will need to implement differentiated instruction and not concentrate so hard on making things “fair” for everyone.

Olivia
In chapter one of Fair Isn’t Always Equal, differentiated instruction in the classroom was described. It was said how important differentiated instruction is to use for your students’ sakes. When I become a teacher, I will be aware of the fact that my students do not need equal learning, but fair learning. One of the methods to helping my students in the classroom was the rearranging of the desks. I remember that my high school and middle school teachers used to change up the seating and it was an interesting way to see the classroom from a new point of view. Other examples of differentiated instruction that I have had good experiences with are extensions on assignments. As a learner, I like to have more than enough time to really grasp what it is I am supposed to be learning. I also remember the teachers who would allow me to redo an assignment where I had missed the point. I plan to use these in my future classroom, because I know how important it can be to get this type of understanding from an instructor or teacher.