There were several objections expressed in scene two of the case-Reality Check. One objection that I can see being used at my school is the one when another teacher stands up and says “I'm sick and tired of this emphasis on the gifted. It just smacks of elitism." Currently our daily schedules and student placement is dictated by our gifted/AC students, which in truth it is really dictated by the teacher. I often hear questions brought up about why there is so much focus on what is best for the gifted students. Why aren’t we reading and discussing how to help the low struggling students? Carol Ann Tomlinson has provided many answers within the articles and interviews we have read and viewed over the course of this endorsement. She reminds us that strategies, teaching approaches, and best practices for gifted student can also be adapted and are beneficial for all …show more content…
I know last year when I had the lower learners I would take the tasks sent out by our gifted teacher and those who have large gifted population and tweak them to make them work and benefit my students. Effective teaching strategies are effective no matter the type of learner. I make it effective by knowing my students. I think concept based learning connects wonderfully with differentiated instruction. We can take the large concepts and integrate them into other content areas. In Chapter 6 of her book, The Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson cautions us against teaching skills in isolation. She says doing so will “strip learning of relevance and power” (Tomlinson, 1999). One way I increase student engagement is by sharing real world examples of I use the given concept or how they can and do use it. When I take that time to make these connections to things they already know, they then feel empowered to learn the concept because they already use the skill. I feel it gives them a step up toward learning difficult ideas and making connects across to