UBD/DI Chapter 5

    What I found most interesting and important in this chapter is how teachers have to create assessments that both fit the various learning styles of their students in the classroom and also make the assessments effective. The various assessments due seem to serve a purpose but what I found most important was that the assessments really need to show a "purpose." Students hate when they have to just take tests just because they haven't had one in awhile or because it's required to give tests. It seems like these assessments really need to emphasize how they correlate with the material that the students just learned or are learning. How does the teacher use this particular assessment to help all the students in the class as well as address all the material? I thought this was an interesting task because it all relates back to Differentiated Instruction and giving students choices on how they are going to illustrate their understanding of the material.

   I really do believe my in field experience has given me a better understanding of what differentiated instruction is, as well as how effectively it can work for students. Reading the book and learning about this, I think I would have had a completely different view point such as "students should all do things the same way because it's how it's always been and it's worked and students need to stop complaining about not wanting to do typical work rather than all the assignments being fun." However, now though I still have that view point I do see how choice helps the students and motivates them to want to do better on the assignment and that is really important to get an accurate picture of how well the student knows the content of the material taught.