Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 4: Designing Instruction to Improve Teaching and Learning

This chapter on designing instruction to improve teaching a learning first mentions the backward design model that we have all become so familiar with. Learning should start with what exactly you want students to gain from what you are learning and go from there. Instruction needs to coincide with other aspects of teaching like the curriculum and assessment. The chapter discusses tracking, which is now being put on the back burner. Instruction can take place without tracking students and grouping them into categories, it can take place by making little tweaks here in there in the instruction for every individual student. As teachers we are not taught to teach to one specific category of kids, we need to reach out to all students. The chapter mentions differentiated instruction, which can be really effective when carried out properly by both teachers and students. Also technology is a form of instruction in todays world and we have to learn to adapt to it and use it in our classrooms.

This chapter was more of a refresher than anything. There are so many different aspects of teaching, but they all become intermingled in order to create a well balanced and organized learning experience for all students. I believe that instruction is the biggest aspect of teaching that needs to be tailored to each individual student because is the part in teaching where you have the most freedom. This is where teachers get the chance to tailor their teaching to get through to all students. I think it is so important to create instruction for students that everyone can understand. I do not believe in tracking, I think it labels students and causes more problems than answers. If all teachers can create instruction to reach individual students then there is no need for tracking. Every student is going to be different whether they are gifted in a subject or have some sort of learning disability. Every one learns differently because everyone is different and that is the biggest thing to remember when providing instruction.