Recently we have been discussing the importance of differentiated instruction and assessment. By recently, I mean we have an entire class devoted to it. And while I find so much of the information very helpful, I also find it very frustrating. I really really want to help every student. If I could I would plan a different lesson for each student, directed specifically at their learner needs, readiness and interests. But let's be honest, I can't do that. I don't have the time, energy or know-how to actually execute it.
This being said, I think I've found a solution that makes my heart satisfied, at least for the time being. Here it is folks: make every kid feel special! I know this doesn't sound surprising, or insightful in anyway. But for me this seems like such an attainable goal. You can't be everything for every student all the time. But what you can do is make sure that every student knows that you care about them. That you want them to succeed and are one their team.
A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with one of my tutoring students right before their final math exam. This particular student is such a bright-eyed exuberant student but struggles a lot with focus and confidence in math. I did notice, however, after working with this student a lot, that - when on task - the student could make math computations really quickly and with little difficulty. From my concept of how mathematics works I would consider this student to have a "math brain." Now guess what I did next? Wait for it...I told them that! I told the student that they were really good at math, that really, they had a math brain.
Am I an expert in all cognitive processes about mathematics? No. Have I done numerous psychological, neurological studies to filter out the characteristics that determine a person's aptness for math? No. Does it matter? I would argue no! In this case it didn't matter whether I was an expert or not. For this student, giving them the gift of confidence was enough for them to a.) complete every required question we were working on b.) complete them much faster than the previous pace c.) get very nearly every one right.
So here's my thought for the evening. Discover the gifts of every one of your students. And then tell them about it. It took me 22 years to finally realize what I'm good at, legitimately gifted at (aside from snarky comments). Why wait that long? Find out what makes your student special and make sure they know about it.