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| Fairness. Retrieved from: http://hellpmrssykes. blogspot.ca/2013/08/when-you-talk-to-your- childs-teacher.html |
Over the past couple months I have enjoyed
reading everyone’s blogs and their unique reflections on what we have all been
learning in school. One common topic that has come up repeatedly is the idea of
differentiated instruction. I think it is extremely important to use this type
of instruction in order to give students the opportunity to use their personal
strengths to drive their learning. Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) explain in
order to ensure fairness in the classroom, teachers must provide appropriate
opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate their learning. This often
has an influence on the type of assessments teachers provide for their students.
Instead of always giving standardized assessments, teachers understand that
students have different ways of showing their knowledge and are providing
different types of assessments in order to help their students be successful
(Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014).
Fairness should not only be
considered when teachers design their assessments but in everything they do
with their students. I have worked with many teachers over the past couple
years who value fairness over equality and I have witnessed the positive effect
it has on students. Although many
teachers use fair teaching methods in their classroom, the students are not
aware that the teacher is doing so. However, after a unique experience
volunteering in a classroom, I think it is important to teach students the
importance of fairness, and how it does not always mean equality.
Over this past reading week I
spent some time in a grade 5/6 classroom. This was my first time volunteering
with this particular school so I did not know what to expect when I arrived that
morning. Before the morning bell rang I got a chance to speak to the teacher
who briefly explained her daily routines and gave me an idea of what to expect
from her students. She explained that in her class of 22, 12 of her students
had an IEP and most of them were achieving at a grade 3 level in school. Even
the students who didn't have an IEP were significantly behind. She explained
that this is a very difficult group of students to teach because they all have
such diverse needs that she needs to cater to. However, she has done her best
to adapt her teaching methods to meet the needs of all students.
I was expecting a chaotic day
full of misbehavior and conflicts between the students and teacher. However,
the teacher had excellent control over the classroom and I was extremely
impressed with how she dealt with different problems as they arose. Many of the
students complained other students were getting more help than they were, or the discipline they received was
different from the other students. When this occurred the teacher pointed to a
poster at the front of the room that read, “Fair does not mean equal” (see above). I could
not believe how well the students responded to this and often immediately
stopped arguing. Although I have a strong understanding of the difference
between fair and equal I was surprised that these students who had academic,
social and behaviour difficulties were able to easily grasp this concept.
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| Fair vs. Equal. Retrieved from: https://s-media-ca cheak0.pinimg.com/origionals/5c/44/4a/5c444addb 3554f3360ca2146700cd054.jpg |
Later that day I asked the
teacher about the “Fair does not mean equal” poster and she explained that the
class made it together at the beginning of the school year. She knew that
because of the class’s diverse needs she was going to have to give the students
different treatment and wanted them to understand why. This inspired her to
plan a lesson to teach her students how fair and equal are different from each
other. During this lesson she told each student to pretend they had an injury,
either big or small. Some students said they had a paper cut, while others said
they had their arm
chopped off. The teacher then proceeded to give them equal
medical treatment so they all received one average sized Band-Aid. Although the
Band-Aid was an effective treatment for the students with a paper cut, it was
not helpful to the students who had lost an arm. This helped the teacher
explain to her students that if she gave all students equal treatment they
would not receive fair learning opportunities. She told them that each student
has different strengths and weaknesses that she promised to be aware of these
differences and use this knowledge to help each student be successful.
Now if a student complains that
something is unfair the teacher reminds them that “it is not equal, but it is
fair”. I think this is an important concept to teach students so they can learn
to be empathetic of each other and understand that everyone has different
needs. I was very impressed how this teacher went about teaching the students
this lesson and it is something I will tuck away to use when I have my own
classroom.
In the video above, young Riley
demonstrates how young children are able to comprehend this concept at an early
age and it helps them consider situations from different perspectives. After my
experience in the grade 5/6 classroom, and viewing this video I believe that any school aged child can learn to understand the difference between fairness
and equality and it is something teachers can make an effort to teach their
students as early as kindergarten.
References
Carolan, J. & Guinn, A. (2007). Differentiation: Lessons
from master teachers. Educational
Leadership, 64(5), 44-47.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-ceturey learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-ceturey learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.
Sun, A (2014). Equality is not enough: What the classroom has taught me about justice. Everyday Feminism. Retrieved from http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/09/equality-is-not-enough/.
