Creative Curriculum Connections

 Project Orientation: Ensuring Successful Learning for Each Student

The most powerful and purposeful way to differentiate instruction is through projects and long term work. Indeed, the one question to ask our students that will ensure deep differentiation is: “In what way will you show us how you connected to this material?” In this way, students have the power to choose the most personal way to respond. Let’s look at how a project orientation can enable all participants success and purpose.

Project Orientation

A project is work that needs to be completed over time and so requires a level of commitment usually not necessary for daily activities such as filling in a worksheet, finish reading one more chapter, etc.    This type of commitment can be inspired in the students when they are allowed to choose what they want to create. Just as in other areas of literacy, the teacher’s passion is a major key to success. Let’s look at some possible projects:

Every child, needs a consistent daily structure that remains the same from day to day. This kind of predictability is imperative for growth in speech. A predictable structure enables predictable language that will serve as foundational pivot points to build language upon. So for example, if every night you say to the child, “You need to put your socks in your shoes.” This language will serve as pivotal language that you can help him build upon as you turn your directives into questions. So after a certain amount of time you will no longer say “You need to put your socks in your shoes” but you will ask “What do you need to do now?” If your schedule is consistent the child will know the answer to this question and to other similar questions. This method will enable increase use of speech by the purposeful connection to vocabulary and action. With the building of this vocabulary through repetition then questioning (What do you need to do next?) child will begin to internalize the structure and thus the ability to connect to daily activities, control himself and grow in his independence.

Hello Everyone,

I am actively working in the classrooms with teachers and their students.  It's exciting work and I feel honored to be able to encourage them to in what they are doing as well as inspire them to reflect on things in a fresh and new way.  Here are some of the recent reflections I have shared with some of the teachers.  Let me know what you think!

The following are general reflections that I’ve compiled as I am getting to know teachers and students in the New York City area. What I do to support teachers is respond using a strategy I created called TAG (T-Tell what you like; A-Ask questions; G-Give ideas).  I use TAG because it helps the conversation stay focused and also presents ideas and suggestions in a positive way. So, of course, I start with:

T-Tell what you like:

Nina Zaragoza, Ph.D.

I remember when my children were younger I often thought, "When they're older they'll be more independent and I'll have more time to myself!" I learned, though that when my children reached middle school they needed me more than ever! So, let me just suggest that you take a deep breath and try to enjoy the ride!

I know what you've heard about middle school children and their future teenage selves. I've heard the same rumors:

• They are rebellious and disrespectful
• They think they know
  ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!
• They are lazy and want to sit in front of the
  TV/Computer/DS all day
• They are totally selfish and self-centered

If we hear these pronouncements don't you think our children hear the same? What do you think goes through their mind when they hear these things? How would you feel if these were the labels placed on you by society?