How do my GEARS support student engagement and learning?
Goals: How have I demonstrated that I use a long-term view to lead all students toward a clear learning destination?
Exploration: How have I demonstrated that I flexibly use a wide range of strategies and a process of inquiry about my students, and am open to exploring ways to engage students to lead them into high levels of understanding?
Access to Understanding: How have I demonstrated that I proactively plan for and respond to learning barriers that can impede student progress?
Response to Instruction: How have I demonstrated that I understand student progress in a multitude of dimensions and factor in affective aspects while operationalizing effective instruction?
Strategies: How have I equipped students with strategies for “learning how to learn” to increase independence, student self-efficacy, and understanding?
A balanced approach to DI encourages cycles of reflection, planning, implementation, feedback, and further reflection. Even though all teachers undergo a formal evaluation process, teachers need to find ways to engage in formative self-assessments of their own learning on an ongoing basis. Just as an overreliance on summative tests for students is problematic, so too is an overreliance on the “formal evaluation” processes in place for teachers. Teachers embracing a DI approach need to consider that the most prominent and readily available data for formative assessment of teaching methods is best seen through the lens of student engagement, or motivation.