Defining Differentiation
5 Takeaways:
- The importance of thinking skills: analyzing information and finding problems, evaluating evidence through critical reasoning, creatively synthesizing ideas to generate new knowledge.
- Flexible groups can include being grouping based on interest, ability, learning style, academic strengths/weaknesses, and gender. They should interact with a variety of groups.
- In differentiated classrooms there are three types of assessments used: pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessments.
- Tiered assignments and activities should respond to learning needs and differences.
- Technology may limit students' imagination.
"Differentiated instruction is a way of taking into account the needs and wants of others without relinquishing our own needs and wants, or dominating and controlling the other person. In that way, differentiated instruction is more than just a method of teaching; it is a way of being human."
-Carol Ann Tomlinson
Simply put, relationships with students stands for good teaching. You cannot teach those that you don’t know. Those who don’t feel cared for will choose not to learn from you.
I identify with the myth that differentiation takes too much time that I don’t have. I know that all good teaching takes time and it’s true that the more time invested in strategies earlier on, the better and more efficient my classroom will be. It just takes the mindset that I can do everything day by day, bit by bit, and to not think about doing everything all at once.
An important element of a differentiated class is a learning environment that is interesting, enjoyable, challenging, and choice-filled for all students. Learning differences are acknowledged, for example, interests, learning styles, and readiness are all taken into account. Ultimately, we want our learners to develop 21st century skills like creative thinking, critical reasoning, self-regulation, and higher order thinking skills.
Technology makes lives more efficient while at times making it more difficult. A pro of technology use would be that students can collaborate and corroborate information inside and outside of school through the use of apps like google docs. A con for technology is that students have lost the ability communicate efficiently, for example, only a few of my 6th graders know how to type using a QWERTY keyboard. I have some students who prefer to bring in their cell phones to write papers because it’s faster for them to text than it is to peck at the keyboard.
I identify with the myth that differentiation takes too much time that I don’t have. I know that all good teaching takes time and it’s true that the more time invested in strategies earlier on, the better and more efficient my classroom will be. It just takes the mindset that I can do everything day by day, bit by bit, and to not think about doing everything all at once.
An important element of a differentiated class is a learning environment that is interesting, enjoyable, challenging, and choice-filled for all students. Learning differences are acknowledged, for example, interests, learning styles, and readiness are all taken into account. Ultimately, we want our learners to develop 21st century skills like creative thinking, critical reasoning, self-regulation, and higher order thinking skills.
Technology makes lives more efficient while at times making it more difficult. A pro of technology use would be that students can collaborate and corroborate information inside and outside of school through the use of apps like google docs. A con for technology is that students have lost the ability communicate efficiently, for example, only a few of my 6th graders know how to type using a QWERTY keyboard. I have some students who prefer to bring in their cell phones to write papers because it’s faster for them to text than it is to peck at the keyboard.
Defining the Essentials of a differentiated Classroom
5 Takeaways:
- The brain learns most efficiently through three dimensions of knowledge: factual, procedural, and conceptual. Conceptual knowledge is typically the one missing in classrooms.
- When students make connections to the concepts, they find relevance in a concept, which makes the curriculum meaningful to their lives.
- Students should be continually looking to answer the essential question throughout the unit.
- I’m intrigued with allowing students to create their own essential question for the class.
"The principle goal of education is to create [people] who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done."
-Jean Piaget
I would start defining the key components by looking at the standards, finding the information that must be learned that is factual first. I would list out those items. Then I would look at the standards again for the skills and processes that should be carried out, listing them and thinking of how to have students show their procedural knowledge through a creative process. Lastly, I would look at the standards in a unit and choose a concept lens for us to study the unit through, usually using an essential question.
Using the standards as a guide is the best way to form objectives, goals, or learning targets. I typically would discuss these three areas with my team teachers to see what their interpretations of the standards are so that we are on the same page about what students will know, be able to do, and understand.
Essential questions should steer away from a defined answer, they should elicit more questions than answers. I try to make sure that my questions are open-ended and intriguing to students.
I don’t typically use developing questions formally, I see them as I can statements. To me, they seem like the outline of each lesson which could cover one to three days in length, or that of a benchmark from the standard. I have never framed those lessons as questions, but I have used I can statements to show the learning targets, which is about the same length of time, one to three days.
Using the standards as a guide is the best way to form objectives, goals, or learning targets. I typically would discuss these three areas with my team teachers to see what their interpretations of the standards are so that we are on the same page about what students will know, be able to do, and understand.
Essential questions should steer away from a defined answer, they should elicit more questions than answers. I try to make sure that my questions are open-ended and intriguing to students.
I don’t typically use developing questions formally, I see them as I can statements. To me, they seem like the outline of each lesson which could cover one to three days in length, or that of a benchmark from the standard. I have never framed those lessons as questions, but I have used I can statements to show the learning targets, which is about the same length of time, one to three days.