I just recently experienced differentiation during a classroom observation over spring break. In order to allow the students to work at their own pace, the teacher assigned an individual project to each student on a given topic. The student could then choose what type of presentation he/she would like to do (poster, powerpoint, graphic organizer, short activity with explanation, etc.). He made it so that each individual topic related to two other student's topic. After the individual presentations were turned in, the students then had to work together in those groups to put a presentation together for the class. This had to include at least one interactive activity with the class such as a fill in the blank worksheet or a crossword puzzle. Throughout the assignment their were certain checkpoints that the teacher had to approve before moving on to the next step. It was very interesting to see that the students actually enjoyed learning during these lessons and how effective differentiation really is.
Technology is very helpful in assisting teachers to differentiate in the
classroom. Best put by this Missouri school district, "Technology supports instructional strategies by creating new routes to learning and addressing multiple learning needs." In the example previously described, the school's laptops were utilized throughout the entire activity. This allowed for the students to have their data on the computers and could easily communicate with the rest of their group members throughout the process.
WOW…that’s colorful. I had to look for the links a little harder than normal. Very nice to look at, too. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture at the beginning of your post. I think that this represents very nicely the different aspects of differentiation. I really liked that you included the example from your observation in this post. I feel that the best way to get students invested in an assignment is to let them select what they would like to do. Also, I liked that the teacher you observed had built-in checkpoints to make sure the students were on task. I think that this is something that can be implemented into any lesson.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, this blog post is very eye catching and cute!! I like how you started out with a definition of what differentiation is and did not assume that everyone reading would just know. Putting a personal experience in the post was an awesome idea it really makes it so-real and it sounded like you had a great experience.
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