Being a prospective teacher, the word differentiation sounded very daunting at first. We are told that we must differentiate our instruction, our assessment and sometimes our environment to suit the specific needs of our students. When you have a class of 30 students, that's 30 times that you'll have to differentiate since each student will have their unique set of needs. That's 30 different lessons/activities that you'll have to come up with. However, this is not necessarily the case. There are times where you can use strategies that will cover several students' needs.
As I learned in my other classes and as Liisa demonstrated in class, the goal is more of a universal design concept where the differentiation is a model that uses strategies to target some students but benefit most. In other words, it's meant for a specific group of students but the majority can also benefit from it. I also discovered that asking open questions is a great way to implement differentiation in math.
I loved this comic strip that was inspired by a student with disabilities. I think it speaks to not only differentiation for students with disabilities, but for exceptional students across the board.
As I learned in my other classes and as Liisa demonstrated in class, the goal is more of a universal design concept where the differentiation is a model that uses strategies to target some students but benefit most. In other words, it's meant for a specific group of students but the majority can also benefit from it. I also discovered that asking open questions is a great way to implement differentiation in math.
I loved this comic strip that was inspired by a student with disabilities. I think it speaks to not only differentiation for students with disabilities, but for exceptional students across the board.
Although the student in the wheel chair is the only one who absolutely needs the ramp, if the janitor had cleared the ramp first, even the students who could walk could use the ramp to enter the school. In essence, the ramp is the pathway that would benefit all students. We as future educators need to keep this in mind; the goal is to clear a path for everyone!
First and foremost, I think that in order to differentiate, we need to get to know our students and what their specific needs are. It is only then that we can respond appropriately to our learners. A good way to do this is through some diagnostic assessments. There are several different ways we can go about this. Liisa shared some good ideas in class. For instance, having students respond on white boards is a good way to see where they're at. And as she mentioned, students are usually less reluctant to respond since they can easily wipe away their answers. It is also important to check-in on them frequently to see how far they have progressed (or if they have), and reassess their needs. This is a part of "with-it-ness".
Now, for your weekly math joke:
What did one decimal say to the other?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Did you get my point?
Cheers,
The Function(al) Teacher
Comments
Post a Comment