Rashida David
EDU 200
Professor Regan
1, May, 2012
Final
Blog Post
Differentiated
instruction describes an approach to individualized techniques that address the
wide range of differences that exist among student’s in today’s classrooms.
Differentiated instruction is a form of personalized instruction with the goal
of maximizing each learner’s potential. No two students enter a classroom with
identical abilities, experiences, and needs. When teaching in a classroom
student’s will consist of various learning styles, language proficiencies,
background knowledge, readiness to learn, and other factors. Despite their
individual differences, however students are expected to master the same
concepts, principles, and skills. The role of the teacher is to help all
students succeed in their learning which is an enormous challenge that requires
innovative thinking. Differentiated instruction focuses on constructing
understanding rather than accumulating facts. Teachers structure learning
environments that address the variety of learning styles, interests, and
abilities found within a classroom.
Differentiated
instruction is based on the belief that students learn best when they make
connections between the curriculum and their diverse interests and experiences,
and that the greatest learning occurs when students are pushed slightly beyond
the point where they can work without assistance. Rather than just providing one
avenue for learning for all students in a class, teachers who use
differentiated instruction match tasks, activities, and assessments with their
students’ interests, abilities, and learning preferences. Teachers should
provide several learning options that help students take in information and
make sense of concepts and skills. Providing appropriate levels of challenge
for all students is important including those who lag behind, those who are
advanced, and those in the middle. Under-performing students who may have been
sorted into lower tracked classes in the past are likely to be mixed into more
advanced classes in order to be prepared to attain higher academic standards.
The goal of differentiated instruction is that all students should reach a similar
level of mastery of the intended outcomes.
Instruction
can be differentiated based on three general areas. These areas include the
content of instruction, the process and techniques used to help make sense of a
given topic, and the products produced by students that demonstrate their
learning. Some examples may include utilizing pre-tests to asses where
individual students need to begin to study for a given topic, providing access
to a variety of materials which target different learning preferences and
reading abilities, and using a variety of assessment strategies. Some more
examples teachers might use in their classroom include putting text materials
on tape, providing interests centers that encourage students to explore subsets
of the class topic of particular interest to them.
Mesquite
Elementary School developed a teaching strategy that turned their school around
in just six months. Mesquite Elementary School is located in Tucson, Arizona
and they have developed a teaching method that has worked so well that it has raised
Mesquite to Arizona’s highest school rating, excelling for the past eight years
and has twice won the prestigious A+ School of Excellence Award from the
Arizona Educational Foundation. Mesquite managed to achieve all this while on
an extremely low budget. The state of Arizona has the second lowest per pupil
spending in the nation, and Mesquite has the lowest per pupil funding in
southern Arizona. The system that Mesquite uses is called Reteach and Enrich.
This system happens every day from 12:30p.m. To 1:00p.m. What happens during
this period is teachers give students who are struggling with a concept extra
time and attention, and students who have already mastered the basics receive
instruction that takes their learning to the next level. The system is based on
a shared curriculum map, listed with objectives defined every week of the school
year. At the end of each week, teachers assess students on those objectives.
Depending on the students results, they get assigned to either a reteach or an
enrich session the following week.
I would use differentiated
instruction in my classroom because it targets all of the students and gives
every student the chance to succeed equally. I would use an approach similar to
the one used at Mesquite Elementary I like the whole idea of the reteach and
enrich plan. Students who are struggling and need help are granted the extra
help they need and the students who have already understood the concept can
move on to the next idea. I would use this approach just as a way to make sure
that all of my students understand the material that I am teaching to them. I
would also use some differentiated instruction strategies like letting them use
reading buddies, using more of a hands on approach, also giving students
options on how to express their understanding of the concepts.
Citations/Urls:
No comments:
Post a Comment