WEEK 1 INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE:
In chapter 1, the overriding theme is “One Size Does Not Fit All” in education. Think about the best way you learn. For example, I am a visual learner- I love reading books, watching movies, and looking at pictures. On the other hand, I’ve tried listening to books on CD but I always find my mind wandering. Your students are no exception, their learning will vary and so should your lesson. The textbook does a great job on page 6 – 8 of explaining how to differentiate your lesson and create an effective lesson plan.
In chapter 2 you are introduced to how create a warm and inviting classroom culture. Think about your favorite teacher- what did the classroom look like? When you walked into the room, how did it make you feel? This is the same type of environment you want to create for your students. You will also read about “Emotional Intelligence” and “Social Skills” – these go hand-in-hand in your classroom. These skills are vital for YOU to master and also for you to teach your students. This includes self-awareness and social-awareness, managing emotions and responding to emotions, and sympathy and empathy. Students need to master these skills to be successful and productive adults, and look to you as the teacher to model what they need to learn.
What kind of classroom climate will you create? How will you encourage team building throughout the year? How will you create an atmosphere where students can take intellectual risks? How will you manage inappropriate behavior, avoid bullying and put-downs, and prohibit ridicule? What steps will you take to create an atmosphere where students feel safe and included?
On the first day of class you will need to complete an introduction on the discussion board including your job history, education background, and hobbies, and a personal reflection on the title of our text, Differentiated Instructional Strategies, as it applies to differentiation in the classroom. Finally, post a reflection on the topic “all students have areas of strength,” as it applies to differentiation in the classroom.
Then you will respond to two discussion board postings.
Discussion 1: After reading Chapters 1 and 2 of our text, Differentiated Instructional Strategies, and watching the video, Differentiated Instruction, imagine your future classroom. Remember the majority of classrooms will have at least one of the following students who will require differentiated instruction for a student who: speaks English as a second language (English Language Learner or E.L.L.); has a learning disability, is an underachiever, is gifted intellectually.
Discussion 2: After reading this week’s assigned chapters of Differentiated Instructional Strategies and watching the video Building a Supportive Community of Learners in a Differentiated Classroom, describe at least three ways to create an inclusive atmosphere where students feel safe. Explain how a safe, inclusive environment will give you opportunities within the curriculum for students to practice and develop skills for the 21st century (Chapter 1).
Remember in each discussion board post your initial post must be at least 150 words in length, supported with examples from the text and reliable outside sources, and be posted by Thursday at midnight. By Monday at midnight, please respond to AT LEAST two classmates’ posts with thorough and constructive analysis, relating the response to relevant course concepts. You may pose pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of fellow learners.
At the conclusion of the week you will complete an assignment where you will address a hypothetical group of diverse parents who pose various questions. You will need to respond to these questions by either writing a two to three page paper (excluding title and reference pages) to respond to parents’ questions about the pros and cons of differentiation in their child(ren)’s classroom, or Designing a PowerPoint presentation to address parents' questions. The presentation must include a minimum of ten slides and appropriate graphics. Please make sure you review the rubric before submitting your assignment.
Good luck and please know that even though this is an online venue, you are not alone- you have your peers and you are always welcome to email me melissa.phillips@ashford.edu
Idamari Fernandez (2012, February 5). Diversity in Education. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h_09g_iSiIE
WEEK 2 INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE:
Welcome to Week 2. I hope that everyone got some great information from week 1 including how to create a warm and welcoming classroom, and a basic understanding of emotional and social intelligence. This week you are going to learn about learning styles, multiple intelligence, and how to use this knowledge to teach and assess your students.
In the spirit of differentiation and learning styles I created a very brief "Storybird", which I was hoping to embed but it hasn't yet been approved. With that said, you'll have to visit the link for now: http://storybird.com/books/how-do-you-learn-best/
Chapter 3 takes a closer look at how your students learn and process information. Think about yourself for a minute. How do you learn best? Do you like to read a book or listen to a book on CD? Would you prefer to learn from a lecture, from a PowerPoint, or from a hands-on lesson? Are you a morning person, afternoon worker, or night owl? Do you prefer work in silence or with sound on in the background? These are all important questions for your students to answer. Some might not know the answer so your job will be to discover it though questionnaires and surveys. Also think about your personality. Are you outgoing? Introverted? Do you like to talk things out or sit and think by yourself? Does movement help you think? Do you like being outside near water, in the woods, at the beach? Know this about your students as well will help you to tailor a lesson that actively engages your students and help them to retain more information, longer. This chapter outlines these methods and also provides charts to help you lesson plan.
There are also many free resources on the web to help you determine your learning style:
· http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml - "What's Your Learning Style?" Have you ever wondered why you do better in some classes than others? It may depend on your individual learning style. Your learning style influences the way you understand information and solve problems.
· http://empire1.esc.edu/coursesspecial/epresources.nsf/eaf64850b1ca26748525652f00699898/0884ee40db1f3c16852572cd005a5160?opendocument - "Learning Styles Self-Assessment" using this Learning Style Survey will help you begin to identify what learning style best fits you. Once you have ascertained your learning style, you will learn how to use certain learning strategies that will help you study and learn in a more productive manner.
· http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html - "What's your Learning Style?" Everybody has a preferred learning style. Knowing and understanding our learning style helps us to learn more effectively. This is particularly true for LD/AD(H)D people because of their different ways of learning. Through identifying your learning style, you will be able to capitalize on your strengths and improve your self-advocacy skills.
Chapter 4 introduces how to pre-assess, assess during learning, and post assess. Traditional teachers, who do not differentiate instruction or offer opportunities for multiple learning styles typically do not pre-assess or assess during the lesson, but only offer pen and paper post assessments to determine if learning outcomes have been met. As we now know, this simply is not the most effective teaching methods. Teachers need to pre-assess to find out, as we learned in chapter 3, learning styles and what students already know. During learning we need to check for understanding using multiple methods. At the conclusion of the lesson, post-assessment can be easily differentiated using strategies provided in this chapter (pages 59 – 63).
After you have completed this week’s textbook and journal readings, watch a short video and visited the recommended resources, you will need to respond to 2 discussions. The first one addresses how YOU best learn, and for the second one you will create FOUR differentiated assessments for a lesson. Please make sure you meet each of the bullets required for this second discussion board posting.
Your initial post is strongest with details and examples. Remember, your initial post must be at least 150 words in length, supported with examples from the text and reliable outside sources, and be posted by Thursday at midnight. By Monday at midnight, please respond to AT LEAST two classmates’ posts with thorough and constructive analysis, relating the response to relevant course concepts. You may pose pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of fellow learners
At the conclusion of the week you will complete an assignment where you should refer to “Focusing on Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom” in the course text Differentiated Instructional Strategies (Chapter 3, Figure 3.13) and the video, First Grade Differentiation. Then, using this information, design a single lesson plan for a subject and grade of your choice. Include a clear explanation of how at least four intelligences will be addressed within your lesson. The 2 -3 page lesson plan must include the grade level, the topic, a MEASURABLE goal, the various student learning styles, an explanation and examples of how at least four of the eight intelligences will be addressed.
As you have probably discovered, I am a very strict grader, where every single paper is read and edited. With that in mind Please make sure you review the rubric before submitting your assignment.
Finally, remember that even though this is an online venue, you are not alone- you have your peers and you are always welcome to email me melissa.phillips@ashford.edu. I’m here for questions, concerns, suggestions, or even if you just want to vent :O)!
Free2care (10, November 2010). Learning Styles. Retrieved From www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQYW6vYSGXs&feature=player_embedded
LEARNING STYLES: Find out in 2 minutes. (n.d.). LEARNING STYLES: Find out in 2 minutes. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html
Self-Assessment: Learning Styles. (n.d.). SUNY Empire State College. Retrieved from http://empire1.esc.edu/coursesspecial/epresources.nsf/eaf64850b1ca26748525652f00699898/0884ee40db1f3c16852572cd005a5160?opeWhat's Your Learning Style?. (n.d.). EducationPlanner.org. Retrieved from http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtmlWEEK 3 INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE:
Welcome to Week 3. Now that you have a sense of learning styles, multiple intelligence, assessing, and emotional/social intelligence, this week we are going to visit strategies for promoting student success.
Chapter 5 shares strategies for making the curriculum more accessible to a wider range of students. One method mentioned is “adjusting the curriculum” where you create various levels of assignments for groups of students. You can even use this concept to create curriculum that meets the needs of various learning styles. Another concept is “curriculum compacting” is for students who are more advanced. Although heterogeneous grouping works well for many lessons, this concept suggests providing more challenging strategies for learners gifted in a specific area. The last strategy shared in this chapter is heterogeneous grouping where students are grouped because they are at different academic levels. The text explains various types of ways and activities to create cooperative groups. When planning cooperative groups- be sure to review the following website: http://tlt.suny.edu/originaldocumentation/library/cm/mistakes.htm
This is a great video that shows cooperative groups in action:
Chapter 6 focuses on planning instructional activities. The best way to plan is to start with the end- what do you want the students to learn from the activity? What is your end goal? Then start thinking about how you want them to get there? Now…. Start planning! There are so many ways to get your students actively engaged in the learning process, keeping them focused, and actively engaged. This chapter is a full of suggestions, charts, and examples of how to do just that!
For example- let’s say that you want your students to compose a short story (the end goal). Start here- the five things they’ll need to know. And then review each one individually. You can even use what you learned in chapter five to create five groups (one for each element)- and then put the story together and see what you get!'''
This week’s Assignments
Discussion 1:
Refer to “Adjustable-Assignments Model: Money” in the course text, Differentiated Instructional Strategies (Chapter 5, Figure 5.1). Design an Adjustable-Assignments Model, choosing a different learning objective than the one in the book. You must include the standard WRITTEN OUT (not just the number, please), the content you intend on teaching, a description of the pre-assessment tool to determine student’s knowledge, an explanation of what they know at the beginning of the study, and what do they need to learn next? By Monday at midnight, please respond to AT LEAST two classmates’ posts with thorough and constructive analysis, relating the response to relevant course concepts. You may pose pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of fellow learners.
Discussion 2:Refer to the Adjustable-Assignments Model you created in this week’s discussion, “Adjustable-Assignments Model.” Using this same model, design four questions from Bloom’s Thinking Taxonomy to assess your student’s learning. Align your questions with at least four different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. By Monday at midnight, please respond to AT LEAST two classmates’ posts with thorough and constructive analysis, relating the response to relevant course concepts. You may pose pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of fellow learners.
Assignment:
At the conclusion of the week you will complete an assignment where your principal has asked you to present a lesson on cubing to a group of student teachers at your site. Watch the video, Cubing, and then explain how cubing:
· taps into different intelligences
· Differentiates
· Can be used to assess readiness levels
Be sure to provide a completed cube example, with graphics, for a popular children’s book as if students had completed it. As always, please make sure you review the rubric before submitting your assignment.
As always remember that even though this is an online venue, you are not alone- you have your peers and you are always welcome to email me melissa.phillips@faculty.ashford.edu.
Cooperative Learning Mistakes. (n.d.). Welcome to TLT. Retrieved from http://tlt.suny.edu/originaldocumentation/library/cm/mistakes.htm
Gloria Olivas (15 ,December 2011). 6th Graders Doctor Roberts School Working in Cooperative Groups. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd3MOcQHF0g
Flocabulary (20, January 2011). Flocabulary- Five Things (Elements of a Short Story). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6I24S72Jps
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