Monday, April 23, 2012
Chapter 1 Reflection: Because students have always differed within any classroom, there has always been a need to develop routines and procedures for attending to those differences. With your current knowledge of what we call "differentiation," how is it similar to and different from other approaches to dealing with student differences that you're aware of?
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In a traditional classroom the teacher usually teaches to the students as a whole group. The teacher has a one track mind and we teach the same material no matter if all the students are on the same level. Where as in a differentiated classroom the teacher, teaches to each student and his/her level. The teacher will group the students based on their levels and also different methods used where the students can display their strength and strengthen their weakness. At times a traditional classroom is needed when the students are on the same or similar level with the material being introduced. In my opinion differentiated instruction is the best teaching method, because every student learns differently and will be on different levels.
ReplyDeleteMerrissa Bailey
Differentiated instruction is similar to traditional instruction because attempts the same goal: the acquisition of a specific amount of knowledge for the student. It is different from the traditional approach because it provides flexible grouping to place students in an environment where they can learn. Differentiated instruction shakes up the classroom because students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas,and expressing what they learn. This approach gives the student different ways to acquire content and to process and make sense of ideas and to develop products so that each student can learn effectively. DI offers flexible grouping, scaffolding, a variety of material, teacher facilitation of student problems.
ReplyDeleteJack Sague
Nondifferentiated instruction is usually teacher-centered. Lectures are the common way of imparting the same knowledge with the same delivery, and requiring the same product from each student. On the other hand, D.I. is student-centered. The teacher understands that every student is different; therefore, the lessons are individualized by using multiple approaches to content, process, and product considering the student's level of readiness,interest, and learning needs.
ReplyDeleteClaudia Ocampo
The first similar approach is still caring that all of your students excel,along with the three curricular elements; content, input and what students learn. The differences is being able to execute with consistency, the differentiated instructions effectively with patience while meeting every individual student need. Another way it's different is that the teacher and students learn together. The teacher is continuously learning about how their students learn. Karen Smith
ReplyDeleteIn a DI classroom commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become important elements in teaching and learning as well. The DI classroom breaks-up the routine and “shakes up” what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, understanding and making sense of the information and expressing the content acquired. DI is a systematic approach that provides flexible grouping, scaffolding, varied materials, and ongoing assessments. Contrary to the traditional classroom the DI classroom is student centered and focuses on each students individual needs. IS
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is similar to other approaches to dealing with student differences in that special attention must be recognized by the teacher, even if their approach to teaching and learning is more unitary. However, differentiated instruction is different than a unitary approach because it is not individualized instruction or a way of providing homogenous grouping. It is rather proactive and requires preemptively planning by the teacher in order to provide variety to students. Student differences become important elements in a differentiated instruction classroom and hence the approach must be student centered. Tomlinson said it best when she stated “in a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs” (How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Pg .7).
ReplyDelete-Jessica Collado
My developing knowledge of differentiation involves a 3 part breakdown of what specifically to differentiate as a teacher: content, process, & product. This breakdown is detailed and specific to a greater extent than other examples of D.I. that I've encountered, and helps me envision how my own differentiated classroom would function. Differentiated instruction has been stressed at the schools I've worked at for most of my teaching career, so I'm not aware of teaching strategies used to accommodate student differences that are not utilized in some way in the current incarnation of D.I. in school systems. However, former, more traditional approaches that were in place when I was in school, seem to only superficially address how to bring all levels of learners to their potential. More modern classrooms are significantly more flexible, whereas there was little opportunity for movement of grouping formerly.
ReplyDeleteThere are several differences between a traditional classroom and one in which effective differentiated instruction is taking place. While in both, teachers may use a variety of strategies or activities to determine differences in students’ different learning styles, the traditional classroom can be easier for non-struggling students and frustrating for others. Teachers reactively adjust the delivery of instruction based on what is observed to be working or not at the moment. Students are grouped heterogeneously instead of by individual needs and remain in those groups possibly all school year. Higher achieving students may be given more work and strugglers less as a method of addressing those needs. However, in actuality teachers should be assigning the same task with more support for strugglers and less for those students who don’t need the scaffolding. Students should be getting the same content then provided with multiple approaches to reach the same end product. In a differentiated classroom, flexible groups are fluid changing with student needs and continually evolving as the class dynamic does. Teachers proactively plan and utilize different approaches in response to what the students’ needs are.
ReplyDeleteZina Berman
In todays classroom we need to follow the Differentiated Instruction route(DI). It is similar to some other apporaches in that they are learning the same material but at their own level and their own speed. It is "proactive" and it meets the students "diverse needs". They acquire content, make sense of ideas and develop products that make sense to the indiviual student. However the key here is to have total discipline and management control is a must. Also to DI you need to blenddifferent grouping patterns in order to maximize on the students capacity. Overall DI means working smarter to reach higher student goals! Efrem Figueredo
ReplyDeleteDifferences in Differentiated and Traditional Classrooms
ReplyDeleteI have currently learned ways in successfully creating proactive DI groups. In a differentiated classroom, students are grouped based on ongoing assessments and approaches, such as: Content, process, and product. This type of classroom will achieve growth for every student. The groups should be flexible and should accommodate students who are strong in some areas and weaker in others. Over time group configurations change. Teaching becomes evolutionary, where both teachers and students learn together.
Fear of losing control or lack of classroom management is a traditional way of running a class. Teachers need to allow purposeful student moving, and talking. Unfortunately as the chapter mentions in traditional classroom only similarities seem to take center stage. Traditional differentiated instruction is known to be Teacher centered, it should be both.
-Blanca Gonzalez
In a traditional classroom ( TC ), only students' similarities take center stage. In a Differentiated classroom ( DC ), student differences become important elements in teaching and learning. Differentiating Instruction ( DI ) allows students to have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn. In a TC, students aquire to information and the same way and the teacher assesses them the same way. In a DC, the teacher provides different avenues to aquire content and different opportunities to showcase their comprehension of the lesson. DI uses flexible grouping, teacher scaffolding self-reliant learning, varied materials, and multiple options for completing assignments.
ReplyDeleteSusan Castleman
Most traditional classrooms are “more unitary”. Everyone does the same thing at the same time. However, differentiated classrooms blend whole-class, group, and individual instruction. Different strategies are used in order for students to acquire the content, understand the process, and to be able to produce meaningful products. The teacher scaffolds and promotes self-reliant learners. Differentiated classrooms are leaners-centered. The teacher becomes the facilitator. Differentiated is neither chaotic nor it is another way to provide homogeneous grouping. Differentiated instruction is a progressive, proactive approach of teaching, where the teacher effectively plans, and delivers instructions using various methods in order to reach individual learners. In a differentiated classroom, multiple options are offered for assignments. Students are also given an opportunity to choose their culminating products to show that they’ve acquired the skills or ideas taught.
ReplyDeleteIn a differentiated classroom instruction is provided in different avenues to acquiring content. In a traditional classroom instruction is provided commonly for all. In many classrooms, the approach to teaching and learning is more unitary than differentiated. Differentiated instruction is proactive; it is neither chaotic nor individualized instruction. As stated, in a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs. During the process part of the lesson teachers must model (I DO, WE DO, YOU DO) for the students prior to releasing them to work independently. Differentiated instruction is more qualitative than quantitative. Meaning teachers must adjusting the quantity of an assignment will generally be less effective than adjusting the nature of the assignment. Differentiated instruction is not just another way to provide homogeneous grouping. It is rooted in assessment; teachers must use the student’s data to form small group instruction (DI). Differentiated instruction is not just tailoring the same suit of clothes for every student. Teachers must analyze the FAIR data to identify student’s weaknesses to provide instruction based on student needs. Groups in the classroom must be purposeful and meaningful not different rotation activities. The similarity of two is that is both are striving for student success or mastery.
ReplyDeleteIn a classroom with little or no differentiated instruction, only student similarities seem to take center stage. During differentiated instruction, students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they learn. Differentiated classrooms provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively. Differentiating instruction should be more qualitative than quantitative because careful planning and the proper selection of appropriate material should be the main focus, not how large the assignment is. Teachers that use DI in the classroom seek to provide appropriately challenging learning experiences for all their students. Students are also encouraged to take responsibility for their own growth. DI is organic because teachers and students are learning together; teachers learn how their students learn.
ReplyDeleteAudrey Bullock
In a classroom with little or no differentiated instruction, only student similarities seem to take center stage. In a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become important elements in teaching and learning as well. At its most basic level, differentiating instruction means “shaking up” what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn. In other words, a differentiated classroom provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively.
ReplyDeletePatreece Perry-Pelt
There are some students who differ in many ways, including experiences, prior knowledge, learning styles, culture, readiness, language, and interests. Teachers must realize they must change the way they teach in order to reach all students. But!through differentiated instruction, students will get to the same place, but take different paths. In a Traditional Classroom there are some students who act upon when they become problematic, but in a Differentiaited Classroom a student is studied as a basis for planning.In a Tradiitnal Classroom, time is relatively inflexible but in a Differentiated Classroom time is used flexibly in accordance with a student's need.Additionally in a Traditional classroom a Teacher solves problems, but in a Differentiaited Classroom students help other students and the teacher solve problems.
ReplyDeleteThis response was made from Carolyn Collins
DeleteTraditionally, educators have used the Unitary Approach, where EVERYONE DO THE SAME. All students experience the same content and have the same sense-making or processing activity. There have been various approaches to address the unitary approach. In the 70's individualized instruction emerged, requiring there was one plan for each individual student, making learning fragmented and irrelevant. Then there was the homogeneous grouping initiative where the outcome used to be predictable, and the assignments were generally teacher selected. These are some examples of different methods that were implemented to move the classroom away from the unitary approach, but no method has proven to be more effective than differentiated instruction where we went from a "single-size instruction" to differentiated instruction so that we can meet better our student's diverse needs.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments!! See you all in the morning.
ReplyDeleteIn the traditional classroom, the students are all doing the same activity as a whole group and the plan is a single approach for everyone. The teacher provides the students with everything they need to know and group tasks are fixed. The DI classroom, there's flexible grouping to accommodate students' strenghs and weaknesses. It focuses more on quality than quantity, uses multiple approaches to content, process and product. DI is more student centered so the teacher provides appropriately challenging learning experiences and students are responsible for their growth. The TC teacher provides all the information and in the DI classroom, the students are guided to think on their own and they are taught to share responsibility. A similarity between TC and DI is that they both use whole-class instruction; however, DI also uses group and individual instruction. Instruction is matched to the learner and the teacher can constantly make adjustments to the delivery of instruction.
ReplyDeleteMaria Santiago-Parreno
I began my career six years ago as an elementary educator of students with disabilities. I taught a Kinder, 1st & 2nd grade combined class of 16 students; I had two para-professionals. As unique as they could be, some with more apparent behavior problems than other and needing lots of intervention. I had no choice but to become familiar with diffentiated instructions. It was the only way I could teach in my classroom make-up.
ReplyDeletePamela Robinson
Differentiated classroom commonalities are acknowledged and built upon The traditional classroom students are expected to produce the same product.
ReplyDelete.Students differences become important elements in teaching and learning .Students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they learn
Larry Williams
A differentiated classroom provides a setting that differs from traditional classroom because the environment by design is developed to address the needs of diverse learners. The environment is unique because it is developed to accommodate the needs of all learners regardless of ability levels. This personalization provides a structure that allows students to internalize learning. A unitary approach does not provide a structure for addressing the needs of diverse learners. It does not embrace the need for creative and critical thinking opportunities that student need to make sense of the learning process. Differential instruction is designed to provide methods of assessing, and addressing students’ needs which is different from tradition structure. The differential structure is designed to engage students and challenge them to embrace personal transition. The student is the main character, and the instructor is the facilitator.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Harris
With my current knowledge of what instructors call "differentiation," it is similar to other approaches to dealing with student differences:
ReplyDelete* by providing opportunities for individual instruction
* by having teachers maintain classroom management and time management
* lesson planning is important for successful instruction
* teacher awareness of student differences in ability and interest
* modification of process due to student differences
Differentiation is and different from other approaches to dealing with student differences
* by allowing for variation for students receiving content
* by allowing for student conversation and interaction instead of a "quiet" classroom.
* by allowing for more student suggestions for product selection
* there is constant regrouping of students based on ability, interest and needs
* DI is proactive vs reactive; qualitative vs quantitative; rooted in assessment; provides multiple approaches to content, process, and product; student-centered rather than teacher-centered; a blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction; teaching is constantly changing in an attempt to reach students' learning needs better each day.
I tend to agree with Differentiated Instruction being ROOTED IN ASSESSMENT. A teacher who understands the need for teaching and learning to be a good match for students look for every opportunity to know all students better. The teacher focuses on conversations with individuals, classroom discussions, student work, observation, and formal assessment as a way to gather just a little more insight about what works for each learner. Tony Casas
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is similar to a remediation approach that tries to meet specific student deficiencies after assessments. Differentiation is different in that it is not a “one size fits all” approach. Students that do not master a skill may need varied instruction and ample opportunities to practice before achievement is attained. A focus on process (how students go about making sense of information) and/or end product (assessment) need to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteMari Bonachea
September, 25, 2013
Students should have multiple options for taking in information. The challenge is to be able to manage and monitor many activities simultanously. You do this by getting to know your studentsand setting them up in flexible groupings mixing learners with stronger in some and weaker in other areas. Others even might work better alone.
ReplyDeleteDiffrentiation is not treating students diffrently by cutting their work load or even grade them softer based on their persived hability.
Given that all students are different, regardless if they are the same gender, age, or even in the same grade level are not the same, teachers have tried different ways to reach their students. Some teachers give individual attention to students who exhibit learning or social behaviors that do not meet the norm of his or her class. They may give overall expectations to the whole class and then repeat the same expectations to students one-on-one. Some meet with students in small groups to address academic issues by giving students more personalized attention geared to their needs.
ReplyDeleteHowever differentiation is more than giving students special attention. It is actually knowing the characteristics of each child and addressing their specific needs. Tomlinson suggests that for learning not to become fragmented and irrelevant teachers must address the needs of their student. However, some teachers are fearful that they might lose control of the classroom but they may not realize that differentiating instruction puts students in control of their learning.
In a DI classroom student's take ownership of their learning. They are more inclined to ask questions, and have colloborative conversations that make sense to them. In an effective DI setting students have the opportunity to learn from the teacher, from their peers, and for themselves. The teacher's role is to facilitate learning in smaller settings.
ReplyDeleteI really do not know of too many different approaches to addressing student differences in classes. Most of my education and teaching was directed by the pursuit of outcomes that had academic excellence as the ultimate goal for everyone, although the teacher would know that most of the students would not achieve this. The pursuit of academic excellence seldom allowed for modifying teaching strategies to help students with different learning styles master the material. Usually all students had to complete the same lessons and assignments. This seemed the most effective method to reach most students. Before I began teaching in high school, I had never seen a true differentiated classroom. Now that I have seen a few, I am not sure that the pursuit of excellence will not be compromised.
ReplyDeleteI cannot say that I was impressed with any of the examples of DI that I have witnessed. To me, they were comical at first but ultimately annoying. I found myself asking, Where is the rigor? Where is the data that shows that DI does lead to improvements in students’ skills, knowledge, or test results? Where are the outcomes that show that these students are getting ready for college? Maybe they are, for not a few people think that college is now like McDonalds’. Show up with your money, and the customer will be pleased. A very good friend of mine, a physician, once told me that there is no real higher education in this country today. “It is ‘further’ education,” he asserted. Of course, this is not absolutely true. However, since most authorities believe that upwards of 40% of college students now lack the literacy and numeracy skills needed to perform well in college--and even at Ivy League universities upward of 50% of students admit to academic cheating-- maybe we are preparing our students just to be good customers who buy college degrees with loans that they will be hard pressed to repay. DI might be another way to say that the customer/student is always right…, as long as someone is making money off his decision. I cannot say that I actually see students benefitting from DI in the long run. But I will confess: I am really resistant to the idea, or at least to its institutionalization.
Let me provide one example of DI that I witnessed in an Eleventh Grade English Honors class. The class read the Prologue to “The Canterbury Tales” (we hope). The students were given the option to choose their unique response to the text (DI). Many of the students chose to do something visual, and the teacher proudly displayed their work, obviously patting herself on the shoulder for her DI savvy. Very few examples on display represented real work or effort. MY favorite: a student cut out a picture of a superhero of some sort. Big muscles, raised weapon, etc. He had removed the superhero’s head and replaced it with a picture of his. (He did not even worry about matching sizes.) He then wrote a quatrain something like this: “I am the Yeoman./ I bow to no man./You better respect me/If you want life in your body.” Perhaps there is something worthy of a grade in all this, but I can clearly see the picture of my former English teacher’s face as he prepares his response to assignments that demand so little of students. (By the way, I think most of these students received an A.)
I believe that good teachers have always used forms of DI, but they did not allow students to escape doing real “wrinkling of the brow” work. DI has now become institutionalized, a mandated exercise performed often to the detriment of real quality in education. Whatever happened to the pursuit of excellence? Or is it that DI is really for those soft courses, like Literature, History, Socials Studies, courses we don’t automatically associate with the word “rigor”
Tony H.
Answer: Differentiated instruction is new and important in our daily teaching. It is different from just giving different assignments to different groups. It is a challenge to the traditional teaching years ago. It is using different Teaching Avenue to learning. As an educator, we have to know every student we are teaching in our classroom and understand their need to tailor to their learning interests and abilities. We have to group the students according to their learning methods and constantly change the group according to their learning behavior and needs.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is used to be considered unapproachable and hard to conduct in the classroom. After I read chapter one, I know it is approachable. I also have learned that we don’t have to only pay attention to how much time we have to differ our teaching but we have to pay more attention to what we really approve our daily teaching by using different teaching methods. When using differentiated instruction, we have to get rid of one teacher speaking in the classroom method. We have to put students in the center and consider the teacher only as a guide or mentor to help the students. The teacher in differentiated classes understands the need to help students take increasing responsibility for their own growth. We have to encourage the groups to be creative and active. The educators observe the groups and doing the ongoing assessments instead of the end of a unit to determine “who got it”. When using differentiated instruction, both teachers and students will have multiple approaches to content, process and product. Teacher would be able to blend the whole group into individual instruction and the students would find their best way to access their learning content and be productive and effective.
Yunyan Chen
In the differentiated classroom the teacher has to be able to reach all the students. While she teaches those students that need her the most, the rest of the class also needs to learn. All students must be aware of what's going on to avoid poor classroom management.
ReplyDeleteT. Junious
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion differentiation is different from other approaches in dealing with student differences is that it gives you the opportunity to meet students at their individual needs with the end result getting all students at the point that they need to be on the same topic.
To differentiate instruction is not only about grouping students according to their academic needs but also take into consideration the students' learning style. The elements of content, process and product are key in differentiating so the teacher can control what students learn, how they learn, and how they demonstrtate what they have learned. I believe that when the teacher has control of these 3 aspects learning growth is ineviatble.
ReplyDeleteTesting Roxana
ReplyDeleteTesting
ReplyDeleteWhat Differentiated Instruction Is-and Isn't helped me to become a better teacher. I teach Special Education Population and we already have differentiated instructions in place in our classroom. However, reading chapter 1 gave me a clear and deeper concept about it. In a differentiated classroom , commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become important elements in teaching and learning as well. A differentiated classroom provides us with different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively. However, it does not assume a separate level for each learner. It also focuses on meaningful learning or powerful ideas for all students. Differentiation is probably more reminiscent of the one-room-schoolhouse than of individualization. Compare with teachers who offer a single approach to learning, teachers who differentiate instruction have to manage and monitor many activities simultaneously. Effective differentiated classrooms include purposeful students movement and some purposeful student talking. Differentiated instruction is not just another way to provide homogeneous grouping. It is proactive. The teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to "get at" and express learning. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipating of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs. Differentiated instruction is more qualitative than quantitative. It is rooted to assessment. We, teachers, assess students' developing readiness levels, interest, and modes of learning. Then, we design learning experiences based on their best understanding. When we differentiate instructions, we provide multiple approaches to content, process, and product. .Teachers who differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms seek to provide appropriately challenging learning experiences for all their students. These teachers realized that sometimes a task that lacks challenge for some learners is frustrating complex to others. Differentiate means student centered. It is necessary for learners to be active in making and evaluating decisions. Teaching students to share responsibility enables a teacher to work with varied groups or individuals for portions of the day. It also prepares students far better for life .
DeleteA differentiated classroom is marked by a repeated rhythm of whole-class preparation, review, and sharing, followed by opportunity for individual or small-group exploration, sense-making, extension, and production.
YES
ReplyDeleteWhat Differentiated Instruction is-and isn’t by Carol Ann Tomlinson is a detailed, helpful, and interesting chapter which changed and improved my perception about what differentiated instruction is. Have a differentiated classroom is a challenge that I have as a teacher. While I was reading the chapter I was thinking about how I am going to provide students with different avenues to learn effectively as Carol Ann Tomlinson said. Also, I felt uncomfortable because I realized that I have being ignoring many details during my differentiated instruction. As the author said, I have to build a new image about how to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classroom but I will keep in mind that I need to work sometimes with the whole class, sometimes with small groups, and sometimes with individuals like Tomlinson said.
ReplyDeleteWas she reading my mind? Discipline is another issue that I have being dealing with during small group instruction. I think that I have to train students on behaving well during small group instruction because some of them will be working by themselves while I will be working with a group or a person. Also, I have to believe in my students and I have to think that they can control themselves. I understand that flexible grouping is another important idea to have in mind during differentiated instruction, but I do not think that all students are responsible enough to form their own working group.
I learned that effective differentiated instruction is proactively planned and I think that the more we know our students the more proactive differentiated instruction will be. Differentiated instruction is more qualitative than quantitative. This is another idea developed by Tomlinson. I feel that this idea can be represented also when we discuss high order thinking questions with students. I realized that I have to know my students very well, that is why assessment is taking place before, during, and after the lesson in a differentiated classroom, so we can plan it proactively. I feel that in a differentiated classroom we need to be assessing students’ weaknesses and strengths all the time, so we can offer different approaches to what students learn, how they learn it, and how they demonstrate what they have learned according to Tomlinson. Definitely, I agree with Tomlinson when she said that differentiated instruction is “organic” because students and teachers are learners in a differentiated classroom. More than a way of life in the classroom, I realized that differentiated instruction is a philosophy of education.
Well, I have finally found out why I am soooooooo exhausted at the end of the day. I've been trying to individualized instruction for all of my students. I teach k-5 at the same time. Unfortunately, all this time I thought that I was providing DI in my classroom. I have always known what their instructional levels were through assessment and their IEPs.
ReplyDeleteI have one regret though. I wish that I knew what I was doing wrong in the classroom earlier.
Having been out of the classroom for 10 years and feeling very uninformed, I was looking forward to reading this chapter explaining what differentiated instruction is and isn't. However, I'm afraid after reading it I feel somewhat confused and have more questions than answers. For example, I've always used, and seen other teachers use whole class/small groups/individualized instruction. Is the number of times the switching back and forth takes place what determines whether one is differentiating instruction? Is the continued switching within one class period, or does that depend on the lesson? How does a teacher who may already be weak in classroom management handle this without it being chaotic?
ReplyDeleteAlso, in differentiated instruction is the end assessment always a product? I find this rather ironic considering Florida and many other states seem to rely on a test to determine id a student has learned enough to be promoted or even graduate.
Two things that I certainly do agree with are that students must share responsibility for their learning and the teacher must continually make adjustments in the classroom.
I have to say that I agreee with Carol Ann Tomlinson and her views on DI as defined in Chapter 1. Differentiated Instruction has been in existence in classrooms for a long time and is now being defined with parameters of DO'S and DONT'S. My experience within the classroom has led me to believe that ALL children learn differently, and at different rates no matter how "homogeneous" they are led to believe they are or grouped. I believe that children devleop mentally, socially and psychologically at different rates and it is not completely fair to say that there is one correct way to learn/obtain certain skills. Students should be exposed to various ways to learn and put in different learning environments to help them acquire skills needed to become successful on their academic journey. I differ in my approaches to DI in the fact that I don't believe that teachers should be held one rigorous, specific way of implementing DI in the classroom. I am that teacher who implements differentiated instruction but I do so on based on the individual needs and progresses of the students that are before me. I have to "partially" differ with DI being an implemented educational plan being tailored to students without room for adjustments. This limits the teacher. It's time to think outside the box! Learning should be both student and teacher centered.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiation as I know it now, is different from other approaches to dealing with student differences in that it is an ongoing process that changes continually as the concepts and the lessons change. Some students may be weak in one skill within a concept but they may have strengths in others skills while still learning and working on the same concept or theme. So, teachers have to tailor the lessons to the needs of all the students. What is similar with other approaches is that the goal is the same. We are trying to reach all of our students as best we can. Although, maybe some of the older approaches have not been as successful with all students, we can use some of the older techniques in conjunction with the new ones. So, given what we know now about differentiation, we are more aware of the options and of the different techniques that we can use to be more effective teachers.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is a extremely important component of special education. While teachers in SPED often feel that they must individualize instruction for each student to meet IEP goals they quickly become exhausted and realize there must be a better way. DI provides teachers with an avenue to alleviate many of those struggles. By grouping students based on their commonalities or ability level and utilizing IEP goals as well as diagnostic and benchmark data, SPED teachers are better able to target student needs. Insuring that groups are fluid, classroom systems and procedures are in place and proactively planning for the different levels in the classroom teachers are able to provide students with optimal learning options and experiences. Insuring that DI is filled with quality learning activities that focus on content, process, and product while also monitoring student progress provide for dynamic educational experiences.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction is an important component of a reading program. As a reading teacher, I have of students who come to the class with various levels of reading and language skills and abilities. Whole group teaching does address the differences.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading ch. 1 if the D.I. book, I was reminded of just how important D.I. is and how flexible it needs to be. The chapter reminded me that small groups are not necessarily DI groups, and to keep the end goal of the lesson in mind.
One point that is also familiar to me is the classroom control with different groups going on at one time. It does take a lot of work, and planning, and training of students for D.I to be successful. I am hoping to learn how to make my groups more student centered while keeping the focus on product and goal.
A traditional classroom tends to teach to the whole class and give the same assignment, regardless the level of the student. Whereas, the differentiated classroom takes in account that student does learn differently and take that into consideration. Learning must be clear and organized, student must be actively involved in the learning process; student must have a connection, interest and feel safe in the learning environment. Teachers need to plan for flexible grouping and variety of assessments. Teachers need high quality curriculum that provides support, guidance and criteria. Since not all students learn at same pace: some students need visual, auditory, kinesthetic so we need all these approaches when teaching. A 20/20 classroom is digital technology program. The classroom teacher is a facilitator. This model: is student centered and not teacher centered. The teacher is not up in front of the classroom and giving a lecture and waiting on students to respond. This model allows the student to recovery credit if needed and provide self-correction.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this book, I am a firm believer that Differentiated Instruction needs to take place in every class setting. Students have different learning styles and learn differently. When I was in the classroom, I loved differentiated instruction for a number of reasons. One- I was able to sit down and teach, Two- I got to know my students a lot better; their strenghts and weaknesses and three- I was able to move my students academically and meet their needs. Reading chapter made me realized that many teachers don't know the importance of differentiated instruction and what it is and is not.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 provided a clear description of what differentiated instruction is and what it is not. According to the text, differentiated instruction is qualitative because it is geared at providing students with instruction of better quality, as opposed to providing students with more work. It is student centered, multifaceted in approach, and organic in practice. DI instruction does not solely cater to grouped students, but provides assistance to those in need of individual instruction and serves as an anchor for whole class group instruction. Unlike the 1970s, DI is not solely individualized. Lessons are not tailored specifically to students needs. If implemented correctly, I believe that differentiated instruction can equip teachers with the ability to motivated and empower students to perform at their absolute best.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 1, “What Differentiated Instruction Is -And Isn’t,” I am starting to see DI as a set of learning experiences designed to fit the different styles and abilities of the students, in a particular classroom. These learning experiences are designed around the students’ particular interests and levels of readiness while at the same time, encouraging independence and a strong sense of collaboration among individuals.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that Differentiated Instruction (DI) is what Ms. Tomlin stated in her book: a BLEND of whole, class, group, and individualized instruction. At least it is for me. I always start my daily routine as a whole group and the information is reiterated, expanded and resolved in groups and if needed at the individual level for even more reinforcement. To begin the day as a whole class gives me and my students uniformity. They know that they are all on the same page in learning, behavior, and expectations. This does not mean they will all achieve their goals at the same time. What most of us tend to forget that even in whole group we differentiated our instruction by offering different options and strategies as we discuss the topic of the lesson. I know I do not give directions or instructions in just one way. I use strategies for our different learning styles in the classroom (visual/physical, verbal/aural). At the primary elementary grade level, I believe teachers are more adept in meeting those different styles.
ReplyDeleteTomlinson's definition of differentiated instructions is more clear and concise in comparison to others out there. Unlike many traditional classroom groupings, DI is grouped flexibly by content, process, product, readiness, interest and learning profiles of students. Although DI is student centered, DI is organized and teacher set the tone for learning. It provide multiple approaches to learning and assessing. Chapter 1 tells us what DI is and is not. Very often, educators think DI is directly related to grouping, by Tomlinson suggests that DI is a blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction.
ReplyDeleteTomlinson's definition of differentiated instructions is more clear and concise in comparison to others out there. Unlike many traditional classroom groupings, DI is grouped flexibly by content, process, product, readiness, interest and learning profiles of students. Although DI is student centered, DI is organized and teacher set the tone for learning. It provide multiple approaches to learning and assessing. Chapter 1 tells us what DI is and is not. Very often, educators think DI is directly related to grouping, by Tomlinson suggests that DI is a blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction. -VP
ReplyDeleteAccording to Tomlinson, it is imperative that Differentiated Instruction be student-centered when working with a heterogenous group. Teaching and learning within a 90-minute framework requires strategic planning and should involve student interests to successfully meet objectives and maintain student engagement. One of the sections that gave me a chuckle was the part that stated that DI is not chaotic. This caught my attention especially because that is exactly what it was like in my classroom when I first attempted to incorporate Differentiated Instruction. Due to a lack of proactive planning on my part, my students were confused, I was disheveled and there was no learning taking place. It wasn't until I began to understand how I could structure my content, process, and product, that I finally became an effective instructor. While I understood that I could no longer continue to be the "sage" on the stage, it was still a challenge to design and monitor 25 students completing various activities to meet their individual needs. It is still challenging for teachers to cover content, yet consider the interests and relevancy of our student population. My nephew who passed away was a senior at Miami Northwestern Senior High. He was the eldest of eight children. His mother was a teen mom. Needless to say, his grades were not always priority for him. When I think of how important recognizing individual student needs, I think of him. Only in an intimate teacher-led setting, would Jerrome have truly received an opportunity to learn. In fact this would have been one of the few opportunities he would have had to let his voice be heard. Many of his teachers would have probably been astounded to learn that he was a master at building things with his hands. His father (my cousin) a teen father became a carpenter and Jerrome followed in his footsteps. If Jerrome had ever been assigned a project centered around his interests, his teachers would have been amazed that although his reading was laborious, he had other talents and interests that motivated him. That's what I think about when I reflect on the necessity of student-centered learning.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Chapter 1 of Carol Ann Tomlinson's book How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, I feel I am lacking much of the skills needed to "really" differentiate instructions for my GED students. I do group the students based on their TABE test results. Those that are low level readers are in the ABE group, while those that have proven to be able to read at a 9th or above grade level are in the GED Ready group. I understand now that this method does not satisfy the differentiated model. Within these two groups of students, I still need to provide students with lessons that address their learning styles. My biggest question after reading Chapter 1 is how do I find out what is each student's learning style? I'm eager to learn more about differentiated instruction and model in my GED classroom.
ReplyDeleteTry the VARK test online to learn about your learning style.
ReplyDeleteReading Chapter 1 only reaffirned what I had always known, that what I was told to do (according to the source it was D.I.) is really not D.I. as the way it is meant to be. At the present time I am grouping my students according to the result from the latest interim test. I know that what I am giving them as a group is not what every child in any particular group needs. I will be making changes to the way I conduct D.I. from now on and by the conclusion of this class I feel I will have all the necessary tools to conduct an effective D.I. group.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading Chapter 1 I realized the importance of Differentiated Instruction (D.I.). I believe DI should be incorporated in EVERY classroom. Lets face it, students have different learning styles and as educators we must hone in on the ability of the students and teach to meet their needs. I will say that the traditional method of teaching can be just as effective. I believe in the classroom both DI and traditional go hand in hand. When introducing new information/material I think whole group instruction is appropriate. But as we deepen the skills, we need to take the DI approach,.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 reaffirms what Special Education teachers have always done when assessing the students Flexibility in grouping as well as tailoring assignments on concepts depending on the mastering of skills as students progress a various levels.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 Reflection: Because students have always differed within any classroom, there has always been a need to develop routines and procedures for attending to those differences. With your current knowledge of what we call "differentiation," how is it similar to and different from other approaches to dealing with student differences that you're aware of? A differentiated classroom is marked by a whole class preparing, reviewing and sharing that allows for opportunity of individual or/and small group exploring, producing, making sense, and extening information presented to each student.
ReplyDeleteMy sister, despite attending public school from the early age of three, has not learned how to read beyond a first grade level. She has now been attending school for 44 years, and I have often witnessed her frustration. She was born with Down’s syndrome and is now 47 years of age. Our public school system has failed her; I intend to employ what I learn in this course in order to help her read beyond her current level of reading. So, not only will I employ Tomlinson’s DI strategies in my classroom, but also intend to utilize them on a personal level in order to help my sister. It is vital that I recognize my students’ needs, interests and commonalities in order to plan, strategize, and maintain my students actively engaged. This takes much work. It will take blending of both whole-group and individual instruction. I believe that with a teacher-led setting which involves student interests, optimum learning and success is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is proactive in that the teacher plans a variety of ways to "get at" and express learning. It is more qaulitative than quatitative and rooted in assessment. It provides multiple approaches to content, process, and product within the classroom setting. It is student centered, engaging, relevant and interesting. While the standard appraoch to teaching and the classroom is more teacher centered. Teacher and students are learners together, rather than student only being the learners. Differientiated Instruction is organic, in that it is constantly evolving and adapting, looking for one mor way to make the classroom a better match for its learners.
ReplyDeleteWell as an ESE teacher we are always looking for the way to apporach each student to access their education and make sure they are evovling and progressing and making gains towards mastering their goal. By using the different data you will able to access the student defficencies.
ReplyDeleteI am the product of the public education system, and it was only after I began to teach that I learned about differentiated instruction. As a student I wished that it had been available. I was a student who did not pay attention in class, and most of my teachers assumed it was because I did not understand, so they were surprised when I did well in tests. Had there been differentiated instruction available, my teachers would have seen that I was easily bored and would have been able to better provide for me.
ReplyDeleteReflection chapter 14
ReplyDeleteWhat is a grade?
Why do teachers grade their students?
It is unfortunate that our educational system demands that a grade should be given to each student who was in attendance in a teacher's classroom for a period of 10 days or more.
But have we ever wonder as teachers what impact a grade might have on a student's psyche?
May be a sense of self- worth or despair, regardless of the outcome grades are intended to draw the value of each student worth in comparison to their peers ! As teachers we must be sensitive when we are assigning grades to our students. A grade has the power to make or break a fragile child!
Chappter 1
ReplyDeleteThe concept of classroom differentiation is nothing new to Sped teachers.In a Sped class of 12 children or more ,teachers often find a variety of levels and learning styles withing the same class. How do we as teachers meet these needs? . It really depends on the teachers to provide ample opportunities for such different learners to be become somewhat sufficient.i regular classrooms whole group instruction had been the norm,but in special education classes teachers are required to tailored instructions in such a way that even the most inept students have to perform at leat at his or her instructional level/ To differentiated is all we have been doing along except under a new technical term.
Comp 4 Test
ReplyDeleteELL classes are no stranger to differentiated instruction. Currently, most Developmental Language Arts classes have mixed grades with two mixed levels in a class of 22 to 28 students, which is ideal for differentiated instruction.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that differentiated instruction requires more preparation compared to previous approaches. The previous approaches required more teacher direction and determination of a student's progress. However, differentiated instruction, as I see it, allows for more student involvement as contributors and determiners of their progress, which is a good thing. Every period and day I am learning from my students and changing my lessons to meet their language acquisition needs...some days are exhausting; and, other days it is rewarding.
I often wonder, though, how long will D.I. be around until some other approach is presented and considered more efficient.
While Differentiated Instruction focuses on meaningful learning and ideas for all students, at the heart of D.I. is the understanding that the teacher sometimes needs to work with the “whole class, sometimes with the small groups, and sometimes with individuals.”
ReplyDelete“Effective differentiated classrooms include purposeful student movement and some purposeful student talking.” In my classroom it takes time to set up rules and regulations to keep behavior management streamlined and the routine in check in order to establish the meaningful movement and purposeful dialogue. This is in stark contrast to the classic model of instruction where the teacher “pours knowledge” and the students, simply, receive the information.
Differentiated Instruction is different from the classic model of instruction because it acknowledges the challenges that come with diversity, different learning modalities, and the fact that children learn at different paces. D.I. encourages students who “get it” to be able to move on to higher, more challenging aspects of the lesson, while students who need remediation get extra time to master trouble areas.
In the differentiated classroom, “teaching is evolutionary. Students and teachers are learners together.” The environment encourages students to take ownership and provides a distinctive opportunity for students to contribute from their unique perspectives creating richer experiences for everyone.
I have noticed DI is commonly misunderstood. In the beginning of the year, I offered guidance with differentiated instruction to the new teachers. I guided them on the procedure of grouping by readiness from the baseline data. I informed them, based off the many sources of data, the grouping will be flexible and change often. As I conducted walkthroughs later in the year, I noticed the teachers were conducting centers but not DI. The focus for next year for me as a reading coach is to effectively coach the teachers on how to implement DI. The new teachers seem overwhelmed at first, "a different activity for each student", which I think comes from the mix up of terms, individualized instruction compared to differentiated instruction. Once they fully understand the concept of DI and how it can help the students accomplish the end goal.
ReplyDeleteMy current knowledge of differenciation is quite limited at this point in my eight year teaching career. My reasons for taking this course is so that I would gain understanding of how differenciated instruction truly works when properly designed for every learner. Initially, my thought about D I was that you break students into smaller homogeneous groups, giving them the same content as every other student but simplify their assignment to make it "easier." After reading chapter one, I now understand that D I is not about simplifying but clarifying. Effective teachers will always put a demand on their students skill-set to be sharpened. What I believe I get out of this chapter is that you don't "dummy" down work for slower or less proficient learners, but you tap into the areas where their skills are not proficient and target those areas-to bring out the growth patterns needed to increase proficientcy.
ReplyDeleteDI is similar to traditional approaches in that all 3 elements; content, process, product, are implemented. Instruction is always tailored to the individual need of the student in the form of whole group, small group, individual instruction. But teachers are still in control by giving specific instructions . On the other had, with DI, students are more in control of their individual learning. They have more choices based on interests and skills. The quality of their own individual work is more effective due they have more of a responsibility to perform. Unfortunately, in a classroom over the size limit, DI can become very hectic . DI requires much planning in advance by the teacher. The strategies must be implemented immediately from Day 1 In order to train the students in DI. It's much more challenging as compared to the OLD school of Instruction It takes an entire career time to be able to effectively use DI. The approach is much needed in today's multicultural, global world of the 21 Century where students will be required to compete .
ReplyDeleteIn order to differentiate instruction, we must first learn about our students. Differentiated Instruction is about collecting valuable data on the students learning styles, interest and readiness. As educators we must teach to target every learners needs by conducting whole class, small group and individual instructions. I have realized that differentiation is misunderstood by many teachers. Differentiating instruction is not about giving more or less work is about the works quality. It is necessary to have flexible groupings, where students engage in purposeful conversations and move around the classroom. Movement is essential to keeping our students on task and motivated. Differentiated Instruction does not separate levels for each learners, instead, it accommodates students in their areas of strength and targets the areas of needs.
ReplyDeleteAssessments are a necessary tool to differentiate. Assessments must be ongoing and does not have to take place at the end of the unit. We must assess formally as well as informally to collect valuable data on students strengths and needs.
My current knowledge of differentiation is that teachers are aware of their students needs, various levels and interest. However, creating and developing an authentic end products that show evidence of growth and mastery for each students seems to be the challenge for most teachers today.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction that shows evidence in the following is the most authentic and will promote optimal growth:
1) DI is about quality not quantity. Another words, adjust the nature of the work, not the amount.
2) DI is about authentic assessment so you should begin with the assessment as the goal. Assessment can come in the following forms: class discussions, conversations with each student, student work (informal) and finally the formal assessment that students produce at their independent levels.
3) Use multiple approaches with the content, process and the products. Examples are: input ( can be teacher led lectures, content goals expressed to the class as whole group); 2) process (teacher facilitates learners activities, how they are relating to the topic at hand, and informally assesses how learners are relating to the topic and goals), 3) products and students demonstration of what they have learned. This can be both informal and formal. However, there should be and authentic end product that shows each student's growth toward their individual learning goals.
What I noticed at my school is that we started off using D.I. all wrong. The groups were based on data we got from the FAIR test. The FAIR test, in my opinion, is an extremely flawed test, and doesnt really capture true data. These groups weren't flexible, once you were in a group, you were stuck in that group. Also, at many times, the groups were very chaotic, especially the centers that were not teacher-directed. There was also modification of grades based on student levels, especially with the low students. As the year progressed, we made improvements, especially when it came to how we approached D.I. We focussed hard to differentiate the content and the process for all of the studnets to achieve a similiar product. We started to assess more frequently and that enabled us to make grouping more flexable. In my class, I felt as if the D.I. was evolutionary; we tried many different strategies based on the results i recieved from the Interim tests, not the FAIR. Unfortunately, our administration did not want us to blend. It was all D.I., all the time. This is something I hope to change at my school.
ReplyDeleteCharter 1 : The students come from different cultures and they have different learning style. They arrive at schools with differing level of emotional social maturity. Teachers in mixed- ability classrooms faces multiple challenges.
ReplyDeleteTeachers adjusts differentiated instruction adjusting the quantity of an assignment will generally be less effective that match students needs as well. It also prepare students for better for their life's.
R Alvarez June 11,2014
ReplyDeleteStudents in any classroom have different development and different needs. In many classroom across the country the approach to teaching and learning does not fulfills those differences.
On the other hand, differentiated instruction is not individualized it but, it offers the learners several avenues to learn. It also focusses on meaningful learning for all students in one classroom. A differentiated instructional teacher needs to sometimes work with the hole class, sometimes with small groups, and sometimes with individual students. The use of flexible grouping which accommodates student a according to their needs teachers also have to match the timing for every instructional activity, so all students have enough time to complete their assignments.
Another characteristic of a Differentiated Instruction is that the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways for students to get the concepts and express learning by tailoring instructions instruction for individual learners.
Teachers must look for the opportunities to know their students better based on conversations, classroom discussions, students work, observation, and formal assessments . The information obtained from this activities, help teachers to craft instruction to assist all student to make the most of their potential and to develop readiness levels.
The assigned tasks in a differentiated Instructional setting must be interesting, and engaging. Students understanding must be built on previous ones in order to challenge all the students. Also, students should be helped to take responsibility of their own growth in order to be prepared for a better life.
Ongoing collaboration between teachers and students is very important too so that teachers can refine learning opportunities, and students can learn well
Chapter 1:
ReplyDeleteUsually when a teacher starts a new school year, she/he is not aware of the way different students minds work. This leaves teachers with the task of figuring out which techniques will be suitable for each child to learn with to the best of their ability. Teachers who practice differentiated instruction in the classroom tend to see more improvement in the classroom. Making sure the each and every student feels like the assignment and tasks are all centered around them is key.
Chapter 1: This approach give the students multiple options for taking information, so they can make sense of idea and can also express what they are learning clearly. In a differentiated classroom the students have the possibility to acquire the content, process the ideas and develop products so each student can learn in an effective way, Teachers are also able to meet the students diverse needs.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated instruction is not individualized instruction, it does not assume a separate level for each learner. An effective differentiated classroom is the use of flexible grouping, which accommodates students who are strong in some areas and weaker in others.The teachers can use different group configurations and students experience many different working groups and arrangements. A differentiated classroom is more proactive because the teacher can plan a variety of ways to get and express learning.It is more quality than quantity and it is mostly based on assessments. Assessment takes place as the units begin to determine the particular needs of each student in relation to the units goals. Teachers need to know the students' readiness, interests and mode of learning. By differentiating content, process and product teachers can offer different approaches to what students learn, how they learn, and how they demonstrate what they have learned. Differentiated instruction is all about student center. Learning experience is more effective when they are organized, relevant and interesting. Teachers have to provide challenging learning experiences for all students and proactively plan and carry out varied approach to content, process and product.
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ReplyDeleteFrom my experience, I can say that the only way to teach in a Special Education classroom is through differentiated instruction. Teaching one-to-one or one-to-small group is the only way to reach learners with all abilities and disabilities, communication problems, motor limitation and intellectual challenges….just to mention a few.
ReplyDeleteSince students are visual, auditory, kinesthetic learners or a combination, as teachers, we need to use a variety of strategies and methods to reach each student. Another responsibility as an educator is to provide students with a safe environment where making mistakes is okay. Where the voice of each student is heard and where all students feel free to express themselves and to have the opportunity to study things that are meaningful and important to their lives and interests.
Differentiated instruction involves three categories of how we teach: Content, process and product. Content can be the modification of the curriculum or divide material into small steps. Presenting materials in a systematic way or increasing the use of graph, charts, and technology involve the instructional process and modifying student work product such as changing tasks or presenting the task orally or through the arts (drawing, singing, acting).
Differentiated instruction for me is the only to know if "all" my students understood what I was trying to teach them. By knowing who my students are and what their strengths and weaknesses are, I can relate to them in a way that will be understandable to them individually. This way I can address their difficulties and help them improve.
ReplyDeleteDI is an efficient and effective way to reach each learner right where they are academically. It allows you to tailor your instruction to students' individual needs. I have found that differentiating your instruction requires a bit of skill, comprehensive knowledge of student data (diagnostic data), and consistency in order to be effective. It is more than simply putting together random activities in bins or at stations/centers for students to rotate through unaccounted for. DI is most effective when the groups are flexibile, and when the work generated in the groups addresses the students needs efficiently on a consistent basis.
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ReplyDeleteAccording to Chapter 1, in a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become elements in teaching and learning as well. When I plan lessons for my ESOL students, differentiated instruction is a vital component for my students success as well as for my success as a classroom teacher. DI is different from other approaches of dealing with student differences because it gives students multiple options for taking information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn. DI is also similar to the traditional approach because it is a plan for instruction to get students to learn.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Chapter 1, in a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become elements in teaching and learning as well. When I plan lessons for my ESOL students, differentiated instruction is a vital component for my students success as well as for my success as a classroom teacher. DI is different from other approaches of dealing with student differences because it gives students multiple options for taking information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn. DI is also similar to the traditional approach because it is a plan for instruction to get students to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 1, Differentiated Instruction is discussed in depth to give the reader a better idea about how it functions in a classroom. To me, the idea of D.I. is very different from how I felt when I was in school. Beginning in a classroom as a student, it was whole group instruction and then individual work. The students who were strong or had an understanding of the content at hand were able to do the individual work successfully. Where as, the students who did not understand would not finish there work and would struggle silently. In using, the D.I. "the teacher offered different approaches to what students learn, how they learn it, and how they demonstrate what they've learned (p. 4-5)." In doing that, the student gets to work on their deficient areas.
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ReplyDeleteFrom my experience, I can say that the only way to teach in a Special Education classroom is through differentiated instruction. Teaching one-to-one or one-to-small group is the only way to reach learners with all abilities and disabilities, communication problems, motor limitation and intellectual challenges….just to mention a few.
Since students are visual, auditory, kinesthetic learners or a combination, as teachers, we need to use a variety of strategies and methods to reach each student. Another responsibility as an educator is to provide students with a safe environment where making mistakes is okay. Where the voice of each student is heard and where all students feel free to express themselves and to have the opportunity to study things that are meaningful and important to their lives and interests.
Differentiated instruction involves three categories of how we teach: Content, process and product. Content can be the modification of the curriculum or divide material into small steps. Presenting materials in a systematic way or increasing the use of graph, charts, and technology involve the instructional process and modifying student work product such as changing tasks or presenting the task orally or through the arts (drawing, singing, acting).
Reflection 1
ReplyDeleteIn all classrooms there will always be an enormous diversity of students where teachers would have to find ways to deal with. And under “No child left behind” all of these students, regardless of background knowledge, readiness, interests, language etc. are expected to learn from the same curriculum. Teaching these students becomes an important element in learning. In this situation, all teachers will have to be flexible with their methods of teaching. For example, they need to work with the whole class, sometimes with a small class, and sometimes with individuals for the best needs of these children. Without using Differentiated instruction, any teacher(s) will not be able to maximize each student’s growth and success.
More importantly to validate this kind of instruction, teachers need to rely on effective classroom management procedures, know how to group the students for instruction, and know how to engage them during teaching. If all teachers know what they are doing, D.I. will not be a challenge for them. Teachers should use different avenues to make their students to acquire the Content and Skills associated with the Curriculum. The most important key is to know how to make it work for the learners.
As any other approach, differentiate learning aims to make students achieve at their highest potential. However, some of the other approaches don't see the students as individual learners with different abilities and struggles. This is where differentiated learning makes a difference. This method sees each learner as an important key element that would contribute to the whole. It allows teachers to meet students at their levels and build upon it. It is not one size fit all approach. Rather, it is every one fit and is valuable. Students are active members of their learning.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiation is somewhat a part of most all classrooms I have seen. Teachers sense the need to know their students learning needs, but may not always know how to accomplish this on a larger scale. This is when explicit study in differentiation can be so useful. Learning how to breakdown the learning environment and identify student both through academic and personal learning styles makes the classroom truly effective.
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ReplyDeleteAccording to chapter 1, Differentiated Instruction is not a strategy, a way of forming homogeneous groups, is not chaotic, nor providing the same information to all students the same way. Differentiated Instruction is providing the students with information in different ways so that they are able to understand the concepts being taught. Teachers must focus on quality than quantity. It is student centered too. Students have an opportunity to produce different assignments that is appropriate to their needs and interact.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction in my opinion differs from other approaches because teachers can address a same concept in many different ways according to the students' background, learning style, learning abilities, and interests. Other approaches are small group instructions based on students' academic needs. This approach is used to teach a concept the same way to various groups. This approach is similar to Differentiated Instruction in a way because teachers can deliver the content differently thinking on the students' interests and readiness.
When teachers differentiate instruction, they think how the content, process, and product can be different so that all students are able to master the topic or concept learned. Students then work in different tasks, share, make sense of the ideas studied, and apply principles to solve the teacher generated problems.
Differentiation is similar to other approaches because it is for every student and at the core of effective learning and is within a classroom. Differentiation is different from other approaches because it uses a flexible approach to space, time materials, grouping and instruction.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instructions from my experience is using different ways and strategies to get students to learn in a level that they understand. DI is also using different activities in order to meet students needs. As educators we must keep in mind students cultural background, interest, learning styles etc.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really helps me understand the difference between what differentiated instruction is and what it isn’t. I was already pretty certain of the things that are not DI, but could not quite figure what it is. Now I have a better idea and a picture in my mind of what a true DI classroom looks like and how the instruction flows.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I found to be very comforting is how assessments should be used. It is exactly as I thought, ongoing and used to guide instruction for individual student needs. I have a good understanding of all of these concepts, but the most difficult is planning for it and then actually doing it. The visual flow chart of instruction on Figure 1.1 is absolutely great. This is a place to start especially for planning I feel that if teachers have a chart like this to guide them they will be more likely to do DI and implement it successfully.
Differentiated instruction is essential to help students' learning gains. It starts with a proactive teachers' planning, taking in consideration the students' different learning styles and needs, as well as their culture ( background),language barriers ( if they are ELLs) and data. Regular assessments also provide teachers with awareness of students' progress or weakness. Besides, the quality of the exercises is more effective than the quantity, so It's better to give the student a higher level exercise when he/she has already mastered a given skill than giving the student more activity of the same skill or level of difficulty. I have in my class a variety of exercises and projects for those that are advanced. Another way of DI is peer collaboration.In my class, I make the students to work in pairs, so the ones that are more skillful could help those that are struggling in a given area of study. Other projects in class are small group based projects where students have the chance to participate, discuss, argue, and give opinions of a lesson, video, topic or specific assignment. This interaction is a great change for students to gain confidence and trust with the rest of their classmates. Because communication is unique, every teaching day is a new day and a new experience in which I absorb what I think is the best for my instructional delivery to help students excel their content skills.
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ReplyDeleteIn a differentiated instruction classroom there are different avenues to acquiring content. Back in the days a traditional classroom instruction was provided commonly for all. In many classrooms today, the approach to teaching and learning is more unitary than differentiated. Differentiated instruction is proactive; the chapter states that it is neither chaotic nor individualized instruction. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively carries and plans out different approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs. During the process part of the lesson teachers must model (I DO, WE DO, YOU DO) for the students prior to releasing them to work independently. Teachers must adjust the quantity of an assignment will generally be less effective than adjusting the nature of the assignment. Homogeneous grouping is not just another way of providing a differentiated instruction. Teachers must use the student’s data to form small group instruction (DI) in which it is centered with student's data and it is rooted in assessment. Teachers must analyze the iReady data to identify student’s weaknesses to provide instruction based on student needs.
Vivian Marzall
In chapter one, "What Differentiated Instruction Is and Isn't", it was clearly outlined how differentiated instruction has come a long way and states what it should look like versus what some people believe it to be. D.I. should not be chaotic in any manner. When planning for D.I., I feel that teachers need to be methodical not only in instructions, but also when it comes to formulating their groups. Students should be grouped by their data, but in some classes I see that the groups never change. Groupings should be more fluid, especially as a teacher addresses certain benchmarks and skills. Growing up, the school that I attended for elementary school had centers and I had always thought it was D.I., but looking back it was the same activity for each group as we rotated centers. "Centers" was the norm back in the day but it doesn't fit the true meaning of differentiating instruction. Now, D.I. is using data driven instruction to plain for lessons that meet the needs of ALL students. It is important to reach the students in a manner that they can understand the material and use their own thought process to reach academic success.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter has clarified the difference between what differentiated instruction is and what it isn’t. First of all, students need be assessed in one way or the other. Obviously it is not a one size fit all which is the way I learned. Although students are expected to take the same test regardless of learning gap or learning difficulty they are expected to pass this standardized test. The challenge is getting the information these assessments provide to educators and then dissect and analyze the data to be able to better help and educate the child at their instructional level and scaffolding them to try to close that learning gap. The differentiated instruction is ongoing and needs to be reassessed every so often to help the student in that area of deficiency.
ReplyDeleteMeeting the need of a student in whole group can be challenging for the teacher. However, that teacher is observing and making mental notes and other formal and informal assessments of what each student is in need of. In small group differentiation, is where that need will be met. The teacher will proactively plan according to the specific needs of the students. The teacher will group them by their weaknesses and/or strengths in order to maximize their understanding and growth. Elda
ReplyDeleteClassroom should not be chaotic. It's not individual lesson plans. It's more qualitative than qualitative. It's a blend of individual and whole group instruction.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiation, I’m coming to realize, is highly dependent on data, whether it be formal or informal. When teachers constantly refer to class data, DI groups become fluid and less fixed. The flexibility in grouping ensures students are constantly learning from each other and are challenged in different ways. It is student focused, as opposed to whole group instruction which is usually teacher focused. Within the differentiation models, students of all levels are provided opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, when the learning is student focused, students take ownership of the process and the learning becomes more meaningful. Students learn from one another and teachers learn from students as well. Another key point that separates differentiation from more traditional methods of approaching student differences is that not only is the content differentiated to help meet the varying needs of students, but also the activities and the end products as well.
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ReplyDeleteChapter one is discussing the differences between what differentiated instruction is and isn't. While in the classroom, teachers very quickly realize that students are on different academic levels and aren't "one size fits all." Therefore, teachers need to create many options for learning. One of the most important things teachers need to master while using differentiated instruction is classroom management. A teacher who differentiates instruction must be able to manage and monitor many activities at the same time. In addition to classroom management, the teachers need to be proactive when planning activities. They will need to plan ahead a variety of ways to reach and express learning. Differentiated instruction is most effective when it is engaging, relevant and interesting.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiation is different from our traditional approach to meeting student needs because it is data-driven and systematic in nature. After thoroughly analyzing the data, teachers “proactively plan a variety of ways to “get at” and express learning” (Tomlinson, pg. 4). Therefore, differentiation is not simply helping students who are struggling with a particular assignment but rather systematically addressing the needs of all learners in the classroom based on their needs. The text also mentioned that “Effective differentiation will typically be proactively planned by the teacher to be robust enough to address a range of learner needs, in contrast with planning a single approach for everyone…” Thus differentiation steers away from trying to adjust lessons after it is clear some students are having difficulties with the lesson after the fact.
ReplyDeleteIn order to provide more opportunities as a teachers,we need to combine traditional procedures with different teaching strategies according to the students'needs and their range of capabilities.We cannot plan a single approach anymore,a long lecture to explain,we need to make the classroom interactive and proactive,managing the classroom involve among others a blending of teaching for all,for small groups and one to one to reach particular kids that come with different backgrounds and different level of knowledge as well.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher model I do,We do,and You Do,is one of the best strategies to model instruction,plus a combination of informal assessments that encourage the learners to provide feedback and make possible to fill the gap that some students have .
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ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction includes
ReplyDelete*Engaging, relevant, interesting.
*Different avenues of learning
*Appropriately challenge of learning experience for your student's need.
*Understand the importance for our students to take responsibilities in their own growth.
*Have the groups active;they need to learn how to evaluate their own decision.
*As teachers we also learn the way our students are learning.
*We need to provide more ongoing collaboration opportunities.
*Teacher will combine what she can learn in D.I taking
in consideration hew own instincts and experiences.
As someone who has always taught students who are identified as the "lowest twenty-five percent" differentiating my instruction has allowed me to deal with different learning styles and abilities on a daily basis. It is different from the "unitary" approach to teaching where all students are doing the same thing but in a small group. Differentiated Instruction allows me to ensure that I have a deep knowledge of the learners in my classroom. It allows me to adjust assignments to meet the needs of my students, and to provide many different approaches to the content, process and product. Since students are continually being assessed (formally or informally), Differentiated Instruction continuously evolves allowing me to make adjustments to instruction.
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction within the classroom allows me, as the teacher to foster a multitude of activities to meet the needs of my students. This will also allow me to assist students with creating and developing a learning process that will help them to develop their own knowledge and be able to grow academically. I do believe that children learn best when they are in an environment where constant interaction with each other is taking place rather than teacher centered.
ReplyDeleteThe traditional teaching style is to teach every the same skills and concepts in a whole group setting. This style of teaching however, isn't beneficial to all students within the classroom. Differentiated instruction allows the teacher to reach all students in the classroom, based on their learning styles and preferences. I believe this is the best approach. It requires a lot of planning on the part of the teacher, but in the long run, the students really benefit from it. Also it allows students to show they understand the skills in various ways.
ReplyDelete-Besnard J.-P.
I feel there are several differences between a traditional classroom and one in which effective differentiated instruction is taking place. How is it different from approaches I was aware of? It is not chaotic. In the past I have seen chaotic scenarios in where teachers lose control and student behavior gets out of control. I have always thought of DI as described in the text in which you place students in groups and the teacher almost always selects the assignments. I have learned that DI should have flexible groupings and many different group configurations you be used and the assignments should be fluid.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I have always known is that to be effective in DI you have to continually assess your students before, during and after the unit or topic being taught. In addition, I have always believed that even though you, as a teacher, might know the materials being taught very well, you have to constantly be aware of how your students are learning and adjust accordingly.
I have learned that differentiation is what make us individuals. Differentiation is offering students choices for learning and for expressing what they have learned. In this chapter I have also learned that differentiate doesn't mean to give more or less work, or perhaps to have students choose what they want to answer. In a classroom with little or no differentiation, the students are exposed or lectured using the same approach, the same content and expecting the same product. In contrast to a single approach classroom, the teacher has to carefully plan various ways to present the content, decide on how to handle the process and/or the final product keeping in mind the students' readiness, interest and various learning styles.
ReplyDeleteThe challenges of mix ability classroom by using Differentiated Instruction(D.I.) in regard to reediness and interest students can feel comfortable. Student learn at different speeds and are different in ability levels. In order to comprehend students’ differences D.I. becomes an important element in the teaching and learning process.
ReplyDeleteD.I. offers several pathways to learning, it is student centered. Managing many activities that go on in the classroom at the same time with a set of rule that students are accountable for implementing
D.I. is not teacher centered and the grouping are not fixed but accommodates flexible groupings to help the student success according to their needs. The bases of D.I. derives from assessment. It is proven that multiple approaches to teaching the content and process, the best way that students attain information and learn the content, as well as offering numerous alternatives for students to display the outcome or product of the lesson, lead to successful teaching and learning.