During the videos we watched in class, Marian Small brought about a few good points. During her "Inquiring About Mathematics Instruction" introduction, she talked about having to respond differently from child to child. It is very important for us as teachers to realize that students are individuals, and their emotional, psychological, and cognitive needs have to be met.
In the "Research About Students' Mathematical Learning and Knowing" segment, what stuck out to me was how teachers worry that students lack perseverance. The fact of the matter is, however, that students need to be given sufficient time, as well as made to feel like they are capable of completing the task in order to persevere.
Ms. Small then went on to talk about "Initial (Diagnostic) Assessment Strategies." It is critical to do an initial diagnostic in which the teacher learns where the students stand before beginning a new unit. This creates a stable base from which to build upon.
The last segment was on "Open-Ended and Parallel Learning Tasks for Instruction." The biggest thing that struck me during this talk was how we want every single student to engage in some way and at a certain level. This can be done effectively by using parallel tasks from which students are given a choice.
WHAT DOES DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION MEAN TO YOU?
After seeing these video clips, I began to think more about what differentiated instruction really means to me. I believe that each child is different, and as a teacher I need to prepare lesson plans accordingly. I need to involve auditory, visual, and kinesthetic teaching to reach all of my learners, and I need to incorporate different types of assignments as well. Students cannot always be grouped together as one big class, but need to be seen as children with different needs. I will do everything I can to meet those needs.
WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE YOU USED/OR WITNESSED IN THE CLASSES YOU HAVE BEEN IN?
During my first practicum, I had the opportunity to use differentiated instruction in Math. I did this by incorporating lecture, example problems, different types of group work, as well as individual work. I was able to give the students a base from which to work off of, and then they could teach each other while working in groups. I was fortunate to have a class who worked very well together, and it was encouraging to see them engaging each other in the material, and actually getting excited about creating and solving math problems together!
WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING SUCH STRATEGIES?
Possible challenges to these strategies would be if you have students who don't get along well, and are reluctant to work together. It may also be difficult for students who don't handle transitions well to go from lecture, to group work, to individual work in one period.
WHAT DO YOU WONDER ABOUT AND STILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION?
I would still like to know more about different types of differentiating instruction, and how to incorporate it in all subjects. I wonder how it is possible to ensure that you are reaching every single child, or if this is even realistic to think. I would also like to learn more about parallel learning tasks, and how to properly implement them in a classroom. I strongly believe in differentiating instruction, and would like to learn all there is to know about it, and how I can make it work with my teaching style.
In the "Research About Students' Mathematical Learning and Knowing" segment, what stuck out to me was how teachers worry that students lack perseverance. The fact of the matter is, however, that students need to be given sufficient time, as well as made to feel like they are capable of completing the task in order to persevere.
Ms. Small then went on to talk about "Initial (Diagnostic) Assessment Strategies." It is critical to do an initial diagnostic in which the teacher learns where the students stand before beginning a new unit. This creates a stable base from which to build upon.
The last segment was on "Open-Ended and Parallel Learning Tasks for Instruction." The biggest thing that struck me during this talk was how we want every single student to engage in some way and at a certain level. This can be done effectively by using parallel tasks from which students are given a choice.
WHAT DOES DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION MEAN TO YOU?
After seeing these video clips, I began to think more about what differentiated instruction really means to me. I believe that each child is different, and as a teacher I need to prepare lesson plans accordingly. I need to involve auditory, visual, and kinesthetic teaching to reach all of my learners, and I need to incorporate different types of assignments as well. Students cannot always be grouped together as one big class, but need to be seen as children with different needs. I will do everything I can to meet those needs.
WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE YOU USED/OR WITNESSED IN THE CLASSES YOU HAVE BEEN IN?
During my first practicum, I had the opportunity to use differentiated instruction in Math. I did this by incorporating lecture, example problems, different types of group work, as well as individual work. I was able to give the students a base from which to work off of, and then they could teach each other while working in groups. I was fortunate to have a class who worked very well together, and it was encouraging to see them engaging each other in the material, and actually getting excited about creating and solving math problems together!
WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING SUCH STRATEGIES?
Possible challenges to these strategies would be if you have students who don't get along well, and are reluctant to work together. It may also be difficult for students who don't handle transitions well to go from lecture, to group work, to individual work in one period.
WHAT DO YOU WONDER ABOUT AND STILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION?
I would still like to know more about different types of differentiating instruction, and how to incorporate it in all subjects. I wonder how it is possible to ensure that you are reaching every single child, or if this is even realistic to think. I would also like to learn more about parallel learning tasks, and how to properly implement them in a classroom. I strongly believe in differentiating instruction, and would like to learn all there is to know about it, and how I can make it work with my teaching style.