Differentiated Instruction
Differentiation is doing what is fair for students which may sometimes not mean being “equal”. It is important to recognize that students have a variety of background knowledge and experiences, interests, readiness and interests, and then reacting appropriately. Students who display characteristics of gifted children must have differentiated instructional activities. Recognizing that all students learn at different levels and different paces is essential to designing an effective lesson where a teacher can differentiate the instruction. Differentiation is an approach that takes work and extra effort. It is absolutely necessary to use differentiation in the classroom and to make sure to focus on responsive instruction which is designed to meet unique individual student needs. (Watts-Taffe 2012)
In my student teaching experience, differentiation was demonstrated in a variety of ways. I provided choices for the student to show their understanding and this usually gets them very interested. This reflection will mainly focus on the UDL unit that I did in my classroom but also discuss some other aspects of teaching that show how differentiation was effective.
As a part of my student teaching I conducted pre-tests as often as possible to check if students understood the concept that was being taught. If some did not get it was important for my cooperating teacher and I to reteach the concept to the students who do not understand and the other students will work on another activity. My cooperating teacher and I also gave them ongoing problem solving activities that are mentally stimulating and challenging. This helps all students at all levels be challenged and stay engaged at all times.
I think that differentiated instruction is when the teachers maximize the learning potential of each individual student in the classroom. Teachers can do this by modifying the curriculum, teaching strategies, using new learning resources and activities which address the needs of each individual student based upon their learning level and readiness. It is crucial as a teacher to adjust the pace of what is being taught so that all the needs of the students are met as will as their interests and learning styles. When teachers are able to meet these needs through a variety of methods where all students are involved in learning, both the teacher and students will build a larger education foundation to build off of.
A key that I felt was most important to reflect on with differentiation is student readiness. I noticed that students are more successful and responsive when instruction is provided at their readiness level and when they are able to connect the instruction to their interests. Allowing students to students to have choices is a very great way for students to express themselves and stay interested and involved in their learning. I have observed that this leads to greater student success and when student are successful, they become more comfortable with their individual strengths and become more confident in their abilities as learners. (Watts-Taffe 2012)
My UDL unit helped me to address the three main principles of Differentiation which are representation, action & expression, and engagement. When I examined differentiation, it was very important to look at my class as a whole. I liked using Differentiated instruction using an UDL unit structure because it allowed students to study and work at their own pace and in an independent manner where the learner is in control of their learning. It was important for me to give students learning options of how they will learn and what they will learn in a way that they could relate to. Giving students these different learning options in the UDL unit, I feel helped them to have better representation of their ideas, express their ideas and be engaged in their ideas.
My Universal Design for Learning unit was focused “The Water Cycle” in a third grade science class. This unit was completed over a one week timeframe. I first made sure to diagnose the differences in the class with readiness, interests and learning styles that I had observed. Students bring a variety of skills, needs and interests to their learning. When planning this unit, I made sure to present information and content in different ways, differentiate the ways that students can express what they know, and engage them and keep them motivated to learn.
The first main principle that I focused on with the UDL was multiple means of representation. When multiple representations are used to make connections with different concepts, it allows students to learn and at the same time transfer their learning. I made sure to provide many options for representation in the unit. Throughout the unit students were able to represent their knowledge through an activity with M&M candies, creating a word wall, and drawing a picture. Students were given 1 green M&M and 3 blue M&M’s, they were able to represent the Earth with the green candy representing that the land was 25% of the earth and the blue candies representing that water takes up 75% of Earth. Students were motivated with the candy and were able to learning about the Earth’s Land/Water make up by using the candy. Students were better able to grasp the concept. Students also represented this candy activity by drawing a picture of the Earth and showing the land and water make up. Vocabulary helps to clarify concepts for learners which sometimes can be foreign to them. As a class students were introduced to vocabulary and as a class we made a word wall describing the vocabulary that went along with “The Water Cycle”. What I may have done differently in this part of the unit would have been to introduce the vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson so that students were thinking about the words and what they meant at the very beginning of the lesson. By offering multiple ways and learning opportunities for students, it allows them to perceive and understand the same information but in a variety of ways. For example, some students in my class were able to understand the Earth’s/Land/Water make up just by using the candies and others needed that candy activity to guide them into a better understanding. (CAST 2011)
The second main principle that I focused on with the UDL unit was multiple means of action and expression. In order to successfully demonstrate the skills that they have learned, students need flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill. Differentiated instruction really supported my UDL Teaching Method because it helped me to vary requirements and expectations for learning and expressing knowledge. I noticed that many students differed in their expression based off of their prior practice and skills. There is not one particular set way for students to express their learning that why I provided many options for students to express their knowledge. To start off the lesson students were asked to name four ways in which they use water in their lives. This allows students to express their experiences with the concept that is being taught. After students were given a checklist of what is included in the water cycle, they were able to create their own poster expressing their knowledge. For the UDL students were presented with a Choice Board in the middle of the week which allowed them to choose some activities that they would have to complete by the end of the week. The choice board allows students to express their knowledge of the content by choosing the activities that are most appealing to them. In the UDL unit students also wrote a reflection at the end of the unit to express what they have learned and what aspects of their learning experience were most helpful and beneficial. This reflection was mandatory for students to complete but what made it so effective was that students were able to reflect in anyway they wanted. They could create a picture, create a word picture, write a paragraph, create a chart, etc. This allowed my students at all levels to participate and express their learning.
The third main principle that I focused on with the UDL was multiple means of engagement. Engagement is a necessary component of effective classroom management, organization, and instruction. I felt that it was important to offer choices of tools and make sure I provided many levels of scaffolding so that my students would be able to stay focused throughout the unit. I made sure to include video clip at the beginning of the UDL unit and also towards the end. The first video clip on the water cycle engaged student’s right from the start because it provided students with a visual video clip which helped to support learners in my class that would have trouble staying focused because of their learning style. Students all completed a creation of a beaded bracelet which would represent the water cycle. Students would be engaged in creating this bracelet and also understanding that each bead represents a stage of the water cycle. My students loved this and also really enjoyed interacting when we had a Meteorologist come in an discuss the water cycle with them. Students were able to see first hand a person, someone they could relate to, who talks about the weather every day! This visit from the meteorologist gave student a different insight into the content. Students also watched a Magic School Bus episode which discussed the Water Cycle. Students were very engaged in this video and really were able to have a great learning experience because they were focused and stimulated. Students didn’t stop talking about and referring back to the video during the other lessons of the unit as well. These different alternatives helped to support all the learners in my class and these learning experiences allowed my students to manage their own engagement and action. (Cast 2011)
At the end of this UDL unit on the Water Cycle, students were able to demonstrate an understanding of the basic functions of the water cycle. It really helped to meet the challenge of diversity that I had in my classroom. The UDL provided me with flexible instructional strategies that helped me to meet these needs. I learned that gearing the content towards students interests and getting them involved with their learning by catering the instructional techniques to meet their needs really benefited their learning. By reflecting on this unit, I was able to look back and examine what areas were strong and what areas needed improvement. I was able to see what activities and strategies students responded well to. This will help me plan out my future lessons so that I can maximize my students learning potential. I will definitely use a UDL unit to differentiate in the future as well. I felt that it really helped students represent their ideas uniquely, express themselves and their thinking, and also helped keep students engaged by offering multiple learning choices and options.
Standards:
In this UDL unit Standard three is addressed which shows that the teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning. The standard also addresses that the teacher must create instructional opportunities that diverse learners can adapt to. Teachers must give students multiple options for learning and making sense of their ideas. Throughout the unit, I made sure that I provided choices for students, in terms of what activities and assessments they could complete. I wanted my unit to meet all different learning styles. I incorporated a choice board that catered to all learning styles. On this choice board there were a mixture visual, auditory, and kinesthetic thinking activities such as keeping a water diary, writing a paper, complete a vocabulary word search(Visual) and complete Web-quests (Incorporates many learning styles). The lesson throughout the week encompasses many different learning styles which cater to all different ability and learning levels. The formative assessments include: drawing a picture of the Earth and showing the land and water makeup, naming four ways that they use water in their lives, writing a reflection paper about what they thought of the Meteorologist that came in for a visit, creating a bracelet that represents the stages of the water cycle and individually designing a personal poster of the water cycle. These formative assessments all incorporate different learning styles and are great activities for students to be successful. I was also able to meet standard three by also send home student work so that parents would be able to be involved in their child’s learning.
In this UDL unit Standard two is addressed which states that teachers understand the how students learn and develop. Standard two also states that teachers must create learning opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students. Before beginning this unit, it was my job to be an expert and know all that I could about “The Water Cycle” so that I would be able to be an effective teacher. To introduce students to the topic I wanted to first have students make connections with their prior knowledge of ‘water” by having them discuss ways they have used water in their lives. This discussion also meets Standard two because I encouraged students to collaborate amongst each other and communicate their experiences and ideas. I felt that this allowed and encouraged students to make connections and build off what they already knew and also listen to their peers ideas and connections as well. Throughout the lesson I wanted to make sure to incorporate content and materials that would be appropriate for all students’ developmental level. By creating a choice board that would continue throughout the whole lesson, I was able to meet this standard. In the beginning of the year, I would give students different types of morning work which allowed me to test out which activities students were most engaged in and what activities and assessments might not have been as appealing to them. This information helped me to choose the choice board activities such as: writing a diary, creating a crossword for a friend, working on Web-quests, and creating posters, pictures and a beaded bracelet. The choice board allowed me to meet standard two as well because it incorporated various learning techniques. Throughout the lesson it was also important to scaffolding students learning and encourage students to self regulate their learning through the use of discussion, modeling, reflection activities and peer-teacher feedback.
Overall Differentiated Instruction involves complete involvement of the teacher. The teacher must know their students and needs and take as many steps as possible to meet them so that students get the most out of their learning experiences. When I became cognizant of my students individual needs in my classroom and I was able to work on assessing their responses and needs, I was noticing that I was becoming a more experienced teacher everyday. Being able to combine theory and practice and appropriately challenge the broad scope of students in classrooms today is the heart of differentiated instruction.
References:
CAST. 2011. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author. pp. 4-5. || http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines
Watts-Taffe, S., (Barbara) Laster, B.P., Broach, L., Marinak, B., McDonald Connor, C. & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2012). Differentiated Instruction: Making Informed Teacher Decisions. The Reading Teacher, 66(4), 303–314. doi: 10.1002/TRTR.1126