I am student
teaching in a private preschool and we service children with autism. At first,
I was so nervous because I didn’t know how I was going to include
differentiation into my lesson plans. There are about 10 students in the class,
seven of whom have been diagnosed with autism. These students are sweet as can
be but it is just so hard to find activities that they are able to do and can, at the same time, include
the other students that need the challenge. My cooperating teacher and I
have written my first lesson plan together and she has helped me include
differentiated instruction into my lesson plan. This past week was my first
time taking over the classroom and I was a bit nervous. The lesson went pretty
well and the students loved the activities that I incorporated into the plan
for the day but here are a few questions I have for you:
What are some ways in which you
include differentiated instruction into your lesson plan?
Have those lessons worked
out in class as it was planned in your head? Do you think that we need more instruction in
our classes as to how we differentiate our lesson on a regular basis?
Great questions...No matter what discipline we are teaching, no matter what grade level we are teaching, no matter what type of children we are teaching, we need to differentiate our instruction. I know personally as a student, depending on the discipline/material, I have different learning styles. For example, how I best learn math may be different from how I learn language arts.
ReplyDeleteIndividual White Boards, Communicators, Manipulatives, SmartBoards, Animated Instruction, Video Tutors, Think-Share-Pair, Jigsaws, I have Who Has, KWL, Real-Life connections, Do Nows, Journaling, Reflective Teaching, Short-Writes, Fruit-Picker Machines, Hooks at the beginning of each lesson, Individual Practice at desks as well as on the SmartBoard, Flipped Classrooms, Differentiating homework, Edmodo Posts, Online Assessments, Online homework, etc...we can talk more during class. There are so many wonderful ways to teach the same topics, educate our students, and it is our responsibility to meet the needs of all students in our classroom. We want to create life long learners.
And always have a back up plan if something is tanking...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response Rosalie. Your tips were very helpful. I just started using the smart board and working it into my lesson plan and my students love it. I agree that it is extremely important that all of us educators need to create lifelong learners. I have been learning that you always need a back up plan if something isn't going right because it happened to me the other day when I was student teaching. One of the assignments that I had the children doing wasn't gaining their interest and they seemed to become board because they started to act out. So me having a back up plan really saved me because once I started the back up assignment the children were back into learning and enjoyed what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteIf you need any help with the SmartBoard, just let me know. You can come to my school one day after work and I'd be more than happy to show you some things.
ReplyDeleteThis is the link for the fruit picker machine.
http://www.classtools.net/main_area/template_loader.php/?fruit_machine
I also use the doorbell sound for introducing different math problems. For example I may start a fraction problem (addition) and then press the doorbell and have laminated fractions outside in the hall....I'll ask, "Who could that be?" and then I'll bring in "- 3 4/5" and say, now subtract three and four fifths....and then the doorbell rings again...
It would be great for history...introducing different historians at the door. Here's the one I use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROsymjaJ3OY
Great game to purchase (very inexpensive) is 24.
http://www.amazon.com/24-Game-Single-Digit-cards/dp/B002AODZFQ
Sounds like you were well prepared for your lesson with the children. Love that we are all sharing ideas.
The SmartBoard is a great tool for students of all ages to interact with. The other day we found a treasure hunt game that helped the class learn Latitude and Longitude. It really grabbed their interest, and absorb the material. And yes always have a back up plan, sometimes we have up to three back up plans of differentiation, depending on the lesson. One of our biggest is making sure the students can understand what they are reading, or looking at. Tailoring the material to their reading level is key. For Science we have three books that follow the same plan, but each is worded best for lower reading leveled students. And if that isn;t working more kinesthetic or visual aids are implemented. Differentiation is amazing and key to student learning.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the SmartBoard is an excellent tool for getting all different types of learners involved. Another way I differentiate is through the process. Some of my students need something as simple as lines drawn on their papers or manipulatives to complete their work. The product may also vary depending on the student. Small groups or partner work is a great way to differentiate, especially when working with reading groups. I feel as if Caldwell does an excellent job of covering differentiation and providing examples throughout our coursework.
ReplyDeleteI use smart board for a lot of activities during student teaching and my students love it! Yes I agree with the lines on the papers to help them either write their name or even just cut something out. Caldwell does do an excellent job teaching us ways to differentiate in the classroom. Thanks for the response!
ReplyDeleteI use smart board for a lot of activities during student teaching and my students love it! Yes I agree with the lines on the papers to help them either write their name or even just cut something out. Caldwell does do an excellent job teaching us ways to differentiate in the classroom. Thanks for the response!
ReplyDeleteThe smartboard is a great tool for students to become involved and also differentiate instruction. I use the smartboard almost everyday for instruction and the students’ use it too. I have found it best when I differentiate through the process, such as providing advanced assignments to higher ability students. On the opposite I have also provided more practice for lower ability students. As students are grouped in ability level teams, it is easier to differentiate between the teams. Also, it is of value to mix the students so that they can learn from their peers.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing...for students that struggle with math and place value, have them turn their paper sideways. This way the numbers are aligned by place value. Some people suggest graph paper; however, I find the boxes too much for students to deal with. Many of my students use their notebooks like place-value flip charts instead of the traditional "writing lined" paper.
ReplyDelete