Christy Dixon
Describe
Chapter 9 focuses on
differentiation, grouping and use of technology. The beginning of the chapter
opens up with a teacher (Mr.Arbuthnot) who taught a jam up lesson only to find
that some of his students did not master the skill taught. The problem
Mr.Arbuthnot had was, not all of his students had the prerequisite skills
needed to comprehend the new material and some had previously mastered the
skill the year before. In other words, all of Mr. Arbuthnot’s students were on
different ability levels. So, no matter how awesome the lesson maybe, it
couldn’t be effective.
The fact is, there
is so much more to teaching than just presenting an awesome lesson. If it were
that easy, then students could be taught all subjects through simple videos.
However, the profession of teaching is much more complex than that. “You must
know how to adapt your instruction to the students’ levels of knowledge. You
must motivate students to learn, manage student behavior, group students for
instruction, and assess the students learning.” Slavin R.E. (2012) The only way
a teacher can do all of that, is to get to know his/her students and meet them
at their ability level.
One way of doing
this is by following Carroll’s Model of School Learning. This model follows
four major elements, Quality of instruction, Appropriate levels of instruction,
Incentive and Time (QAIT). “For instruction to be effective, each of these four
elements must be adequate.” Slavin R.E. (2012).
Another way of doing
this is by differentiated instruction. “Differentiated instruction is an
approach to teaching that adapts the content, level, pace, and products of
instruction to accommodate the different needs of diverse students in regular
classes. The philosophy behind differentiated instruction emphasizes that all
children can reach high standards, but some may need tailored assistance to do
so.” Slavin R.E, (2012).
Differentiated
instruction can be accomplished in a variety of different ways. One such way is
peer tutoring. Peer tutoring is where one student helps another. There are two
basic types of peer tutoring, cross-age and same-age. Cross-age tutoring
consists of older students assisting younger students, and same-age is when
higher ability students assist lower ability students of the same age. Another form of tutoring is one-to-one
adult-to-child tutoring. This can be done through teacher, parent volunteer, or
teacher assistant.
Teachers can also
use grouping as a form of differentiation. Studies have shown that in-class
ability grouping can be very beneficial especially in the areas of math and
reading. However, between-class ability grouping hasn’t proven itself nearly as
effective.
All of these forms
of differentiation are put into place in order to help students succeed and try
to keep them from being retained. “The best solutions to the problems of
low-achieving students are neither retention nor social promotion. Instead, such
children should be given special attention, diagnosis, and intensive
interventions, such as tutoring, until their achievement falls within the
normal range.” Slavin R.E. (2012).
There are many
different educational programs that exist to help students who are struggling
or who are placed at risk. There are compensatory programs such as Head Start,
Follow Through and Title 1. These programs are federally funded to help provide
extra services to low income and struggling students. There are Early Intervention
Programs (EIP) such as Reading Recovery which help students early on in their
school career. And there are Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs such as
Success for All. “These are school wide approaches that introduce
research-based strategies into every aspect of school functions.” Slavin R.E.
(2012). All of these programs are designed with the success of the students in
mind.
Another way to help
students to be successful is through the proper use of technology. Technology
can be used in so many different ways. It is a great way to engage students in
the lessons and keep their attention. “There are three general types of
technology applications in education. First, teachers use technology in
classroom teaching to plan instruction and present content to classes. Second,
students use technology to explore, practice, communicate with others, and
prepare papers and presentations. Finally, teachers and administrators use
technology to accomplish associated administrative tasks, such as assessment,
record keeping, reporting, and management.” Slavin R.E. (2012).
Analyze
I feel that it is
very important to use grouping, technology and differentiation to meet to needs
of my students. In order to do this, I must get to know them on a more personal
level. It is so important to express to them that I support them and that I
care about them.
One of the ways that
I try to meet the needs of my students is by differentiating my instruction.
The book says that differentiated instruction is “tailoring instruction
precisely to a student’s needs.” Slavin R.E. (2012). There are many ways I can
differentiate. However, it’s impossible to effectively differentiate without
getting to know my students’ abilities and interests. One of my discussion
group members explained how she differentiated by using soccer to reach one of
her special education students. She (Megan) said, “In one of my special
education classrooms, I had a student with a love for soccer and he knew all
different players and stats. So, I would attempt to incorporate soccer into
math lessons or reading, to help motivate him to work. However, this does not
always work, as there are other subjects that cannot be related to soccer. So
we started a behavior plan, where he earned soccer ball stickers for effort.
Then when he earned enough stickers, he was able to have an extra time outside
to play soccer.” I thought this was an excellent way to gain her student’s
attention and motivate him to learn!
Reflect
How do you feel
about this concept?
I really enjoyed
this chapter. It gave some really good examples of how to meet the needs of our
students. I feel that it is super important for teachers to do whatever it
takes in order to help them to be successful! This can be done in a number of
ways. Teachers can differentiate, and use technology to help their students
feel successful and motivate them learn.
What did you learn
about this concept that you did not know prior to its presentation?
I learned more about
what “Title I” means. I have heard the term “Title I” many times, considering
my school is actually a “Title I” school. I knew it had something to do with
funding, but I didn’t know the details. Chapter 9 gave me some great information,
as well as background knowledge, on “Title I”. The book says that “Title I” is “the
largest compensatory education program” that is most likely to affect regular classroom
teachers. It continues on to say that
Title 1 is “a federally funded program that gives schools money to provide extra
services for students from low-income families who are having trouble in
school.” Slavin R.E. (2012). I also learned that this compensatory education
program known as Title 1, used to be called “Chapter 1”.
How might you handle
a situation or activity differently based on this learned information?
After reading
Chapter 9, I now have a better idea of how to use peer tutoring, cross-age
tutoring, and with-in class grouping effectively for instruction. I have also
learned new ways of using technology to benefit my students learning abilities.
I can’t wait to incorporate these forms of differentiation into my classroom
and see the positive gains within learning.
How did this event
change or confirm your knowledge or beliefs about teaching?
This chapter has
confirmed my belief in the importance of getting to know my students. It is
crucial to build a good rapport with them by showing them I care. The more I
know about my students’ abilities and interests, the better I will be able to
differentiate my instruction to meet their needs and help them to become
successful.
Works Cited
Slavin, R.E. (2012) Educational
Psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.) Boston, MA:
Pearson
Class Discussion Week 7
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