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Reading Endorsement - Competency 4/5
Foundations and Applications of Differentiated Instruction
In this course, teachers will have a broad knowledge of students from different profiles in order to understand and apply research-based instructional practices by differentiating process, product, and context. Teachers will engage in the systematic problem solving process: use data to accurately identify problems, analyze those problems, design and implement interventions, and intensify instruction based on individual student needs.
One great way to assess learning is to keep a record of student's learning with a rubric and set goals. Both the teacher and student should have access to this on going information. Posting the class schedule is beneficial in helping students internalize schedules and routines. This becomes extremely helpful when doing groups. I also go over the schedule routinely to help students remember. When giving directions to a specific assignment, I always have it in writing. Of course, I go over the steps and directions. When possible I demonstrate. This is always done before I expect them to do it. Because space is usually limited and too much movement can cause chaos, I usually have a box of materials for each group to use. I allow students to talk as long as they are conversing about the assignment. Noise doesn't bother me but if it gets too loud, I simply tell them to quiet down. Groups are usually assigned prior to the group activity. Strategically I set groups depending of the task. Occasionally I allow students to set their own groups. Students that have different needs are given additional time but I always keep an eye on them to make sure they don't waste time.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the greatest obstacles I have is managing materials, noise, and space. I have 23 students of varying exceptionalities and grade levels in a very small room. Of course I constantly change it around. I have a group of six sitting in the middle of the class. I choose several activities which include whole group, small group, independent, and computer, then I go from group to group to assess what the students are doing. I do oral assessments, mini quizzes, and ongoing as I see what the students are achieving. Noise is a problem because I have them at lunch time, and lunch cuts into the middle of class time. For sixth and seventh graders, well they are very hyper after lunch. I am pretty good at using my time flexibly though many days we have to continue our work for the next class period. I write directions and read them, as well as model them to the students. Directions are always repeated quite a few times because the students need them to be. I think that space contributes to 50% of the noise and problems that we encounter as a class. We are just too close together, but all in all my students always come through.
ReplyDeleteA management strategy I use in my classroom for assessing learning is reviewing the data with my students and monitoring their progress; formally and informally. To help students with various classroom routines I keep a daily agenda on the board that is reviewed at the beginning of every class. I give oral as well as written directions; for work done independently directions are often left displayed on promethean board. My classroom is very small so my space is very limited; I try to stick with the basics, in class binders along with in class text. Students must bring their own writing material as I will provide paper. I am constantly grouping students and allowing them to move themselves throughout the classroom. I have noticed that students tend to team with others that they can either talk with or/and copy from. I manage this by giving those students varying assignments and though at times they are allowed to work together; absolutely no copying is allowed! I manage my time flexibly by taking advantage of every moment; whether it is to teach, clean, grade papers, or simply rest my head on the desk before the next bell rings. I am constantly on the go!
ReplyDeleteAn assessment I use in my classroom is verbal and oral feedback because it is very quick and I can see whether the lesson has been reached in terms of goals. I use journal writing and the lesson posted on the board to begin the class quickly and to keep down unnecessary noise. I am a pullout class so the students come from PE and cannot bring materials so I provide a black composition book, a manila folder, and pencil/markers and supplies all in the classroom. I am starting to vary the lessons more and let them choose the topic or type of lesson we will use that day but where I have the desired benchmark to be learned at the root of it. I use my time in the most efficient way I can by having them read back to the class their written responses and learn from each other as far as strengths and weaknesses in their writing and in turn this shows me there ability in reading. The students are basically at the same skill level so that the lesson is already on target for their skill...yet the low level student and the ESOL and ESE student needs a simpler level of the original lesson or I "lose" them. I still struggle with the concept that these lower interest level students will fall by the wayside but at least I know the management and preparation tools are in place so that if the interest is there they will have a lesson appropriate for their skill level. I continue to build on their vocabulary by rotating method of verbal repetition, accessing prior knowledge of words,sentence writing, guessing at definitions and than looking up definitions, spelling competitions, and team competitions. I notice that my students love vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteBesides the formal assessments I regularly carry out in my classroom, I also assess students' learning through observation and class discussions.Next year, I will probably incorporate data chats to my routine.In order to help students master classroom routines, I keep the day's agenda on the board and try to follow the schedule of activities as much as possible, without affecting the learning process of low-achieving students.When I give directions for tasks, I give them orally and in writing and I make sure everybody understands what they are supposed to do (peers explain the instructions in Spanish if necessary).As far as the management of noise, I allow my students to talk in the groups if they are on task, but I make sure they are not distracted by the conversation. I have just begun to group my students according to their performance; in the future I will group them according to their interests to see what happens. In general, I used to allow my students set their own groups; now I have learned that I need to have a more active role in this process.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I try to follow the pacing guides, I devote more time to a certain content when I have evidence that the students have not mastered the topic and I get ready to defend my position if asked. I also incorporate certain topics that I consider vital for the students, thus using time in a flexible manner.
Assessing Learning – assessment is an ongoing process in the classroom. Everything is constantly been assessed the minute the students walk through the door. Since I teach 1st/2nd grade, the students spend most of the day with me. Anything can affect their learning.
ReplyDeleteHelping students master classroom routines – Classroom routines were created with the daily and weekly consistency. The routine which has been more difficult to implement due to lack of time, or time management has been the centers. The students love to do centers, but sometimes I guess I’ve over-planned, and don’t get a chance to do DI.
Giving directions for tasks – Modeling is what has worked best in my class. I need to incorporate as much modeling as possible in my lessons.
Managing materials, noise and space – Due to the fact that this year I have a very small classroom, space is very limited. Managing materials is somewhat inconvenient, for it’s time consuming taking them out of their “hiding” place, and hiding them away later. The noise level is manageable, but it has varied from year to year.
Assigning students to groups – I mainly use the FAIR results to group the students, however, I feel that not enough attention is given to grades K-2 when it comes to data analysis.
Using time flexibly – Thanks to the fact that I stay with the same students for the most part of the day, I have a lot of flexibility when using instructional time. However, I try to stay as close to the routine as possible to avoid prolems.
There are some management strategies that I use in my classroom when I am doing differentiated instruction.These strategies have been planned and implemented and they are part of the students' daily routine.
ReplyDeleteAssigning Students to Groups
Students are assigned to reading groups(red, yellow, and green)according to their academic peformance and teacher's daily observation.
Helping Students Master Classroom Routines
Procedures and rules are explained, modeled and practiced so students know what to do when working in the learning centers.
Giving Directions for Tasks
In each center,there are three folders(red,yellow and green)with tasks,directions and materials for each group. Students are able to do the work independently as the assigned activities have been previously practiced at the teacher led center and the directions are given using drawings and words known to the students. Students usually keep their voices down and stay in their places, when they do not follow directions they are asked to return to their desks to work on their own.
Assessing Learning
As students finish their work and before they go to the next center,they place their responses in the folders(red,yellow and green) to be assessed later.
The success of differentiated instruction, according to my opinion,depends enormously on the management strategies utilized.
In order to help students master classroom routines I set up the white board with the agenda where I write what they have to do and in order. We always start with do now question. After that we continue with a routine that includes reading the section of the chapter in jump in reading, or reading by the CD or they have to answers questions reading the book by themselves. We have never followed the same methods to avoid students getting bored and covering their differentiation. When we have lab activities we break down the class in groups where all of the students in the group have specific responsibilities. Managing noise and space is very hard to do because with 35 students in a classroom with ages 12-13 you don’t have too much to do to keep them quite. Is very important to assign accurate tasks and checking constantly what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI like to asses learning by allowing students to paraphrase the material they learn and give me examples. They know that not only do I ask about things that they learned in the prior class but I ask about stuff that has been taught a while back. I kind of give them treats once in a while for participating and they seem to like that. I also take time out to ask them what they think about the lessons and what can we do to make it better. I help students master classroom routine by maintaining mine. They only routines I have are at the beginning of class other than that, it's just "going with the flow" as long as they are all engaged and learning; in my opinion routines can be boring at times. I experience hard times managing materials, noise and space because I always either end up running out of materials, picking up after them, etc. so I do need help in that area. My students know that when I give directions they need to pay attention. I look around the classroom while giving instructions and only repeat if attention was being given. I teach High School. I assign students by their data but always manage to assign a student who is a bit more advance to serve as a guide. Because I deal with students that have language barriers I have to be very flexible with my time.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I've been doing successfully is to clearly explain the routine in no more than 3-5 steps for elementary. They have to be simple and very specific to follow, after that we practice at least three times. Following inmediately by a quick teacher's visual evaluation, keeping in mind the students body language as well, to visually assess if it was successful implemented.
ReplyDeleteBefore adding any new center to their routine I make sure that everyone knows to which group do they belong and where do they need to go and why (this is a must). Everyday I write on the board the activities that each group have to do during the day adding another one after the first ones are running smoothly, probably by the third or even the fifth day after I started setting up the centers.
In order to properly assess my students I refer to the data provided to me from the prior year. I also do a quick assessment on my own in case there has been any change in the student’s progress. Using these two tools I can quickly form groups for the beginning of the school year. Before I even think of teaching I establish all the ground rules and make sure they know I mean business especially now that I am teaching middle school 6th, 7th and 8th grade. When the students realize this establishing a routine and expectations is easy. My main lesson is given to the whole class, when we are done discussing the lesson, the student break up into their groups no more than 4.The formation of the groups depend on what I am skill I am targeting. My students have the flexibility to choose their own group members as long as all work gets done properly and with the specifications that where given to them. The motivation given to the student to work hard and stay on task is that if they do not complete their work correctly and in the time given they give up the right to choose their members again. No second chances may sound drastic but it works. You would think that the students would always choose the same group members but it varies.
ReplyDeleteOne great strategy for assessing learning is to have formal and informal assessments through out the year. Contiuning to review old lessons once a week to make sure the students are retaining what was learned. One good strategy for helping students master classroom routine is drilling the routines as soon as you implement the routine. Then through out the year at least once a week you should review the routine. A strategy that works for giving directions for tasks is to write explicit instructions, Step by step. The best way for managing materials is to have a couple of students who are in charge of the materials and have a log for who takes what materials, noise is best managed by having a indicator of when it is getting to loud. Space can also be managed by material captains. Assigning students to groups can work in both ways hetero or homo geneously by readiness, you can have the benefit of having a more ready learner reteach a leason in a heterogeneous group. But you can also have the same level work in a homo geneous group . Its always important to have time managed a countdown watch is great for this but when you have to be flexible with your time, its important to go over lesson plans and see where you are able to take some time out of which lesson and what lesson you need the full alotted time.
ReplyDeleteManagement is one of the major issues that teachers face in their classrooms nowadays. I assess learning by using a lot of feedback and reviewing the different activities that the students do in class; I also work with the students’ responsibilities in some home works to create a systematic and conscious way of independent working mindset. To help students master the classroom routines I put into practice a system of praising and “punishment” aided by clear instruction on the board or their own notebooks. Giving directions for tasks is a little difficult for me because my classes are composed by students with various English language levels and I have to be very specific and clear on the instructions to make sure that those low level students understand the directions as well. Who does not have a noise problem when teaching ESOL students? This is the point where I struggle the most due to the origin, change of environment and nature of my students; I always try to keep them busy with different kinds of activities; I also group them in a way that I can reach all of them without any difficulty (most of the time in the form of a horseshoe); and the materials not always depend of the teacher, I’m talking about practice books, paper to make copies of the handouts, ect., but I try to keep useful packets and handouts from previous years, especially those related to FCAT. In order to assign students to groups I always keep in mind their interest, language knowledge, learning styles and their results in different FCAT and other important exams benchmarks. Time is never enough for classes like mine based on all the characteristics that I’ve said already about my students and I want to stress the language barrier, but a good way to make the time work in my favor is to walk around the class and supervise how my students are doing and what doubts they may have, but at the end I am very flexible with the time ‘cause at the end not all of them learn at the same pace.
ReplyDeleteI assess the learning of my students by checking their progress periodically and keeping records of their improvements. Consistency is a key to establish a routine wish should be implemented from the first day of school. It is important that the students understand what is expected from them. Clear expectations would make this process easier for the student and the teacher. When giving directions I like to brake it down in small sequential pieces to help my students understand what they need to do. My students have easy access to the materials in my room, they are allow to use them with my permission and they know that at the end each material must be return to be use the next day. I allow whispering but when the noise level increases I immediately remind them to be quiet. Each student have an assign seat. I group my students according to their levels and I always try to make sure they don't waste any time.
ReplyDeleteManagement strategies are important in order to keep the differentiated classroom running smoothly. A strategy to help assess learning is the use of learning contracts. Students complete the contract and select activities based on their achievement levels. Another way to assess learning could be through differentiating the final product based on student ability. Mastering classroom routines in the differentiated classroom has to begin on day one. Students need to be provided with a chart/schedule of differentiated instruction and then practice the movement required to get to their centers. Emphasis on appropriate behavior during transitions is important , and rewarding students for correctly following the established routine is important at the beginning. Directions for completing tasks must be clear and to the point. Each activity should have its' own set of clearly written directions to allow students to work independently. Managing materials is a matter of organization. Storage areas should be clearly labeled and free of clutter. Managing noise and space is accomplished at the same time routines are mastered. Expectations and descriptions of acceptable classroom behavior are modeled and reviewed. Student grouping and assignment to groups must be flexible and based on data. One day students may be grouped based on skill needs and another day they may be grouped based on reading level. Flexibility is the key. Using time flexibly is a bit difficult given that the amount of time you have per subject is limited. Within the 90 minute reading block you have flexibility on how the time is divided between whole group and small group instruction. When all of these management strategies are put together correctly, the differentiated classroom should operate smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI keep a daily agenda on the board in order to help my students follow the classroom routine. However, our routine changes every other day due to block scheduling. My students write in their agendas when homework and projects are due and when tests are scheduled. I provide oral directions for the assignments that must be completed independently. The students are grouped according to their reading levels. I use timers so that they can manage their time wisely and be ready to switch activities. Although I have to follow the pacing guide with modifications, I manage my English and Reading (9th grade)class by assigning one group to the computers to work on the FCAT Explorer or Reading Plus program while the other group works independently. I pull out three students at a time from this group and work with them. My students are on-task the whole period. The noise level is very manageable. Although it is not easy having a classroom full of 9th graders with raging hormones, it is fun. I do find myself redirecting them often to keep them focused.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time I use alternative assessment:
ReplyDelete• Assessment is based on tasks that demonstrates learners' ability to accomplish communication and/ or goals
• I focus on communication, not on right and wrong answers
• Learners have opportunities to assess themselves and their peers
The following criteria define assessment activities:
• They are built around topics or issues of interest to the students
• They replicate real-world communication contexts and situations
• They involve multi-stage tasks and real life problems that require creative use of language rather than simple repetition
• They involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers, self) and person assessed
• They allow for self-evaluation and self-correction as they proceed
Establishing criteria and routines in my classroom from the first day of class helped me to enhance the dynamic of the classes. It was due to I work with a small group of educable mentally handicapped students in inclusion classes, so the criteria and the routines that I implemented were and are establish not to be broken. It was and it is the way to help them to organize themselves with different schedules, teachers, places/rooms and buildings.
In my personal situation, my students have enough space; I provide the students with the materials or resources to work in class with flexible time due to their disabilities; and the class work could be individual or in group according to the type of task, and also to maintain and reinforce their abilities.
I plan to use the learning contract a little more in the classroom as a management strategy. This will help build a bank of strategies for students with varying exceptionalities, which is pretty much all students. I will continue to use data from last year to start the assessment process; however, I will also administer different types of inventories to note if students have mastered phonics and phonemic awareness and a student's level of fluency and comprehension.
ReplyDeleteI will be sure to incorporate specific written directions for tasks and not just oral instructions so that students may refer to them if needed. One other good strategy is to include pictures whenever possible in the directions.
Some classroom management strategies I am planing to implement in my classroom to help teach students whose learning needs differes are:
ReplyDelete• Collect as much information as possible through different types of o -going assessments in order to understan better my student’s interests, motivations, and background. Understanding the individual needs and motivations of each individual student, helps create differentiated curricula for them.
• Stress work organization at the beginning of the year and on a regular basis throughout the year so student are able to find her materials quickly and easily without wasting valuable instructional time looking for materials.
• Foster initiative and self-direction using flexible and cooperative grouping; assign activities for students to work on individually, in pairs, and in different kinds of groups taking into account students' ability level, learning style, interest and preferences.
• Set clear are reasonable expectations.
One of the clasroom managemnet strategies that I plan to use in my class room will be interactive read alouds/think aloud.Before the lesson I will read over the text and note the imagary evoked by various section of text. At the begginning of the lesson, I will explain the the good readers create mental images to help them comprehend text. i will tell my students that will stop occasionally during the reading to think out lound and explain the images that they have in there mind and how it helps them understand the text. After modeling this process for several visualizations, i will ask the students to volunteer and share there images they have read.
ReplyDeleteMany times I assess students' learning through observation and class discussions. I would liked to incorporate the data chats as a weekly routine .In order to help students master classroom routines, I keep the day's agenda on the board and try to follow the schedule of activities as much as possible, without affecting the learning process of low-achieving students. When I give directions for tasks, I give them orally and in writing and I make sure everybody understands what they are supposed to do, sometimes a few of my students don’t comprehend the activity or task they need to complete for homework, so there’s always that students volunteers to explain it their way. My directions are very explicit, before they start working I will model or explain step by step the process of the assignment and also it’s posted on the board. One of my classes is the loudest, how I control this class is by being prepared for them with plenty of work without giving them a chance to get distracted. I have four groups of six in every class and a few extra seats- for those that can not work in a group. Since I have everything planned, I do a whole class instruction, then I leave them in groups to complete each task with the help of a group leader.
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