Cease to Learn - Cease to Teach

Monday, August 23, 2010

Differentiated Instruction

What Is differentiated instruction?
Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students' needs (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003). Differentiated instruction is not a single strategy, but rather an approach to instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies.
Teachers can differentiate content, process, and/or product for students (Tomlinson, 1999). Differentiation of content refers to a change in the material being learned by a student. For example, if the classroom objective is for all students to subtract using renaming, some of the students may learn to subtract two-digit numbers, while others may learn to subtract larger numbers in the context of word problems. Differentiation of process refers to the way in which a student accesses material. One student may explore a learning center, while another student collects information from the web. Differentiation of product refers to the way in which a student shows what he or she has learned. For example, to demonstrate understanding of a geometric concept, one student may solve a problem set, while another builds a model.
When teachers differentiate, they do so in response to a student's readiness, interest, and/or learning profile. Readiness refers to the skill level and background knowledge of the child. Interest refers to topics that the student may want to explore or that will motivate the student. This can include interests relevant to the content area as well as outside interests of the student. Finally, a student's learning profile includes learning style (i.e., a visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learner), grouping preferences (i.e., individual, small group, or large group), and environmental preferences (i.e., lots of space or a quiet area to work). A teacher may differentiate based on any one of these factors or any combination of factors (Tomlinson, 1999).
How is it implemented?

Implementation looks different for each student and each assignment. Before beginning instruction, teachers should do three things:

1. Use diagnostic assessments to determine student readiness. These assessments can be formal or informal. Teachers can give pre-tests, question students about their background knowledge, or use KWL charts (charts that ask students to identify what they already Know, what they Want to know, and what they have Learned about a topic).
2. Determine student interest. This can be done by using interest inventories and/or including students in the planning process. Teachers can ask students to tell them what specific interests they have in a particular topic, and then teachers can try to incorporate these interests into their lessons.
3. Identify student learning styles and environmental preferences. Learning styles can be measured using learning style inventories. Teachers can also get information about student learning styles by asking students how they learn best and by observing student activities. Identifying environmental preferences includes determining whether students work best in large or small groups and what environmental factors might contribute to or inhibit student learning. For example, a student might need to be free from distraction or have extra lighting while he or she works.

Teachers incorporate different instructional strategies based on the assessed needs of their students. Throughout a unit of study, teachers should assess students on a regular basis. This assessment can be formal, but is often informal and can include taking anecdotal notes on student progress, examining students' work, and asking the student questions about his or her understanding of the topic. The results of the assessment could then be used to drive further instruction.

A really cool site for online activities

http://englishpond.com/index.html

How to Be an Excellent Teacher | eHow.com

Friday, July 23, 2010

Speaking-in-Role: Latiff Mohidin's "In the Midst of Hardship"

Students enacting an impromptu live news reporting using the situation presented in the poem.

A great song

john_farnham/song/youre_the_voice
We have the chance to turn the pages over
We can write what we want to write
We gotta make ends meet, before we get much older
We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh-o-o-o, whoa-o-o-o
We're not gonna sit in silence
We're not gonna live with fear
Oh-o-o-o, whoa-o-o-o

This time, we know we all can stand together
With the power to be powerful
Believing we can make it better
We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh-o-o-o, whoa-o-o-o
We're not gonna sit in silence
We're not gonna live with fear
Oh-wo-wo-wo, whoa-o-o-o

ooooh We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

Friday, July 2, 2010

What if?

What if?
What if Lincoln was a vampire slayer?
I simply adore fiction that explores that very notion. Dr Gitu always stressed on that in his classes.
I think this is what literature is all about...to ask of the author and the reader the possibilities that are out there, the infinite alternatives to reason and seeking of meaning, and the unlimited outreaching beyond borders.
Yet, the syllabus determined in the classrooms are so rigid. We rarely teach kids to think, we merely teach them what to think. Formal school education limits us so much. It curbs imagination and kills creativity.
Yet a single teacher can make that difference. It took a hobbit to save Middle Earth, a single father to champion equal rights or at least the truth (Atticus Finch), a frail old man in a loincloth to challenge the mighty empire, and a man with no university education to establish and remain at the center of the Western Canon!
I cannot begin to claim presence in this distinguished circle of minds but I can aim to reach out and beyond.
I seriously believe that when teachers see their duties as missions and not mere chores......this is what I believe...students can reach limitless possibilities and potential. Until then we stay doomed....education a mere series of chains to hold us back.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

ahhh the joy of teaching and learning ....

Woke up today balancing the ups and downs of life. My life as a teacher has been overwrought with obstacles and unnecessary bureaucracy. Too many dictate what is right and wrong without ever consulting what my and my students needs are. But perseverance and my love for these kids forged me onwards. Terrific friends and mentors have guided and seen me through. Mostly my students are my muses. They direct my teaching. I get up and go to school with this thought: "What can I do today that would direct my learners to cue me into what they need to know?"
I encouraged these eager minds to read "PS I LOVE YOU" and those who did loved it, then watched the movie and a few even reread the book! Mission accomplished! Then we go to writing journals.......what would they say to their loved ones and I was thrown aback by their responses. Total amazement on my part. I believe now that my greatest teachers are these kids.
We are currently working on The Star-Pizza Hut's Mag. Inc and yet again, their creativity and ability to go beyond astounds me. We now have feature articles on inter-racial marriages, lies and insincerity in male-female friendships, mind over gadgets, the masculine voice in choice school texts and more.

Will update soon on their finished products but for now, the journey towards accomplishment is too much for me already. I am elated and am so proud to be their English teacher.