Integrating exceptional students Platform
& Resources
SYNTHESIS BLOG
1. What are the key underpinnings of differentiated instruction that you embrace in your own teaching practices?
2. What struggles to do you continue to have with the notion of differentiated instruction?
3. What questions do you still have or have arisen because of our work this semester?
4. While answering these questions share some benefits and challenges from your own personal experience you have had using the philosophy and methods covered in this course. Be specific.
1. What are the key underpinnings of differentiated instruction that you embrace in your own teaching practices?
2. What struggles to do you continue to have with the notion of differentiated instruction?
3. What questions do you still have or have arisen because of our work this semester?
4. While answering these questions share some benefits and challenges from your own personal experience you have had using the philosophy and methods covered in this course. Be specific.
In my own teaching practice, I first keep in mind such differences as the students learning styles, skill levels and rates, language proficiency, background experiences and knowledge, motivation, ability to attend, social and emotional development, levels of abstraction, and physical needs. By knowing my student as best I can, I then can be sure that my differentiation is truly meeting my students needs. Secondly, I make sure that I am clear about what matters in the content area that I am teaching, I understand, appreciate, and build upon student differences, I adjust content, process, and product in response to students readiness, interests, and learning profiles, I make sure students participate in respectful work, students and teachers together are collaborators in learning, and ultimately I stay flexible.
I struggle with developing students’ responsibility with evaluations, rubrics, project proposals, and completing self and peer evaluations. This area is challenging due to the level of student responsibility it requires. Another area I find challenging with differentiated instruction is flexible pacing. This approach is very new, and it requires planning and students to self-monitor their progress with concepts. This semester has prepared me to be able to implement differentiated instruction in my classroom, and accommodate for students of all ability levels. Questions that have developed from taking this course are: Differentiated instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Are they the same or different? How do you keep from differentiating only to your own interests and styles? Is there such a thing as too much differentiation?
This course has provided a fair balance of philosophy and practice-based teachings of how to integrate exceptional learners in the classroom. Some challenges that I experienced this semester revolved around the timeliness of the process to get students the appropriate accommodations they needed. As an educator that knows her students needs well, I was frustrating at times to know that some students were left without the proper accommodations or services that I knew they desperately needed. Ultimately these students growth was negatively affected by the lack of support and services. Benefits of some of the methods taught in this course have to do with differentiated instruction, specifically pre-assessments. My collaborating teachers successfully revolved their teaching around assess the students understanding of a content area first in order to drive their lessons in the future to best suite their students needs. Students benefited from seeing their growth from pre-test to post-test in many areas.
I struggle with developing students’ responsibility with evaluations, rubrics, project proposals, and completing self and peer evaluations. This area is challenging due to the level of student responsibility it requires. Another area I find challenging with differentiated instruction is flexible pacing. This approach is very new, and it requires planning and students to self-monitor their progress with concepts. This semester has prepared me to be able to implement differentiated instruction in my classroom, and accommodate for students of all ability levels. Questions that have developed from taking this course are: Differentiated instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Are they the same or different? How do you keep from differentiating only to your own interests and styles? Is there such a thing as too much differentiation?
This course has provided a fair balance of philosophy and practice-based teachings of how to integrate exceptional learners in the classroom. Some challenges that I experienced this semester revolved around the timeliness of the process to get students the appropriate accommodations they needed. As an educator that knows her students needs well, I was frustrating at times to know that some students were left without the proper accommodations or services that I knew they desperately needed. Ultimately these students growth was negatively affected by the lack of support and services. Benefits of some of the methods taught in this course have to do with differentiated instruction, specifically pre-assessments. My collaborating teachers successfully revolved their teaching around assess the students understanding of a content area first in order to drive their lessons in the future to best suite their students needs. Students benefited from seeing their growth from pre-test to post-test in many areas.
Resources.
Visit this website! http://swldgallerywalk.weebly.com If you are looking for more information on students with Learning Disabilities and what teachers can do in the classroom to help support the needs of these students, this is the place for you! Authors: Melanie Petrillo, Natasha Weber, Chelsea Olson, Kimberly Pridgen, Marissa Brookes. |
Visit this website! http://integratingexceptionalstudents.weebly.com If you are looking for more information on students with intellectual disabilities and how teachers can help these types of students in the classroom, this is the place for you! Authors: Brianna Burt, Michelle Lopez, Laura Jones, Margaret Leonetti. |