Denise A. Roberts ELED 300 Dr.

Isbell Module 4- Writing Assignment According to Kauchak and Eggen (2012), the idea of differentiating instruction is grounded in the assumption that not all students learn the same way, and effective teachers adapt their instruction to meet the learning needs of all their students. In doing so, an effective teacher adheres to four principles to reflect a differentiated classroom. The following are the four principles of differentiating instruction: proactive, student centered, assessment based, and a blend. In order to execute the principle of being proactive, a teacher must incorporate differentiation in the initial phase of planning. This is done effectively when the teacher understands the diversity inside her classroom and incorporates different strategies to engage student participation and problem-solving techniques before a problem arises. An effective teacher will be able to facilitate the preferred outcome by the utilization of small group activities versus attempting damage control if he/she is unaware of the potential diversities in the classroom. Secondly, an effective teacher will hone in on the fact that differentiation is base upon student interests and needs, otherwise known as student centered. An effective teacher will not set the classroom instruction on what he/she wants to implement based on his/her own interest. Instead, an effective teacher will take the extra step to learn about the needs and interests of the student and adjust the instruction accordingly to facilitate learning.

Another key principle in differentiating instruction is assessment based. In assessment based, differentiation is based upon information about the students and their needs. This principle is a critical one, as it provides information about what a student already knows, what the student can do, and what is needed to help the student make it to the next level to become successful. The assessment is completed in three phases - initial, ongoing or continual, and post. Initial assessment allows the teacher to acquire all necessary information to assist the student before instruction is given, ongoing or continual assessment allows the teacher to monitor growth and effectiveness of instruction, and post assessment allows the teacher to identify whether or not the student require more help or is progressing toward the next challenge. The last principle in differentiating instructions, which is also an important key, is a blend. Blending instruction allows to students to grasp information in more than one setting such as a combination of whole-class, group, and individual instruction. According to Tomlinson (2005), differentiation is a mixture of wholeclass, group, and individual instruction, designed to meet all students need; and according to Kauchak and Eggen (2012), whole-class, small group, and even individual work with students help maximize the amount they learn. Being proactive, having a student based instruction, using assessment, and incorporating a blend allows the students to not only progress toward the required goal but it also allows the student to be confident, and independent as their diversity is embraced. An effective teacher will go above and beyond to provide all necessary

instructions to ensure that all students are able to learn at their own pace in a safe environment. CLASSROOM DIFFERENTIATION: When visiting with my mentor teacher during observation, the following question was raised, how was differentiation incorporated within the classroom? In her response, she shared several examples of how differentiation instruction was implemented in the classroom in the following areas: Math, Spelling, and Reading. An example of differentiation instruction given during math centersstudents are taught several strategies as a class to solve a problem and are allowed to use the strategy that is most comfortable to solve the problem. The teacher will accept the strategy used to solve the problem as long as the student arrive at the correct answer instead of limiting a student to use a specific strategy which is not one of comfort- the students thus becomes frustrated and withdrawn. Spelling is another area in which differentiation instruction is implemented. Each student is given a pre-test for the following week and the results of the pre-test determine the spelling list a student receives which is divided into two groups. Upon receiving the list, List B, the standard spelling list for the grade level, and List C, the challenging spelling list for the advanced/gifted students, the students are given a weekly menu of nine activities to help assist with the spelling and definition of each word, created by the teacher. The teacher instructs the students on all nine activities but limits the number of activities to be completed each week according to the student strengths and areas of improvement. The teacher however includes one

mandatory activity and the students are allowed to choose from the other activities to meet the weekly requirements. Lastly, the teacher use differentiation instruction in Reading Centers- during the centers the students are assigned into different reading levels. The teacher has several copies of the text according to reading level, which are assigned to each group. Some students are allowed to work independently, while other students require teacher assistance at the teacher table. At the teacher table, the group is broken up even further to accommodate each student learning ability. For example, there are two students at the teacher table, one student can sound out the letters to identify each word but is not fluent in reading; and the second student is having a difficult time sounding out each syllable to identify the word. The teacher will assist student one by allowing student one to read the text to determine how many words can be read in five minutes and then work toward fluency as the week progresses. Next, the teacher will assist student two by first identifying high frequency or vocabulary words by going through the text and highlighting them, then the process begins as they sound the words out, as the week progress the student will be able to identify the spelling words and read the text. The four key principles of differentiation instruction is visible within the classroom as the teacher begins each lesson/subject as a whole class introduction, then she breaks the class into groups or pairs then she goes a little further to assist students individually at the teacher table, (blend); the teacher plans each instruction with each student in mind (student centered and proactive) and the teacher assess the students for comprehension and growth (assessment).

I plan on implementing differentiation instruction in my class similarly to my mentor teacher; of course I will probably tweak as I progress and become more tenured. I plan on following all four principles as they assist with helping a student reach the next level. I will be proactive by first knowing my students, having background knowledge on my students will assist me in how I deliver classroom instructions, examples and observe whether or not the students are engaged. Next, I will ensure that my lessons are student centered and not teacher centered. By doing this, it allows for me to be flexible so that I can engage the students based on their interest and needs and not my own, even if it is not one of my strongest area. I will definitely include a blend within the classroom because not everyone learns at the same pace. After working in a group setting, I realized that some students would learn during a big group discussion, some learn through small groups and some learn through one on one focus. The final key, assessment based, is one that I loved and will definitely implement in my classroom. By implementing assessment based, not only will I have prior knowledge of what my students are capable of, but also during instructions, I can check for understanding through informal assessment. Informal assessment during a lesson will determine whether or not the student understand the lesson. If understanding has not been established, then reteach maybe necessary or possibly small group activities and one on one. Hand in hand, assessment before, during, and after will determine whether or not students are reaching the targeted goal by reviewing the final product.

Citation Reference Kauchak, D. & Eggen, P. (2012). Learning & teaching: Research-based methods. (6 ed., p. 380, 381). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. Tomlinson, C. (2005). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.