Running head: STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 1

Student-Centered and/or Differentiated Instruction

Jessica A. Moran

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of EFND 596 Field Experience/Student Teaching ePortfolio, Spring 2017
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 2

Introduction

Upon each year that students enter a classroom, their teacher stands at a nearly

imperceptible fork in the year ahead: either they design teacher-directed instruction per whole

group goals, or they venture down the narrower, often bramble-filled path that is differentiated,

student-centered instruction. As Jesus taught and perhaps warned, You can enter Gods kingdom

only through the narrow gate The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many

who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and road is difficult (Matthew

7:13-4, NLT). If teaching is approached with a similar mindset that challenge is required for

growth, more students will be reached and thus an overall increase in learning will occur. The

authors of How People Learn indicate the importance of this sentiment within the

good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers pay attention to the

knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, use this knowledge as a

starting point for new instruction, and monitor students changing conceptions as

instruction proceeds. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000)

When learning is designed in this manner, it is often the moments that would appear small or

even insignificant to the outside world that are the most meaningful and impactful to the child,

their family, and staff. Within the artifacts selected for this competency, I aspire to verbalize and

display what I can only term my wholehearted passion for student-centered, differentiated

learning.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact is a differentiated homework calendar I designed for struggling students;

as a point of reference, I have also included the original calendar created by my cooperating

teacher. The five students in mind participate in daily small-group remediation for skills which
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 3

others in the class have mastered. One has been identified as having a Specific Learning

Disability (SLD), and another is receiving interventions as we await future testing. The

remaining three have indicated a blend of mastery and ongoing struggle with concepts

specifically addressed in the calendar. The main calendar asked students to practice higher level

skills such as counting backwards from 20, writing numerous sentences, and completing specific

math workbook pages; the differentiated calendar simplified these processes, yet still allowed the

activity to be ...a chunk more difficult than their ability at the time (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 13).

The students in mind for the specialized calendar have progressed more slowly and have made

slow progress with their sight words. Thus, they are asked to perform various tasks with their

words such as saying, writing, and finding them in take home books; at the months cumulation,

they write a sentence using the sight words they have practiced. Per my time spent with this

group in remediation and my collected data, the students are slowly but steadily improving; these

successes are intentionally celebrated, both in a public manner within the class and through notes

sent home to parents. Because of these improvements, I will continue to differentiate my

instruction as needed for them.

My second artifact is a sight word and sentence practice bag that I designed for a student.

While her mid-year Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) evaluation scores indicated progress

from the 50s to 100, she continued to struggle with recognizing sounds, sight words, and

sentence composition. As I got to know her, I felt she lacked faith in her own abilities, which was

supported by her tendency to shut down when she felt she was not capable; I became aware that

there was not a father figure present in her household, and that she has two siblings under the age

of two. Thus, I speculated she acted out to receive attention she may lack at home, and that she

may not always get the practice she needed outside of school. In combination with encouraging
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 4

her to develop a growth mindset, I created her Princess Practice Bag as I knew it would be a

strong motivational tool. The bag contained her Level A sight words on paper with a specific

Disney Princess to make a word association and connection to that figure; I also drew lines

beneath the word for her to make it with magnetic letters. Next, I included our alphabet chant

worksheet which is used daily in guided reading to practice letter recognition and phonemic

awareness; I also sent a copy of this sheet home with her. Because this student consistently used

the sentence stem I like____, I introduced a worksheet with a variety of stems as a reference,

and a separate sheet that left blank space after the stem; this allowed her to use magnetic letters

or a dry erase marker to create different endings in a scaffolded setting. Finally, I included a dry

erase board and purple marker (the students favorite color) for her to write her words and

sentences. This strategy has helped me to better grasp the importance of using scaffolding and

student-centered encouragement in building up struggling learners, plan[ning] teaching and

learning through many modalities] and Continually find[ing] ways to let the student know that

I believe in him or her (Tomlinson, 2001, p.14).

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Creating differentiated and student-centered instruction is an area of teaching pedagogy

that is still emerging after years of regimented classrooms better suited to the early industrial

revolution (Tomlinson, 2017, p.10). Carol Ann Tomlinson emphasizes that Its always good to

start with your purpose when designing lessons, going beyond the what and how into the

why (2017, p. 11). As each student presents their prior knowledge, view of the world, and

personal experiences, it is my job to either adopt (or abandon) certain practices and

processes (Tomlinson, 2017, p.14). This is to ensure I do not fail their personal and educational

time in my classroom or others; student-centered instruction is not merely academic, but resides
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 5

in facets of cognitive, psychological, and socioemotional growth (Nichols, 2011, p.38).

Within my teaching, I aspire to design whole- and small-group lessons centered and based on a

blend of existing student learning modalities, Gardners multiple intelligences (Davis,

Christodoulou, Seider, & Gardner, 2012), and ongoing collected data. If I am to truly ascertain,

nurture, and propel each students journey, I must include in my reflection the variety of methods

God used to reach and empower His own people (Beam & Keith, 2011).

Lesson plans should be designed flexibly with the learner in mind. Thus, each element

should have implicit and explicit options for the teacher to implement when a student exhibits a

nonproductive struggle. God has communicated with us through time in prayer, worship, the

burning bushthe written word and the verbal instruction of Jesus (Beam & Keith, 2011, p.

5); just as God differentiated his teaching, so must I. While we are all brothers and sisters in

Christ, we do not pray the same, we do not exhibit the same spiritual gifts, we do not all serve

the same functions of the Body, and we do not all learn in the same way (Beam & Keith, 2011,

p.5). As an educator, I must proactively meet all my students where they are to bolster their

momentum forward.

When writing to Timothy, Paul says The purpose of my instruction is that all believers

would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith

(1 Timothy 1:5, NLT). This, too, is how I will approach teaching to provide my students with a

sense of belonging, purpose, and achievement. I will design lessons that not only meet student

needs, but indicate I understand the importance of efficacy and caring. [and] how to

empower and engage students (Nichols, 2011, p. 39). I must openly give Kind words [that] are

like honey (Proverbs 16:24, NLT), spend time learning to listen to [my] students (Nichols,

2011, p. 41) and build my ability to work within the current educational system while
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 6

thinking outside of the proverbial standardization box (Nichols, 2011, p. 43). As I embark on

this journey, obstacles will no doubt arise. However, I must remember Gods words through

Elisha: Those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16, NIV, as

quoted by Arroyo, 2011, p. 36): His strength and courage will become my own as I center my

instruction on student needs, preparing them for their own path in life.

References

Arroyo, A.A. (2011). Tapping into the power of Gods invisible world. In A.A. Arroyo & Hope

Jordan, The Secret Kingdom for Educators (pp. 35-41). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning

Solutions.

Beam, A.P., Keith, D. (2011). Differentiation and faith: improve the learning process by

finding every students God-given talents. Liberty University: Faculty

Publications and Presentations, pp. 5-8. Retrieved from

http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1233&context=educ_fac_pubs

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A. L., Cocking, R.R., Donovan, M.S., Pellegrino, J. W. (2000).

How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded ed.).

Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Davis, K., Christodoulou, J., Seider, S., Gardner, H. (2013). The theory of multiple

intelligences. Multiple Intelligences Oasis. Retrieved from

http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/443-davis-

christodoulou-seider-mi-article.pdf
STUDENT-CENTERED AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 7

Nichols, J.D. (2011). Teachers as servant leaders. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield

Publishers, Inc.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.).

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2017). Lets celebrate personalization: but not too fast. Educational

Leadership, 74(6), pp. 10-15.