Technology in Context: Preservice Education and Differentiated Instruction

1
Technology in Context Pre-service Education and
Differentiated Instruction

• Eastern Kentucky University pre-service Methods
  students used technology to differentiate the
  content, the process and products to meet the
  varying needs of their students at an elementary
  school in KY.

2

• The biggest mistake in teaching is to treat all
  children as if they were variants of the same
  individual and thus to feel justified in teaching
  them all the same subjects in the same way.
• Howard Gardner

3
Differentiation is a Way of Thinking About
Teaching and Learning
4
Differentiated Instruction Defined

• Differentiated instruction is a teaching
  philosophy based on the premise that teachers
  should adapt instruction to student differences.
  
• Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Pre-service Educators teach their students to
  modify their instruction to meet students
  varying readiness levels, learning preferences,
  and interests.
• Technology provides avenues to get at and
  express learning.

5
Differentiation
Is a teachers response to learners needs
Thoughtful tasks
Flexible grouping
Continual assessment
According to Students
Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
6
What Differentiated Instruction

• IS
• Differentiated instruction provides MULTIPLE
  approaches to content, process, and product.
• Differentiated instruction is STUDENT CENTERED.
• Supported by flexible grouping.
• Differentiated instruction is a BLEND of whole
  class, group, and individual instruction.

• IS NOT
• Just another way to provide homogenous
  instruction
• More work for the "good" students and less and
  different for the "poor" students

7

• Differentiation is not so much the stuff as
  the how. of teaching
• Carol Ann Tomlinson

8
Teachers Can Use Technology to Differentiate
Environment
Content
Process
Product
9

• CONTENT

10
Ways
to Differentiate Content With Technology

• Pre-Assessment
• PRE-TEST to determine the children who do not
  require direction instruction.
• Turning Point Software
• PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
• Students who do not require direct instruction
  should be engaged in a project that engages them
  in concept application.
• Webquest
• CURRICULUM COMPACTING
• DIRECT INSTRUCTION
• PowerPoint Jeopardy
• Anticipation Guides
• Multimodal Avenues for Presentation
• Assessment
• to determine the children who do not require
  direction instruction.
• Turning Point Software

11
Differentiation must be an extension of not a
replacement for high quality curriculum.
12
Technology Provides the tools and direction for
that extension
13
Creating Technology Tasks

• Use technology to
• Create tasks that appeal to student learning
  differences.
• Create tasks that help children learn most
  effectively.
• Technology tasks provided all students the
  opportunity to explore essential understandings
  and skills at degrees of difficulty that escalate
  consistently as they develop their understanding
  and skill.

14
KUD KNOW (facts, vocabulary, dates, rules,
people, etc.) ecosystem elements of culture
(housing/shelter, customs, values,
geography) UNDERSTAND (complete sentence,
statement of truth or insight want students to
understand that . . . ) All parts of an
ecosystem affect all others parts. Culture
shapes people and people shape culture. DO
(Basic skills, thinking skills, social skills,
skills of the discipline, planning skills ---
verbs) Write a unified paragraph Compare
and contrast Draw conclusions Examine varied
perspectives Work collaboratively Develop a
timeline Use maps as data
Tomlinson 02
15
-CHOICE-The Great Motivator!

• Requires children to be aware of their own
  readiness, interests, and learning profiles.
• Students have choices provided by the teacher.
• Use choice across the curriculum
• Internet research, interactive websites, writing
  topics, open response prompts, electronic
  portfolios, project-based learning.

16

• ASSESSMENT

17
Assessment in a Differentiated Classroom

• Assessment drives instruction.
• Assessment occurs consistently as the unit
  begins, throughout the unit and as the unit ends.
  (Pre-assessment, formative and summative
  assessment are regular parts of the
  teaching/learning cycle.)
• Teachers assess student readiness, interest and
  learning profile.
• Assessments are part of teaching for success.
• Assessment information helps students chart and
  contribute to their own growth.
• Assessment MAY be differentiated.
• Assessment information is more useful to the
  teacher than grades.
• Assessment is more focused on personal growth
  than on peer competition.

18
Use Technology for Assessment

• Pre-Assessment
• Turning Point
• Formative Assessment
• PowerPoint Jeopardy
• Summative Assessment
• Rubrics for Projects
• Assessment Checklists

19

• PROCESS

20
Remember to think of DIFFERENTIATION as the lens
you look through when using any materials,
programs or instructional strategies.
21
10 Strategies for Managing a Differentiated
Classroom

• Have a strong rationale for differentiating
  instruction based on student readiness, interest
  and learning profile.
• Begin differentiating at a pace that is
  comfortable for you.
• Pay attention to TIME for student success.
• Use an anchor activity to free you up to focus
  your attention on your students.
• Create and deliver instructions carefully.

22
10 Strategies for Managing a Differentiated
Classroom

• Have a home base for students.
• Be sure students have a plan for getting help
  when you are busy with another student or group.
• Give your students as much responsibility for
  their learning as possible.
• Engage your students in talking about classroom
  procedures and group processes.
• Use flexible grouping.

23
FLEXIBLE GROUPING

• Should be purposeful
• may be based on student interest, learning
  profile and/or readiness
• may be based on needs observed during learning
  times
• geared to accomplish curricular goals (K-U-D)
• Implementation
• purposefully plan using information collected
  interest surveys, learning profile inventories,
  exit cards, quick writes, observations, etc.
• list groups on an overhead place in folders or
  mailboxes
• on the fly as invitational groups
• Cautions
• avoid turning groups into tracking situations
• provide opportunities for students to work within
  a variety of groups
• practice moving into group situations and
  assuming roles within the group

24

• PRODUCTS

25
Ways
to Differentiate Technology Products

• Choices based on
• readiness, interest,
• learning profile
• Clear expectations
• Timelines
• Agreements
• Product Guides
• Rubrics
• Evaluation

26
Technology Anchor Activities

• Interactive Activity on the Internet
• Write Work on Writing Portfolio pieces
• Use Kid Pix to draw a picture.
• Help someone use word processing.
• Work on a Webquest

• Complete an interactive online activity.
• Solve a challenge puzzle with write it up
• Practice anything!
• Internet Research

27
Online Anchoring Activities

• Some Anchoring Activities
• Activity Templates using Word
• Online Explorations
• Use an Anticipation Guides prior to website
  investigation.
• Use graphic organizer as a research guide
• Research questions or projects
• Journals or learning logs

28
Online Projects

• Online Projects can be another way to utilize
  technology in your differentiated classroom.
• Online Projects
• Use collaboration
• Connect students to people and places outside the
  classroom community.
• Use real-time data to assist with solving
  real-life problems.

29
Possible Technology Products
Book List Calendar Research Project Dictionary Fil
m Book Recipe
Timeline Article Poster Photographs Cartoon
Biography

• Maps
• Diagrams
• Demonstrations
• Poetry
• Charts
• Brochures

• PowerPoint
• Presentation
• Painting
• Newspaper
• Graph -Excel
• Advertisement

30
Options for Differentiation with Technology
31

• ENVIRONMENT

32
A Typical Day in a D.I. Class

• Predictable, not rigid, schedule
• Flexible time in the computer lab
• Blocks of time for units of study
• Clearly defined procedures
• Students assume responsibility
• Choices are embedded in the curriculum
• Multi-modal materials
• Flexible grouping
• daily reflection on learning
• Classroom Learning Community - frequent meetings

33
(No Transcript)
34
Plan for Differentiating with Technology

1. Sharpen the curriculum

• Focus Know, Understand and Do (K-U-D)
• Hook the students with engaging activities
• Tighten the Curriculum

2. Assess the students

• Pre-assessments for Readiness
• Interest Inventories
• Be a Kid Watcher

35
3. Design instruction to Include Technology

• Map the content, process, and product
• Whole class, small group, individual
  (flexible grouping)

4. Match tasks to learner need

• Adjust for Readiness, interest, learning profile
• Vary strategies
• Align with KUD

36
5. Bring the students on board

• Develop rationale
• Establish routines and procedures
• Build autonomy

6. Students share work Reflect and refine the
process.
Adapted from C. Tomlinson