Differentiated Instruction

 One of the interesting things about teaching is that you will encounter students from different places and countries with various schooling backgrounds. While some learners might take to our system of education here in the United States many of these students might not excel with the current structure of teaching as it be. To remedy this I think there are some ways to include not only students that are used to are American way of instruction but give these Diverse students a way to conceptualize the content and learn it to the best of their ability. There are multiple intelligences and within that a way to group our students so they can utilize their strengths and work on their weaknesses 

I think a good way to start and find out where your students are at skill wise in whatever content field you are teaching is to question your students and establish their levels by asking prior knowledge questions. Figuring out if they have some background in let’s say in a math classroom see if they have ever seen fractions. Ask a student if they know how to solve a problem like this and have them attempt it , as this will not only give your students a way to show what they know but some confidence so they don't feel behind. 

Another way to differentiate instruction for learners is through hands on learning as with this mode of teaching a lot of the content is visual and can do a lot for learners that utilize their body more to learn. This gives our students a avenue to learn in multiple environments as well seeing as you could potential have a lesson in a nature environment were students would be active in their learning. 

For students that are musically inclined another way to change instruction to benefit their learning is through non-linguistic representation, singing songs or clapping to the beat or some type of hand movements paired with songs about the content you are teaching can really benefit those that have backgrounds in music.   

Lastly activities like circuits, group projects and labs serve to help students make and build connections and learn from their peers both ways. As in these type of assignments students can build on their skills including strengths and weaknesses by helping each other understand how to comprehend the content. 

Overall, I think there is a lot of ways to teach a student and we need to utilize these techniques to connect out students to the content we want them to understand and learn. Especially regarding diverse students who might think differently, have different backgrounds, and even learn at different rates and ways then other students. 




Comments

  1. Sydney MooreSeptember 17, 2021 at 5:55 PM

    Hey Michael! There are so many ways that students can learn. One of the ways that you mentioned that I liked was hands on instruction that required the students to get out of the classroom and learn in different environments. Students spend so much time at a desk taking in information. I think that it his good when students get to do activities where they do not have to be at a desk. It can sometimes be the most memorable experiences in a student's school life. Another one that I liked was working in groups. I think it is important for students to associate with many different people in their class. If the teacher rotates groups often then it will provide the students with the opportunity to get to know all types of people and help develop social skills. This will also help students better understand the material because they will get to hear different perspectives.

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