Assignment 2B- Beginning Differentiation of Instruction

Differentiation in the Classroom for English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, and Advanced or Gifted Learners in 6^th grade English class: Studying the concept of resilience.

            Differentiating instruction in the classroom is not an easy task to accomplish but it is definitely doable. In order for teachers to successfully differentiate instruction, they first need to carefully assess the students’ strong and weak areas to better assist them. Teachers have to spend the time to study the class population and differ instruction according to the students’ needs. English Language Learners in the class might need support with understanding main ideas, and grasping the content of the lessons. Special needs students might struggle with comprehending information and decoding the main ideas presented during a given lesson if they do not receive proper modifications and/or accommodations which are usually stated in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). For Advanced or Gifted students, teachers might have to create activities that include a challenge section or group students by ability levels and provide appropriate assignments. The following are various activities that teachers can use to differentiate instruction in the classroom during an English assignment focusing on the topic of resilience.

English Language Learners

1-    Group discussions: Providing time to discuss a new topic will give students an opportunity to listen to others’ ideas and become familiar with the expectations of the given assignment. Asking questions during the class discussion will clarify any doubts and help students make connections with real life events in which they had to be resilient. Group discussions provide freedom to share any ideas and put thoughts together to start the writing process.

2-    Vocabulary: Creating a list of new words that will come across during the lesson can be helpful for students struggling with the language. Introducing words that will be helpful in understanding any articles about resiliency, and providing usage of new words in sentences will give students better understanding of the lesson.

3-    Think-Pair-Share: Allowing students to think, pair, and share their ideas with other classmates provides freedom to become comfortable with the lesson and brainstorm any ideas that come along. Processing ideas, thoughts, and new vocabulary takes time for English Language Learners. This type of activity gives them the opportunity to pair with others who can help to clarify unclear information.

4-    Visual Aids: When working with English Language Learners it is extremely important to use visual aids such as pictures, symbols, videos, and more. Visual aids provide an image that students can attach to newly learned words or ideas. Using images attached to new vocabulary will be helpful in order to decipher the meaning of words. Teacher can create an interactive PowerPoint to present the lesson.

5-    Reading Groups: English Language Learners might need assistance with reading informational articles related to resilience. It is very helpful to have groups of students collaborating with each other and try to answer questions related to the readings through discussion. Reading groups provide the time to come together and decode the articles, extract important information, take notes if necessary, and practice fluency and comprehension.

Special Needs Students

1-    Visual Aids: Special education students have different learning abilities and sometimes need information presented in various ways. Some might learn better through visual images presented to them together with auditory information. Students with special needs learn better when the information is presented using different learning approaches.

2-    Collaboration: Students with special needs do not necessarily stay in a special day classroom. Many times these students go into collaboration settings which allow them to access the curriculum in a general education classroom. Collaboration is important for students’ success in the general education curriculum. General education teachers collaborate with special education teachers to provide the appropriate modifications and/or accommodations necessary for students to access the general curriculum. Collaboration within students is also a great way to brainstorm writing ideas.

3-    Chunking the Lesson: Special needs students a lot of times cannot absorb too much information all at once. Chunking the lesson is a great way to provide the most relevant information in a series of steps. Explaining parts of the lesson and providing time to ask questions, or work with high performing peers who would help generate ideas relating to resilience.

4-    Extended Time: Students with special needs a lot of times work at a slower pace than the general population which requires the teacher to provide time and a half for them to complete any work. Extended time allows students to organize their ideas, either using a graphic organizer or taking notes, and to expand on any new ideas or new information received.

5-    Assistive Technology: Special needs students who are visually impaired require access to special tools and programs that allow them to access the curriculum. Computers, braille writers, voice-over features, screen readers, and audio books are all examples of tools used by students with visual impairments. In order for visually impaired students to follow along with the readings, being able to take notes, and start writing about resilience, they need access to the tools mentioned above as well as any other type of assistance that would push for their success.

Advanced or Gifted Learners

1-    Reading Journals: Students who are more advanced can have the extra task to keep track of a reading journal. The reading journal will include summaries of articles read in class, any research done at home, as well as explanations of readings covered in class.

2-    Presentations: Gifted or advanced students can have the opportunity to research an article and/or person who has demonstrated resilience, and present it to the class. They can create posters, PowerPoints, or any other visuals and/or tools that would assist them present their project. Gifted students need to constantly be challenged in the classroom in order for them to keep active participation and remain engaged.

3-    Increase Complexity: Advanced or gifted students need more challenging work that will trigger higher level thinking. Providing higher level questions, open ended questions, complex activities that require thinking outside the box will give them the opportunity to reach their full potential. Assigning work that requires research about their family’s history of resilience and how what they did to overcome any obstacles presented.

4-    Student-Centered Environment: Providing an environment that allows for independent work, and time to develop their ideas, use their imagination and creative thinking will give gifted students the freedom of independence. Writing about resilience and different life experiences that have to do with resilience will provide the starting point to an informative essay and/or presentation.

5-    Anchoring Activities: These type of activities allow gifted students to further their knowledge about resilience, and answer more detailed questions related to the readings. Other anchor activities might include puzzles, games, extra research, and more which exercise the mind and challenge students’ critical thinking skills.