2.5 Differentiation
Candidates model and facilitate the design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences making appropriate use of differentiation, including adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment based upon an analysis of learner characteristics, including readiness levels, interests, and personal goals. (PSC 2.5/ISTE 2e)
Artifact:
Jackie Robinson Reading Lesson with Lino It
Reflection:
During Professional Learning and Technology Innovation course, practicing coaching skills in a face-to-face setting was one of the learning objectives. After evaluating the teacher’s readiness level for technology integration, differentiation was identified as one of areas for desired improvement. The Jackie Robinson Reading Lesson with Lino It was the outcome of collaborative planning and facilitation of differentiated reading instruction in a second grade classroom. This lesson integrated Social Studies Georgia Performance Standards into guided reading instruction and was built on assessment-based differentiation. In addition, the coaching process involved allocating necessary reading resources for differentiation and co-teaching the lesson. Technology tools to enhance differentiated instruction in small groups were gradually introduced and modeled in the classroom as well.
Students read differentiated texts about Jackie Robinson in small groups, analyzed text evidence to determine his character traits, and made personal connections. Lino It, a web-based application, was used by students to collaborate and communicate their learning with the peers and teachers. The instructional design of the lesson provided students with reading material that was strictly aligned with their individual instructional reading levels. The levels were determined by the Fountas and Pinnel reading benchmark assessment completed by the homeroom teacher, and students were grouped into five guided reading groups based on their abilities. The topic of the reading instruction was the same, and every group read a text about Jackie Robinson. However, provided texts were differentiated by reading levels to accommodate diverse needs of the students.
The learning environment was differentiated for students as well. For example, students with higher level ability in reading were working in pairs to collaborate and communicate their personal connections with the text. Others worked in small groups, in which the teacher facilitated the learning and provided necessary support to students. A special education teacher was working with those students who needed special accommodations in order to complete the same task successfully. Every student was able to demonstrate their learning in a productive way and use the same technology tool to do so because of carefully planned differentiation by the content and learning environment in this lesson.
Learners’ personal characteristics were taken in consideration when planning differentiated instruction. In addition to readiness levels and personal academic goals, their interests and social skills drove instructional decisions in this lesson. Students were strategically paired up or placed in small groups. Students with leadership skills helped others to learn about tools in Lino It and post comments on a virtual board. Students with similar personal electronic devices worked together to troubleshoot possible technical issues with the program on iPads and/or Android platforms. This learning experience helped students build a safe learning environment in which they learned to lean on each other's strengths to compensate personal weaknesses.
This lesson could be expanded to allow for differentiation by product. As students learned about a variety of technology tools to organize their thoughts and brainstorm ideas, they should be able to choose a tool that would best fit their learning styles. Instead of using only one virtual Lino It wall to combine thoughts and ideas, they could build graphic organizers or mind maps to show even deeper understanding of the texts they read. Choosing individual technology tools to show own learning should be a learning opportunity provided by teachers in every classroom.
During Professional Learning and Technology Innovation course, practicing coaching skills in a face-to-face setting was one of the learning objectives. After evaluating the teacher’s readiness level for technology integration, differentiation was identified as one of areas for desired improvement. The Jackie Robinson Reading Lesson with Lino It was the outcome of collaborative planning and facilitation of differentiated reading instruction in a second grade classroom. This lesson integrated Social Studies Georgia Performance Standards into guided reading instruction and was built on assessment-based differentiation. In addition, the coaching process involved allocating necessary reading resources for differentiation and co-teaching the lesson. Technology tools to enhance differentiated instruction in small groups were gradually introduced and modeled in the classroom as well.
Students read differentiated texts about Jackie Robinson in small groups, analyzed text evidence to determine his character traits, and made personal connections. Lino It, a web-based application, was used by students to collaborate and communicate their learning with the peers and teachers. The instructional design of the lesson provided students with reading material that was strictly aligned with their individual instructional reading levels. The levels were determined by the Fountas and Pinnel reading benchmark assessment completed by the homeroom teacher, and students were grouped into five guided reading groups based on their abilities. The topic of the reading instruction was the same, and every group read a text about Jackie Robinson. However, provided texts were differentiated by reading levels to accommodate diverse needs of the students.
The learning environment was differentiated for students as well. For example, students with higher level ability in reading were working in pairs to collaborate and communicate their personal connections with the text. Others worked in small groups, in which the teacher facilitated the learning and provided necessary support to students. A special education teacher was working with those students who needed special accommodations in order to complete the same task successfully. Every student was able to demonstrate their learning in a productive way and use the same technology tool to do so because of carefully planned differentiation by the content and learning environment in this lesson.
Learners’ personal characteristics were taken in consideration when planning differentiated instruction. In addition to readiness levels and personal academic goals, their interests and social skills drove instructional decisions in this lesson. Students were strategically paired up or placed in small groups. Students with leadership skills helped others to learn about tools in Lino It and post comments on a virtual board. Students with similar personal electronic devices worked together to troubleshoot possible technical issues with the program on iPads and/or Android platforms. This learning experience helped students build a safe learning environment in which they learned to lean on each other's strengths to compensate personal weaknesses.
This lesson could be expanded to allow for differentiation by product. As students learned about a variety of technology tools to organize their thoughts and brainstorm ideas, they should be able to choose a tool that would best fit their learning styles. Instead of using only one virtual Lino It wall to combine thoughts and ideas, they could build graphic organizers or mind maps to show even deeper understanding of the texts they read. Choosing individual technology tools to show own learning should be a learning opportunity provided by teachers in every classroom.