Differentiated Instruction Essay

Evaluation: In early 1970, children with learning disabilities were treated much differently than the peers that were at appropriate grade level. In this student’s case, the school system segregated the special needs students placing them in special classroom and labeled them as “slow learners”. With the teachers and school administration lack of knowledge on helping students with disabilities, students were at a disadvantage in receiving a fair education. Children felt as

In the article, A Common-Core Challenge: Learners with Special Needs, the article outlines the proposed plans and conflicts associated with a common core assessment in education. The article highlights the struggles of reaching students within a regular classroom with diversity, then divides into the accommodations and modifications needed to give the same assessment to a student with a disability. With the introduction of Common Core and Smarter Balance, general assessments have become the norm to track a student and a teacher’s progress. Many teachers are struggling with the accommodations needed and not compromising the assessment. Some accommodations questioned in the article are communication devices and being able to read portions to a visually impaired student. Both sides believe that the accommodations can compromise

In regards to educational impact of the impairments, students with severe disabilities have the ability to learn (Snell and Brown, 2011). On the end of the spectrum some educators believe while the purported goal of the Common Core is success for all students. But success for all requires openness towards cognitive diversity, and isn’t so easily standardized, especially for students with special needs and severe disabilities (Beals,

Each grade takes the same set of tests designed to measure the best level for their grade. But these tests harm students with learning disabilities. Students who find it harder to learn are faced

Modifications such as sitting secluded, time extensions or not being required to fill in the bubble sheet are common modifications but these students are all still taking the same exam as their peers in the same grade level. “A standardized test is one that is given to evaluate the performance of students relative to all other students with the same characteristics, for example, all fourth-grade students or all students taking AP English in high school.” (Issitt, Micah L., and Maureen McMahon). Students with disabilities should not be expected to perform on the same level as children without disabilities; they should be compared apples to apples not apples to

As an educator it is imperative to provide students with instruction that fulfills their needs. These needs consist of the following: affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge. Through the implementation of differentiated instruction I am able to meet these needs and enhance learning experiences for my students. One approach to differentiation is the use of learning menus. Learning menus help students gain a sense of accountability for their learning and allows them to make decisions.

Educating students with moderate to severe disabilities can be extremely challenging, as students require the utilization of differentiated instruction and individualized education plans (IEP’s). It is imperative for special education teachers to identify and employ best practices; ensuring students with moderate to severe disabilities have access to an efficient and appropriate education within a least restrictive environment. Assessing students with moderate to severe disabilities can be difficult, as creating optimal testing environments, identifying accommodations, and modifications are necessities. In addition, it is imperative to note that an assessment is a singular event; indicating and identifying student competency and ability

The article contains views from professionals who both support and oppose the idea of differentiated classrooms and its effectiveness for teachers and students. As you read further into the text, the author suggests that there are more important questions to ask, “What are students supposed to be learning? [and] are all students mastering it?” (p. 10). Furthermore, by answering these questions leads to “broad focus on learning intentions and student learning, teachers work (and principles support and evaluation of that work) follows logically into three phases: unit in lesson planning; delivery of instruction; and follow up with unsuccessful students” (p. 11). Finally, the text discusses each aspect in-depth providing ways that teachers can make each of these phases effective in their implementation and application towards intentional

Students enter the classroom with a wide range of skill level in mathematics. Addressing the learning needs in the classroom can be difficult for educators to tackle. This is when differentiated institutions can be incorporated in the classroom. Differentiated instruction are lessons constructed individually for each student to learn at their level. Educators use their curriculum to create clear learning goals, ongoing assessments, and a learning environment focused on students learning profiles. This practice helps address the many learning needs of the students in the

Each year, our staff chooses a curricular focus. Each staff member signs up to share their ideas and lesson samples with staff members. For example, last year our focus was on vocabulary instruction. Each teacher was assigned a different staff meeting to bring ideas and share their strategies with staff members. While this year's focus has been determined, I will suggest making differentiation a focus for next year's staff meetings. My rationale for this suggestion will come from the survey results listed in Appendix A. Some survey questions were answered without one educator designating a level 4 usage. These areas included knowing students' learning preferences, adjusting pace of instruction based on student need, allowing choice topics to motivate students, and using tiered assignments (Appendix A). The results of this survey indicate that differentiation is a topic we need to be discussing openly and addressing. While many teachers may feel overwhelmed by current changes taking place in our district, Heacox (2009) reminds us that we can slowly implement changes by choosing one new differentiation strategy over a grading period (pg. 165). This would allow teachers to make changes without feeling overwhelmed in overhauling their current curriculum. Furthermore, one demographic may suggest why some of our survey results were so low. Many of our teachers have been teaching the same course and same curriculum for many years. All participants surveyed have been teaching for fifteen or more years because our staff only has two novice teachers - one including myself - who have each been teaching for five years. It can be easy for teachers to become comfortable with curriculum - especially when so many changes happen every year at the building, district, state, and national levels - and continue

As time Prevailed, school 's, students and teacher’s expectations increased; we have noticed a decrease in academic success. Our schools have many different types of learners who are required to meet the same standard at the end of the year to be considered for promotion. In common classrooms, there are about twenty five- thirty students per one teacher. However, we must keep in mind that students learn differently and at a different pace. Unfortunately, there are standards and expectations students need to show to be considered “ on the level, and proficient” in the content area. Differentiated Instruction is a strategy many schools require their teachers to use in order to meet the needs of all the child 's needs in an inclusive

The best way to incorporate differentiated instruction in the classroom is to discover what motivates a student in the classroom. We need to know our students and what motivates them (Tomlinson, 2012). Motivation will be the determination for success in education. When we think about differentiated instruction and incorporating motivation this is just common sense (Tomlinson, 2013). The very existence of learning depends on motivation. It is our job as teachers to meet the needs of our diverse learners (Schmitges, 2014). A little bit of motivation is like a candle in the darkness. It just takes one person to step out and light the candle and the whole room will be filled. To understand how important motivation is to differentiated instruction, three case studies were looked at.

Nine teaching strategies are laid out for us in the book entitled Classroom instruction that works (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). These strategies are to give educators the methods to increase student learning and achievement (Ainsworth, 2010).

Classrooms are not made up of a homogeneous group of students. All students bring varying backgrounds, skills, and learning styles into the classroom. In order to sufficiently meet the needs of all students, teachers must adjust their instruction accordingly. In this article, the author discusses the relationship between differentiated instruction and teacher efficacy and the effectiveness of professional development. The author discusses the need for teachers to modify the content that is presented to students. Not all students have the same skill set when entering a classroom, and teachers must remediate and supply enrichment to provide all students with a challenging curriculum. In addition, teachers must consider student learning styles when planning their methods for delivering information. Finally, the manner in which students must submit their work should be modified to meet individual student needs. The process of differentiating instruction is one that takes time, guidance, and practice. The author first studies the relationship between teacher efficacy and time spent utilizing differentiated instruction. The study found that differentiation had a positive effect on teacher efficacy. Teachers who utilize differentiation are using

Differentiated Instruction is a succeeding teaching style; teachers instruct according to a system that a student will get the best results. Neurologically everyone learns in a different way. A teacher’s objective is to guarantee that maximum potential from every pupil is reached. Teaching adolescent students is a vital time period to assure that they reach understandings and discover the way that they learn best, because this is ordinarily the peak of their neurological development. This teaching style is a way for students to find the joy in learning. The lasting goal with Differentiated Instruction is that every student has the ability to learn, and to further this learning by exploring their options to pursue