Differentiating Product

Differentiating Product:

• Students have some choice in how they will demonstrate what they learned to the teacher. 
• Give different assignments to different students to create interest.
• Use tiered products
• Allow independent study
• Encourage a product that challenges existing ideas and produce "new" ideas.
• Encourage the development of products that use new techniques, materials, and forms. 

Differentiating Process

Differentiating Process:

• How students go about making sense of what they learned.
• Use of diverse activities varied to meet students interest or preferences for learning
• For exploring history students could have various options such as:
• Conduct internet and text research
• or Create a physical model and report to explain it.
• or Live interviews.
• Use many different learning styles when coming up with assignments and projects
• Tiered Activities
• Give students choice of work arrangement. (Alone, partner, small group etc.)

Differentiating Content

Differentiating Content:

Differentiating content is differentiating what the students learn.
Content can be differentiated by providing materials at varied ability or grade levels in one classroom.
Reading materials that address course content below and above grade levels are common ways to differentiate content.
Use varied texts and resources.

Differentiating for Learning Profile

Learning profile refers to a students preferred mode of learning. Gender, culture,learning style,etc all shape the learning profile. Some students work best on their own, some work best collaborating with others. Some students are visual, some are analytic. Each student has a different learning profile. Learning profile factors can impede or aid a student's progress. A teacher needs to provide ways of learning that make the learning journey of each student more efficient and effective.

Ways to differentiate for learning profile:

• Environment: Temperature, activity level, amount of light
• Cultural Influence: Relaxed/structured, reserved/expressive, personal/impersonal
• Visual: Overheads, pictures, notes, maps, diagrams
• Auditory: Lectures, read aloud, music
• Kinesthetic: Move around, hands on, types or highlights during lectures.

Differentiating for Interest

Interest is a major motivating factor for learning. When a teacher links required content to student interests, they are able to hook the learner. The learner will find the information intriguing to learn and will pursue knowledge. Effective teachers also allow students to pursue their interests and passions beyond the prescribed curriculum by offering independent investigations. Good teachers also help students develop new interests and things to be excited about in the curriculum.

Ways to differentiate for interest:

• Use jigsaw
• Connect curriculum to real life
• Use technology
• Build a model or display
• Don't be so restrictive with investigations
• Allow different options to choose from for the same assignment
• Discuss interesting topics

Differentiating for Readiness

Readiness has to do with the student's current preparedness for a specific topic. It includes their knowledge, understanding, and skill. The work cannot be too easy or too hard. If the work is too easy, the students may get a good grade, but they will not be learning. If the work is too hard, they will get frustrated and not try. The students need to be stretched, but not frustrated. Differentiating for Readiness also offers support.

Ways to differentiate for readiness:

• Use various books on the same topic
• Giving the option for an extension activity
• Giving leveled homework assignments
• Helping students go from: 
• dependent to independent
• slow moving to fast
• structured to unstructured
• simple to complex
• concrete to abstract

First Day of Field

Today was my first day of my field experience. It was wonderful. I was able to get to know the students and how the classroom is run. I was happy to find that math is very differentiated. There are three third grade teachers at the school and they differentiate math by having students go to a different class based upon their level. The students that are at the highest level of math go to one class, and the rest of the students who are middle and lower level stay together, but are divided between the two other teachers. The middle and lower level students don't hold the upper level students back and are able to get the help they need with students at their own level. I talked to my teacher about it and she said that it is their first year trying it, but that it is very successful. At first they tried doing three different levels but found that the lowest level students needed a bit of support from students just above them because they didn't know the types of questions to ask or even where to start with certain problems. She said they have found much success with having the two groups together.