There are so many ways to
differentiate content for any area you are teaching. When choosing ways to
differentiate content it’s important to first know your students and the
different ways they learn best. Some students have a different first language,
some students have special needs, and some students are advanced or gifted
learners. So how can I differentiate the ways in which I present and stretch
information to reach as many students as I can within the classroom?
For English Language Learners incorporating visual
components to the lesson plan is very important to me. I will be teaching in
Southern California so ELL students will have a strong presence in my classroom
each and every year. During the content presentation I would make sure there
are a lot of pictures and videos to help explain the content beyond the verbal
content I am providing. It may also help to have some of the titles and signs
in both English and Spanish to help the ELL students associate the Spanish word
they know to the English word they are learning about. After presenting the
students with the information they need to know about the subject area they can
work on a subsequent learning activity to reinforce the learning experience. A
way to differentiate learning activities for ELL students would be to allow the
students to create a drawing reflecting what they have learned instead of a
writing activity which may be more challenging. The idea is to make sure they
are understanding the content not to make them feel as though they don’t understand
because they may be unable to write about it. Allowing ELL students to direct a
way they can present what they have learned is a great way to assess their
knowledge of what we have taught them.
There
are many different types of special needs students which can range from a
student that is quite and wants to be alone to a child who is overly active and
seeks everyone’s attention. The strategy needed to engage these students may be
complex but ways to engage them and keep them focused can be made simple using
minor adjustments in your instruction. One method of differentiating the content
presentation would be to adjust where these students with special needs are
sitting during this time where it’s important for them to be listening and
engaged. A special needs student with ADHD may be better off closer to the
teacher where he or she can be monitored more closely for behavioral issues.
This closeness bring the students focus up close to them and other possible
distractions from other students out of the way. During the presentation it may
also help to call upon these students intermittently to check and assess their
understanding of the material as well as to make sure they know you are making
sure they are following along. For students with special needs adding visual
aids and aspects are also a great way to engage them into the learning process.
Some students may have difficulty seeing so making sure they sit closer and
possibly adding some audio effects to the presentation may be nice. During the
learning activity the students can be placed into smaller groups where students
with learning disabilities can gain the help and extra insight they may need
from their peers to better understand the content area. The activity can incorporate
different talents each student brings to their group. Having the students
create a poster which includes art work, titles, labels, and written work would
allow each student to contribute in his or her own way.
Advanced or Gifted Learners can add a challenging
dimension to the classroom. These learners are often right there with you and
sometimes thinking beyond the content. It’s important to harness this critical
thinking and allow these students to challenge themselves beyond the assignment.
To differentiate the presentation of the content for Gifted Learners I would
always make sure to use a higher level of vocabulary. Although not every
student will retain these vocabulary words some of the gifted students will
find this extra knowledge challenging and different. I would also inform the students
that if they would like to they could write down some key words to remember
throughout the content presentation. This will allow gifted learners to later
examine and investigate questions they may have later beyond the content area.
At the end of the presentation I would ask a few open-ended questions to foster
further critical thinking about how this information relates to the world
around us and what it means. For the learning activity I would ask that along
with drawing what was learned students may choose to write a summary about what
they have learned as well. When given this opportunity to write the gifted
students will have a more challenging way to present what they have learned. I
would of course want to check in with these students to make sure they are
following through with the written portion of the assignment.
Adapting to different learning styles is something I think
I will be amazing at because I am a great communicator. I have worked helping the
public for fifteen years and I spent eight years of my childhood in a different
country so being able to communicate effectively has been instilled in me. Finding
a way to reach each one of my students and assess that they are fully
understanding and actively learning from me is an amazing reward and I plan on
earning that from them every day in the classroom soon.
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