Teachers have been differentiating instruction for over a hundred years in classrooms across the United States. However, the phrase 'differentiating instruction' has only become popular in the past decade or so, particularly through the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson. Also in the past ten years, the integration of instructional technology into classrooms has become an important part of educating our students for the future.
In my opinion, the combination of the two presents some amazing possibilities for our children as they are able to work at their instructional level on topics and using strategies that are engaging and authentic. I hope to see this fusion occur at a greater rate in the coming decade with an increase in the degree of professional development and support that is necessary for this to occur.
How are schools and districts in other areas of the country working to combine these two educational approaches?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think the combination of DI (differentited instruction) and instructional technology is very powerful. My school district has DI training for all new teachers that explains ways to improve classroom instruction. We also have technology teacher trainers that work with teachers on the infusion of technology into their curriculum. However, we need to find a way to bridge DI and technology together. This should not be hard and I try to use DI strategies when working with teachers on technology. I have used think-pair-share and writing ideas around the room for a brainstorming activity. I try to offer unique and creative ways when teaching a technology conecpt to gain the attention of the teacher and to keep teachers excited about using technology.
Andy
Differentiated Instruction is one of the many euphemisms for teacher accountability in education today. When searching for excuses as to why students are unsuccessful, and when being unwilling to place responsibility on the student or their family, the teacher then becomes the culprit for not varying their method of instruction. It is no longer the student's responsibility to figure out ways of learning - it is now the teacher's responsibility to figure out ways of teaching. This is an okay thought until you consider one simple question - which is learning how to think and problem-solve, and which should be?
Good teaching is good teaching and good teacher employ many, many strategies to engage all learners and nudge them skillfully from point A to point B. Good teachers also realize that point A is not the same for the individual students. Differentiated
Instruction is simply a framework for thinking about good teaching for all students. Within this framework, what a student brings to the table is typically chunked in to three categories - readiness, interest and learning profile.
In my opinion, computers allow for visual, auditory, and social learning. The interplay and possibilities of learning through words, images, and sounds, as well as the availability of review, make computers extremely effective as learning tools.
Differentiated instruction tends to be projects-based, favoring authentic, constructivist activities over traditional testing (although traditional testing is still, more than ever, an important component).
Post a Comment