Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered, student-driven, and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways. PBL can allow for effective differentiation in assessment as well as daily management and instruction. PBL experts will tell you this, but I often hear teachers ask for real examples, specifics to help them contextualize what it "looks like" in the classroom. 1. We all know that heterogeneous grouping works, but sometimes homogenous grouping can be an effective way to differentiate in a project. 2. Reflection is an essential component of PBL. 3. This is probably one of my favorites. 4. Another essential component of PBL is student voice and choice, both in terms of what students produce and how they use their time. 5. Formative assessments can look the same for all students. 6. Teamwork and collaboration occur regularly in a PBL project.
Discovering Instructional Design 11: The Kemp Model
The Morrison, Ross and Kemp Model, more commonly known as the Kemp Model defines different elements – not “step, stage, level, or sequential item” (Morrison, Ross & Kemp 2004, p.10) of an instructional design, and emphasizes the adoption of continuous implementation and evaluation through the instructional design process. According to Morrison et al, there are nine key elements to instructional design: Identify instructional problems, and specify goals for designing an instructional program. Examine learner characteristics that should receive attention during planning. Identify subject content, and analyze task components related to stated goals and purposes. State instructional objectives for the learner. These elements are independent of each other, in that they do not need to be considered in a linear fashion and there is no particular start- and end point. Figure 1. The model is systemic and nonlinear; it encourages designers to work in all areas of ID as appropriate. Figure 1.
UDL: The Three Principles
Three primary principles, which are based on neuroscience research, guide UDL and provide the underlying framework for the Guidelines: Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation (the “what” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. For example, those with sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or deafness); learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia); language or cultural differences, and so forth may all require different ways of approaching content. Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression (the “how” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they can navigate a learning environment and express what they know. Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (the “why” of learning) Affect represents a crucial element to learning, and learners differ markedly in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn. Learn more about UDL Guidelines 2.0:
8 Tips to Power-Up Your Classroom Presentations
Last month, I attended a Back to School Night for parents, sitting through presentation after presentation by teachers, some with slides that helped make their presentation a delight to listen to, and others . . . well, that's why I'm writing this blog post. The goal of a classroom presentation is to aid you in effectively conveying information in a way that allows students (or their parents) to remember what you said. Unfortunately, for some, the presentation becomes a crutch, and they begin to rely on the slides to tell their story, rather than to help them tell the story. I've been creating presentations using software like PowerPoint and KeyNote for 20 years, and I've learned a lot about how to most effectively communicate. Here's what I've found. 1. It's a common myth that better presentations use fewer slides. The number of slides in your presentation is irrelevant. In the movie Amadeus, the Emperor of Austria complains to Mozart that his music has "too many notes." Figure 1. 2. 3.
EDU 673-Week 4 Discussion 1: UDL & Differentiation
My strategies to engage and motivate my students
What Is Your Learning Style?
What Is Your Learning Style? This quiz asks 24 questions and will take less than five minutes to complete. Try not to think too hard -- just go with your first thought when describing your daily activities and interests. By the end, you may have some new insights into your learning preferences. Editor's Note (2013): There is no scientific evidence, as of yet, that shows that people have specific, fixed learning styles or discrete intelligences, nor that students benefit when teachers target instruction to a specific learning style or intelligence. However, providing students with multiple ways to learn content has been shown to improve student learning (Hattie, 2011).
How I envision blending UDL & Differentiation within my future classroom
