Differentiation

Distinguish between accommodations and differentiation

·         Accommodations are part of the IEP (individual education plan) that is developed by the principal, teacher, parents, and student.  IEP is a legally binding document

o   Translator

o   Wheelchair

o   Oral tests

o   Structure (autism)

·         Differentiation – is up to teacher

Identify four categories of student variation

·         Readiness

o   Previous knowledge

o   Ability

o   In the correct zone of proximate development

o   Language ability

o   How ready is the student to learn the material that day?

·         Learning Style examples

o   Auditory

o   Kinesthetic

o   Visual

o   Language

o   Encompasses black and white thinking (right or wrong)

o   Are they creative thinkers, logical, think outside the box, etc.?

·         Interest

o   What do they like?

§  Personal interest

§  What do they want to be when they grow up?

§  Know this so that you can personally apply what you are teaching to the student.

§  How are you going to make the information relevant to their personal life and when they grow up?

o   Your subject

§  What interests do they have outside of class that relate to your subject?

·         Affect

o   Emotional state

§  What is going on in the student’s life outside of class?

§  How safe do they feel in your classroom?

Identify four classroom elements you can modify in response to student variation

·         Content

o   What you teach

·         Process

o   How you teach (strategies you use to teach the material)

o   How students process the material

·         Product

o   The assessment (how they will show you what you learn)

·         Learning Environment

o   Tone of the classroom

§  Do students have to raise their hand or shout out answers, how are desks arranged, what pictures on the wall you have, what procedures do you have, will you have late work, availability after class, etc.

o   Physical environment