Introduction
Welcome to the Differentiated Instruction Webquest developed by Dr. Shirley Disseler.
Differentiated Instruction is not a buzz word it is a philosophy of teaching that allows you as the teacher to meet the needs of all your students. The tasks here are designed to provide you with a look inside differentiated instruction and a way to share your knowledge with others.
Students learn in different ways. However, with the current standards movement and testing, pressures are moving teachers towards greater use of direct instruction even though classes are becoming more diverse. The teacher’s biggest challenge is to provide effective instruction to a broad spectrum of students with different needs, backgrounds, and learning styles. To meet this challenge, differentiated instruction is an important tool that can assist teachers in engaging all students.
As a 6-12 licensure student, you have or are gaining a depth of knowledge in one or more discipline areas which you plan to teach. You realize that your teaching must be guided by the Common Core or Essential Standards, but you also should realize that your own sense of what is important will influence what you teach. So it is necessary that you become very familiar with the standards in your content areas and also reflect on how the goals and objectives listed there relate to what you consider to be essential for all students to learn in your discipline.
In addition to this sense of purpose, it is necessary that you realize the diversity of the students you will be teaching in the public schools, and that you are able to plan and teach effectively addressing the needs of all your students. This is a big task. It is hard enough to learn your content and to plan to present it in an organized way. But what you are expected to do is to teach it in a way that is student-centered, that takes students’ learning needs and preferences into account. So you are not just teaching content, you are teaching students.
Goals and Objectives of this WebQuest Project:
Students will be able to answer the following questions:
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What is differentiated instruction, and how does this approach motivate and help students achieve academically?
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What are teaching approaches and strategies for differentiated instruction?
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What are effective assessment strategies to ensure student learning?
For an overview see this link:
Task
You are on the research team to present Professional Develpment to your colleagues on the benefits of Differentiation.
You will be assigned to a team of 3 to 4 people and the group will research and present one aspect of differentiation.
You should be usre to meet our learning styles: visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic in your presentation.
You will have 15 minutes to tech us all about your topic.
TASK:
Form groups of 3-4 in which each person will work together to teach about one aspect of differentiation: Environment, Content, Process, Product, Assessment. Use the suggested web sites and also identify additional resources on the topic of differentiation and the implementation of DI in lesson planning and teaching. Research your particular aspect of differentiation looking for specific examples of implementation—so that you can teach your group about this aspect of differentiation.
2. Outline a plan to teach the other members of your group. Your plan should include: 1. Objectives and 2. Teacher Input, with some Guided Practice or Examples that you want to share with your group.
In terms of your topic you may want to consider the following overall questions:
Question 1: What is Differentiated Instruction?
Question 2: What are the Components of Differentiated Instruction?
Question 3: What Instructional Strategies incorporate Differentiated Instruction?
Question 4: What are some examples of Differentiated Instruction being used in Classrooms?
Question 5: Why Differentiate?
Process
As you begin each group will research and present about one facet of differentiation.
Group 1: Environment
Group 2: Content
Group 3: Process
Group 4: Product
Group 5: Assessment
Group 1 will use the resources below to examine Environment and answer the questions. Develop a way to teach to us!
1) Why differentiate the Environment?
2) What does it mean to differentiate the environment?
3) What strategies can we use to differentiate the environment?
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction
http://www.etc.edu.cn/eet/eet/articles/differentlearningenv/
Group 2 will use the resources below to examine Content Differentiation and answer the questions. Develop a way to teach to us!
1) Why differentiate the Content ?
2) What does it mean to differentiate the Content?
3) What strategies can we use to differentiate the Content?
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Content
http://learn.eastonsd.org/mod/page/view.php?id=8572
Group 3 will use the resources below to examine Process Differentiation and answer the questions. Develop a way to teach to us!
1) Why differentiate the Process?
2) What does it mean to differentiate the Process?
3) What strategies can we use to differentiate the Process?
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Process
http://learn.eastonsd.org/mod/page/view.php?id=8574
http://www.marylandlearninglinks.org/2015
Group 4 will use the resources below to examine Product Differentiation and answer the questions. Develop a way to teach to us!
1) Why differentiate the Product?
2) What does it mean to differentiate the Product?
3) What strategies can we use to differentiate the Product?
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Product
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FWV2IkjgU
Group 5 will use the resources below to examine Assessment Differentiation and answer the questions. Develop a way to teach to us!
1) Why differentiate the Assessment?
2) What does it mean to differentiate the Assessment?
3) What strategies can we use to differentiate the Assessment?
http://differentiatedstrategies.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Strategies+for+Assessment
Evaluation
A each group presents thier topic please indicate the degree to which they were successful.
Do this by asking questions, taking notes, and paying attention.
Conclusion
If you feel that you need more information on Differentiation you can visit Edmodo and view the powerpoints posted on your course site.
Credits
The following sites are used in this webquest for research purposes.
Thanks to those who developed this material.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction
http://www.etc.edu.cn/eet/eet/articles/differentlearningenv/
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Content
http://learn.eastonsd.org/mod/page/view.php?id=8572
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Process
http://learn.eastonsd.org/mod/page/view.php?id=8574
http://www.marylandlearninglinks.org/2015
http://differentiation.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net/Differentiating+Product
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FWV2IkjgU
http://differentiatedstrategies.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Strategies+for+Assessment