“Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune.”
I am much more in the swing of things since my last post! I am getting a routine down, and becoming more comfortable with my schedule. I am definitely enjoying learning about differentiated instruction and gifted education! It is so important that teachers implement differentiated instruction into their teaching in order to assure that all students’ individual needs are being met. As a teacher, you can use many instructional strategies and methods in order to provide differentiation for your students.
In my EDDI 505 (Differentiation) class, we lately have been working with and learning about many simple strategies that can be used to enhance students learning in the classroom. We are going to be covering about 20 strategies by the end of the semester which will definitely give me a lot of options to use while I am teaching in the classroom.
Some of my favorite strategies so far have been “Choice Options”, “Pyramid Activity”, and “Dialectical Journal/Notes”. It is great for teachers to be able to use the Choice Options strategy in class because it gives students choices about which way they want to complete their work. It supports the fact that students learn in many ways and they should be able to have a “voice” in their own learning.
It is also wonderful to use the Pyramid Activity in class because it is used in the form of a game which greatly encourages students to participate and learn! Students play the game in pairs and guess what the words are on the pyramid based on their partner giving them clues. It is a great way for students to review content in a fun way!
Another great teaching strategy is the Dialectical Journal/Notes because it provides a way for students to reflect on their own thinking in order to comprehend and learn more. Students read a “chunked” reading, and write down facts, and important statements on one side of an organizer, and then write reflections and connections about those things on the other side of the organizer. This is a great way to make sure students really understand what they’re reading!
These are just a few of the many great strategies that can be used to enhance learning and differentiate for students!