Differentiating Instruction WebQuest
Introduction:
It is the first day of school and you are staring at your
classroom of students. Your students are a mix of colors, ethnic and religious
backgrounds, genders and experiences. How will they all find their voice in
your classroom? What will you do to help them achieve the greatest possible
understanding of your material? How will you instill in them the joy of
learning and give them the confidence to engage in student-centered,
self-directed learning?
Task:
When you have completed this WebQuest, you will have a better understanding of how to identify and enhance each student’s strengths, while diagnosing and
working through their weaknesses. You will have started your virtual toolbox
of Differentiated Instruction and assessment tools to use and add to throughout
your educational career.
Process:
2. Recognize, all of your students have particular strengths and weakness or as Howard Gardner called Multiple Intelligences. Students are proficient in different areas and excel under differing circumstances. Read a brief synopsis as to the reason assessing MI is important at Concept's to Classrooms. To help you figure out how best to tap into your students varying degrees of competence and prowess, conduct a Multiple Intelligences test with your students.
3. Now, take a moment and decide what topic or concept you will differentiate. It is important to formulate what Wiggins and McTighe (1998) call the "essential question" around which your lesson will be built. Now go to your template and fill in "Unit Title, Lesson Title", "Overview", "Understanding", and "Know". You can fill in "Time Required" as well, but keep in mind this might need to be adjusted as you become better acquainted with the process.
4. The formal concept of differentiating instruction, which acknowledges the diversity of student needs and strengths, was first proposed by Carol Ann Tomlinson. Watch this brief video in which Tomlinson discusses the fundamental need for differentiated instruction.
5. Now that you know how your students learn, you must establish what they know. View this website for possible pre-assessment strategies, and then create a pre-assessment tool to gauge breadth and depth of prior knowledge and understanding. Now fill in "Pre-Assessment".
6. It is time for the most difficult sections of the lesson plan, the "What?" and "How?" You shall determine if you will differentiate your lesson based on content, process, or product. Here are some suggestions of each to help guide you. Once your decision has been made please fill in the "What will I differentiate?" section of your template. Then, you must decide how you will present the information based on student readiness, interest, learning style, or any combination of the three. Let this website help you with this dilemma. Now you can complete, "How will I differentiate?"
7. The hard part is over. You have created an essential question and determined the what and how of your DI. After these two questions have been answer you should have a firm grasp of specific "Skills" you would like your students to exhibit throughout, and as a result of, the lesson. Fill these in on your template.
8. Next, you can evaluate whether this lesson should be done in various groupings. Visit DifferentiationCentral again to decide which type of flexible grouping you will employ, then fill in the "Instructional Groupings" on your template.
9. Now for the fun part, building your lesson. But first, here is a brief video of how one teacher accounted for her students multiple intelligences when creating her lesson and the various DI strategies and assessments she used as a result. Now use all of this important and relevant information to differentiate your lesson and create a wonderfully enriching classroom experience for your students. Complete the "Materials", "Steps in the Lesson" and "Closure Activity/Wrap up" on your template.
10. Do not forget your post assessment! It should echo your pre-assessment and provide you valuable information, as to your students concept attainment. Did they achieve the skills set out in your lesson plan? What worked/ What didn't?
How might you improve it next time? Fill in the "Post-Assessment" section of your template.
Evaluation:
The efficacy of your completed DI lesson plan.
Conclusion:
It is always easier to begin something new in small steps. Completing this Differentiated Instruction WebQuest accomplishes two goals:
1. You have been introduced to one of the best teaching theories of the 20th century.
2. Print out your DI lesson template and you have a convenient starting point for implementing these sound DI and assessment strategies in your classroom.
