Beyond Integration

image of cogs turning inside a circle representing a man's brain.   "Things are simple. Situations are clear. Hurdles are easy. It's our mind which makes it complex and complicated." - Anonymous . From advertisements to social media algorithms, the study of thinking plays an important role in our 21st century society. Research around thinking and how students process their thoughts or how they hold attention, store and retrieve memories, then select appropriate responses and actions (University of Cambridge, 2023). When considering how we can differentiate or vary the information processing part of learning, four thought perspectives emerge. The Differential Perspective . Even though children may possess intelligence and the ability to think, they don't always think the same way or in the same "logic". This "difference" in how they think and their logic of thinking forms the basis for this view. Based on the responses to a number of tasks and t...

 *This is a blog in the series on differentiation in the classroom. See below for the other blogs in the series.      Differentiating Content     Differentiating content centers around what we teach and how students interact with what we teach to learn. Based on a common research term called   triangulation of data , teachers can offer quality content to help students master the standards. It means not just looking at test scores, but also looking at academic strengths, readiness data, and student interests to offer different students in the same class the same opportunity to master the same standard through different content or different forms of content.  What Can This Look Like? There are a number of ways content can be differed. A teacher may offer reading stories from multiple backgrounds that emphasize the same learning standard material. A teacher may offer the content at varying levels of rigor, a second teacher may offer visual stimuli ...

 *This is a blog in the series on differentiation in the classroom. See below for the other blogs in the series.      In a recent post, Student Engagement Is a Thing, Isn't It? , engaging students was examined and a number of research-driven methodologies were described. One growing path of research in the early 2000s focused on the idea of reaching students equitably through differentiation within instruction.  What is Differentiated Instruction (DI)?      Differentiated instruction is a framework, not an instructional strategy, where different aspects of the curriculum are adjusted to help the student learn the content and show achievement. Differentiation speaks to the idea of equity for the learner. This framework is often connected to the tenets of universal design for learning (UDL). The UDL framework holds that content should be presented in multiple ways, processed in multiple ways, and presented in multiple ways. Differentiated instructio...

As an educator, you know how important it is to keep your students engaged and motivated in their learning. One way to do this is by incorporating interactive and multimedia resources into your lessons. Discovery Education Studio is a fantastic resource for educators looking to bring more excitement and variety to their classrooms. Studio offers 3 different types of activities to build. However, you can also search for ready-made activities that are available for educators. One way that Discovery Education Studio increases student engagement is by providing a wide range of multimedia resources that can make learning more interactive and engaging. For example, instead of simply reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, students can watch educational videos, interact with simulations and games, or explore images and other visual aids. These resources can help to hold students' attention and make learning more interesting and enjoyable. Another way that Discovery Education Studio ...

 Putting the Google Slides you already have into VoiceThread to increase student engagement! Last month Brian Heyward shared great information and research about the benefits of using VoiceThread in your classroom. But wait… you don’t have to start from scratch! you can import the great Google Slide decks you have already created? It’s as easy as…

Are  you struggling with getting students to complete classwork or homework? Maybe you are struggling with grading the same assignment 25+ times. Have you considered providing your students a choice in how they engage with the content and demonstrate their understanding? A simple way to provide students with an opportunity to make a choice in their own learning is with a choice board. What are Choice Boards? In a nutshell, it is a board comprised of squares that allow students some choice in their learning. Each square lists an activity students can complete, whether it is a concept or skill. This differentiated approach allows students to learn content or demonstrate their understanding in a way that interests them. Choice boards can be used in any subject and offer a variety of learning contexts for all learners. What are the benefits of using Choice Boards? Choice boards allow students to make their own choices, increasing intrinsic motivation. I am sure you are more motivated ...

  If you haven’t been to Discovery Education in a while, it’s time to go in and get check it out again. They have really revamped their website adding different types of media, and readymade created activities to engage your students in their own learning, to virtual field trips. I can go on and on about the new updates. We will get into those resources in later posts, I want to focus on the video quiz feature Discovery Education now has. If you are familiar with using EdPuzzle, there will not be a big transition for you, as the process of creating and assigning a video quiz is similar. I think the biggest benefit of using Discovery Education, over EdPuzzle, is the fact it is free and you have unlimited storage space. EdPuzzle’s free basic plan allows you to store up to 20 videos before you have to pay for more storage. For our friends in our district, you would access Discovery Education through Classlink.  Once you’re in Discovery Education, you will click on the Quiz tile ...

Technology is one of the best tools for allowing teachers to successful differentiate.  It can streamline the process in distributing different work to different students and using artificial intelligence, technology platforms can even create personalized learning pathways to supplement the classroom instruction kids receive. Khan Academy knows this and that’s why they offer amazing, free resources to support anytime, anywhere access to high-quality learning materials.  Teachers have been using Khan Academy to provide extra support to students, a different perspective to teaching a topic through utilizing their instructional videos, and the practice problems for years.  Khan Academy also offers two options, one for younger and one for older students, that allow highly personalized pathways for learning through the use of MAP and SAT/ACT scores. Khan Academy Mappers https://www.khanacademy.org/mappers This learning pathway generates personalized video and ...

This is the last post in our 3 post series on using technology for differentiation.  See the previous two posts here: Differentiating with Technology: Content Differentiating with Technology: Process The last category that is typically explored with technology is differentiating the product .  This is the method that teachers use to be able to determine “did the students get it? ”  Wiggins and McTighe (2005) remind us that it is not that students can acquire knowledge alone - the true measure of learning is about what students can do with their knowledge.  This is where product and differentiation really shine. Differentiation can easily be done by allowing students to choose a method to demonstrate their knowledge.  This differentiation based on student interest is made effective and efficient with the use of technology.  Does it matter to the teacher if the student chooses to use Google Slides or a WeVideo?  Can the same understanding be ...

In December we blogged about the possibilities that technology offers to the practice of differentiation.  Differentiation is typically broken down into 3 realms: content, process, and product.  Content was covered in this post from December 14th.  The information shared here will develop the ideas regarding using technology to allow for opportunities for differentiating the process . When we think about the instructional process, we are really focusing in on student readiness level, learning preferences, and aptitudes along with the activities used to engage the students and allow for mastery of the content.    Technology allows for teachers to support different student readiness quite easily.  Resources can be provided privately and seamlessly to students via a learning management system or even via email that adjusts the path of learning for student readiness.   Differentiating Video Learning Many videos have transcripts available. ...

An incredible feature of teaching in a 1:1 classroom is the wealth of content and capability available at both teachers and students fingertips in the classroom.  Having access to so many resources and assessments beyond what is available in typical textbooks makes differentiating for students more straightforward than ever before. What is differentiation? Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching in which educators actively plan for students' differences so that all students can best learn. In a differentiated classroom, teachers divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively teach students who have various backgrounds, readiness and skill levels, and interests ( ASCD ). Teachers typically think of differentiation in three different portions of their instruction: content, process, and product.  This blog post will begin a 3-article series regarding integrating technology as a resource to supporting differentiation.   Why and how to dif...