Content Differentiation

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This video helped me understand the importance of differentiating instruction for all students in a content-area classroom. Not every student learns at the same rate, so it is important to differentiate the way that I introduce content and ask them questions about the introduced content. In the video, Ms. Maronpot used different differentiation strategies to reach all of her students. She was also given many new ideas from Dr. Royce that she was able to utilize in her classroom. I enjoyed seeing Ms. Maronpot using traditional, hands-on, and visual activities that each student could connect to depending on how they best learn. Also, I liked the idea that Dr. Royce brought up about trying to challenge students to apply what they already know opposed to simply asking students questions based on common knowledge. Application questions allow students to think more deeply about certain concepts that were introduced to them. For example, trying to get students to give examples of certain situations, such as evaporation, can help them further apply what they have learned. An additional thing that I liked that Ms. Maronpot did was let students interact and discuss the content being taught in groups through interactive activities. I believe that a way that you could enhance group work would be to make groups based on different achievement levels. For example, let students who can apply the material work with students that might be struggling to apply what they know. Overall, this video helped me understand that as a teacher, I need to focus on differentiating methods of instruction that will be connect to students of all skill levels.

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Comments

  1. Caroline FreemyerOctober 16, 2018 at 5:15 AM

    Hi Luke, I loved the gif you put, that caught my attention because I just finished watching that show. I also caught onto the point Dr. Royce about asking application questions. I loved how she said asking “can you give me example of that” and how that can really draw on if a student can apply it to different areas of life. I also think this will really help students remember the concept if they have tied it to a real example in their life. 85

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