Diverse learners require diverse instruction. What has been revealed to me through this course is the ways in which technology can be used to customize instruction and the resources available to do so. I see technology in a math classroom being essential to differentiation. With technology, students can examine examples or different representational forms. Technology makes authentic learning more accessible to students, which then can play to students’ interests and motivation.
I have reviewed the resources in the differentiation station social network contributed by my colleagues. I am certainly going to use these throughout my lessons next year. It would be great to keep this Ning going to report back on how the resources are working. I plan to use centers, cubing, jigsaw, and think DOTS for differentiating instruction. There are wonderful resources to help create activities for these differentiation strategies. It resembles Max Thompson’s Learning Focused School model, which my school district subscribes to, so I have many wonderful tools in my differentiation tool box already.
I am fortunate in that I am in a classroom filled with technology. My goal is to use the SmartBoard more for differentiation and engagement than I have in the past. Pairing the SmartBoard with the Qwizdom voting devices, I can differentiate assessments as well as instruction. I would like to differentiate homework for students as well, so that they are practicing on what they need and not on what they already know. I am energized by what I have accomplished in this course and look forward to using my more effective teaching mindset, to engage every student next year.
