What is Differentiated Instruction?
Everyone does not learn the same. People generally have a dominant learning style and a secondary learning style usually. As teachers we tend to teach in our preferred learning style. This makes sense because you process information based on your learning style. However, when you have a classroom full of students, if you just use one approach, it will pose a challenge for some of your students. Therefore as instructors, we have to extend our thinking to include all of the learning styles in our lesson planning. VATK learning is a student centered approach I keep when lesson planning or supplementing a classroom teacher's lesson plans.
What is VATK?
Visual, Audio, Tactile and Kinesthetic (VATK). In lesson planning, during the course of the introduction, engagement or closing activities, these sensory modalities should be considered. For example, in a PointPoint Presentation, you view the images (visual), read the text (visual/audio). If you want to include Kinesthetic and Tactile learners, you can include movement (have student act out the words or associate movement with the words), and tactile imagery (soft, hard, smell, taste).
What is Cooperative Learning?
Cooperative learning gives students an opportunity to learn and be social at the same time. It is a win win! It is advisable to have a participation or group work rubric, so that the students are aware of the behavioral expectations. I have had students score each other using the rubric. I have found that students are fairly accurate in their assessment of each other. It also intensifies the focus. Once the rules of engagement are in place, and explicit instructions are given, I circle the room and check students' progress.
Link to participation rubric:
https://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/cvpa/THEATREDANCE/library/pdfs/Assessment_Databank/theatre/THRA121ParticipationRubric.pdf
Link to TPT Page:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ms-Powerpoint-Queen
No comments:
Post a Comment