Saturday, October 30, 2010

Final reflection EDUC 6714

As this course draws to a close, I have reflected on what has been learned and how it will affect my ability to differentiate instruction for the diverse learners in the classroom. I have explored strategies for getting to know students through student inventories, multiple intelligence surveys and learning profile surveys. A plan has been developed a plan to customize instruction and assessment to engage all of the students. My goal for students is to have them become lifelong learners who are excited about coming into a classroom environment that meets their diverse learning needs. While integrating technology into the learning environment, instruction will be differentiated by the students’ interest, readiness and learning profile in order to help them reach curricular goals.

As more UDL/DI concepts are incorporated into the classroom, resources that were developed in the Differentiation Station social network will allow me to reach all the students. Sharing professional resources with colleagues allows the use of valuable research that will assist in incorporating strategies that support differentiated instruction in the classroom. The Differentiation Station network will allow the collection of resources, information and strategies that can be used with diverse learners. The quote by Dr. James Curry relates how DI and UDL should be incorporated into the curriculum.

“If you were to fold your hands together naturally, you would have a comfortable, close fit. The goals of curriculum differentiation are to find the closest, most comfortable fit between the learner and the curriculum ...varying the process or content or product to match the needs of the learner can help us reach that close fit”.

The immediate adjustments that will be made to my instructional practice will be the use of technology integration to customize instruction in the special education classroom through differentiating instruction by interest, learning profiles and readiness. In the classroom, there is a considerable range of diversity. It is my goal to give students the flexibility to peruse their interests using a choice of content and tools such as R.A.F.T., I-Searches and Web Quests. Instructional strategies that focus on student interest are innovative ways that will engage learners. Then, assessments and observations are tools that will be incorporated to determine student’s readiness levels. Activities will be created to match their skills and level of understanding. Finally, a strategy that will be used to manage and attend to the student’s learning profiles is Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory. Instruction will be modified according to various learning profile factors. Technology can be used to created activities based on multiple intelligences. The activities that the students will be engaged in will enable them to connect with real world situations and to collaborate with others.

In conclusion, I will use technology to customize instruction for my diverse special education students. An environment will be designed that is flexible and allows students to learn concepts through their own learning preferences and interests. The goal for the students in my classroom is to enable them to become lifelong learners who are excited to come into a classroom environment that meets their diverse needs.


References
Curry, J. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.wilmette39.org/DI39/quotes.html

Saturday, October 2, 2010