Reflection for EDUC 6714

            Through my courses at Walden University, I have learned many ways to use technology in a classroom to promote higher level thinking.  This specific class revealed another great way to use technology in my everyday instruction - differentiating my instruction.  Differentiated instruction has taught me how to be “flexible in [my] approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum” (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003, p. 2).  Looking back on all of my growth, I think my biggest area of development is in differentiating instruction by readiness, interest, and learning profile. 

            With every lesson that I present, I have started to consider what adjustments I can make to reach learners with different needs.  I have always looked at their needs as strictly learning needs, such as how ready they are for the lesson.  This course has taught me to look at their interests and learning profiles more often.  Tomlinson (1999) stated that “[i]nstead of first focusing on what to do in the classroom, it’s wisest to focus on how to think about teaching and learning” (p. 96).  Through this course, my thinking has been transformed and I now try to integrate all of my students’ needs into the classroom. 

            One change that I will implement immediately is to give my students a learning profile quiz on-line that provides more information about how my students learn.  I will share this information with my students so they also know how they best learn.  It is important to teach using multiple strategies because “[e]ach person possesses all nine intelligences in varying degrees” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 68).  I want all of the curriculum to be available with all nine intelligences so the students have an opportunity to learn using their strongest intelligence.  From this information, I am going to use different audio devises, such as Audacity, to reach my auditory learners.  I will use my smartboard for different manipulatives found on-line or through computer programs such as Geometer’s Sketchpad.  I will then utilize the laptops, allowing my students to physically manipulate information and demonstrate their learning through computer based projects. 

            The next change I am going to make in my classroom will involve giving my students an interest survey using surveymonkey.com.  This information will help me provide “interest-based activities [to] help motivate children to learn” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 17).  Within my lessons, I will use the survey information to integrate my students’ interests in some way.  This could be done when I present material or by giving options of how to learn the material. 

            The final way that I am going to integrate technology is by becoming more aware of activities that some students may need before jumping into new material.  This means I will need to tune “into [my] students’ varying degrees of ability in order to create activities that match their skills and levels of understanding” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 50).  There are also some students that do not require much instruction on the new material; they will do better with little instruction and an activity that will involve higher thinking. 

Resources

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstructudl.html 

Tomlinson, C. (1999). Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. 

Smith, G., & Throne, S. (2007). Differentiating instruction with technology in K-5 classrooms.       Belmont, CA: International Society for Technology in Education.