Differentiated Instruction through Technology
Differentiated instruction is important for any classroom. For those who are not familiar with the term, differentiated instruction is when a teacher uses all different types of teaching methods to reach the multiple types of learners throughout the classroom, such as visual, auditory, and tactile. Differentiated instruction is not, however, making several different lesson plans for each student or used only for students who are “different”, says Nancy Frey, but its goal is to create more awareness to the talents, needs, and interests of the students in the classroom (2015). There are many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom, however, this essay is going to focus solely on one; technology.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction
As technology becomes more and more prevalent in today’s classroom, it is a great asset in assisting with differentiated instruction. In my classroom, I plan on using at least three different pieces of technology as differentiated instructional tools. My first tool is a smart board. Smart boards are a fantastic tool to use for differentiated instruction because it works with all different types of learning styles. A smart board uses visual, auditory, and tactile learning all in one because it has the ability to use text, pictures, video, sounds, and music all while students are able to physically interact with the smart board (Beeland, n.d.). My second tool of choice are videos, whether they are an educational program, movie clips, or instructional videos I create for my students. By using videos for differentiated learning it aids to those students who are visual and auditory learners. Lastly, I would utilize computers with my students as well. Computers are able to assist in all different types of learners, especially tactile because using a computer allows students to be hands on and involved with their learning. By selecting all three of these pieces of technology to use in my classroom I have provided excellent tools to create differentiated instruction in my classroom.
Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction.
Differentiated instruction is not always viewed in a positive way. In fact, there are pros as well as cons, to this type of teaching. One article states that teachers expressed that there are several barriers and constraints that come with differentiated instruction, such as curricular demands, lack of resources, and shortage of time (Tobin & Tippett, 2014). With that being said, when these teachers put differentiated instruction to use they were all able to see that their students participated more and were engaged in their class activities (Tobin & Tippett, 2014). While the concerns of the teachers are valid, differentiated instruction was able to help the majority of the students, which is very much a positive factor.
Conclusion
I’m going to use an analogy; if everyone judged a fish’s intelligence on its ability to climb a tree, people would assume the fish wasn’t very smart. This wouldn’t be fair though, because fish cannot climb trees. The same can be said for people and how they learn. Not everyone is able to learn the same way and if teachers judge everyone by the same learning style they would not be able to see their true intelligence. This is why teachers use differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to provide several different types of learning opportunities to their students in order for all different students to learn and reach their full potential. With today’s technology, there are as many opportunities as ever to create differentiated instruction in the classroom, including the use of smartboard, videos, and computers. While there are pros and cons to any task, differentiated instruction is no exception, however, it is imperative to use in order for every student to successfully learn. So, the next time you’re teaching, remember three things: the fish, that everyone learns differently, and technology is a great way to use differentiated instruction.
References
Beeland, W. D., Jr. (n.d.). Student engagement, visual learning and technology: Can interactive whiteboards help? Retrieved from http://www.teachade.com/resources/support/5031af3a4521c.pdf
Frey, N. (2015). Differentiating Instruction in responsive middle and high school classrooms. Retrieved from http://education.ky.gov/educational/diff/Documents/Frey.pdf
Kirishian, W. [Whitney Kirishian]. (2015, April 30). Differentiated instruction lesson [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krl-8TkZWnE
Koschmeder, C. [Casey Koschmeder]. (2012, June 11). What is Differentiated Instruction? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAWKxpCv1Fw
Tobin, R. r., & Tippett, C. c. (2014). Possibilities and potential barriers: Learning to plan for differentiated instruction in elementary science. International journal of science & mathematics education, 12(2), 423-443.
Differentiated instruction is important for any classroom. For those who are not familiar with the term, differentiated instruction is when a teacher uses all different types of teaching methods to reach the multiple types of learners throughout the classroom, such as visual, auditory, and tactile. Differentiated instruction is not, however, making several different lesson plans for each student or used only for students who are “different”, says Nancy Frey, but its goal is to create more awareness to the talents, needs, and interests of the students in the classroom (2015). There are many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom, however, this essay is going to focus solely on one; technology.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction
As technology becomes more and more prevalent in today’s classroom, it is a great asset in assisting with differentiated instruction. In my classroom, I plan on using at least three different pieces of technology as differentiated instructional tools. My first tool is a smart board. Smart boards are a fantastic tool to use for differentiated instruction because it works with all different types of learning styles. A smart board uses visual, auditory, and tactile learning all in one because it has the ability to use text, pictures, video, sounds, and music all while students are able to physically interact with the smart board (Beeland, n.d.). My second tool of choice are videos, whether they are an educational program, movie clips, or instructional videos I create for my students. By using videos for differentiated learning it aids to those students who are visual and auditory learners. Lastly, I would utilize computers with my students as well. Computers are able to assist in all different types of learners, especially tactile because using a computer allows students to be hands on and involved with their learning. By selecting all three of these pieces of technology to use in my classroom I have provided excellent tools to create differentiated instruction in my classroom.
Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction.
Differentiated instruction is not always viewed in a positive way. In fact, there are pros as well as cons, to this type of teaching. One article states that teachers expressed that there are several barriers and constraints that come with differentiated instruction, such as curricular demands, lack of resources, and shortage of time (Tobin & Tippett, 2014). With that being said, when these teachers put differentiated instruction to use they were all able to see that their students participated more and were engaged in their class activities (Tobin & Tippett, 2014). While the concerns of the teachers are valid, differentiated instruction was able to help the majority of the students, which is very much a positive factor.
Conclusion
I’m going to use an analogy; if everyone judged a fish’s intelligence on its ability to climb a tree, people would assume the fish wasn’t very smart. This wouldn’t be fair though, because fish cannot climb trees. The same can be said for people and how they learn. Not everyone is able to learn the same way and if teachers judge everyone by the same learning style they would not be able to see their true intelligence. This is why teachers use differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to provide several different types of learning opportunities to their students in order for all different students to learn and reach their full potential. With today’s technology, there are as many opportunities as ever to create differentiated instruction in the classroom, including the use of smartboard, videos, and computers. While there are pros and cons to any task, differentiated instruction is no exception, however, it is imperative to use in order for every student to successfully learn. So, the next time you’re teaching, remember three things: the fish, that everyone learns differently, and technology is a great way to use differentiated instruction.
References
Beeland, W. D., Jr. (n.d.). Student engagement, visual learning and technology: Can interactive whiteboards help? Retrieved from http://www.teachade.com/resources/support/5031af3a4521c.pdf
Frey, N. (2015). Differentiating Instruction in responsive middle and high school classrooms. Retrieved from http://education.ky.gov/educational/diff/Documents/Frey.pdf
Kirishian, W. [Whitney Kirishian]. (2015, April 30). Differentiated instruction lesson [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krl-8TkZWnE
Koschmeder, C. [Casey Koschmeder]. (2012, June 11). What is Differentiated Instruction? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAWKxpCv1Fw
Tobin, R. r., & Tippett, C. c. (2014). Possibilities and potential barriers: Learning to plan for differentiated instruction in elementary science. International journal of science & mathematics education, 12(2), 423-443.