Discussion Board 1

 

Standards v. Individual Needs

The thought of covering all state standards each year along with differentiating content, process, and product for students’ unique individual needs is a large task. While students need the foundational skills that they learn in school, they also need adults who know and care about them as people and learners.

The greatest tool that we have at our disposal is each other. I have learned so much from mentor teachers and brilliant teachers on the internet. My student teaching mentor always reminded me that half the job of being innovative and exciting is copying from teachers that have had success with new or different methods than your own. There is so much room for differentiation when teachers share ideas and experiences with one another. As Roblyer & Hughes (2019) highlight under the Social conditions and implications for educators section, it is important that teachers “create ‘live’ technology plans to share accomplishments and needs within their community” (p. 19).

In order to keep organized and on track throughout the year I use google drive and calendar to keep track of my scope and sequence. It has been helpful for me to be able to go back and look at previous years to evaluate the pace and progress I am making with my students. I agree with Marcinek (2014) that it is one of the best tools and can be leveraged in many ways.

In addition, I implement a strategy called an anchor activity. This is aimed at differentiating content, process, and product for students at their own pace. Each student has their own labeled folder that contains activities directed towards their level of ability, and the types of activities they enjoy. Technology is easily integrated into this activity, involving app time, gathering research, creating presentations, etc. I enjoy this strategy because students are all working on different activities at different points in time that are geared towards them specifically. The activities in their folders hit the state standards and encourage creativity. But most of all, they provide me with opportunity to conference with students one on one. I encourage you all to give it a try!

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: transforming learning across disciplines (8th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Marcinek, A. (2014, March 11). Technology and Teaching: Finding a Balance. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/technology-and-teaching-finding-balance-andrew-marcinek.