Week 3 Reflection

This week we talked about differentiation. I played in Minecraft this week and it was “survival mode.” The team that I was on was trying to get gold, coal, cooked food…etc We did pretty well. I do not like survival mode. I had a spider that stalked me into a house. My teammate Scott, was stalked into the house as well. Which made it so we couldn’t build. Survival mode is frustrating and I wish we could have creative mode where supplies is always available.

            This is a different way of differentiating the game and it does work for students to problem solve, work with partners or groups. It is also a way for students to learn how to work on a team. I think our class as a whole is starting to get minecraft a lot more.

            This week we talked about our steps we do for differentiating. From reading the required texts this week and my peers blogs, I found that we all assess our students. Some of us observe data in the beginning and pin point certain areas to work on, others assess students throughout and at the end.  One of the ways I enjoyed reading about this week was the students reflecting on their own work and lesson. Teachers always reflect on their lesson and what they could change and keep the same. I think it’s important for students to reflect on their own work and understand why they are learning it. I also read about leveled reading groups. In my reading class every day we break into leveled reading groups. It’s important students have classmates that read at their level in a group. It helps with comprehension and fluency. It gives student challenges and helps them be successful. I plan on using Tyler’s idea of grouping them with three different levels. Challenging the students, stretching their ability, working on comprehension and fluency.

Week 3 Essential Question

How do you make decisions about your own actions for students in a differentiated classroom? What is your criteria for intervention, and/or for letting learning happen?

When I am teaching a lesson, or planning my procedure and the process I’m going to take, I think about the students I will be teaching. What are their learning styles? Do they usually need support in this subject or area? While I’m teaching, I focus on “reading my students” (Tomlinson). It’s important to have informal assessments during the lesson to help understand when to differentiate. Students are “assessed on an on-going basis so that teaching, and indeed the other methods of differentiation, can be continuously adjusted according to the learners’ needs” (BBC).

A differentiated math lesson in my classroom starts as whole group. We brainstorm together, talk to our partners and problem solve on how we’re going to solve the problem. I break down the problem and model how to find the solution. Then we move onto a group setting. Students are given a problem and work with a group to solve it. We go around the room and discuss different ways to find the problem. This allows students to “undertake the same task and allow a variety of results.

I always mention to my students, “there is always more than one way to solve the problem.” While group work is occurring, I walk around the room and complete an informal assessment. I listen to the students conversation, observe their work and answer to the problem. Once I get a feel that students are understanding the content while working with a group, I have them start working independently. While students are working, I walk around the room and complete another informal assessment. If a student is struggling, I have them come to the back table to get one – one support. Depending on how many students are struggling, it could be 1-5 students at the back table.

“Learning is not one size fits all” (McCarthy, Myths). As an educator I try to find what “clicks” with the students. What “may “hook” one student might well puzzle, bore, or irritate others” (Tomlinson). I use manipulatives, number lines, extra scrap paper, and whiteboards. Depending on the situation, I have used an iPad with my students to show them an online module of how to solve the problem slowly. This is an intervention I use, when a student is not grasping the concept. “Differentiating content includes using various delivery formats such as video, readings, lectures, or audio” (McCarthy,assessment).  If a student starts to understand the concept, after many observations and completing their work on their own, they are allowed to return to their seat. While I’m working with students at the back table, the other students are completing their work and bringing me their assignment to be checked. I assess the students work. If the student is grasping the concept, I give them an enrichment activity to complete which helps them “develop a more rounded understanding of the subject matter or even to progress through the set course more quickly” (BBC). I find that when the students are given an enrichment activity to complete, this allows extra time with the students at the back table.

After all the students understand the concept, we start to problem solve as a whole group. I have the students turn and talk to a partner or group to solve the problem. While they are problem solving, I observe and listen to their conversations. We then share our ideas on how to solve the problem.

Once the math lesson is complete. I give the students an informal assessment on the standard. I use this assessment to check which students need extra support, an intervention (math game) thinkcentral or a soar to success activity to complete at home.

Another example is with a reading vocabulary lesson. I have my students read the text. I create vocabulary cards with visuals of the meaning. I have the students read the word in the text then talk to a partner and explain their definition of the word. We meet as a group, share our ideas and talk about what the word means, I show the vocabulary card and move on to the next word. We repeat the sharing and whole group activities until all words have been learned.

While my students are discussing their thoughts about the word, I observe their understanding and take a quick informal assessment. If there are students that need extra support, I show them the vocabulary card. After we finish reading the text and review the vocabulary words, I have my students create a vocabulary squares booklet.

The booklet contains the word, a picture of the word and a the word used in a sentence. While students are working independently on the activity, I observe their understanding. If students are not understanding the concept, I have them work with me at the back table. We look over the vocabulary cards again, look through our text for evidence and find examples we could use. There was a situation where some of my students had a difficult time with reading and couldn’t write in a complete sentence or they were taking an extremely long time writing one sentence. The way I differentiated was instead of them writing the sentence I had them draw a picture for the word. It’s important to “set different tasks for students of different abilities” (McCarthy, instruction). After they drew the picture, I had them explain their picture to me. From their explanation, I could understand if they learned the content.

The other resource I use to decide which students need an intervention is our universal screening assessments with Aimsweb. For reading it’s 3 passages that are each timed for one minute. Math is computation that is timed for 8 minutes. The school district I work at has certain goals students should be achieving by fall, winter and spring. If a student does not meet the goal, I start to progress monitor and watch their growth. For a reading intervention, I have students go onto a computer game called Lexia. Students can use this game at school and at home. It automatically gives the students an assessment in the beginning then places them in the correct level. Each student on Lexia, is on a different level. The program sends me alerts and other lessons/interventions I can do with my student on the specific skill they are not understanding.

Students who have difficulty with math computation are given one – one support with math flash cards, addition and subtraction strategies to use. In my classroom mostly every lesson is differentiated. Students who do not need support are given enrichment activities to complete or programs to use at school or at home to help the learner be successful. No practice is “truly best practice unless it works for the individual learner” (Tomlinson). When I teach to my students I “think of many ways to accomplish a common goal. (Tomlinson). What might work with one child might not necessarily work with another.

It’s important when differentiating to assess your students throughout the whole lesson, whether it’s informal or formal, create a flexible grouping environment, have a safe learning environment, be fair to each student, give the student guidance and assurance they can trust you.

Resources

Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD), 2001. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 January 2015.

Methods of Differentiation in the Classroom. (2010). Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/MethodsofDifferentiationintheClassroom.aspx

McCarthy, J. (2014, July 8). Myth-Busting Differentiated Instruction: 3 Myths and 3 Truths. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-myths-and-truths-john-mccarthy

McCarthy, J. (2014, July 15). 3 Guidelines to Eliminating Assessment Fog. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-eliminating-assessment-fog-john-mccarthy

McCarthy, J. (2014, July 23). 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy

http://www.lexialearning.com/

Pilcher, C. (2013, July 31). Think Central Student/Parent Access for Go Math digital products. Retrieved January 28, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoZF5TVXzU

Week 2 Reflection

           This week we were asked to create a comic strip for our blog. After reading other colleagues’ blogs, I now understand that I must have misread the guidelines. A lot of the comic strips I read were short and explaining their thought or experience while playing Minecraft. For this week, I took  “create a comic strip” in replace of your written blog. No wonder it was difficult fitting all of the information into the comment bubbles! Well, I differentiated my blog this week. Instead of writing, which in return would have been a lot easier, I created a comic strip and sited my references. This is one way we could have students differentiate for writing. Enough with my mishap and differentiation from this week. Back to Minecraft differentiation. 

This week we were in Minecraft completing challenges. There are three of us in the class that have already completed these challenges from a different course and have mastered Minecraft after creating Givercraft. Instead of us repeating the same challenge, we differentiated and were put on as admins “teachers” “support Minecrafters” for the other learners. We were able to help others who didn’t know the basic tools, how to move, dig, make items…etc Thomas explains in his blog, it’s extremely “important for teachers to know the basic tools of the game.” Giving support this week, I found more rewarding than doing the same challenge over again. I use this example to outline what differentiation is. It’s not a program or one thing you make other students do. It’s an individual assignment created towards the students to make them successful.  If I were to have been asked to complete all the challenges, I would have been bored and thought this was a waste of my time. With helping my colleagues, I was given an opportunity to experience virtual teaching.

            This week I found many ways to differentiate in Minecraft. I wanted to find ways to differentiate using Minecraft for all subjects. With reading, students can read a book, like we did for Givercraft, create chests and books in Minecraft citing the text. They can build and cite from the text. For math, I found a video that explains how you can use multiplication in Minecraft. Students build the multiplication table basically and move around while multiplying the blocks together. For science, it was a stretch. I found that the teacher could enter Minecraft and create a brain, if studying the cells. The students could build the brain using the different kinds of blocks for the areas in a brain. Social Studies, students could understand what items they need to survive, while building tools and houses…etc

There are many ways to differentiate with Minecraft. The instructors that enjoy the game and also believe in the game for an educational tool, will use it. There are many educators, parents, IT personal that still need to be convinced, Minecraft is not just a “game” it is an educational tool. I would love to see a Professional Development Day on how to use Minecraft in the classroom. This would be the turning point for education. I don’t think we’re there yet, but hopefully in the next few years there will be a change.

Students are engaged in Minecraft, I know they would be engaged in MinecraftEdu, I have seen it with Givercraft. I have also seen students who are not, but that falls back on the teacher’s prep for the assignment and classroom management. If the teacher doesn’t know how to use the tool, the students will be in a “free for all.” With differentiation, engagement and instruction it is all based on concrete classroom management. Teachers can’t differentiate with students, if there’s no classroom management. As a society, we need to look at Minecraft as not “a game “ instead as an online educational tool.