EDLD 5364: Week 3 Reflection

One of the many re-occurring messages that appeared in this week’s reading was that of differentiation and individualization of learning. In the reading of, “Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age” it talked about various methods for helping students learn. (Rose and Meyer, 2002) The first method would be to offer choices of content and tools so it could better suit the student’s learning abilities. As a Elementary Computer Teacher, I can personally relate to this first method because as with any class, each student has their own preferred learning style. As a first year teacher, I would simply give students a screen shot of what they need to copy, that way it could, “look like the teacher’s.” However, being more experienced I have learned to give students options to help them learn. Some of the options include: pairing up with a high level student, watching a screen cast of how a certain concept is done, or simply working one-on-one with the teacher. Students do appreciate these methods and in the end students do understand the concepts that are introduced.

From experience, methods two and three work hand in hand. Method two is “providing adjustable levels of challenge” while method three is, “offering a choice of rewards.” In class, when I introduce something, I normally break it down into two or three levels. For instance, if I am showing a first grader how to change the color of a font, I will say something like, “Students, your level one task is to change the color of the font. If you finish that, level two is to have two letters with two different colors. If you can do that, level three is to write out your first and last name using two different colors.” While the level three task seems much harder to do, each student is still working on changing the color of the font without feeling pressured that they have to reach level three. Method three is often the best part for the student (from my experience.) When finished with a lesson in my class, especially one that is very challenging, students normally often have a high sense of self worth because they had accomplished something. For certain classes, that is a high enough reward. However, there are times that I will create different levels of rewards based on which group or individual finishes first. I do let them know that just because they are the first one(s) finished, they may not receive the reward. Work must be done correctly and show what they have learned.

Rose, D & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 6. Retrieved on March 17, 2012, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/