2.5: Differentiation
Candidates model and facilitate the design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences making appropriate use of differentiation, including adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment based upon an analysis of learner characteristics, including readiness levels, interests, and personal goals. (PSC 2.5/ISTE 2e)
Artifacts: ITEC 7445 - Multimedia Design - A Webquest
This artifact was created for an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Year 3 (8th Grade) class who were studying aspects of demographics and world development in Geography. This artifact was created by myself and shared with the Individuals and Societies Year 3 teaching team as a short Unit of Inquiry that would address the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). This artifact is aligned to Standard 2.5 Differentiation, as the students were presented with differentiated, content adjusted, non-fiction reading for their research concerning the MDG’s, and centered their summative assessment based on their diverse understanding of those MDG’s to produce a final product of a presentation of this content. They also had to blog to reflect on this process. This learning environment was created using my knowledge of this class group, their diversity in terms of language and learning ability, including dialogue with the Resource Teacher to enrich the learning environment for reading readiness levels.
In this Unit of Inquiry, students were presented with the Statement of Inquiry to center their thinking round the Key Concept of Global Interactions. The Statement of Inquiry “Managing disparity by setting goals and intervention strategies helps to make a fair and equitable world” honed into the more subject specific Related Concepts of disparity and equity; management and intervention.
Students were presented with research based statistics and information concerning each one of the eight MDG’s. A Web Quest was designed to guide their thinking through the process to the summative assessment outcome.
As this non-fiction content was difficult for some of my students for whom English is not their first language, it was facilitated that they could use the MDG document available in their mother tongue (French and Spanish). These are the working languages of the International Baccalaureate. While these students were still expected to present their final summative assessment in English, it was accommodated through process that notes, journals and blogging could be written in their mother tongue with peer editing including English accuracy support. The use of “The Guardian” MDG website helped to chunk the very high level reading for students with lower reading abilities in English and accessed mini videos and exemplar case studies that helped them to understand the material and present it in an authentic way. While students were assigned their areas of the world to investigate, it was with conversation prior to giving the assignment to gauge interest and to allot the student an area of the world that had a set of resources that would meet their learning styles.
Putting together this Web Quest allowed to really define learning for the students in this class in a project based environment with diverse learning styles. I learned how to manifest a clear pathway for their summative assessment success although there were many different reading levels and language areas to navigate. However, on reflection, I assigned too little time for the student engagement in the Web Quest in class and many students reported excess work externally (parent emails and voiced concerns), which lead to the students reporting pressure to complete closer to the deadline. This was, in part, due to a very restrictive homework policy for completing these kind of project based learning opportunities in our school and has led to further conversations about this kind of task and its strategic assignment. Many of the students, on reflection of their work, said that they would have added more to their presentations if more time were available.
This Web Quest is now open in access for all Individuals and Societies 8th Grade teachers to use as may be their choice during this unit of work as part of either formal class teaching to deepen their use of technology integration into teaching and learning or as a differentiation tool. The impact of this remains to be seen – the two teachers that taught this class group this year did not elect to use this resource.
In this Unit of Inquiry, students were presented with the Statement of Inquiry to center their thinking round the Key Concept of Global Interactions. The Statement of Inquiry “Managing disparity by setting goals and intervention strategies helps to make a fair and equitable world” honed into the more subject specific Related Concepts of disparity and equity; management and intervention.
Students were presented with research based statistics and information concerning each one of the eight MDG’s. A Web Quest was designed to guide their thinking through the process to the summative assessment outcome.
As this non-fiction content was difficult for some of my students for whom English is not their first language, it was facilitated that they could use the MDG document available in their mother tongue (French and Spanish). These are the working languages of the International Baccalaureate. While these students were still expected to present their final summative assessment in English, it was accommodated through process that notes, journals and blogging could be written in their mother tongue with peer editing including English accuracy support. The use of “The Guardian” MDG website helped to chunk the very high level reading for students with lower reading abilities in English and accessed mini videos and exemplar case studies that helped them to understand the material and present it in an authentic way. While students were assigned their areas of the world to investigate, it was with conversation prior to giving the assignment to gauge interest and to allot the student an area of the world that had a set of resources that would meet their learning styles.
Putting together this Web Quest allowed to really define learning for the students in this class in a project based environment with diverse learning styles. I learned how to manifest a clear pathway for their summative assessment success although there were many different reading levels and language areas to navigate. However, on reflection, I assigned too little time for the student engagement in the Web Quest in class and many students reported excess work externally (parent emails and voiced concerns), which lead to the students reporting pressure to complete closer to the deadline. This was, in part, due to a very restrictive homework policy for completing these kind of project based learning opportunities in our school and has led to further conversations about this kind of task and its strategic assignment. Many of the students, on reflection of their work, said that they would have added more to their presentations if more time were available.
This Web Quest is now open in access for all Individuals and Societies 8th Grade teachers to use as may be their choice during this unit of work as part of either formal class teaching to deepen their use of technology integration into teaching and learning or as a differentiation tool. The impact of this remains to be seen – the two teachers that taught this class group this year did not elect to use this resource.