Teaching in the Inclusive Classroom: Differentiated Instruction
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the concept of differentiated instruction, an effective teaching approach in inclusive classrooms. Teachers tailor learning experiences to meet individual students' needs, allowing diverse learners to succeed. The example focuses on a sixth-grade teacher, Stephanie Curry, who manages a class with a wide range of abilities and emotional needs. By offering students choice in how they demonstrate knowledge, like writing poems, creating comics, or acting out charades, she fosters engagement and accommodates different learning styles. Her emphasis on positive reinforcement and patience creates an inclusive, supportive environment.
Takeaways
- 📝 Differentiated instruction is a successful approach in inclusive classrooms, accommodating various learning styles.
- 👩🏫 Teachers in inclusive classrooms use differentiated instruction to meet individual student needs and learning preferences.
- 🎨 Differentiation includes allowing students to choose activities or projects that align with their learning styles, such as making comic strips, writing poems, or performing charades.
- 📚 Mrs. Curry, a first-year teacher, uses differentiated instruction to manage a classroom with diverse learning and emotional needs.
- 💡 Students are encouraged to express their knowledge in creative ways, demonstrating understanding through choice-based activities.
- 🔍 Special education students in Mrs. Curry's class receive accommodations such as extra time and modified assignments to aid comprehension and communication.
- 🤝 Positive reinforcement and behavior management are essential in classrooms with students who have behavior disorders or emotional challenges.
- 🎭 Active listening is a key component in Mrs. Curry's classroom, helping students engage and feel respected during peer presentations.
- ✍️ Students are given opportunities to revise their work and receive feedback, fostering a supportive and creative learning environment.
- 🎉 Mrs. Curry emphasizes the importance of patience and thoroughness in teaching, ensuring students fully understand concepts before moving on.
Q & A
What is differentiated instruction, and why is it important in inclusive classrooms?
-Differentiated instruction is an approach where teachers tailor learning options based on individual students' needs, learning styles, and preferences. It is important in inclusive classrooms as it accommodates diverse learners, ensuring that struggling, advanced, and intermediate students can learn and succeed.
How does differentiated instruction work in practice?
-In practice, differentiated instruction involves offering students various options for learning and demonstrating their understanding. Teachers may modify what students need to learn, how they learn it, or how they showcase their knowledge through different activities or projects.
What specific teaching method did Stephanie Curry use in her lesson on Greek mythology?
-Stephanie Curry used a choice board method, where students were given multiple options to demonstrate their knowledge of Greek gods and goddesses. They could choose from activities such as creating a comic strip, writing a poem, or acting out charades, allowing them to learn in a way that matched their learning style.
How does Mrs. Curry handle the diversity of learning abilities in her classroom?
-Mrs. Curry accommodates the wide range of learning abilities by offering differentiated tasks and providing individual attention. She ensures that each student can work at their own pace and ability level while making modifications for those with special needs, especially in areas like reading comprehension and writing.
What approach does Mrs. Curry take when students struggle with their assignments?
-When students struggle with assignments, Mrs. Curry encourages them to come up with their own solutions and suggestions for modifications. This allows students to take ownership of their learning and express their needs, leading to better results.
How does Mrs. Curry encourage active listening in her classroom?
-Mrs. Curry emphasizes the importance of active listening, which involves not just hearing but also engaging with the speaker through body language, eye contact, and attentiveness. She believes that active listening fosters a respectful and focused learning environment.
What challenges does Mrs. Curry face with student behavior, and how does she address them?
-Mrs. Curry faces challenges with students who have behavior disorders, aggressive tendencies, and serious emotional issues. She addresses these by not letting prior knowledge of their behavior shape her expectations, and she uses positive reinforcement and behavior management techniques to encourage self-control.
How does Mrs. Curry ensure that her special education students receive the support they need?
-Mrs. Curry provides accommodations for her special education students, particularly in communication arts. She modifies assignments by chunking them, allowing extra time, and adjusting expectations to ensure these students can succeed in their own way.
What role does student feedback play in Mrs. Curry's teaching process?
-Student feedback plays a significant role in Mrs. Curry's teaching. She values their input when they suggest modifications and adaptations, as students often have a better understanding of their own needs and how they learn best.
How does Mrs. Curry foster a positive classroom environment despite the challenges she faces?
-Mrs. Curry fosters a positive classroom environment by focusing on building new reputations for her students, not allowing past behaviors to define them. She promotes respect, positive reinforcement, and a supportive learning environment where students feel safe to express themselves.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Differentiated Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms
This paragraph introduces differentiated instruction as an effective teaching method in inclusive classrooms. Teachers adapt learning activities to suit individual student needs, allowing them to learn in ways that fit their strengths. Differentiation is essential for accommodating diverse learning styles and abilities, ensuring all students succeed. The example of Stephanie Curry’s class is introduced, where this method was applied to teach Greek mythology to a diverse group of students with special needs.
🎯 Stephanie Curry's Classroom Setup for a Greek Mythology Unit
In this paragraph, Stephanie Curry explains her lesson plan for a unit on Greek mythology. She uses a choice board to offer various creative activities, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge based on their learning styles. The activities include comic strips, poems, and charades about gods and goddesses. Despite challenges, Curry emphasizes giving students a fresh start and nurturing a positive classroom environment where students redefine their reputation as a fun, manageable class.
📝 Managing Differentiation in a Diverse Classroom
Stephanie Curry highlights the diversity in her classroom, with students of different ethnicities, language backgrounds, and varying academic levels, from first-grade to ninth-grade reading abilities. She emphasizes the importance of accommodating these differences by adjusting tasks and providing support to students with special education needs. Curry focuses on personalizing tasks for students based on their specific learning needs and allowing students to engage in the activity that suits them best.
🎓 Accommodating Special Education Students and Encouraging Self-Advocacy
Here, Curry describes her approach to making accommodations for special education students, particularly in reading and writing. She discusses the importance of chunking assignments and providing extra time. Curry also emphasizes student self-advocacy, allowing students to suggest how they can best complete their assignments. She stresses the importance of recognizing students' individual needs and allowing them the opportunity to participate and succeed despite their challenges.
🎭 Active Listening and Positive Behavior Reinforcement
This paragraph focuses on Curry’s experience managing students with behavioral challenges and emotional disorders. She stresses the importance of not stereotyping students based on their backgrounds. Instead, Curry focuses on positive behavior reinforcement and active listening as key tools to help students demonstrate self-control. By encouraging students to reflect and engage in the classroom in a controlled way, she builds a supportive and respectful learning environment.
🎨 Creative Projects and Individual Expression in the Classroom
Curry shares examples of creative student projects, including a poem about Aphrodite. The paragraph showcases how students express their understanding of Greek mythology through different mediums, without needing to explicitly state the names of the gods and goddesses. This activity demonstrates how creative assignments allow students to engage with the material in a way that aligns with their strengths while fostering a deeper understanding of the content.
💡 Importance of Patience and Clarity in Teaching
Curry explains her teaching philosophy, which revolves around being patient and thorough in answering students' questions. She believes that students' inquiries reflect their interest and engagement. Curry values taking the time to clarify expectations, which not only encourages learning but also ensures that students are on the same page. She emphasizes the importance of building a collaborative learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and exploring the material.
👂 Active Listening and Student Engagement
This paragraph emphasizes the importance of active listening in the classroom. Curry explains how she teaches her students to be good listeners, engaging not only with their ears but also through body language and eye contact. She highlights the significance of active listening for mutual respect and successful communication in the classroom. By reinforcing these skills, students are better prepared to focus on tasks and show courtesy to their peers.
🎭 Student Presentations and Classroom Encouragement
Curry fosters a positive classroom atmosphere where students are encouraged to share their work with the class. For example, Patricia's performance in charades representing Persephone is praised. Curry highlights how students can express themselves creatively and confidently in front of their peers. The paragraph also illustrates how Curry’s students have learned to be active listeners, providing feedback and encouragement to their classmates during presentations.
📜 Wrapping Up Greek Mythology Unit with Confidence
The final paragraph details how Curry wraps up the Greek mythology unit, allowing students to showcase their knowledge. Despite some students not being finished, Curry reassures them that they will have time to complete their work. She praises students for their creativity and engagement, acknowledging that they have developed a solid understanding of the subject. The paragraph ends with Curry reflecting on how students are overcoming fears of judgment by confidently participating in class activities like charades and poetry.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Differentiated Instruction
💡Inclusive Classrooms
💡Choice Board
💡Learning Styles
💡Special Education
💡Behavioral Issues
💡Active Listening
💡Accommodations
💡Positive Reinforcement
💡Greek Mythology
Highlights
Differentiated instruction is a successful approach used in inclusive classrooms, accommodating various learning styles and preferences.
Teachers differentiate by individualizing what students need to learn and how they will learn it.
Students are offered multiple learning options, like different activities or projects, to showcase their understanding.
In Mrs. Curry's class on Greek mythology, students use a choice board to select different ways to demonstrate their knowledge, such as comic strips, poems, or charades.
The choice board empowers students by allowing them to choose based on their preferred learning style.
Mrs. Curry emphasizes the importance of giving students a new reputation, rather than labeling them based on past behavior.
The class is diverse, with students of different ethnic backgrounds, learning abilities, and reading levels, ranging from first to ninth grade levels.
Mrs. Curry makes accommodations for special education students, particularly in reading comprehension and writing.
She uses chunking assignments and providing extra time as accommodations for students who struggle.
Mrs. Curry values student input in creating assignments, allowing students to express their needs and come up with ideas.
She fosters an inclusive environment where students feel encouraged to express themselves, even when their behavior might suggest otherwise.
The students' projects on Greek gods and goddesses reflect their creativity, with poems and performances tailored to individual strengths.
Mrs. Curry emphasizes the value of active listening, encouraging students to show engagement with both their body language and attention.
Positive behavior management is a key part of Mrs. Curry's strategy, focusing on one negative to every two positives.
The class creates an atmosphere of mutual respect, which allows students to take creative risks without fear of judgment from their peers.
Transcripts
an instructional approach that works
well in inclusive classrooms is
differentiated instruction in almost all
of the inclusive classrooms that we
visited teachers used some form of
differentiated instruction the teacher
in a differentiated classroom tries to
understand what individual students need
to learn most effectively and she
attempts to provide learning options
that are a good fit for each learner
this type of teaching is of course very
appropriate for inclusive classrooms
teachers can differentiate their
instruction by individualizing what
students need to learn or how they will
learn it teachers can also differentiate
by allowing students to select different
learning activities or culminating
projects to demonstrate or apply what
they have learned
simply put teachers differentiate
instruction when they do whatever it
takes to accommodate various learning
styles and preferences so struggling
advanced and in-between students learn
and succeed for an example of
differentiated instruction we travel to
East Middle School and the classroom of
first year teacher
Stephanie curry she describes this class
as a challenging mix of identified and
unidentified special needs students with
a wide range of learning and emotional
disabilities with such a diverse group
of students differentiated instruction
was a logical choice now let's join mrs.
Kerr for her lesson on Greek mythology
we are finishing a unit today on ancient
Greece and we are working specifically
on the gods and goddesses and making
connections with religion and how that
affects ancient Greek culture and so
we're going to be doing a creative
activity where
they're required to apply the knowledge
that they've already learned today we're
actually going to warm up by doing a
brief fun little game just to get our
brains warmed up and then they have a
choice board and what that means is they
get several different choices based on
their learning style and the way that
they like to show what they know and
they get to choose and they already have
those handouts and they've already kind
of decided what they want to do and so
some of them are gonna be making a comic
strip some of them are gonna write a
poem some of them will be doing charades
to show us about the different gods and
goddesses so they get to choose we got
our brains nice and warmed up so we
remember the different gods and
goddesses and now let's take out our
choice boards let's take a look at those
and we get a choice here we have a few
different options to show that we know
about our Greek gods and goddesses some
people might want to retell in our own
words who's going to retell in our own
words today raise your hand if that's
the one you decided to do fabulous we've
got some people who's gonna retell in
our own words just one person today two
people okay when I first walked in the
door I had about five people come up to
me and say oh you're the sixth grade
teacher please don't leave after this
year or they'd say oh I had that class
and I almost quit it was bad just
telling me about the problems that they
had and you know there's a lot of
behavior disorder and difficulty and
aggressive children and students that
have been retained and are quite a bit
older than the average sixth grade
student and a lot of struggles and so
you know I kind of tried to take that
with a grain of salt because the
classroom is what you make it it's not
what other people tell you it is and so
my whole thing coming into it was I'm
going to give these guys a new chance
because obviously they've got a story
and they feel like they have a
reputation and I want them to be able to
have a new reputation this year as being
you know maybe a class with a little bit
more personality or the fun class the
humorous class something like that not
the class that nobody can manage we've
got one person I thought we had more
than one person who's gonna reflect and
write in a journal you changed your mind
okay who's gonna change their mind
because sometimes we think that we want
to do one thing and then we think about
it and we just said we're gonna do
another thing who is going to change
their mind okay what would you like to
do you're gonna retail in your own words
sure the thing I like best about this
class is that it's very equally divided
I have about the same number of
african-american white and Hispanic
students and I've got a lot of students
the English is their second language I
have some students that are considered
special education they have IEP s and
special needs I have a lot of students
that are definitely not on grade level
that are very very low in their reading
comprehension I have some students that
actually read on about a first or a
second grade level I also have students
that are exceptionally high in their
reading comprehension reading on more
like a ninth grade level so I've got a
lot of different spectrums with these
kids and that I think that's probably
the thing I like best about it is that
they're all their own they've got their
own personality anybody else wants to
change their minds and so what I want
you to do is take a look at your task
sheet that we have here hold it up so I
know which one you're talking about
good you're all with me thank you and
where it's this task there is a
description of what I'd like you to do
and so I'd like you to just take a
moment to glance over that description I
am only asking you to choose a couple of
these different gods and goddesses so I
want you to find what I'm asking you to
choose it's different for each one of
them okay so I want you to find that
part and when you see how many gods and
goddesses you're focusing on you can put
your finger on that some of you don't
have to choose anything if you are
discussing
coming to a conclusion I've given you a
question I would like you to discuss
okay go ahead and read the rest of
what's under your task because this is
going to tell you I am expecting of you
that's going to tell me and tell you
what I want to see at the end because we
all have a product that we're creating
and then we can look at our score guide
we have three points and that's going to
mean you're doing everything I'm asking
you to do and it is free of grammar and
spelling errors so we've got our
dictionaries back there if you need them
okay and we've got our number two which
means we got most of it together you do
most of it right missing a couple things
a couple of details a little off one
point means you missed a lot of things
they're not quite sure if you were
totally getting what I asked you to do
zero points means you stop there like a
bump on the log and didn't do anything
so I am pretty sure that we will have no
zeros in this class now if you have any
questions about what is on your sheet
please ask me as I come around now I'm
going to be coming around to each one of
you and so this is an individual
assignment for many of you but please
rely on your neighbors you can rely on
each other if you're stuck okay and so
you can whisper to each other if you
need to whisper I do have to make quite
a few accommodations for my special ed
students especially in regards to
reading comprehension and writing I find
that those are the areas that they tend
to struggle in the most both of all
three of my special ed students require
accommodations mostly in communication
arts so it's that area of course every
discipline contains aspects of
Communication Arts so I do find that I
make quite a few modifications lengths
and requirements they tend to struggle
with so I like to chunk their
assignments they get extra time
sometimes if it's not hitting for some
reason I'm just I know I'm getting that
they're not with me on it
I'll just stop I'll just say you know
what what should I do here what do you
think tell me what you think I should
assign you and we'll talk about in most
of the time they will come up with
better ideas than I would because they
know themselves and we have to give them
credit for that you know it's it's not
like the special ed kids don't want to
perform they're not labeled because
they're bad students they simply have
different needs and who else knows
better how to express their own needs as
the students themselves you bet you can
use your hands you can use your feet
what else could you use besides that you
could use your eyes could you use your
mouth are you sure you can't make facial
expressions I bet you could in my
classroom I have I have some diagnosed
students that have IEP s and special
needs I have several students that are
undiagnosed via behavior disorder
passive-aggressiveness I think many
serious emotional disorders that
definitely effects affects my ability as
a teacher I have students who will
they're very violent physically they
have hit teachers they hit other
students I have students that are that
sell drugs on the street gang activity
we have a lot of students that are just
that way and I always make a habit to
know but not to know too much because it
feels like the more you know about that
the more you make decisions about them
that limit their ability to step outside
of maybe the stereotype they've created
for themselves and so I've I've tried to
use positive behavior management and
positive reinforcement for for positives
too one negative is kind of the ratio I
try to go by and I feel like that really
has helped them demonstrate self-control
and that was my whole principle as we
all have urges we all have may be
difficult home lives we all act out that
we can show self-control and be more
successful despite our difficulties yes
that's exactly what you're telling me
and I do want to see in there there's
one thing I really want to see and that
is a summary of what their purpose is
okay cuz you could tell me that their
name is Hermes but who has Hermes what
is he doing what is the purpose to the
ancient Greeks that's the information I
want to see first in your summary before
you start making your own connections to
that okay you start off your favorite
and in fact before you begin you might
even want to just look at your notes and
circle the ones you're gonna choose to
focus on today that's gonna narrow it
down for you okay so you have a question
over here that you need to read over do
you have your task sheet okay good and
so it says discuss this question with a
partner you got your partner your set
why were the gods and goddesses
important to Greek culture and this is
kind of what we talked about the other
day I mean your house is a mess you
don't have enough food to put on the
table what what are you gonna do you're
gonna go to the gods and so why are they
so important to Greek culture how are
the gods and goddesses so helpful to the
ancient Greeks that's the first part and
then I want you to make connections
between the ancient Greek religious
beliefs and their way of life so they
have all these different gods and
goddesses right why do they have all
those why can't they just have one why
do they have to have so many what's the
point of that I want you to be thinking
about those things okay
that is awesome so do you see because
that's exactly what you need to be doing
if you could give me a couple more lines
because I I don't believe that I gave
you a limit to how much you should write
on each one but I do want to have
probably about five lines about five
sentences each okay so right along those
same lines for all five then you will
have it down that okay so that's your
sloppy copy and you're gonna move over
to a neater copy good idea
very good I want you to check the
spelling of this word just in case you
still need it okay what else could you
do what kinds of things would the
goddess of love do for the ancient
Greeks what kinds of things that they do
okay so she could be a messenger for
love notes I'm sure you guys could use
one of those in here and what else could
she do could she help people fall in
love are you sure about she could help
people fall in love she couldn't say she
couldn't say I think these two need to
be in love I mean I know that's Eris's
job - okay okay so can we can we think
of maybe things along that line okay you
could even you could even ask for
volunteers but remember it's all gonna
be without words okay that's something
you'll have to think about
that is so good can you share that with
the class would you do I could read it
for you do you want me to do that is
that okay you guys would you like to
hear a piece of work that's going on
back here very creative try and guess
who this is about you are the goddess of
love you seek from above to help people
show love you are kind of like eros but
you're a better hero you don't make
people fall in love you show love oh
that's cute
who is that who you bet Aphrodite and I
liked how she completely explained
Aphrodite without even saying her name
she didn't even have to use aphrodite's
name we got it
based on the figurative language that
she is that gave me chills that was good
hmm oh we've got another my Angela over
here yeah I do try to be very patient
with their questions and I really try to
be thorough in getting across what I'm
expecting because the more they ask that
means the more they're interested and so
I'm patient with it because it's almost
a compliment when they ask questions
like that it means they're probing for
more information it means they want to
engage I find it unfortunate when
teachers shut down the more students ask
questions like the more of my kids ask
questions the more I see first of all
where I was unclear in second of all
where they might be interested or want
to explore or maybe they want to go the
extra mile maybe I was confusing and I
feel that is so important to get that
down what my expectations are what their
expectations are and whether or not we
understand each other
they are not on the same page with me
and if I'm not on the same page with
them
there's no way learning can take place
there's no exchange of knowledge and so
that to me is the most important area to
be patient in because it's going to set
the stage for everything else and it
also sets a good climate it lets them
know that I'm willing to do whatever it
takes I'm willing to spend any amount of
time we feel so rushed we have so many
things we have to achieve in the
classroom and taking the time to just
make sure it's done right and make sure
everybody understands it's just beyond
important I will take hours on a lesson
if I need to because I know that when
we're done they will have really gotten
it whereas if I'm speeding through and
I'm hurrying them up and I'm cutting
their questions off they're probably not
going to get it and it's not gonna stick
which one are you working on okay and so
we have a really good example of a
summary for those of you who are doing
retelling your own words didn't know you
could just read it from your desk if you
like I like this because sometimes her
miss was not always treated well because
sometimes he was treated good news I -
was the guide of delivery no one else
from the death okay I wanted you to hear
that as an example because that was
perfect in every way to our writing
model she had a topic sentence she had a
conclusion she had details she had
examples and that is exactly what we
need to see in everything that we're
writing that is a perfect example very
good start
very good
are you guys ready to show active
listening
this poem is a lot more explicit it says
you may show love but you can make
people show it they might be shy or
embarrassed but with you they can show
much more your feelings are telling you
to let your love out but at the same
time you're telling yourself to let it
in you can be a little cruel with your
pair but she'll let you share your love
do you see how that's different from the
last one but it's still very poetic very
figurative we get a picture of who are
we talking about that's right we're
still getting a picture of Aphrodite in
our heads this is very good and I wanted
you to hear the difference of the two
poems because we've got the same kind of
projects going on back here but two
different products two approaches to the
same thing very good thank you for
letting me share that are you ready okay
and we are also ready to play a little
charades are you guys ready to show
active listening okay after the 30
seconds we are going to try and guess
who she's doing which god or goddess she
is doing are you ready okay let's show
Patricia active listening the whole time
active active listening is very very
important I have you know made very good
active listeners out of these students
my biggest pet peeve is when you get in
front of somebody a group of people and
they're chatting and they're not paying
attention and they're half listening to
what you're saying it makes you feel
very know know ignored neglected it just
doesn't make you feel good I think it is
so important that students know how to
be good listeners an active listening in
my room means that you're not just
listening with your ears you're
listening with your eyes you're
listening with your body language so
we've actually gone over several times
throughout the year what it looks like
and what it sounds like to be
good active listener they're sitting up
there giving you eye contact they might
be nodding sometimes they're definitely
showing you with their body language
that they're listening and when you
point to their attention that they need
to be doing that physically it also
perks their ears up to because they're
in a mental position to pay attention
and they're also giving people common
courtesy and respect okay
who knows David who is it and okay and
who are they is about Persephone it's
kind of a hard one to say Persephone and
how did you know that that's what she
was doing she was planting food you
could see her and then she was
harvesting the food that was really good
thank you very much everybody let's give
Patricia a round of applause for being
very very brave does anybody want to
does anybody else want to share
what they have so far because I know
that we're really not quite finished
Patricia is gonna be your reader okay
very good
here I'll deliver so you don't have to
get up okay and so can you just share
this paragraph right here and let's just
uh
hear what this retail has to say
Aphrodite is my favorite goddess because
she is the protector of love she helps
people with their love if I had one wish
to the goddess of love it will be it
would be it would be what I want to hear
what it is what would it be if you had
one wish to the goddess of love one wish
only what would it be
to fall in love with somebody maybe
somebody good-looking maybe somebody
with you know some money in their pocket
maybe somebody with a good job maybe
maybe just somebody who treats you
really nice very good thank you for
sharing and if you're not finished with
your poster that's okay you can just
take a little bit of time to finish it
up later I see that a lot of us are
really getting showing what we know I
see a lot of you really do know about
these Greek gods and goddesses not just
their names or who they are but why
they're important but let's go ahead and
just wrap up what we're doing for now
because I think we're just about out of
time go ahead and finish up your last
sentence yes you're done with yours
fabulous fabulous some of you are not
done
oh wow you've got a lot written some of
you are not done but that is okay we all
have just a little bit more time to work
on this during down time away from other
projects give yourselves a hand you guys
you did a really really good job I see a
lot of good stuff and I've heard a lot
of good stuff thank you for those people
who shared and really went out on a limb
today good job you know something that I
was so impressed with was I think a lot
of students are scared to do things like
charades or do the poems because they're
afraid that their peers are going to
judge them and I think that what they
were able to see is that their peers are
really going to be respectful and
they're good they're not going to be so
judgmental
you
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