EDUC 6714 Reflection

The differentiation station group was very heterogeneous, with an art teacher, two special education teachers, myself a first grade teacher, and others. I found that we all looked for resources that we would use, not necessarily that are broad enough to work for each teacher. What I gained from the resources that my group shared was perspective on how they differentiate, and questions of my own. One person posted a link to an art museum that had a lot of great art information, which made me wonder what museum websites I might be able to access that align with what I teach in first grade. Connecting in real time with other individuals in an online program was refreshing, posting to a discussion board weekly feels like always leaving notes for someone but never actually seeing them. It made me realize that while discussion boards might be the easiest choice logistically for me as a teacher, real time interaction would be a lot more meaningful for my students. I will certainly use the many resources we collected as a group regarding determining a student's learning style as well.

As a result of this course, I have come to accept that all students do learn differently, and the difference can be vast or incremental. If I want all students to reach their goals, I need to create different experiences for each of them that will trigger their motivation and learning. I've done a profile on each of my students by watching for the different behavioral indicators of their learning styles and I have also started to offer 2 or 3 ways to complete an assignment. I let them write about it, draw and label, act it out, or tell me orally. This usually pertains to Science or Social Studies. Also, I am using technology to reinforce sight words for students that struggle with recognition. There are quite a few online games and software provided by my school for this purpose. I am trying to take the differentiation process one step at a time so that I can stay consistent, and I am on my way!