“Never forget to remain a student while you teach others” - Jerry Corsten

As teachers we strive to be prepared, put together lesson plans, build relationships with our students and the list can go on and on.  In Instruction: A Models Approach is states, “…the most important, the teacher is responsible for providing students the opportunity to be successful” (pg. 291).  Yes, I want my students to be successful and I know just how to provide those opportunities my students need.   My classroom is a place where my students feel safe to express their thoughts, be themselves, feel order, and know my expectations.  I believe that “…students learn best when they believe they can learn and are challenged” (pg. 294).

I want my students to develop a love for learning, not a love for getting answers right.  That means I need to continue learning myself.  What better way than to learn from my students.  They teach me so much!  I also have professional development days where I can learn from and bring insights to my classroom and my teaching.  This past year I was a part of a tech training for the whole year.  I loved what I learned in this training.  I was able to use it in my classroom too and my students benefited from my newfound knowledge.  Things like…

Edpuzzle 

With this website I used it to introduce content that I was teaching my students.  Or I used it to introduce a book study.  I can tweak the videos to include questions I want specifically asked towards my students.  It has videos available to view but it also stops periodically to ask students questions.  I feel this kept my students more engaged rather then having them tune out during the video.

Answergarden

This website I used as a tool for brainstorming ideas.

Book Creator

I used this app for creating what my students learned or found interesting in our book study groups.  They can add pictures, text, backgrounds to make a summary of chapters and interesting facts.

I’m also improving myself and continuing with learning by working on my Gifted and Talented endorsement and my Master’s Degree.  It’s been less then a year since I started this journey but I feel like the knowledge I’ve gained has been instrumental in my teaching.  Along with being life long learners and in order to have a love for learning I need to motive, encourage, and spark my students curiosity.  “…if teachers can pique the curiosity of learners, they will make what they teach interesting to learners” (pg. 300).

I have an advanced gifted group that is called ALO which stands for Advanced Learning Opportunity.  With this group we work on various inquiry based learning, cooperative learning, and project-based learning.  As I’ve been reading in Invent to Learn by Sylvia Martinez & Garry Stager, P.h.D, I have been creating a list of things I want to explore with these students.  There are just so many awesome things to check out, it’s a good thing it’s summer so I can play with them all.  “Learning together with students keeps the adventure interesting” (pg. 195).  Another new program that I read about from this book that sounds adventurous is Scratch.

Scratch

My goal for this group is to have them working on projects of interest and at a higher level of learning.  My students get one hour a week with me to able to tinker, create and make things and I can’t wait to play with all the fabrications and computing and see what my students create.

I’m also interested in hosting a STEM night or a Maker Day which is similar.  Maker Day “…is about creativity and collaboration” (pg. 219).  It’s also a night to display and show what students have created.  A STEM night is more of trying out programs and projects or demonstrations.  Either platform would be an excellent outsource for all students.  Some more activities that were suggested in the book that I’d like to try out are:

Scribbling Machines

Marble Runs & Ramps

Squishy Circuts

I feel like a kid in a candy store with all this information at my finger tips.  I am fortunate to be able to continue learning and I am grateful that I can use that knowledge to improve my teaching and my students in how they learn.

References

Answergarden.ch

App.bookcreator.com

Edpuzzle.com

Estes H., Thomas.  Mintz, L., Susan.  Instruction: A Models Approach Seventh Edition.  2016. Pearson Education, Inc.

Exploratorium.edu/tinkering/projects/marble-machines

Exploratorium.edu/tinkering/projects/scribbling-machines

Martinez, Sylvia Libow, & Stager, Gary Ph.D. Invent to Learn.  Construction Modern Knowledge Press, CA.  2019.

Scratch.mit.edu

Squishycircuts.com

Pioneering Technology

Technology has changed continuously in my life.  I joke with my students that I am older than Google, I am a pioneer child of technology.  In elementary school, computers were brand new, and I lived for playing Oregon Trail when it was computer day.  I had to take a computer class in high school to learn how to type.  My parents bought a word processor so I could type all my assignments in high school.  I really wished they would have bought a real computer that had the internet but that would tie up the phone, a huge dilemma.  In college I truly learned how to type fast and research beyond the encyclopedia. Now, I have a computer I can walk around with, my students have their own mini computers, and the possibilities of learning are endless.  I believe using technology in my classroom is a great tool for learning…within moderation.  I also believe it is a great tool for differentiation.  I agree with the book How to Differentiate Instruction by Carol Ann Tomlinson when it states that another factor of differentiation is to give students a voice and choice for the work they will do, and take ownership in learning (pg. 77).

When using technology in my classroom I feel like my students take ownership of their own learning.  “If tasks ignite curiosity or passion in a student, and if students have the freedom to work in a way that is more efficient or that makes learning more accessible for them...” then I think I’m teaching my students the right way (pg. 83).  With my Gifted and Talented students I follow the rule to choose a level above their current proficiency and provide the choice and resources to work up, to push my students a little bit beyond their comfort zones (pg. 94).  Some of the strategies I provide are:

1. Orbitals "...are easily adapted for all learning styles.  Orbital studies usually last for three to six weeks.  Students select their own topic for orbitals, and they work with the guidance of their teacher to develop more expertise both on the topic and on becoming an independent investigator."

Instructional Strategies

2. Design-a-Day: students decide what to work on, set a goal, set a timeline, assess their own progress (Tomlinson, 106).  I've used SMART goals with my advanced gifted students before we work on a specific project.  Sometimes I want my students to set personal goals this way so that they can accomplish them and know it can be attainable.

SMART Goal Printable

3. Literature Circles

4. Learning Contracts: "Learning contracts are a great strategy for a differentiated classroom because they combine a sense of shared goals with individual appropriateness and an independent work format" (Tomlinson, 128).

Free Download Learning Contract

Other Strategies are: Differentiated Instructional Strategies

Using differentiation for technology is where my students thrive.  This generation has known technology their whole lives.  Their brains are wired to work with iPads, chrome books, computers, etc.  I want my students to explore, discover, tinker, and create things.  I think this will spark their curiosity in a way no other tool can.  After reading Invent to Learn by Sylvia Libow Martinez, and Gary Stager, Ph.D., I was blown away by all the options of creating and exploring through technology and tinkering.  This book called them "The Game Changers".  My focus is on the fabrication and programming through computers.  "While there are many options for creativity in the classroom, we believe there are three technologies that have the most potential to provide the kinds of learning experiences that change children's views of themselves as competent learners" (pg. 97).  Those three technologies are: Fabrication, Physical Computing, and Programming.

Fabrication is technology based through a computer-aided design using 3 dimensional printing or laser and other cutters (pg. 97).

Tinkercad

SketchUp

Fusion360

You can use these programs to fabricate any type of creating.  3D printers and laser cutters make the creations into a 3 dimensional object.  I looked into how much these would cost and if you're like me and don't really have a budget to purchase one for your class you can outsource your work to a company who will make it for you.  These companies are:

shapeways.com

ponoko.com

sculpteo.com

3dhubs.com

i.materialise.com

(Martinez, Stager, 106-111)

The second of the three technologies is physical computing which "... provides a tactile context for STEM, complete with all of the messiness, surprise, and occasional frustration associated with real science and engineering" (pg. 125).  This is that part of differentiation I had mentioned earlier where I try to challenge my gifted students above their proficiency level and to take ownership of their own learning.  These technologies are excellent tools to use for this purpose.  Some of my favorite programs for physical computing are the following...

Makey Makey

"invention kit for everyone"

Hummingbird Robotics

"We find that is the quickest and easiest way for learners of all ages to create interactive projects while having a rich coding and engineering experience" (Martinez, & Stager, 142).

Circut Stickers

I could have spent a lot longer just playing around and researching all the sites that Invent to Learn gave me but these were ones I want to try with my students.  I do currently use the Lego Mindstorm for robotics which is also a great physical computing program.  I also use the Sphero bolt and app for my students which we explore java script.  There is so much technology out there that can be used for so much good in school.  It is my goal to let my students explore and create by tinkering through these programs and differentiated by knowing my students and their interests which is most definitely technology.

References

Differentiation Strategies.  https://www.kiel.k12.wi.us/faculty/asieracki/newsfile10845_1.pdf

Gifted Education: Characteristics of Gifted Learners, Understanding and Meeting Their Needs.  http://varvelcapstone2014.weebly.com/instructional-strategies.html

Learning Contract.  Teachers Pay Teachers.  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Relief-Teacher

Martinez, Sylvia Libow, & Stager, Gary Ph.D. Invent to Learn.  Construction Modern Knowledge Press, CA.  2019.

Meant 2 Prevent. December 2019.  https://meant2prevent.ca/downloadable-smart-goal-planning-worksheet/

Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate Instruction.  ASCD, VA.  2017.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview?term=1-YEAR

https://www.birdbraintechnologies.com/hummingbirdbit/

https://chibitronics.com/

https://makeymakey.com/

https://www.sketchup.com/

https://www.tinkercad.com/

If you care, they will learn!

I was a substitute teacher for YEARS!  I adapted to the teaching styles of those teachers every time I did a long term sub position.  What I learned by subbing was so valuable because I could take all their teaching styles, see which ones worked the best, create some of my own, and use it in my own classroom.  One style of teaching that I observed to be most effective to have students behave and become motivated in their own learning is building student relationships.  Here are some steps to use to build those student relationships...

6 Strategies for Building Better Student Relationships

I would say #5 is the main key in building those relationships.  In every classroom I have taught in, this has proven to be true.  It is not just in elementary school, this concept is still true for high school students too.  In How to Differentiate Instruction by Carol Ann Tomlinson it concurs that: "Most students need to feel cared about before they will care about academics" (pg. 39).  I see a change in my students when they feel that the classroom is a safe place for them.  They start to be a little more brutally honest but they also start to grow, come out of their shell, and bloom.  To continue to have my students bloom, I use a differentiated instruction model so my students can learn at the same time, in their own way, and reach their own potential.

Differentiated Instruction is a difficult concept to adapt in teaching at first but I just takes baby steps to get it down.  I have had many teachers ask me: "what can I do with the advanced students in the classrooms that finish early?"  I tell them, this is why we differentiate.  And then I get a blank stare.  And the next questions is usually, "how do I do that?"  This is not just a 30 second solution I can give as we pass in the hallway.  It's a method that needs to be integrated into the teaching style.  Teachers feel like it's overwhelming to differentiated but "Differentiation doesn't suggest that a teacher can be all things to all individuals all the time.  It does, however, mandate that a teacher create a reasonable range of approaches to learning much of the time, so that most students find learning a fit much of the time" (pg. 35).  Teachers are already using all the instructional models like direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry based learning, etc.  We need to change it up so students can learn in different ways so one way will be a perfect fit for one student and another instructional model might be a perfect fit for another student.  

When I plan my lessons this is where I've learned to differentiate.  I think of each student and how this lesson will impact them.  Where can I extend their thinking, how much time will this group need, should I hold a small group after my direct instruction?  Like in the book How to Differentiate Instruction we need to look through the eyes of  the advanced learners, learners who struggle, English language learners, and learners "in the middle" (pg.14).  

Differentiated Instruction

I focus on the advanced learners.  Since we meet in small groups I still go through these steps and differentiate because even though they are identified as gifted and talented.  Each student learns differently and that includes gifted students.

With my gifted students I put an emphasis on growth mindset.  We have lessons to teach my students that failing is ok, it's part of learning.  These students are so use to having all the right answers in class that when they do fail, it's difficult for them to keep going, it can be crushing.  I want my students to: "fail to reach self-efficacy...stretching yourself to achieve a goal you thought was beyond your reach" (Tomlinson, 21).  This is an introductory video I share with my students every year for growth mindset.

Another part of Differentiating is to create a certain environment in the classroom.  In Tomlinson's book it mentions strategies for managing a differentiated classroom.  One is to study your students, which I mentioned earlier.  Another one, that is important to me, is to make sure this happens in my gifted and talented groups is to give students as much responsibility for their learning (pg. 72).  This goes with their growth mindset too.  They can fail as many times necessary to find success and in that process they have taken their learning upon themselves, they have taken on responsibility that they want to learn this, they have that motivation.  I have seen this take place when my students are working on an inquiry based project or various other forms of projects.  In Invent to Learn by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager, Ph.D., they suggest 8 elements of a good project.  One of them is "connection".  The student and the project have that connection where the student is involved in their own learning, not matter how much time has passed the result is their interest in learning (pg. 72).

I know my students love to learn when it is something that interests them.  But they need that differentiation and relationship with their teacher.  I know teachers who struggle with differentiating instruction because they think it will create too much work.  But it can be done!  Start making those small changes that you think you can do in your lesson planning.  You will start to see how you can adapt to each students needs within the lesson as time and practice go on.  I'm not an expert on differentiation but I continue to work on mine and it's getting better each time.

References

Instructional Methods, Strategies and Technologies to Meet the Needs of All Learners.  Granit State College. https://granite.pressbooks.pub/teachingdiverselearners/chapter/differentiated-instruction-2/ 

Martinez, Sylvia Libow, & Stager, Gary Ph.D. Invent to Learn.  Construction Modern Knowledge Press, CA.  2019.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate Instruction.  ASCD, VA.  2017.

Woodard, Cecily.  6 Strategies for Building Student Relationships.  Edutopia.  August 7, 2019.