EDUC 630

Discussion Topic: Video Discussion Thread: Differentiation through Technology

Hughes & Roblyer (2023) discuss the impact of curriculum standards on students and educators. How does the effective teacher balance the demand of a standards-based curriculum catered to the individual needs of each student? What tools do we have at our disposal to help us comply with both demands? What best practices regarding technology in your instruction do you incorporate into your lessons?

Differentiation is “to teach in response to the diverse needs of students so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively regardless of differences in ability.” (Morrison, 2020, pg. 49) The effective teacher balances these different needs and must tweak lessons, often! Tools at my disposal to comply with both a standards-based curriculum and cater to individual needs are online checklists and i Pads that our school use to assess the children via a certain app 3x/year. My best practice is to know the children well and consistently compare the current quarter’s assessment to the prior one. I also utilize disciplinary context, a term used in our reading that “is the existence of carefully sequenced subject-area curricular content (e.g., mathematics, science, English language arts disciplines) that is age and developmentally appropriate. (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023, pg. 129) Lastly, I expand upon my state required curricula with apps or technology that amplifies what I taught.

Resources

Hughes, J. E., & Roblyer, M. D. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming Learning Across Disciplines.

Morrison, G. S. (2020). Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education. Pearson