Differentiation and Technology

Over the past few weeks, I have worked with a few teachers on utilizing technology as a means to differentiate instruction and assessment. As such, I thought it might be beneficial to spend some time on the overall concept of differentiation in my blog this week. I am certain you have seen much of this information before. However, I thought this might dovetail nicely with my last post on Effective Teaching and Learning.

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Most researchers agree, differentiation is:

• A process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class.
• A teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms.
• Not reactive but a systematic, planned approach to meet the learning needs of a diverse classroom.

Generally, differentiation can occur in relation to content, process and products of a lesson. We can design delivery and assessment in a variety of ways to meet the unique needs of our learners. This includes using pre-assessment and ongoing assessment strategies to ensure the needs of our students are met. There is a large body of research to suggest that we need to maintain academic challenge for our students but that challenge needs to be at their academic level. If things are too easy or too difficult, the students will not be engaged. As such, when we systematically plan our instruction and consistently use data to drive our decision making, we will promote student learning. 

How Does Technology Play a Role?

I usually begin my sessions discussing technology integration by saying the primary goal is the learning, not the technology. However, technology we have available to us can play a significant role in differentiated instruction. For instance, we can use a wide array of technology applications to provide choice to students in completing assessments. When I taught full time, there were always assignments that were non-negotiable. As a Social Studies 30-1 teacher, all my students needed to write. However, there were assignments that they had choice on. In addition, even though I had non-negotiable assignments, having the students complete them using a Google Doc meant the feedback I gave and the revisions they completed were much easier to complete. Providing students with teacher notes becomes much easier through the use of a shared Google Drive Folder. Students have access to the notes so they do not need to spend the time copying them down. This frees them up to focus on the content of the lessons. This is a very simple way to look at the issue. What I would like you to take away from this is that we have the tools to make differentiation work for you and for your students. 

If you would like to work with me on how to utilize some of the tools we have in order to differentiate instruction or assessment, I would be happy to help. After all, we are all in this together and the ultimate goal is student learning.  

Upcoming Visits

Between next week and the end of March, I will be visiting each one of your schools. I will generally be there at 8:30 and stay the entire day. I will be available to work one-to-one with you on planning lessons and assessments or visiting your classroom. It is entirely up to you. The week before I visit, you will receive an email from your administration as a reminder about my visit. If you would like to book time to meet with me, please let me know. If you have any questions about these visits, do not hesitate to ask. I am looking forward to spending time with you and your students in your schools!

School	Date
Alcoma	Wednesday, March 18
Bassano	Wednesday Feb 25
BCHS	Tuesday, Feb 24
BJHS	Monday, Feb 23
Duchess	Tuesday, March 6
Eastbrook	Wednesday, Feb 11
Gem	Thursday, March 5 (AM)
Griffin Park	Monday, Feb 26
Rolling Hills	Monday, March 9
Rosemary	Thursday, March 5 (PM)
Tilley	Monday, March 16
Uplands	Thursday, Feb 5
Sunrise	Tuesday, Feb 3