Professional Development Essays - Education, Learning, Pedagogy

Final Project EDU 673 Instruct. Strat. for Differentiated Teach & Learn Professional Development My Professional Development Plan definitely demonstrates my commitment to personal and professional growth within the classroom. Since I have spent many hours working with children in the school setting, I am confident about my plan. I believe if it implemented correctly and followed through, I will be able to experience positive outcomes in the classroom. The areas I will address are the proper mindset and learning environment, curriculum and differentiation, assessment and differentiation, student readiness and differentiation, student learning profile and differentiation, and managing a differentiated classroom. Mindset, learning environment, and differentiation It has been stated, ?Mindsets are the assumptions, expectations, and beliefs that guide our behavior and our interaction with others." I believe this is a true statement and this is necessary in order to have a differentiated classroom. The proper mindset can affect a student?s well-being and academic success. The proper mindset will ensure that students? social and economic needs are met. These must be met before any learning can begin. Students must feel that they have a sense of belonging. Student must also be encouraged to reach their potential. The proper mindset will allow the teacher to view each diverse child as one capable of learning. Various strategies will have to implement in class lessons to ensure that all students are reached ? various students and various methods will be required. My professional development plan will be based on creating a learning environment that is conducive to learning. Curriculum and differentiation Curriculum is the content information; that is the subject matter this is taught. In such a diverse society, there is no one size fits all class. That being the case, differentiation is a must. After all, students learn differently; they also grasp material at different points in time. Differentiation ensures that all learners learn the required and age-appropriate content. Through differentiation, the same material is taught through the use of various strategies, methods, and techniques. There are many teaching strategies that can be used in the classroom. Some lesson might have to be teacher-centered; however, most should be student centered. This will create opportunities for discovery and constructivism. This will also be the vehicle to creating classroom discussions that will involve critical thinking as applications of skills are demonstrated. When completing an assignment, student can be given the co curriculum, students can have material assigned or it can be chosen by them. Assessment and differentiation More than one type of assessment is important because students learn differently. That being the case, more than one type of informal and formal assessment should be implemented in a lesson. This gives a teacher a chance to check for understanding as different learning styles are addressed. While some students perform well on a paper and pencil test; others might do better with a performance assessment. Some students might do better preparing an oral report or a project. All of these areas addresses student learning. That being the case, one is not necessary better than the other. When assessments are differentiated, teachers learn a lot about each individual student. It also gives exposure to many avenues of learning. Teachers can differentiate by using methods that are based on the student's needs. Differentiation of assessments creates an opportunity for students to demonstrate thinking before, during, and after instruction. The main purpose of an assessment is to determine what a student knows or can do, while evaluation is used to determine the worth or value of a course or program. This information can be used to make decisions about other instructional strategies and curriculum. Student readiness and differentiation Student readiness is a student?s academic standing/progress That is, they simply do what seems right for their students. Generally, intuition begins the process, and over time teachers learn from their successes and failures, refining what they do as they go along. Thus when we ask teachers how they plan a differentiated lesson in response to student readiness, their answers are often a bit vague: ?I just try to match the tasks to the students' readiness level,? or ?I put them in groups I think will work.? Clarity about differentiation by readiness can hone and refine good instincts, giving the teacher a greater sense