Why differentiate?! Doesn't PreAP vs. Regular count as differentiating?
Differentiating instruction is such a crucial need for students, but can be very difficult to implement well. In my freshman algebra and geometry classes students’ math skills are across the board. In regular their skills range from gaps in prior education and learning disabled students to students who are brilliant, yet choose not to be in PreAP for various reasons. In PreAP I have everything from students who could teach themselves to students who struggle but work hard and/or just want to be with their friends. This creates a strong need for differentiation.
I am only one person! How can I teach more than one way?!
Ensuring that all students are exposed to and given the chance to master skills for the same assessment content and date can be a challenge. Also, I am only one person, so teaching various students in the same class different levels of instruction while keeping the rest of the students on task can create issues. However, in math there are oftentimes multiple approaches to the same problem. I teach the whole class at the level of the majority of the students. Then, when students work problems individually or in pairs I walk around and show advanced students quicker approaches to the problems. At the same time I show struggling students more approaches to breaking down steps and simplifying the problems.
Differentiating through the Flipped Classroom Method:
The flipped classroom I have implemented in my PreAP geometry class enables much more differentiation because students have more freedom to work at their own pace. They can re-watch videos of lessons or fast-forward through parts they feel confident in already. The SMART program I use to video lessons in addition to my website through http://www.weebly.com/ enable me to distribute information and concepts to students in a much more student-centered manner. In class they work in groups to collaborate and practice sample problems together. This provides me with more time to work with students where they are at. The downside to this approach is that I do not see a way it could work effectively in a class where the majority of students do not have computer and internet access at home.
Differentiating with a Graphing Calculator:
The graphing calculator can provide a means of differentiation as well. Students with learning disabilities can be taught calculator steps to ease basic computations and help them to move more quickly to the concept at hand. The calculator enables advanced students to see the practicality of the content and computer programming skills as well. Technology is a great resource for differentiating instruction.
