The following is a list of strategies and resources for instruction and assessment that align with my personal teaching philosophy and that I feel will be beneficial for many diverse learners.
First and foremost, I try to always adhere to the principles of UDL, outlined below, which aim to give all students, regardless of background, skill level, or learning style equal opportunity for personal growth and academic success.
Instruction:
- Integrating Technology
- Using technology aids offer more options for presenting information (PowerPoint, Videos, slideshows, etc.)
- Technology also allows more diverse ways of engaging students with content (games, videos, interactive modules, online quizzes, etc.)
- Technology also opens up options for assessment, allowing students to show what they know through PowerPoint Presentations, film making/editing, digital tests/quizzes, web sites, graphic design, audio recordings, and wherever students’ imaginations think up.
- Students connect with technology as they have grown up surrounded by it, use it everyday, and can interact with it with more ease than other media.
- Resources:
- Teaching the 4Cs with technology: How do I use 21st century tools to teach 21st century skills? by Stephanie Smith Budhai and Laura McLaughlin Taddei. Get it here.
- Great ideas for integrating technology in the classroom: https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/ways-to-use-technology-in-the-classroom/
- Inquiry and Project Based Learning
- “The use of ubiquitous tools has created an environment where learning can occur outside of the classroom and continue even after the course or school day ends. When students have opportunities to think about what they are learning in a variety of contexts, this also increases their understanding. (Budhai, 2015, p. 6)
- Allows students to learn by doing, follow their own interests and curiosity, think critically, solve problems, and work in groups
- Resources:
- Edutopia, Project based learning page: https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sriBRD-ARIsABYdwwH6WWlqraevu9UuOe4Cp5bhucNhKS9yDUEyFza4RIPXhwn6GISUywcaAlB3EALw_wcB
Interactive instruction sites:
- https://kahoot.com/
- https://www.education.com/games/
- https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/learninggame.shtml
Assessment:
- Assessment is a continuous process that includes physical evidence of learning as well as teacher observations
- Diversifying Assessment
- Formal and informal assessment
- Summative, formative, and diagnostics assessment
- Assessments based on diverse skills and communication styles
- Oral and written
- Visual and auditory
- Games and formal tests/quizzes
- Creative and structured projects
- The following is an excerpt from The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning by Douglas Fisher and Nansy Frey. (Get it here). It outlines the strategy of gradual release of responsibility.
- Focus Lessons. Here, the teacher establishes the purpose of the lesson and models his or her thinking. The purpose should be based on the expected learning outcomes, such as standards, and be clearly communicated to students. Teacher modeling should provide students with examples of the thinking and language required to be successful.
- Guided Instruction. In guided instruction, the teacher strategically uses questions, prompts, and cues to facilitate student understanding. This can be done with whole groups of students but is probably more effective with small groups that are convened based on instructional needs. During guided instruction, the teacher focuses on releasing responsibility to students while providing instructional scaffolds to ensure that students are successful.
- Productive Group Work. Students work in collaborative groups to produce something related to the topic at hand. To be productive, the group work must involve students using academic language and being individually accountable for their contribution to the effort. This phase of instruction should provide students with an opportunity to consolidate their understanding before they apply it independently.
- Independent Learning. Finally, students apply what they have learned in class and outside of class. Many independent learning tasks are used as formative assessments, designed to check for understanding and to identify needs for reteaching. Of course, independent learning tasks should not come too soon in the instructional cycle, since students need practice before they can sufficiently apply knowledge in new situations. (Frey, 2011)
- Other Assessment Resources:
- Article on formative assessment including a list of assessment tools: http://e3t.org/e3t-lesson-design/formative-assessment.html\
- Article on how and why formative assessment is effective: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them/
Digital Assessment tools:
Citations:
Budhai, S. S., & Taddei, L. M. (2015). Teaching the 4Cs with technology: How do I use 21st century tools to teach 21st century skills? Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2011). The formative assessment action plan: Practical steps to more successful teaching and learning. Alexandria, Virginia USA: ASCD.
Inquire Image. The IBL Institute Home Page | Inquiry Based Learning Institute. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.iblinstitute.com/
Guido, M. (2018, July 15). 25 Easy Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom | Prodigy. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/ways-to-use-technology-in-the-classroom/
Project-Based Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sriBRD-ARIsABYdwwH6WWlqraevu9UuOe4Cp5bhucNhKS9yDUEyFza4RIPXhwn6GISUywcaAlB3EALw_wcB
UDL Image. CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them/
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