 The more I read about differentiated instruction, the more I realize that it involves first coming up with a quality curriculum, then getting to know your students and making adjustments based on the students you have. Key to this is getting to know your students from the beginning so you can begin to make those adjustments as early as possible. This, of course, is difficult in an online setting. As I prepare to teach online for the summer, I am beginning to brainstorm ways to get to know students better at the beginning of a class. Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with:
Interest Inventory- I am creating an interest inventory that I hope gets at some of the interests of my students. I think it’s important to have the interest inventory be content specific, so you get a sense of what is most interesting to the students about your content area. It should also include more general interest questions, so you get a sense of what is important to individual students. I think also you need to get a sense of what is going on in the students’ lives right now. When possible, get at what personal concerns students have and what their schedule is like. Pre-Assessment- This is critical to know where your students are starting at with your content area and their academic and readiness level. Regardless, of the course, I think it is important to include a writing sample, which is a lot more telling in many ways than a multiple-choice assessment. A combination of both is a good idea. Learning Style/Intelligences Inventory- This is valuable for the teacher and the students to know what their learning preferences are as well as strengths and weaknesses. Letting Students Get to Know You and Your Course: It is equally important that students get to know you as well. It is hard to develop a presence in an online setting. Some ideas are:
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AuthorYvonne Caples is a Learning Experience Designer who is passionate about making learning meaningful and engaging for all. Posts
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