Differentiation

Embedded Supports to Differentiate Instruction for Struggling Students Reading:

In the text on thing that stood out most to me was when it stated that “the use of embedded or readily available digital learning supports and tools has been shown to be an effective way of addressing the needs of diverse students, particularly those with disabilities”.

For many students who struggle with reading or writing, the act of decoding, or puzzling out correct spelling, requires significant effort. “Built-in tools that provide just-in-time supports relieve the cognitive load on students, allowing them to focus more of their attention on comprehension or generating written content”.

This is Something i would love to bring back into my classroom as i believe that this is a great oppurtunity for students to be able to differentiate and in many different ways for reading.

Embedded Supports to Differentiate Instruction for Struggling Students Reading:

In this article one take a way i had is when it tlked about,

Building background knowledge

“You can help your students build background knowledge and vocabulary through demonstrating relationships between words and concepts, engaging student interest, and providing a variety of supports and scaffolds, including technology tools”.

• Online reference materials, including dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias, can provide students with instant access to definitions, translations, and explanations of unfamiliar terms and concepts.
• Multimedia supports, including video, how-to diagrams, animated illustrations, and other visuals, are useful tools for building background knowledge, especially for ELLs. Sites that include content-specific illustrations to help learners grasp sequences, interactions, and relationships. Maps and diagrams showing relationships between words and concepts also can help students connect new words to those they already know.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Differentiating for above average readers: Have students read a short story and distingusish a question of who. Such as who is the main charcter of this novel and why? If needed to accelerate increase the level of the readings to make it more difficult.

Differentiating for below average readers: Work with students to first distingusih where they see the occurance of these questions in the novel. Then assist the students in recognizing where they might find the answer to the question. To make it less challenging use a piece of reading the class has already discussed before hand.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD

Definition: ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A person with ADHD has differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control.

Description:

All kids struggle at times to pay attention, listen and follow directions, sit still, or wait their turn. But for kids with ADHD, the struggles are harder and happen more often. 

Kids with ADHD may have signs from one, two, or all three of these categories:

• Inattentive. Kids who are inattentive (easily distracted) have trouble focusing their attention, concentrating, and staying on task. They may not listen well to directions, may miss important details, and may not finish what they start. They may daydream or dawdle too much. They may seem absent-minded or forgetful, and lose track of their things.
• Hyperactive. Kids who are hyperactive are fidgety, restless, and easily bored. They may have trouble sitting still, or staying quiet when needed. They may rush through things and make careless mistakes. They may climb, jump, or roughhouse when they shouldn’t. Without meaning to, they may act in ways that disrupt others.
• Impulsive. Kids who are impulsive act too quickly before thinking. They often interrupt, might push or grab, and find it hard to wait. They may do things without asking for permission, take things that aren’t theirs, or act in ways that are risky. They may have emotional reactions that seem too intense for the situation.

Strategies:

1. Students with ADHD in a classroom should be given options with no time limits or a limit that they can reach on their own. Teacher should help student focus on academics but give space to a child if they are not focused all the time.
2. If students are required to be testing for any sort rethink the way you are testing your students. Maybe allow students to work together or in groups to support one another in completeing assignments therefore a student wouldn’t be stuck in their seat or by themselves as a teacher may not be able to assist often.
3. Allow students with ADHD to use their own methods that make them comfortable in a classroom, restricting a child from being a child with ADHD will only stunt their growth as well as cause miscomunication and lack of support for the child.