So...this blog may be a bit 'late to the party' by about 10 years, but for some reason, I was spurred on to write about it today. Maybe because I spent 7 years off and on reading, writing, and researching 'Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction' for my dissertation. I submitted my final draft about a year ago, so maybe it does make a lot of sense that I'm coming back to it now...who knows, but here goes...
Differentiated instruction in the truest forms based on Tomlinson's work focuses on differentiation in process, content, product, ability, or interest. For years, master teachers have been leveraging differentiated opportunities skillfully and have met with great success in increasing student achievement. In spite of the research to support the impact of differentiation, these foundational differentiation opportunities are not consistently found in classrooms for various reasons including a perceived (or real) lack of time and/or a lack of understanding of data and/or lack of knowledge about differentiation. Foundational understanding of your students, their learning styles, and their abilities based on data is needed to improve classroom differentiation. Educators must also have a developed understanding about how to utilize this information to drive their instructional planning and implementation.
Differentiated instruction in the truest forms based on Tomlinson's work focuses on differentiation in process, content, product, ability, or interest. For years, master teachers have been leveraging differentiated opportunities skillfully and have met with great success in increasing student achievement. In spite of the research to support the impact of differentiation, these foundational differentiation opportunities are not consistently found in classrooms for various reasons including a perceived (or real) lack of time and/or a lack of understanding of data and/or lack of knowledge about differentiation. Foundational understanding of your students, their learning styles, and their abilities based on data is needed to improve classroom differentiation. Educators must also have a developed understanding about how to utilize this information to drive their instructional planning and implementation.
With the use of technology, you can do all of that in a much more efficient and effective manner, but you can also differentiate in ways that you can't absent of technology. With technology you can differentiate by time, pace, place, and path. As an example, a teacher can use their Learning Management System (LMS) to design a unit with specific learning targets and objectives. Students can proceed through the unit at their own pace with the teacher monitoring both face-to-face (F2F) and/or virtually. Some students may need multiple lessons to master a skill, while others may be able to do it the first time around.
Those teachers that are leveraging technology to differentiate learning are experiencing this new found pedagogy that has moved them from 'teaching' to 'facilitating'. In this role, teachers have more time to have to facilitate individual and small group conversations. As an example, leveraging screen-casting or videos of rote tasks to support learning. Or by developing tasks that extend learning in a personalized way. This is done in a virtual environment that has been created by the teacher or facilitated by the teacher. Again, this allows teachers the opportunity to facilitate conversations around complex questions rather than conduct a re-teach or not even re-teach at all.
Technology holds the potential to be an accelerator of learning, but are we putting a governor on the gas pedal? We're not looking to replace teachers...we need them now more than ever. It just changes their role. As we figure this out, it leads us into the realm of personalization...the holy grail of teaching pedagogy. But, that discussion is for another time, let's achieve differentiation or customization first.
Those teachers that are leveraging technology to differentiate learning are experiencing this new found pedagogy that has moved them from 'teaching' to 'facilitating'. In this role, teachers have more time to have to facilitate individual and small group conversations. As an example, leveraging screen-casting or videos of rote tasks to support learning. Or by developing tasks that extend learning in a personalized way. This is done in a virtual environment that has been created by the teacher or facilitated by the teacher. Again, this allows teachers the opportunity to facilitate conversations around complex questions rather than conduct a re-teach or not even re-teach at all.
Technology holds the potential to be an accelerator of learning, but are we putting a governor on the gas pedal? We're not looking to replace teachers...we need them now more than ever. It just changes their role. As we figure this out, it leads us into the realm of personalization...the holy grail of teaching pedagogy. But, that discussion is for another time, let's achieve differentiation or customization first.
Time.......Pace.......Path.......Place
I contend that if we could provide teachers the professional development and coaching support to truly understand the elements of differentiation and how to leverage technology to do so, then we would see an emerging pedagogy in the classroom come to life where the teacher is now a facilitator of learning. It would also help in shifting the cognitive load to the students...the students should work harder than the teacher, right?
Christen (2009) wrote, “Technology has the power to make the instructor a better facilitator or coach, bringing greater resources to bear in the classroom and adjusting the instruction to fit the individual” (p. 29). Isn't that what we want? Why is it so complicated? What keeps us from teaching that way? How can we make it happen?
I could probably go on and on, but I don't want to write another dissertation..at least not today.
Christen (2009) wrote, “Technology has the power to make the instructor a better facilitator or coach, bringing greater resources to bear in the classroom and adjusting the instruction to fit the individual” (p. 29). Isn't that what we want? Why is it so complicated? What keeps us from teaching that way? How can we make it happen?
I could probably go on and on, but I don't want to write another dissertation..at least not today.