You'll FLIP for this Idea

Perhaps you have heard of the idea of a "flipped classroom". It can be a great way to engage your students, incorporate technology, and differentiate your instruction. In a "flipped" classroom, students are held accountable for completing readings and watching online lectures at home (Chen, 2016). The class time is then used for review, collaboration, application, extensions, and projects. The in class activities can be differentiated- different groups of students can work on different projects. The teacher will be able to act as a facilitator as the students work and construct their own understandings.

If I were going to use this strategy with my students, I would use Google Classroom to deliver the "at home" content for my students. I could create presentations and then post them to our classroom home page, which the students could access from any device. Of course, some students simply do not have access to such technology. Gimbar (2011) suggests giving these students time to watch the videos during homeroom. I have a set of Chromebooks in my classroom that would be available during homeroom as well as study hall. 

Chen (2011) reported an increase in the test scores of students in flipped classrooms. Have you tried this strategy? How did it impact your students? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

References:

Chen, L. (2011). Impacts of flipped classroom in high school health education. Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4), 411-420. 

Gimbar, K. (2011). What about students with no access? FAQ- Katie Gimbar's flipped classroom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoNlL3Plx-g 

Helping Parents

I teach third grade in Ohio. We have a requirement called the Third Grade Guarantee which states that students who do not pass the third grade Language Arts assessment could be retained. As you might imagine, this causes an extreme amount of anxiety for parents and students. I have had many parents come to me and ask what they can do at home to improve their child's reading. Even if you don't teach in Ohio, I hope that you can share these tips with parents to help them support their child's reading at home.

• It's a great idea to recognize areas in which the child does well. "Katie is very good at using her decoding strategies to read new words". 
• Direct the parent to resources that can be used to help his/her third grader prepare for the test. I usually offer paper copies of practice resources as well as links to the online practice sites.  
• Do not underestimate the power of nightly reading. Children need ample time practice reading books at their level. Getting kids to do their reading doesn't have to be a power struggle, though! I like to make it fun by enrolling my classroom in the Pizza Hut Book-It Program! Teachers can set a goal for each student (and the goals can be individualized, too!) and students can track their progress on Book-It's printable calendars. Once the goal is met, the student receives a certificate for a FREE personal pizza from our friends at Pizza Hut! This program is completely FREE. My students love it and I love that they're getting their reading minutes in. Plus, who doesn't love free pizza? 
• It is important that students are reading books at their independent reading level. You can help the parents find those books. I also like to give parents a list of general questions that they can ask their child about the story, such as why a character acted in a certain way. 
• Do not forget about writing! I suggest that parents provide a journal in which the child and parent can write letters back and forth to one another. Darling (2005) recommends allowing the child to watch his or her parent work on some writing. 
• Finally, encourage the parent to keep in contact with you. Make sure to send the parent frequent updates on the child's progress, and remind the parent that they can contact you if they have any additional questions. 

References:

Darling, S. (2005). Family literacy: Strategies for engaging parents in home support of reading acquisition. The Reading Teacher, 58(5), 476-479.

Show What You Know

Do you remember being in school and taking tests at the end of every unit? You probably completed the same assessment as your peers. Maybe that worked for you, or maybe not. In 21st century education, students are showing their knowledge in many different ways. In this post, I'll share some tips for differentiating for product. 

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In your classroom, you can differentiate for content, process, and product (Gillenwaters, 2017). Let's talk about the product. The "product" is what the students will do/complete/produce to show what they know. This is how you will see whether your students met the desired objectives. Since not every student learns in the same way, it makes sense that students shouldn't be assessed in the same way either. I like to give my students options. Let's say I was teaching a unit on animals. I could create a choice board such as the one in the photo below. My students could choose a project that meets their learning needs and appeals to their preferred intelligence. Once students choose a project, they will receive a detailed activity sheet which will outline the details, steps, and expectations for the project.

Some students may choose the PowerPoint option. In this case, they will create a PowerPoint presentation to share facts and photographs of their chosen animal.

Other students may prefer the Zoo option. The students will create a product which could be displayed beside an animal's habitat at the local Zoo. The students will illustrate three pictures- one showing the animal's appearance, one showing its habitat, and a third picture showing the animal's diet. They would need to add at least 3 labels to every picture.

Some students struggle with writing. Those students may choose the Vlog option. They will use their classroom ChromeBook to record a video of themselves verbally sharing facts about the animal.

Each product activity will have a rubric which will allow me to see whether the students met the desired objectives for the unit. Since my students have the option to choose an activity that is appropriate for them, they will be able to better focus on the task at hand.

Do you have any ideas for differentiating for product? I would love to hear about them. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments section!

References:
Gillenwaters, B. (Lecturer). (2017). Instructional models. (Video recorded guest lecture number 3.2, Course CI5103: Curriculum and Instructional Design for Diversity). Indianapolis, IN: American College of Education.

Things to Consider

One of the most important pieces to differentiated instruction is truly getting to know one's students I will be honest, when I began my teaching career, I thought that differentiation was providing accommodations for struggling students. That's not the case! Differentiation is for everyone! Throughout my graduate coursework, I have learned that there are many things that can be differentiated! Here are some ideas to consider when planning differentiated lessons for your students.

Multiple Intellligences
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, such as linguistic, naturalist, and logical-mathematical, are ways that students learn (Tincher, 2017). Take some time to get to know your students. Sometimes I interview my students verbally. There are many quizzes available online that can tell the user which intelligence(s) he or she favors. If you teach older students, they may enjoy taking the quizzes during the first week of school. They might even learn something new about themselves! When you are planning your lessons, you will want to include activities for various intelligences. For example, in a history class, a student with a "musical-rhythmic" intelligence may enjoy writing a song about the Declaration of Independence.

Backgrounds and Interests
Every student brings something to the table. What are your students' interests? In my small rural community, it's all about football and hunting. When I am teaching my students about measurement, we always talk about the yard lines on a football field. It's so engaging for the students- almost like magic. You can create that magic for your students. Find out what is important to them and incorporate that in your lessons! It's also important to gather information about your students' backgrounds. What experiences have they had? What do they value? All of these things should be taken into consideration when you create lessons for your students.

Preferences
This year, I bought four exercise balls for my classroom. Some of the students like sitting on them, but many of my students choose to sit on colorful bathroom rugs on the floor. What kind of an environment would your students prefer? Do they work best alone or in a group? Providing these options to your students can work wonders in your classroom!

Multiculturalism
 Every December, I do a Holidays Around the World unit with my students. We make "passports" and learn about holiday traditions from Mexico, Germany, and several other countries. That isn't enough. In a publication by Meyer and Rhoades (2006), it is suggested that a true multicultural classroom should include "values, attitudes, and behavior that support ethnic pluralism" (p. 84). Teachers should also help students develop the skills needed to develop intercultural friendships and interactions (Meyer & Rhoades, 2006). It's a good idea to ensure that your lessons are respectful to all cultures and religions. You can also promote multiculturalism through the classroom materials. This year, I am working to expand my classroom library to include more books from different cultures.

  References:
 Meyer, C. & Rhoades, E. (2006). Multiculturalism: Beyond food, festival, folklore, and fashion. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 42(2), 82-87.
 Tincher, L. (Lecturer). (2017). DI pillars and MI theory. (Video recorded guest lecture number 2.1, Course CI5203: Differentiated Instruction: Theory to Practice). Indianapolis, IN: American College of Education.