Instruction:
There are many wasy for teachers to deliver instruction and they all have their individual benefits for each student, but not all instruction methods work for every student. That is way differientiated instruction is essential to engage students’ minds in various learning opportunities.
- Verbal:
At the top of the list is verbal instruction, not because it is the most effective, but because it is the most frequently used everyday. However, I never try to approach verbal instructionas a way to lecture the students for 40 minutes. Instead, I prepare question before the lesson or generate questions during the lesson to ask students as I give instructions. The purpose of this strategie is to get a better idea of what the students understand and what they still need to learn or work on, along with maintaining student’s attention through their engagement. My hopes are that students find the instruction more memorable when they are asked to participate and be apart of the process of delivering instruction.
2. Visual and Written
Many learners can benefit from recieving written instructions and visual aids that given throughout a lesson to continue to refer back to. In most of the lessons I teach, I create scaffolds or power points that provide the students with instructions that they can read on their own if they forgot my verbal directions when they are working independently or with the class. A big win for this form of instruction is the short and long-termn results as students can utilize the written instruction in class to remind themselves of what they need to do and get the opportunity to practice reading instructions to prepare them for future assignments, activities, and everyday tasks.
Spelling Practice:
Candy Land Spelling Board Game:
Visuals are also a great aid for students to help them visualize what they are being asked to do or what the end product should look like. However, visuals must come with contexts of additional written or verbal instruction because without that, students would not know that their is an objective for them to complete. I love to provide visual examples for students when giving instruction, especially when I created a Cany Land Spelling Board game as an example to help guide them for when they make their own board.
My Game Board Example:
Some Assessment strategies:
- White board pre-assessment or practice
- Exit tickets
- Project with rubrics
- Test (multiple choice, written answer)
All should have the expectations explained and laid out. The grading process should be fair for each student, grading may differ if is the assessment is less formal and the student is making progress in areas, but have repeatedly demonstrated that they are below grade level and lacking fundamental skills. If a student demonstrates that they have accomplished what they were asked to do and makes a few spelling mistakes because they struggle with spelling, they should recieve a grade based on that effort put into the assignment despite their academic challenge.