MAT674 Differentiated Instruction

Hello all,

I am thrilled to begin my first course towards specialization in Best Practices in teaching. I graduated from University of California, Irvine in 2013, attaining my B.S. degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Educational Studies. My decision to teach is a result of my interest in helping and connecting with others as well as seeing students light up when they learn something new. I can't think of anything more rewarding than interacting with young minds and being a part of their personal and academic growth.

While my classroom teaching experience is limited, I have had many opportunities working with children and students through a variety of other settings, such as children's hospital volunteering, child behavioral undergraduate research, and after-school/tutoring programs. I have thoroughly enjoyed every single opportunity of being a role model and teacher to others; all of the experiences thus far has confirmed that I am undoubtedly making the best decision towards my career path. As I am nearing the completion of my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential program, I am looking forward to having my own classroom one day and to be able to work with great potential of all the young minds that I will meet in the future.

Differentiated Teaching and Learning Activities

I believe one of the most important aspects in differentiated teaching is the understanding and acceptance that every student steps into the classroom with a unique mind, background, and needs. As an aspiring teacher, I hope to provide a learning environment that nourishes the confidence and self-esteem of each individual student in their capabilities across all subject areas. Since students will demonstrate a diverse range of strengths and weaknesses, each of their strengths and talents should be acknowledged and celebrated while their weaknesses are embraced as opportunities of improvement.

From my experiences as a tutor and after-school teacher, a strategy of differentiated teaching that I always fall back on is addressing the different learning styles (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic) of my students. For each new topic or lesson that I introduce to my students, I try to provide more than one means of teaching the content, such as the use of graphic organizers to support visual learners, and the use of learning tools and manipulatives for kinesthetic learners.

Also, I have found that student choice especially helps to avoid redundancy as well as boost their motivation and engagement in learning a new topic and allow them to perform within their own zone of proximal development. In teaching 4th-6th grade students in learning and memorizing root words and affixes, I allow students to choose their own expression of "wordplay" where they can either draw, act out, write a short poem, etc. in regards to an assigned root word to share with their peers. With this wordplay exercise, students can remember their root words and affixes more effectively when their interests and learning styles align.

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