Differentiation in the Gym

Differentiation uses different strategies of instruction to help address the student’s strengths, skills, and interests. The learning environment presented is flexible and allows for students to learn in their own way, on their own level. Not every classroom will have all A students. Not every student will grasp a concept the first or second time it is taught. The goal of differentiation is to provide different ways to learn a subject so that the student can learn the best way possible.

In physical education differentiation can be expressed various ways. If the subject is basketball and the height of the goals can be lowered, the teacher may give the option of which goal to shoot at, high or low. Some students may not have the coordination to dribble with a basketball yet so they may need to practice with a larger ball with more bounce like a kickball. If teaching juggling, the students who have more prior knowledge and skill may use foam balls to practice with while beginning jugglers may use scarfs or bandanas which float slower and are easier to catch. 

Math: a subject of exacts. No matter who teaches it, 2+2 will always equal 4. How it is taught is a different story. In the “Algebra Team: Teacher Collaboration” video we saw two classroom teachers with very different methods. Ms. Warburton said that confusion leads to learning. Confusion should be expected because things will not always come easily and the students will have to work through them. Ms. Jones’ approach was to build confidence within her students by requiring them to discuss their answers. Both teachers gave encouragement when students expressed that they could not do a problem. They each reinforced that the student could do it, they just had to struggle through it and figure it out.

Ms. Warburton had a unique way of grading warm-up work. When it was time to go over the warm-up activity each student would put two stars next to a problem they got correctly, one star next to problems they got wrong, but corrected and now understood, and they put a X next to problems they got wrong and still do not understand. By doing this, Ms. Warburton would have a better understanding of what she needed to focus more time on and what concepts the student’s as a whole understood. The way she organizes the warm-up is reflective of her philosophy of confusion leads to learning.

Grading Tips

This blog is written by an Algebra 1 and 2 teacher who was having trouble grading homework so she came up with a way to simplify the grading process. Using a simple chart, the teacher can look at one sheet and know if the student got the answer correct or not. If not, she can then go and look at their work to see how close to getting it correct they were and then give a grade based on that evidence. 

Ms. Jones uses group work often in her classroom and encourages students to speak up. When doing problems as a class Ms. Jones split the students into groups of three or four. Each student had a specific role within that group. On this day they were learning factoring. One student was the Multiplier, one was the C.T.E. –er or Combine Like Terms, and one or two were the Lead Writers. First Ms. Jones modeled how she wanted to see the groups work together. The multiplier was in charge of multiplying problem. The C.T.E.-er used the information the multiplier came up with to combine the like terms and find the answer. The lead writer or writers then wrote out the answer and correct math for the problem. By having this process, each student in the class as a responsibility and cannot simply sit in the group and do no work. It builds their confidence and allows them to learn from their peers. During the group work time, Ms. Jones comes around to each group to see how things are going and to provide encouragement where needed. After group work, one student from each group comes to the board and writes the group’s answer and another student explains how they reached that answer. Everyone has a part. 

Group Work

This site talks about ways to make group work run smoothly in the classroom. It gives tips on what should be expected of the group and ways to get everyone involved. Some ways it suggests to get involved are by pulling name sticks to see who presents; rolling a die with a specific number being the presenter, and calling on a struggling student who you know has the correct answer. This produces participation and builds confidence. 

                           A Positive Discussion Video

The Importance of Collaboration

Whenone walks into a grocery store to shop, they most likely need a buggy or basketto carry their items in. The shopper makes their way from one side of the storeto the other picking up items on their list. Workers are scurrying aroundrestocking and pricing items for an easier shopping experience for thecustomers. A voice may come over the speaker asking for a price check ortelling customers that a new lane is open. The shopper has acquired what is ontheir list and heads towards the front of the store to check out. While inline, another shopper hands them an extra coupon for a product that is in theirbasket. The cashier rings up the items while a bagger bags the bought product.The customer pays and leaves the store, putting their buggy back in the rackoutside for someone to come and retrieve later. This is a very commonoccurrence that does not require much thought, however grocery shopping is anact of collaboration.

            Collaboration is “a style for directinteraction between at least two co-equal parties voluntarily engaged in shareddecision making as they work together toward a common goal” ( Friend &Cook, 2010). Collaboration is important to learn about because working togetherand sharing ideas usually produces more ideas and gives a different view tosomething, compared to working alone using only one mind. Not all studentslearn the same way, so teachers should not all teach the same way. Often timeteachers who have been in the field for some time have learned what works andwhat does not work relating to a specific topic. They can share theirexperiences so that it saves time and heartache for the new teachers.

            In Physical Education the teacher isnot responsible for teaching students how to add or read, they are responsiblefor educating the students on fitness and health. At times, there will bestudents in the PE class that have exceptionalities that require modificationsto games or individual help. In those cases it is important to explain to theclass why rules will be modified for an individual student (Rink, 2010). Oneway collaboration is used in the PE classroom when there is a student with adisability is to use a peer tutor. This would be a student who is skilled inthe activity, responsible, and caring towards others (Rink, 2010). The key isto make sure that both students are able to participate and have a positiveexperience. Sometimes, a student may volunteer to help out a student who needsextra help and it would not be necessary for the teacher to ask for helpspecifically. It is important for teachers to communicate amongst themselves.Elective teachers, such as PE, art, and Spanish, can incorporate what the coreteachers are teaching that unit into their classrooms. For example, the historyteacher is teaching about Europe. The art teacher may assign a project usingEuropean artists or the PE teacher may theme stations as various countries inEurope. A good way to communicate with other teachers is by using a newsletter(Horine & Stotlar, 2004). It can be as short as one page, outlining thetopics of the grade level for the month. This way, elective teachers can help reinforcewhat the students are already learning. Collaboration is important to learnabout so that both the students and the teachers have a more positive learningexperience.

 References

Friend, M. &Cook, L. (2010). Interactions:Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston, MA: PearsonEducation.

Horine, L. &Stotlar, D. (2004). Administration ofphysical education. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Rink, J. (2010).Teaching physical education for learning.New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.