Planning Guide for Differentiated Instruction

http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm

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1.  Which type of learning style do you think you display and have displayed the most often? Explain.

I am a visual learner. I love creating summary notes and then focusing on key issues and concepts on one page summary sheets. I add lots of colour and diagrams to my summary sheets as I believe it highlights key areas. I then study from those sheets and time myself. I give myself a set amount of time to read the sheets and then I set the timer on and write as much as I can on a separate piece of paper in 5 minutes. When the time is up, I stop and look at my errors. Not the correct answers or what I remembered but I only study what I got wrong or omitted. Then I keep repeating this until I learned all the summary sheets.

For higher order thinking skills I need to teach someone else so then the visual turns to auditory expression.

2.  Is there a second learning style that might also apply to you?

Kinesthetic learner – I need to be physically active. I believe today many young children do not get the necessary physical activity and that is why there is an increase in health issues.

I study with the music on sometimes and feel if there are no words in the melody it gives me more momentum to carry on.

3.  How would you adapt your instruction to accommodate all learners?

By incorporating all the different Multiple Intelligences in my lessons as this would benefit all learners. Instead of performing the same type of lesson from day to day, I would include outdoor activities, trips to the parks, in nature and museums. Role-play is an excellent way to bring empathy into teaching and look at another person’s point of view.

Experiential learning is also a great way to engage the learner. Apprenticeship is a time-test method that works. Co-op positions would be beneficial in hands on career choices. For hands on, I would bring the students into the lab on a regular basis. Have them do more exploratory (safe) lab procedures and brainstorm ways to design an experiment instead of just following a recipe approach.