Module 5 B Reflection

This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways…


Self- directed learners are individuals that like to have the information they need to complete an assignment and given free reign to complete the assignment without help other than that of the instructions and or rubrics and checklists. I have many of these students who come to my classroom weekly; they simply want to know what is expected and then take the project and run with it on their own. I also have some students who need steady reminders to stay on task and to make sure that they have the required information included in their project. Every student has a different style of learning and it is our job as teachers to reach all of the students.

The role of differentiation is very important because all of the students being taught will be different. Some students will be gifted and want to be challenged more than the other students or they will find the material boring and become disinterested. There will be some students will be special needs and require a little more attention and or modifications and accommodations to be able to perform the tasks the other children are performing. I do not have any of these students as I teach in a private school and we are not funded as public schools to be required to make accommodations. We do have a program (LEAP) for students with learning disabilities as well as students who are gifted but it is limited to ADHD, ADD, reading help, more so like tutoring and additional one on one time. It is also important to be as helpful as possible to those with a language barrier. There are products that can help them to better be able to perform in the classroom. We do have several ESL students but again being a private school we do not offer special classes for them though they do have access to the LEAP program as mentioned above. I have found they are like sponges and seem to catch on really quickly especially the younger ones!

Module 5 Reflection

This module has helped me think about student centered assessment in the following ways:


Student centered assessment is a great way to got the students in the classroom involved. If you can give the children a purpose for doing something they are more likely to "buy into it" and get excited about what they are doing. This will allow them to be more hands on and involved with their learning. The e Reader had a great recommendation for students as they assess to: Ask three questions, make two comments, and provide one suggestion. When students are involved in assessment they start to feel control over their learning and see themselves as successful capable learners. It is imperative to get students involved in the process. I teach elementary technology and we have projects based off of materials they are learning in the classroom so though I have a rubric we tend to share our projects and not necessarily give "peer feedback". I think this is something I am going to work on involving the students more.

The e Reader does mention that effective assessment requires careful planning and implementation. I know that I put a lot of time into assessing projects that my students do and obviously with that comes lots of planning. I really thing my students especially the upper elementary would love to be able to have more involvement in "grading" their projects. I like the idea of peer sharing that was first mentioned in this section of the e Reader. I could easily use the rubrics, checklist etc that I have already created and involve my students with that process more. I would ideally like to work into them helping create the rubric at the beginning so they know from the start what is expected and they have a hand in deciding what all has to be included. The more involved the students are the better!

Module 4 Reflection

1. How can the creation of a student sample help me clarify my unit expectations and improve my instructional design? 
2. How can I ensure students will achieve the learning objectives when creating their student projects?
   The creation of a student sample can greatly help me clarify my unit expectation and improve my instructional design. It enables me to to decide if the project requirements are appropriate for my students. It is also a great way to determine if the resources are readily available as well as tells me what content needs to be included into my lessons. It is ideal to know exactly what you want your students to know and know how you are going to have them demonstrate that they do indeed know the content. If I were to just create a project with instructions this is what needs to be included and maybe it not hit my objectives and I am teaching to the objectives there is a minor disconnect that the students are very likely to not know the answers because it was not covered throughout the unit. It is vital that the objectives match/ meet your requirements for the project itself. You want to be able to assess that the students do indeed know what you set out in the beginning for them to know. A way to ensure that the learning objectives are met by students when they create the project is to provide them with a checklist or a rubric so they know exactly what topics or information is being looked for. The whole idea is for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the content and objectives you have set forth in the unit plan and subsequently covered in lessons throughout the unit.
   
   
   I personally chose to have my students create a brochure to explain their knowledge of the solar system, stars, the moon, the sun and our earth. I created a checklist to ensure that all topics were included into the project.