Curriculum Instruction and Learning Theory
ED 632
Overall Course Reflection
Throughout this course, I focused on reflecting on my teaching and thinking about how I can apply these ideas into my classroom. In the course, we used the textbook “Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to Reach and Teach All Learners”, by Diane Heacox. This text gave great tools for how to realistically incorporate differentiation into our classrooms. Differentiation is a buzzword that often gets thrown around, but it is hard to do in a way that doesn’t always feel disingenuous. One aspect that I am currently using in my classroom that was adapted from Heacox are the Pathways plans, where students are allowed to demonstrate that they have achieved mastery in different skills.
Some of the main assignments in this course related to learning styles and learning theories, and how we utilize them in our classroom. When I create lessons, I think about multiple intelligences to engage several learning styles as well as incorporating many other learning theories. These lessons incorporate tenets of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. I also reflected on different studies about student questioning throughout the literature review and research informing teaching assignment. I really appreciated these assignments, because I got to examine studies on a topic that I chose and reflect on how to include those into my classroom.
Course Artifacts
Heacox Reflection
For my first artifact, I discussed my review and reflections from Diane Heacox’s book, “Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to Reach and Teach All Learners”. Some of the main things that I discuss include tiered assignments, choice in assignments, and grading. In the slide on tiered assignments, I talk about how I plan to incorporate these into my classroom, as well as the importance of making tiering invisible. One of the things that scares me about differentiation was students feeling as though they are not on the same level as their peers. Heacox acknowledges this fear and gives tips for to approach this. With assignment choice, I reflect on how these assignments don’t have to be summative projects but can be used in a variety of different places throughout the unit. For grading, I appreciated the use of “Grades = Rigor” method of grading, especially for projects. Students who engage in more rigorous challenging work (Higher Bloom’s levels) should be rewarded. I incorporated this artifact because it showcases my thoughts on incorporating differentiation in the classroom.
(Creation time: 1.5 hours)
Choice Assignment-Learning Differences Game
This artifact was created as an activity for students to discuss the topics of diversity and learning styles. For this assignment, we were given a choice from a few different ways to showcase our learning from this course. I wanted to create an engaging activity for students, so I chose to create a “Activity Relay”. In the activity, students will play a variety of games that will help them to better understand diversity of learning among their peers. I chose this as an artifact because it showcases my ability to simplify complex topics and engage students in understanding how other students learn. In addition to engaging in activities, students will think and discuss how we can all use our understanding of different abilities and learning styles to help everyone learn better.
(Creation time: 1 hour)
Literature Review
This artifact is a literature review examining three different sources to explore how teachers can facilitate student questioning in the classroom. From using specific types of problems to spark discourse and engagement to follow-up questioning and linking, there are numerous strategies that educators can employ to encourage students to ask questions and engage in deeper thinking. Throughout this review, I examined in depth how these articles approach questioning and noted specific results that these authors published. I included this artifact because it demonstrates my ability to find, read, and parse articles, and give an overview of existing knowledge and key findings from research. I was able to use and apply this research to my teaching in the Research Informing Teaching paper.
(Creation time: 4 hours)
Research Informing Teaching Paper
For this artifact, I examined how teacher facilitation can promote student questions and inquiry in the high school math classroom. I examined articles that had been published and reflected on how I could include strategies in my teaching. One of the first strategies that I investigated was follow-up questions, and how teachers need to move beyond just asking “How did you do that?”. Some other aspects that I noticed in questioning research related to teacher press and linking, and how the research indicated that it is vital for teachers to make sure that learning is visible for students. I included this as an artifact because it demonstrates how I can use existing research and adapt it for students inside my own classroom. It is important for math educators to encourage students to ask more questions and engage in deeper thinking. The more students are able to engage with material at the deepest level, the more likely students are to develop a genuine interest and insight into the subject matter. This helps to promote both critical thinking, and mathematical exploration among students.
(Creation time: 3 hours)
Reflection on Learning Theories
My final artifact focuses on a variety of learning theories and how they are present in my classroom. While some are more prevalent than others, all learning theories exist somewhere in my classroom. While cognitivism aligns closely with my teaching philosophy, I recognize the importance of incorporating elements of constructivism and connectivism to foster student engagement and deeper learning. By using collaborative learning, problem-solving strategies, and leveraging technology, I can create a learning environment where students not only grow their math skills, but develop skills that will serve them beyond the classroom. While experiential learning and behaviorism currently play lesser roles, I now have more ideas how to further implement aspects of these theories that will serve my students. I included this artifact because it demonstrates my understanding of how different theories can help to meet the needs of all learners.
(Creation time: 3 hours)