Differentiation using Technology

Deliberately Removed

Department of Education, University of the People

EDUC5280: Instructional Techniques for the Secondary Classroom

Dr. Jolie Dorrell

March 16, 2023

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Differentiation using Technology

A dream of any teacher is a class of children who all are at the exact academic and socio-

emotional level. After some time in classrooms, it becomes evident that this is a scenario from a

sci-fi movie and not something to be expected in a real class. The learners develop various

learning styles in every general education classroom. We are all different: some people learn best

by reading and writing, while others like to watch an instructional video, listen to a recording, or

learn by performing tasks. Differentiated education is a method of teaching that incorporates

various learning styles. Differentiated instruction teachers tailor their lessons to their student's

learning styles. All learners have the same academic goals, but the method of instruction varies

depending on how the learner learns best.

Differentiation or Personalized Instruction?

Instructors employ a variety of strategies rather than a single method for all students. This

involves instructing learners in small groups or in one-on-one sessions. Tucker (n.d.) suggests

that for differentiated purposes, the following factors be considered: (1) Content, the teacher

needs to determine what the learner needs to learn and what resources will assist him in doing so;

(2) Process, how it is better to be delivered - auditory, kinesthetic, or visual channels, involving

affective domain; (3) Tasks, the teachers should carefully choose tasks that will assist students to

make meaning of what they learn; and (4) The learning environment, which is essentially how

the classroom "feels", how students collaborate, how they work, and overall accepted norms.

Differentiated instruction "rethinks" the typical classroom by giving students alternative ways to

receive knowledge, make sense of ideas, and articulate what they learn. This abandons the

emphasis on personalized education, which teachers discovered made crafting an individual

learning plan for each student in the class impractical. Differentiated instruction, on the other
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hand, employs a variety of learning modalities but does not necessitate an individual strategy for

each student. Every individual child has varied ways of accessing the same content. This

improves the effectiveness of the learning experience.

Google Classroom as a Differentiation Tool

The following is described in accordance with this written task, which asks for the

construction of a differentiated activity for any curriculum area in the social sciences utilizing at

least one form of technology: the activity focuses on the jigsaw model, which stimulates

interaction in groups, where each person becomes a specialist in a section of the final

assignment, so that, like a puzzle, each person's work is essential for compliance with general

work requirements (Morreta, 2012). The lesson is planned for grade six students in their global

perspectives subject. The lesson is built to develop students’ research skills which is one of the

six skills the subject focuses on: analysis, collaboration, communication, evaluation, reflection,

and research (Cambridge Assessment, n.d.). The task is differentiated using Google Classroom.

Following is the outline of the lesson.

Class: G6 Yellow

Subject: Global Perspectives

Focus of the Lesson: Global Warming

Lesson Plan:

Grouping: Students will be grouped with mixed abilities. Roles are assigned to each child

according to the Jigsawing method.

Assigning the task: Students learn the topic of the lesson. Each group is given a facet of

the Global Warming: how does it happen in terms of chemistry (causes); how does it work in
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terms of economy (leading to the notion of demand-production); how does it work in terms of

society (different social movements); how does it work in terms of environment (effects); and

representation of the idea in art (movies, pictures, paintings, photography, novels, poems, etc.).

Each group uses their research skills to create a substantial picture of their part. Students work on

Google Docs in Google Classroom. Using Google Classroom allows one to represent products in

a wide variety of ways including voice recording, uploading pictures from the internet or their

own pictures, inputting the text using the speech-to-text feature, “reading” texts using the text-to-

speech feature, and organizing their learning in a variety of charts, graphs, etc.

Sharing: Once students collected information and arranged it for presentation, groups

take turns discussing their facet with the rest of the class. Students put together all their

information and develop one work together as a class.

Closure: Students reflect on what they knew about Global Warming and what they know

now. Usually, the bigger picture makes many real-life situations clearer.

Why Google Classroom?

According to EduGains (2010), a differentiated activity must: (a) provide cautious use of

space so that desks and tables can be easily and quickly grouped in various configurations; b)

provide spaces where students can work only if they prefer; c) have several tools: a classroom

library, eye-catching objects, and images; d) clear directions for group and individual tasks; e)

appropriate use of technology; f) a welcoming and appealing environment; g) agreement among

all students on how to work and learn together; h) guidelines where all students know what is

expected of them in their learning and interaction with others; j) teacher assistance; k) different

learning options for students; and l) a place where all students respect and value individual

differences. The activity on Global Warming is appealing and engaging to pupils since it
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incorporates a variety of abilities and intelligences, including verbal intelligence, visual-spatial

intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and naturalistic intelligence.

The role of technology in this activity is very positive because it helps students increase their

creativity and reasoning capacity, helps students learn to use new technologies responsibly, it

improves technical skills, and it prepares them to function more easily in an increasingly

technological world. Furthermore, learners are more collaborative with one another and put out

more effort to study; one of the most essential advantages is that they understand the subject

given more quickly, and it is more easily adaptable to students with special needs (The impact of

technology in education, 2017).

Conclusion

To summarize, I believe that one of the challenges or limitations of the differentiated

activity or the incorporation of technology may be a lack of training for teachers to take

advantage of modern technological resources and incorporate them into their classes, a lack of a

good internet connection in the educational center, and the financial outlay that the center must

make to incorporate new technologies in its classrooms. But once this hurdle is overcome, the

benefits of technology will take our students to new heights.

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References

Cambridge Assessment International Education. (n.d.). Which skills does Cambridge Primary

Global Perspectives cover and how are they measured? Cambridge Assessment.

https://help.cambridgeinternational.org/hc/en-gb/articles/360000048338-Which-skills-

does-Cambridge-Primary-Global-Perspectives-cover-and-how-are-they-measured-

The impact of technology in education. (2017, November 23). Aula1.

https://www.aula1.com/tecnologia-en-la-

educacion/#:~:text=Algunas%20otras%20ventajas%20de%20la,una%20mayor%20flexib

ilidad%20de%20horarios

EduGains. (2010). Student success: Differentiated instruction educator’s guide.

http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesDI/EducatorsPackages/DIEducatorsPackage2010/2010

EducatorsGuide.pdf

Morretta, M. (2012). A Jigsaw-type task. https://marcoele.com/descargas/15/morretta-

competencia_gramatical.pdf

Tucker, C. (n.d). Differentiated Instruction: What You Need to Know.

https://www.understood.org/es-mx/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-

approaches/educational-strategies/differentiated-instruction-what-you-need-to-know