What is differentiated instruction?

The reading What Is Differentiated Instruction? by Carol Ann Tomlinson (2000) claim that teachers must differentiate content, process, products or the learning environment in order to create  the best learning experience and that every single student success in the class. 

According to the author '' Differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom''.

4 Main ideas of the article and examples of them:

- Differentiation content: Using reading materials at diferent levels, Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means, Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea...

- Differentiating process:Providing interest centers, Developing personal agendas, Offering manipulatives or other hands-on supports for students who need them.....

-  Differentiating product: Giving students options of how to express required learning,  Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels, Encouraging students to create their own product assignments...

- Differentiation learning environment: Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings, Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs....

5 Key Expressions:

1. Differentiation
2. Content
3. Learning environment
4. Tiered activities
5. Interest centers

This is one of the most helpfull readings of the practicum III. It is obvious that to plan a project or a lesson, we have to think  in all the students in class and in the different necessities that our students may have. And here we can fins a lot of examples or resources to develop it.

How dialogue with teachers helps children learn

The reading from Mercer, N. & Littleton, K. (2007) Dialogue and the Development of Children’s Thinking. talks about the importance of dialogue and how this can help our pupils to learn. The author claimed that questions is the most important part of a classroom because kids can express their ideas and also how teachers guide the pupils.


3 Main ideas of the article and why they are important for me:

-Ask children to verbalize their options: It is co common in class that just few students talk or that they don't know how to tell the class what are they thinking. It is important as teachers to underline the 

-The dialogue with the teacher enables students to appreciate the aim of the activities and how these activities make sense within a meaningful sequence: If the students understand why they are doing something then it will become meaningful and they would learn from it.

-They use dialogue to effectively establish and maintain a collective IDZ for the duration of an activity: When they are talking and expressing their opinions they aresharing with the rest of the class and that creates a feeling of group and a good atmosphera.

5 key Expressions:

1. Community of enquiry.
2. Dialogic teaching.
3. Scaffolding.
4. Intermental Development Zone.
5. Meaningful questions.

This reading helped me to understand better the importance of askkng kids. We worked on this with our practicum teacher at her subject and I think this is the best way to discover their previous knowledge.

BUTXACADES

The main idea in this reading is that it is a self reflection from a teacher of English who is having problems with her daily life class. She was having some problems at school regarding to students, she was frustated ans she was having missconceptions that did not help her to manage the class.

The main point of the article were the question we made out of it:

• What happens when you are in class and the class is not doing what you want?.
• What can you do to prevent this situation? What you can improve or what you can change?.
• Which one is the attitude we should show?

3 Main ideas of the article and why they are important for me :

• You can prepare the classes but if they are not as you expect you need to keep going.
• As a teacher you always need a plan B.
• Your pupils need to enjoy while learning and so you when teaching.
• It is important to be always updatet and never stop learning.

The Integrated Nature of CLIL: A Sociocultural Perspective.

The  article wants both to explore the integrated nature of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and to advance a more in-depth understanding of this integrated relationship from a sociocultural perspective.

3 Main ideas of the article and why they are important for me:

- Learning within a community can thus be regarded as a process of ‘appropriation: As a human beeings we need a community to understand us and to learn what is meaningful for us.

- The integrated nature of content and language integrated learning (CLIL): “to provide learning outcomes in the chosen subject … at the same level as the standard mother tongue curriculum; and, to provide learning outcomes in the L2 which exceed the standard curriculum” (Masih, 1999:8)."

- Integrated relationship from a sociocultural perspective: This means that one subject that is leaning from the society. He will become dynamic, interactive, thinking active through the guidance of the teacher and the relationships of his sorroundings.

5 Key Expressions:

1. Mediating the construction of knowledge and understanding.
2. Sociocultural pedagogical model for CLIL.
3. Exploratory talk.
4. Social nature of learning.

 Personally, I think that this reading it is better to read it in the middle of the semester, because it is a good way to learn about CLIL and to meditate about what we have been learning before.