Differentiating Instruction

Welcome to my blog! My name is Kristen Scannell and I teach Middle School at a private Christian school in Massachusetts. I was born and raised in California and taught there for two years before deciding to move across the country and explore all the wonderful history and cultures that the East Coast has to offer. My degree is in History and that is where my passion lies. However teaching in a small Christian school means that I wear many different hats and get to teach a few different subjects. I am currently teaching 6th-8th history, 6th-8th math, and 8th Bible. Having seven different preps has really stretched me as a teacher and I have learned and grown in ways I would  not have expected. The downside to seven different preps is the fact that preparing differentiated instruction becomes more of a challenge, because not only am I differentiating for seven different classes, but for seven completely different subjects. I am very excited about the class I am in in my Master's program right now because it is all about differentiated instruction and if I am honest with myself that is not my biggest strength, but something that I want to develop. One way that I use differentiation in my history classes is when it comes to reading primary sources. I find primary sources as the best way for students to really understand what was going on in the period we were studying, the varying views and opinions that people had, the differing struggles people experienced, and so on. The problem with primary sources is that depending on how far we go back, the language they use is (in English) different than the way that we speak and write today. With the help of the ELA teacher I have developed groups based on students shown comprehension. When we are reviewing a primary source I first sit with the lower group. I read the document with them and point out words that I believe they would struggle with  and check for comprehension. Once we have finished the document and I have answered their questions, I leave them with the instructions to read over the questions and then with highlighter in hand to read through the document again. This is helpful because they know what they are looking for as they read again. With my middle level group, they know that they are to read the document through, then read the questions, and then read the document again with a highlighter. By the time I move on to their group, they are on the second reading usually with their highlighter. I then check with them on their understanding and see if they have any questions or words that they struggled with. By the time I get to my high level group they should have answered the questions in front of them and have begun working on another activity to do along with the reading that they have chosen from the list of activities provided. All of the groups have access to Kindles throughout this time were they can easily check a word or saying that they are unfamiliar with. This works well in the class and offers freedom to those who have already mastered the challenge of reading primary sources to expand their answers by choosing the activity they would like to complete as a group following the reading. In math, I always feel like my differentiating could be better, okay so I feel that way about every class, but if I don't always feel like I can improve than I am just stagnate in my teaching and that's never a good place to be. That being said, math is a subject that really heavily relies on differentiating and trying different approaches is a necessary. One thing I do in math class pretty much daily, is after having taught the lesson and done examples with the class and work with them, I then allow those who have demonstrated understanding to move on to their independent work. With those who are still struggling, which more often than not are the same few students, we gather together and either do a couple more examples or start doing the work together. I find this gives those who need extra help the help they need and those who have shown mastery the ability to move on and not sit listening to me drone on about something they understand. While these examples of what I do in the classroom are good beginning steps, I know that there is still so much more for me to learn and implement, which is why I am so thrilled for this class.

                                            (Exploring D.C. and sharing my passion for 

                                             history with my little cousins this summer)