EDU673 All Weeks Discussions

EDU673 Week 1 Discussion 

Dq1

Key Principles of Effective Differentiation. Analyze the five key principles of

effective differentiation and discuss which of the five will be the most difficult for you to embrace with a “fluid” 11 or “growth mindset.” What are the obstacles you see that will inhibit implementing the principles in your current or future educational setting? Which of the five is the easiest to accept? Why?

Guided Response: Review at least two of your classmates’ postings and suggest ways that may help them change their fixed mindset about the principle that is difficult for them to embrace. Share examples from your own educational experience that address any of the five principles. 

Dq2

Educational Neuroscience. Educational neuroscience is an exciting new discipline that brings together research from psychology, neuroscience and pedagogy to help educators make the best curriculum, instructional and assessment choices for effective learning. Locate an article in the Ashford Online Library that investigates findings from cognitive and neuroscientific research. Provide a brief summary of the article and explain how the findings could be translated into what educators do in schools and classrooms. Do the findings support differentiated teaching and learning? Why or why not?

Guided Response: Review at least two of your classmates’ postings and analyze the connections they have made between the research findings and what educators do in schools and classrooms. Do you agree or disagree with their suppositions? Why or why not? Relate the findings to your own. 

EDU 673 Week 2 Discussion (dq1+dq2)

Dq1

Fluid and Fixed Mindsets. Souza and Tomlinson (2011) explain, "Mindsets are the assumptions, expectations, and beliefs that guide our behavior and our interaction with others"(p. 19). A teacher's mindset is of utmost importance in the differentiated classroom. Think about your least favorite teacher and consider what their mindset must have been. Share how you felt in the class and how the teacher's mindset affected your own well-being and academic success as a student. How did this teacher’s mindset affect his or her teaching? What advice would you give this teacher to help change his or her mindset? Or, think of your own mindset and how it affects the students in your classroom. Do you have a fixed or fluid mindset? Are there areas where you need to improve or change your mindset? What specific strategies can you implement to make your teaching more effective?

Guided Response: Review at least two of your peers’ postings and analyze how their suggested mindsets will meet the social-emotional needs of their students. How will they become more empathetic? Identify and reinforce a student's competence? Give students a sense of ownership? Address fear of failure and humiliation? Extend their thinking by asking them to clarify their thinking, provide examples, and/or elaborate further. 

Dq2

1. Effective Differentiated Curriculum. Visit the Discovery Education: Lesson Plan Library website and locate a lesson plan that represents the grade level and subject area you are teaching or are interested in teaching. In your discussion, post a link to the lesson plan that you have selected. Next, answer the following:

1. Is the lesson constructed so students will be consistently aware of what they should know, understand, and be able to do? Provide examples from the lesson to support your answer. If the lesson plan is not constructed in that manner, how will you change it to make students consistently aware of what they should know, understand and be able to do? Provide examples of the changes you would make.

2. Does a substantial portion of the work assigned help students make meaning of what they are trying to learn? Provide examples from the lesson to support your answer. If the work assigned does not help students make meaning, how would you change the assignments? Provide examples of the assignments you would modify.

3. How does the work that the students are asked to do support them in becoming thinkers and problem solvers? Provide examples from the lesson to support your answer. If the work does not support students in becoming thinkers and problem solvers, how would you modify the assignments? Provide examples of your modifications.

Guided Response: Review at least two of your peers’ lesson plans and discussion postings. Are the lesson plans engaging, aligned and authentic? Analyze their examples and modifications to ascertain if the lesson will support students in becoming thinkers and problem solvers. Ask your classmates to clarify any confusing elements of their posting and extend their thinking by offering suggestions for additional lesson modifications. 

 

EDU 673 Week 3 Discussion  

Dq1

Effective Assessment. Provide an example from your own classroom or from your past educational experience of effective assessment. What elements made it effective? Did it lead to improved teaching and learning? Why or why not? What was its overall purpose? Next provide an example ofineffective assessment. What elements made it ineffective? What were the results of the assessment? Did it hinder your learning? Lower you confidence as a learner? Change your motivation?

Guided Response: Review at least two of your peers’ postings and extend their thinking by asking them to clarify any points that may be vague or unsubstantiated by providing an example or an illustration of their point. Offer a solution or modification to the ineffective assessment that could have changed the outcome for them. 

Dq2

Summative Assessment. There are two types of summative assessments, those that assess rote-knowledge skills and those that assess higher-level executive functions. Using the information in your text and from your own educational experience, develop an argument that supports the use of both types of summative assessments. Explain and defend the appropriate use of each type of assessment. Finally, express your opinion on the use of high stakes testing (tests attached to funding) to assess rote-knowledge skills on a national scale. Is the assessment valid? Is it appropriate? Does it increase student learning?

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers’ postings explaining why you agree or disagree with their position. Extend their thinking by offering possible solutions to assessing a student's overall performance. 

 

EDU673 Week 4 Discussion  

Dq1

Student Readiness. After reading Chapter Five of the course text, create a checklist of the nineteen guidelines for differentiating curriculum in response to student readiness as a separate document. You can group the guidelines in whatever way makes the most sense for you. You are creating the checklist to keep as a tool for use in your current or future classrooms. Once you have created the checklist, upload the document in the Doc Sharing tool in the online classroom (please see the Course Materials section of the online course for a brief Doc Sharing video tutorial). In the discussion post, identify which five guidelines will be the most difficult for you to follow and explain why. Choose an additional five guidelines that will be the least difficult for you to follow. Explain why. Include an example of how you will implement the strategies suggested in those guidelines.

Guided Response: Review at least two of your peers’ postings and analyze the respective checklists. Offer any strategies you have found for overcoming the stated difficulties in following the guidelines. Include examples of curriculum or activities that align with the guidelines. 

Dq2

Student Interest. After watching the talks by Sir Ken Robinson (TED Talk – Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity, and TED Talk – Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the Learning Revolution!), answer the following questions:

1. Does differentiation make the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher? Why or why not?

2. Describe a time when you were working on something or learning about something and it felt like time

   flew by. How will you create that same experience for students?

3. How will you identify potential high-interest areas in your subject?

4. How will you build interest-based options in your curriculum?

Guided Response: Review at least two of your peers’ postings and extend their learning by asking them toclarify their point of view, provide examples or evidence. Share an insight or something you learned from reading your peer's posting or from the videos.

 

EDU673 Week 5 Discussion  

Dq1

Learning Style Debate. The four aspects of learning profile are controversial. Highly respected researchers argue vigorously for the existence of cognitive styles or intelligence preferences. Other noted psychologists argue that the construct of cognitive style or intelligence preference makes little sense in terms of learning. In this discussion, we will briefly debate the validity of both arguments. First, find yourassigned “Debate Group” below.

Debate Grouping (by first letter of last name):
A-L: For cognitive styles or intelligence preferences

Debate Process:

M-Z: Against cognitive styles or intelligence preferences

Using the information in the course text and from additional sources in the Ashford Online Library, develop an argument that supports your assigned side and post it to the discussion. Then respond to at least one peer from the opposite group with a critical evaluation of his or her argument. Propose one or more counter-examples to highlight weakness of the disputed argument, or ask for additional evidence to support the viewpoint. Finally, post your own (personal) opinion based on the arguments, research and your own experience(s). Explain what you believe is the best way to differentiate for cognitive styles or intelligence preferences. 

Dq2

Culture and Gender. Share with your classmates how you believe your own culture and gender influence your teaching and learning. Do you believe your gender served as an advantage or a disadvantage in your own academic experience? How about your culture? Explain how you will account for the ways in which gender may affect your students’ learning. How will you adapt your teaching so that your classroom will be a good fit for students from all backgrounds?

Guided Response: Response to at least two of your peers’ postings and extend their thinking by offering other possible ways to adapt their teaching. Extend their learning by sharing an example from your own academic experience that was influenced by your gender or culture. 

 

EDU673 Week 6 Discussion  

Dq1

Orderly-Flexible Learning Environments. Our text describes four kinds of classroom environments that stem from teacher management beliefs and styles. Orderly-flexible learning environments are most likely to support differentiated instruction. Choose one of the following three kinds of classroom environments:

1. Dysfunctional learning environments

2. Adequate learning environments

3. Orderly-restrictive learning environments

Provide an example for your classmates. You can find a video that shows the environment and post the link, create a case study scenario that describes the environment, or you can relate an actual classroom from your own academic experience that employed the environment. Next, describe the skills the teacher will need to learn to change to an orderly-flexible learning environment. Lastly, reflect on the skills you will need to develop in order to maintain an orderly-flexible learning environment.
Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers’ postings by analyzing their description of skills. Extend their thinking by proposing ways to implement the skills. 

Dq2

Personal and Professional Growth. As you reflect on this course, what assumptions about differentiated instruction have been confirmed? Have others been challenged? Which? What steps will you take to modify your teaching strategies now or in the future? What specific goals will you set for becoming a more academically responsive teacher? What do you believe is the best piece of advice you can give yourself and others when it comes to differentiated instruction?

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers’ postings and extend their learning by offering advice on how to successfully differentiate instruction. Extend their thinking by asking them to clarify any ideas that are confusing to you. Offer steps or strategies to help them achieve their goals for becoming a more academically responsive teacher. Provide them with words of encouragement.