Directions: This is for a STEM Education Course

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Directions: This is for a STEM Education Course. This is due within 30 hours! Must use original work. Answer each discussion post in 150 words and each response in 100 words, must be APA style.

 

Discussion Question 1: Differentiation is the intersection where instruction meets students. Differentiation in assessment is important to meet the needs of the diverse students in a classroom. Discuss 2-3 formative assessments teachers can use during instruction for a reference of student comprehension to quickly modify and adjust instruction.

 

Response 1: Stefanie wrote:

Formative assessments are assessments for learning, they check for understanding along the way to guide a teacher in their decision making about future instruction, help teachers to differentiate instruction based on what students need, and give students the feedback they need to improve their performance (Dodge, n.d.). Varying the types of assessments used within the classroom gives a more accurate picture of what students understand and know. Using at least one formative assessment daily give the teacher the ability to assess and evaluate the quality of the learning that is taking place within the classroom, letting them know how to help students on their way to mastery (Dodge, n.d.).

When looking to use assessments to differentiate instruction, teachers must use assessments as the source of information that it is, for both the teacher and the students, take the information that was learned from the assessment and create a high-quality corrective instruction as a response, and give students more than chance to demonstrate their success (Dodge, n.d.). Using formative assessments while in the process of teaching the information allows for teachers to know who needs their attention right now, who needs the information presented differently, and what students are not being challenged enough and therefore are not learning anything new because they have zoned out (Dodge, n.d.).

Entry slips and exit slips allow for teachers to see what students remember from previous classes. Exit slips can be sorted into three piles, students that got the point, sort of got the point, or ones that did not get it (Thomas, 2019). The question does not always have to be generated by the teacher, it can be as simple as asking students to write for one minute about what they think is the most meaningful thing they learned (Thomas, 2019). Example prompts are:

What are three things you learned, two things you are still curios about, and one thing you did not understand? (I really like this one)

How would you have done things differently today, if you had the choice?

What I found interesting about this work was……..

Right now I am feeling……..

Today was hard because……..

These sample prompts on exit slips do not allow for the teacher to adjust instruction on the fly but can give direction for the following day. These same questions may also be used on an entry slip about information from the previous day, allowing for the teacher to know where to concentrate that day and make any necessary adjustments.

Quizzes and polls given during calls allows for teachers to know what students really know and can give students a chance to use their personal devices when the quiz is created using Socrative, Quizlet, or Kahoot (Thomas, 2019). Using technology to the teacher’s advantage allows for teachers to analyze data on the student-by-student level and the class level. These technology apps also allow for teachers to design their own questions based on the data they are trying to gather.

Think-pair-share activities allow for students to think about the question and come up with their own answer and then pair with a classmate to discuss what they each think and their understanding of the information. Once each pair has had time to think and discuss, the information is then shared as a class. As this activity is taking place the teacher is walking around making notes about the understanding level of each student using a clipboard to take notes, a class list, or sticky notes so they know what student needs what additional help or what student is board and needs additional challenge.

 

Response 2: Jill wrote:

As shared by Laura Thomas (2019) in the article, “7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment”, formative assessment is a way to uncover what students understand while they are currently learning it. Formative assessments are best when they are quick and low-stakes as they can provide a clear picture of where students currently are in the process of obtaining knowledge and skills. Exit and Entry Tickets can accomplish this task. The format or platform of which Exit Tickets are employed can add variety and spur student engagement. A few of the recommended digital modes include utilizing Padlet, Poll Everywhere, and Google Forms. Traditional, paper Entry and Exit Slips/Tickets can also be employed in various ways including sorting student responses by the degree of comprehension.

Quick writes or sketches can be a way for students to share their knowledge in a creative and artistic manner. By asking students to draw/sketch a concept visually or write a note to a friend explaining a key topic can provide information concerning how well a student grasps course content.

The article provides numerous formative assessment ideas including self-assessment rubrics, interview questions recorded on FlipGrid and low-stakes quizzes and polls using Kahoot, Quizlet and Gimkit.

 

Discussion Question 2: What is one of the biggest obstacles when integrating cross-disciplinary subjects with differentiation?  How confident are you with integrating cross-disciplinary subjects with differentiation? Explain.

 

Response 1: Stefanie wrote:

 

Roadblocks to integrating cross-disciplinary subjects with differentiation include a lack of time, insufficient resources, no time to collaborate with others, creating resources is difficult, little access to differentiated materials, and a lack of training (McMahon, 2019). But, if differentiation does not occur, the only students that learn anything are the ones in the middle of the pack, low achievers are lost in the shuffle and high achievers are board with the content. Thinking about a classroom of 25 students, all with different needs, interests, and at different levels is overwhelming, especially because I have never taught before.

The classes that I have been able to take through GCU has helped me to replace some of that overwhelmed feeling with confidence because of all of the tools that I have found as I have done my coursework. The use of small group instruction, providing lessons with varying degrees of difficulty, and offering scaffolding lessons and activities allows for all students in the classroom to find a place where they fit in (McMahon, 2019). I think going into something that you know is going to be hard allows you to prepare better. Preparing means taking the extra time to put in the hard work because our students are worth it. It has been shown multiple times that integrating cross-disciplinary subjects with differentiation is hard, but it has also been proven that students are more engaged, they learn more across multiple subjects, and do better on state testing.

When a student is asked to complete a STEM project, it is way more than just a science experiment. Students work on their communication skills with their team, they work on their literacy skills as they research their topics, math skills are strengthened as data is collected and analyzed, and presentation skills and interacting with adults are strengthened as they present their final product to a mixed audience. Knowing how important the end goal is gives me the strength and perseverance to prepare to lead my class, which helps to build my confidence about giving them what they need to be successful.