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This is a perfect resource for students who have trouble writing notes, need to review, or missed class. Teachers could attach a link for a particular lesson to your class website for students to review before class or before a test.

Hear Gay Su Pinnell detail strategies for Phonics Mini Lessons, which are designed to support effective and efficient delivery of phonics instruction to young learners. Fountas and Pinnell are renown in the field of literacy instruction. This tutorial is a valuable mini lesson for educators who are not fortunate enough to have participated in their workshops.

Edutopia is a great resource for lesson plan ideas and professional development. This article offers project-based learning opportunity for students learning simple circuits.

Note: The article is in English, although the page that shows the full article is written in Spanish. This article presents the idea that using screencasts and/or video lessons can help give students access to better instruction. The main idea of the paper is that to properly support students, one needs to be able to help answer questions in a timely fashion. As students study away from school, they tend to email questions to their instructors. I have noticed in recent years that emailed questions, although extremely relevant, can be unwieldy to explain via text. The article's text has the exact same conclusion (which is why it resonated with me the way it did) and makes the distinction that those same unwieldy or impractical 'text' solutions would be trivially answered if the student was face-to-face with the instructor. This concept, that face-to-face interaction is superior to all others, is the motivation for writing this paper. While screencasts and videos are not very interactive (for the most part), they are superior to simple written explanations (especially for complex or visual problems in science and math).

Wow! What a thoughtful analysis of the idea of using screencats and/or video lessons to support student learning.

This article discusses project-based learning in 6 steps. Ways to infuse technology into lessons.

Week 9: By Nicole Long A picture is worth a thousand words, and a tweet is worth... 140 characters? If one of the main incentives for Twitter in education was tapping into a student-centered resource, then the newest trend for 2015 should be Instagram for education. This blog gives teachers an inside view of using Instagram to create lessons and provide interactive learning.

A website for the Florida standards and resources to teach these across grade levels and subjects. This website can be used to research standards and find lesson plans that correspond. I was interested in simple circuits and came across this: http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/76115

Great site for practicing Spanish. Includes a voice recorder to help students improve their Spanish.

This is a video about using work group for students as a learning strategy. This teachers use of define roles for students in work groups is inspiring.

"In a jigsaw protocol small groups of students become experts in one section or text and hear oral summaries of the others. The protocol allows students to synthesize across texts and gain new understandings from their classmates about the topic as a whole."

EDTC615 FALL2018 My SMART goal is after one marking period of examining musical examples, 90% of students will be able to recognize musical notes and form. This protocol is going to have a high impact on the student learning because the students are able to discuss and dive deeper into their reading. I can apply this to my music class by handing students a piece of music and having them look for the form of the song and the musical notes. They then pair up with someone with the same song and go over the notes a form together.

Dimension: Student Engagement Rating: 4 - High engagement for most students I particularly enjoyed this strategy presented by fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Dauphinais. The highlights for me were the students engagement from the very beginning in stating the 'Learning Goal.' It's one thing for the teacher to know what the end-goal is, but it strengthens the activity when the student understands the "why." Having students become "experts" in their reading to then discuss details and main ideas in groups is a great recipe for reading comprehension. The students have the ability to hear different perspectives and everyone has a voice. I really enjoyed this. Author Daniel Venables challenges educators in his book, How Teachers Can Turn Data into an Action Plan to "do something different in the classroom" if one approach doesn't materialize student-learning (pp. 60). My gropu's SMART Target Learning Goal is for 75% of students will improve their informational text comprehension by 1 grade level. Dauphinais' 'Jigsaw' method is a fresh approach to literature instruction and could be a great tool for us to get the students to reach this goal. #EDTC615 #Spring2018

(Week 8: Amber, Angela, and Kenneth) The journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC Library. The journal article discusses the draw on the accumulated research to provide a framework for differentiating instruction. REACH is used a mnemonic device and is the type of framework that two teachers have developed which includes a comprehensive inventory and several practical strategies for using it. Teacher can use differentiating instruction to fundamentally find different ways to teach students with diverse and behavioral needs. REACH is an acronym for a charted course of action for developing the use of differentiated instruction. It means and highlights each as follows: "(a) reflect on will and skill, (b) evaluate the curriculum, (c) analyze the learners, (d) craft research based lessons, and (e) hone in on the data." (Rock, Gregg, Ellis, & Gable, 2008). It literally gives you "a step by step approach to introducing strategies and procedures for student with disabilities or general student the cognitive access to achieve their educational outcomes." (Rock et al, 2008). Both participating teachers have various needs and both need different strategies to differentiate their lessons. References Rock, M. L., Gregg, M., Ellis, E., & Gable, R. A. (2008). REACH: A Framework for Differentiating Classroom Instruction. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 52(2), 31-47. doi:10.3200/psfl.52.2.31-47 Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=0161de11-17f9-4ba4-86d0-eff88604e5e5%40sessionmgr4009

Two prominent methods for closing achievement gaps are discussed in this article: 1. increase district control over teaching and curriculum, and "minimum standard of instruction", 2. using teacher teams to develop curriculum and teaching methods. Because district control leads to set curriculum, methods, and assessments across schools, progress is easily measured. However, talented and creative teachers tend to feel less valued as educators, and more like tools of implementation. This could cause less effectiveness for having to fit lessons within such a strict construct. Teacher teams, or Professional Learning Networks, empower teachers for contributing to development of effective lessons. Educators tend to enjoy this approach, since it is more natural to teaching and learning, though it is difficult to measure what is being learned. Under district control, the focus can be on research based interventions, where measurement relies on teachers not straying from the mandated processes. Alternatively, it can focus on teacher learning, which would output teachers with similar goals, but who can draw from their own experience and knowledge. Mountain High School in Pleasantville, California, was divided into "learning communities" of around 80 students. Teachers were to serve as advisors, regularly contact families, collaborate with colleagues, and ELL and Special education students were divided amongst the communities. The teacher lack of experience with PDs showed, as they were more focused on student problems rather than ways to improve instruction. Teachers were also not used to contacting parents outside of problematic situations. It was also necessary to provide accommodations that help struggling students to strengthen the lacking skills that are preventing further growth. The proposed methods seemed sound, though implementation in the case study, was still problematic. The lack of success was potentially due to lack of understanding of what compris

(Week 9: Amber, Angela, And Kenneth) This article is accessible through the link given by accessing Diigo. This article discusses two methods for closing the achievement gap due to teacher collaboration. The article discusses how teachers can collectively have discussion that may identify and address the structural issues that are built into the school system. Teachers can use this article to begin to understand how their instructional practices can be hampered by systematic inequalities. The idea of all of this is for these "Collaborations to require and build trust, routines and skills for further collaboration efforts. This also means that the collaborators will need training in order to help them talk about issues of teaching and learning and critique each other's practice (Levine and Marcus, 2007). This would be useful for our practicing teacher because (1) They teach in different districts so there will be some disparities, (2) critiquing each other can be more helpful and a great learning experience. References Levine, T. H., & Marcus, A. S. (2007). Closing the achievement gap through teacher collaboration: facilitating multiple trajectories of teacher learning. Journal Of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 116-138. From http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ786607.pdf

(Week 7: Dave and Kristina) This journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC library. This journal article discusses the challenges that nearly all teachers face in classes where there they encounter students of mixed abilities. The article provides solutions such as 'provided specific activities for varying students', and notes that teachers with a 'positive attitude toward mixed abilities' correlate to more positive outcomes within their classrooms (Al-Subaiei, 2017). Teachers in our team can use this information because the problem of having students of mixed abilities is a ubiquitous one. It enlightens the reader that many teachers have not received adequate training regarding differentiation to provide effective lessons to classes that contain learners of mixed abilities. While Al-Subaiei (2017) doesn't offer solutions specific to any particular subject area, it certainly does shine a light and help teachers reflect on an issue that we all face to varying degrees. References Al-Subaiei, M. S. (2017). Challenges in Mixed Ability Classes and Strategies Utilized by ELI Teachers to Cope with Them. English Language Teaching, 10(6), 182-189. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1143456&site=eds-live&scope=site

(Week 8: Javon and Kim) I found this article on UMUC in the online Library. Traditionally, classrooms are not assessment-centered focus. Most often students take an assessment after learning specific content, but in an assessment-centered learning environment, the teacher and students have a road map for learning and is more positive. Author and Professor, Steven L. Turner, PhD., raises an article on creating an assessment-centered learning classroom. He does this by presenting PILOT -an acronym for an assessment strategy. PILOT Assessment Strategy P- Preassessment The purpose of Preassessment is to evaluate a student's knowledge about a particular subject that will be taught. Turner suggesting asking a series of questions to gain this information (i.e. "What is the student's current knowledge about this unit", "What students are interested in this topic?" etc.). Preassessment surfaces student thinking and information that helpful for teachers and those designing curriculum and assessments. I-Identify student strengths and areas of need (readiness) Identifying the areas where students are strong enables them to be more engaged in the topic. Students are also able to self-assess to identify where they presently are, become aware of their challenged areas, and what it will take for their progress. L-link differentiated classroom learning experiences to district standards and learning goals Linking the classroom learning experience to standards and benchmark testing have proven to be successful. Curriculum that links with the Common Core Standards - what students in K-12 should learn in language arts and math, strengthens foundational knowledge for students. O-offer multiple in-class assessment opportunities Offering multiple assessment methods allows the student to take control of their learning while putting them in the "driver's seat." Although this step could be time consuming it shows the student that the instructor cares and is conc

This site provided an article that looked into what the organization, Partners in School Innovations is doing to "not just close the achievement gap, but the teaching gap." Results from a survey are shared regarding average class sizes and the time spent teaching versus the time spent planning. The article provides a case study of a school that focused on instructional gaps and its results. This is a great read for administrators, policymakers and other stakeholders.

I realize this has more to do with achievement gaps than specific gaps within a single classroom, but it has been my experience that targeted instruction to support a few helps every learner in the room.

In the educational world of increased expectations and rising standards, teachers and school administrators understand the importance of closing the achievement gap. Project Star, a major longitudinal study of the effects of class size, discovered that reducing the number of...Read more ›

Increasing class sizes is a problem educators across America are facing. This article address how to counter this issue while still focusing on closing achievement gaps. One strategy mentioned is intentional small group instruction. Differentiating instruction by allowing high level learners move on independently while conducting mini lessons to those still struggling with a lesson, can help a teacher overwhelmed with class size.

Week 9: The article gives the top 10 evidence based teaching strategies research by Shaun Killian. These 10 strategies gives teachers steps to fine tune lesson plans and SMART goals for your DAP process. Shaun list these practices and gives a brief explanation for each practices. Most teachers care about their students' results, and if you are reading this article, you are undoubtedly one of them. There is no doubt that teachers make a difference to how well their kids do at school. For teaching strategies to be included on this list, they had to: Be supported by hard research, instead of anecdotal case studies or untested theories Have a substantially higher effect on student results than other teaching strategies Be able to be used on a wide range of subjects and in every year level

Response to Intervention's great promise is often undercut by the potential difficulty of implementation. However, evidence based teaching strategies are useful tools for the educator in a system that constantly changes as new theories and standards arise. This article gives an overview of the most effective teaching strategies, of which most can be fairly easily integrated into lessons. Some of the most intriguing strategies, are the ones that do not involve actions to take but an adjustment in teacher focus, such as nurturing metacognition and allowing flexible learning time.This serves as an effective reference and perhaps, reminder of good teaching methods, though a few specific examples would be all the more helpful. In the comments, the author offers a little more clarification about the strategies and their rankings.

This is a Slideshare presentation about color coding by Jugnu Agrawal and Gary Hoag. Research that supports color coding is provided as well as some strategies for different activities from organizational skills, to reading and writing. Teachers can follow some of these strategies to differentiate their lessons and add variety to a "traditional" lesson.

Week 8: Dave and Kristina This article is found by searching "differentiation" in the MEd Program Diigo. This article is mainly about how teachers need to continue to observed and held accountable for their teaching methods in order to best educate high-ability learners. According to VanTassel Baska (2012), "teacher effectiveness has been shown to be the main determinant of student progress." The author is of the belief that if teachers are continually observed, sometimes in an unannounced situation, that they will continue to teach using complex higher order behaviors and that this is the way that gifted students will learn best. Teachers in our group can use this article to understand the reasoning behind continual professional development and observation. Both of us teach gifted students in our classes and we need to remember that these students need to provide extended activities for these students and that we need to consider if our lessons include the use of higher level skills. Often time as teachers, we tend to focus more on the students that struggle academically but, we need to remember that our gifted students also need extra support as well so that they are able to grow as learners. References VanTassel-Baska, J. (2012). Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R. Gifted Child Today, 35(1), 42-48. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1177/1076217511427431