Journal Reflection 7

            After mid semester, I learnt about differentiating instruction. My friends and I discussed it  because we worked in group. Then we divided the parts to be taken so that the other can  be focused for explaining the materials to the others. Then we have to present it in front of the class.

            Differentiating instruction responds to the prior knowledge of students and what they need to learn. Differentiating instruction also responds to the best way of learning and capitalized students’ interest. There are 4 characteristics of differentiating instruction. They are rigorous (providing some challenging instruction to motivate the students), relevant (focus on essential learning), complex (challenging the students in thinking and active learning for depth and breadth content), flexible and varied (Instructions that can be changing by giving a choice and opportunities for students to select a topic that they want to learn in greater depth).

            Differentiation is a two-step process: 1.) Analyze the complexity level of challenge in current instruction 2.) Modify, adapt or design new approaches to instruction towards students’ interest, need and learning preferences. Teacher might find diversities in the classroom such as cognitive abilities, learning style, readiness, learning pace, gender influences, cultural/ethnic influences, socioeconomic and family factor.

            However if teacher is able to find out students’ interest, teacher will be able to devise lesson and assignments that will motivate students. Students are also affected by family attitudes. If parents or adult value certain subjects are important then the students will also think the same (follows the adult’s thought). Confidence in learning is necessary to be highlighted for teacher. Students who are lack of confidences will tend to give on something easily. So, Teacher’s role is important in this case to motivate students and support them to learn better by giving opportunity to choose learning in subject that they like. Feedback and praising are also important to have students self-esteem and self-awareness risen.

            Differentiated instruction usually modify 3 fields, such as content, process and product. Content means the topic, concept or themes that will be presented to students. For differentiating content there are some consideration : 1.  Pre-assess students skills and knowledge then match with appropriate activities; 2. Giving students opportunity to learn subject in great depth; 3. Providing resources with varieties of complexity. Process is about how the teaching process going is. In process, teacher has to deal with students’ ability and learning style. Then, product is the result of learning. For example, drama, speech, report and so on.