Instructional Strategies
In my instruction, there are several components I implement on a daily basis: technology, differentiation, and critical thinking tools. Throughout the year I have developed instructional tools that aid my students' learning as well as incorporated critical thinking tools from the AUSL professional development sessions about thinking. In my classroom, I have a variety of learners so it is essential that I plan universally designed lessons for all learners as well as incorporate accommodation and modification strategies for my students with disabilities.
TPACK Framework
In the summer, I analyzed the TPACK framework in my technology class as a way of effectively integrating technology in my classroom. The TPACK framework analyzes Technological Knowledge as intertwined with Pedagogical Knowledge and Content Knowledge. In my VoiceThread, I described the things I would do in my classroom to apply the TPACK framework. One of those things was digital storytelling, and I implemented digital storytelling during History Fair by having several students create documentaries. As I reflect back on my VoiceThread, I see that there are many other possibilities of ways to integrate the TPACK framework such as visiting digital archives or using technology in presentations. I plan to use these in my classroom in the fall because as a 21st century educator, the use of technology is essential for student engagement and skill building.
Google Drive
One of the courses I taught this year was a sophomore seminar class that was research-based. Our students competed in the Chicago Metro History Fair, and I was part of planning the curriculum from start to finish. As a tool for students to create, revise, and share documents I launched the Google Drive system in our classroom. Many of my students were unfamiliar with Google Drive, and even after the introductory lesson I found that students still had trouble using the features. I created the above VoiceThread as a reference tool for my students to use when they needed assistance outside of the classroom. All 60 of my sophomore students successfully submitted project materials through the use of Google Drive. Three of my students have advanced to National History Day, and continue to use Google Drive for their project revisions.
| History Fair  For History Fair, I was the lead teacher in charge of the website projects. Most of my students had never created a website before, and the above student made it to State Finals and also won a prestigious award through the Chicago Metro History Education Center for her website about the Health Evaluation Referral Services in Chicago.
|
Sample student-created website for History Fair 2013
Critical Thinking Tools
Comparison Matrix
One critical thinking tool I have used this year is a comparison matrix. I used this matrix to expand my students' comparison skills. This specific comparison matrix was used to aid students in making their decision about the format they would use for their history fair projects. Prior to being introduced to this tool, I would have most likely just asked students to pick a format. Using this tool, students evaluated different aspects of each format, and based their decision off the information in the chart. The synthesis question in the last column required them to compare and contrast, and students specifically used the information from this column in their exit ticket where they identified which format they chose for their project.
Discussion Web
A critical thinking tool I implemented this year that was extremely effective in developing my students' critical thinking skills was a discussion web. Discussion webs are a literacy strategy that I revised to make effective for my students. One instructional strategy that I frequently use in my classroom is a fishbowl discussion. In the beginning of the year as seen in my lesson plan excerpts below, students typically organized evidence in their minds before presenting in the fishbowl. I found that students were not always to able to effectively keep track of their evidence to support their argument. The lesson plan excerpt from the spring shows how I broke the fishbowl activity into two parts: the preparation and the actual fishbowl. Students used the discussion web to plan their evidence and highlight sources. Once they gathered information, they had to evaluate it and write a conclusion which they used in the fishbowl. To increase rigor and push students' thinking, I sometimes assigned students a specific side of an issue and required them to find sources and evidence to support that side of the argument. Students did not always like this because it was a challenge for them especially if they felt strongly about the other side, but it pushed their inquiry and higher-order thinking.
Fall  | Spring  |
Differentiation
 In the fall, my differentiation for students with special needs consisted of basic level modifications and accommodations. These accommodations and modifications were not research-based, and were solely developed in my mind as a support strategy I thought my students would benefit from. |  In the spring, my differentiation for students with special needs grew extensively. I used research-based techniques from the Chicago Public Schools' OSES (Office of Special Education Services) website to find appropriate accommodations and modifications for my students with special needs. Through collecting data on my students and working as a team member at their IEP meetings, I found that my strategies were much more realistic and concrete. When looking at the scores of my students with special needs in the fall and spring, I see that their scores have improved in the spring which I attribute to my growth in feeling confident using research-based accommodations and modifications. I have also used many of the accommodations that I created for these specific students with other target students in my classroom. They have proven to be effective for other students in my class as well. |
