You are well on your way to completion now, and you should be able to see your finished unit taking shape in your unit plan. Make sure you are in the right module post – remember I am posting advance for a few weeks.
Reflect on how the focus of this module has helped you think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation.
4 responses so far ↓
1
rita chiodo
// Oct 22, 2009 at 3:03 am
How can I help students become self directed learners? Too often we (me) focus on content rather than the skills involved in becoming a ’self directed learner’ I liked the example given by the teacher who uses the ‘self directed checklist’ for students to use. This helps students stay focused and clearly identifies what is involved in their learning and reflect what is required to be a better learner. Setting clear goals and reflecting how well these have been met is important. Reflecting on time management, seeking feedback from a variety of sources and self reflection & learning from ones positive and negative experiences is vital in order to be a better learner. I also like the idea of students forming new self directed goals once they have completed a task and are able to reflect on their learning and establish new ‘self directed ‘goals based on earlier checklists.
How can I support the diverse needs of learners? It is important to understand the different learning needs of individuals. Adjusting what students need to learn and how to access the information is vital. Working with staff (eg.SSO’s) who has the expertise to assist in this area is vital. Having taught many students with special needs I am always guided by their knowledge specifically of the student’s needs & appropriate changes made to:
• How to access the content/information being taught. A variety of options need to be offered (working on a one to one basis, DVD’s, websites ,books , audio books, working in groups or pairs, working closely with integration aide, online discussion.) Being a mainly practical subject has its challenges; however there is always a way to ensure that a student can learn.
• Different ways of approaching content-modify accordingly to ensure success.
• Demonstrate what they have learned in a variety of ways-be flexible in the manner that the learned content is presented. In my subject area (arts) it could be it could be a one on one discussion with the student for example or working in pairs to demonstrate that content has been learned .The student can demonstrate in a variety of ways what they have learned about their selected artist.
• Offer a variety of learning environments – Quiet places, areas for interaction/discussion with others (classroom, online etc.)
• Student reflection on their learning is also vital. Using a check list is a good tool.
Most teachers do address the many different needs of students with special needs, but how we help them become more self directed learners is something that I need to give greater focus to in my teaching.
Appropriate scafolding so students become confident and independent learners is very important.
This module has given me much to think about and plan for in my unit.
2
Leanne Sittampalam
// Oct 27, 2009 at 12:33 am
Looking at trying to create a learning environment the is self-directed is a challenge to us all. I strongly believe that if a student can become more self-directed they are more likely to be engaged and taking responsibility for there own learning. Long term it fosters a deep love for learning. It is something that has to develop early. I see a role for our Primary School teachers to encourage this style of learning. Our 5/6 Unit this year has introduced this style of learning under the name ‘Discovery Time’. Students have roughly grouped into areas for ease of supervision in areas such as IT (Game Maker), Art, Film making, Drama. The quality of some of the work is said to be amazing. Our Student Action Teams follow this style of learning. It however looks like organised chaos. The same students will also disengage, no matter what is offered. Providing checklists and conferences is an important step.
We are all faced with our children with special needs. We as teachers don’t generalise our students. We all consider their individual needs. For me as a specialist, I work closely with classroom teachers and SSO’s to provide the best opportunity for all students. Gifted students are encouraged to make further observations and links. There is supporting material to consolidate and extend their knowledge. With my Science classes being predominately hands on, I will often modify or work with SSO’s to act as scribes for some students or act as a lab partner. The importance of allowing enough reflection time so that the task can be put into prespective and relate to the Unit questions. I am very conscious of providing learning opportunities in all learning style. In Science we do it automatically; providing for visual, auditory, tactile and kinetic(is that what they call it- movement). An Educational Psychologist once told me after diagnosing my eldest some with STAM that the information is not going to get into his brain by osmosis. With some students it has to be very deliberate teaching.
3
Lois
// Nov 13, 2009 at 9:34 pm
This module has made me re evaluate and review my unit of work in terms of self directed learners and the role of differentiated learning.
I have needed to reflect on whether I have optimised self directed learning for the students during their project based learning. There is a definite correlation between project based learning and self directed learning.
Self directed learning is a way of thinking about student learning that drives teaching practice ie a focus on how the students are learning, what they experience and how they engage in the learning context. Self directed learning also focuses on student outcomes rather than teaching. For self-directed learning, I have had to shift my teaching style from one of “filling the bucket” (dispensing information) to “lighting the candle” (planning learning activities via project based learning using technology) activities facilitate self directed learning. By empowering students to become more self directed and in doing so, enables them to develo and practice the skills necessary for 21st century learning.
Differentiated learning recognises the fact that we have a diverse student population and enables teachers to teach students of varying abilities on one class. The content should be broad based but the complexity should be adapted to students’ learning styles. We can vary the presentation of content ie visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc and technology (eg wikikis, blogs, etc) allows this to happen more easily. Activities in which the student engages to make sense of the content is also important. Examples include scaffolding, flexible grouping, interest location areas, varying the length of time and encouraging an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater length.
4
aadamsau
// Nov 14, 2009 at 10:07 pm
It has been a very interesting module. Like Lois the module has had me re-evaluate my unit and I have seen gaping holes. I realize I am very content driven ( filling the bucket) and therefore I had not included more student centred activities that encouraged self directed learning. I too believe that if students are more self directed they are more engaged in the learning process and are less likely to cause behavioral problems in the classroom. I also have to admit that often the work for students with special needs or gifted students is adhoc, done on the run, rather than prepared before hand. This unit has reminded me that I need to incorporate them into my planning. Leanne’s point about having enough time for reflection I also find important. When I am in content mode it doesn’t happen and I suspect that
the students therefore not only don’t get supported as self directed learners, but that they do not feel any continuity through the unit apart from the topic. Without reflection they do not see where they have come from; there isn’t any sense of achievement and learning apart from their marks.
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