scholarly journals Teachers’ Perceptions of Differentiation and the Struggle for Consistent Implementation

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicia D. Fordyce ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Lesson Plan ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Inclusive Classroom ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Teacher Understanding ◽  
Knowledge Implementation

A problem at three elementary schools in an Appalachian state was that some or all instructors were struggling to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom. Because differentiation is a research-based best practice, teachers should be consistently using this strategy to meet the varying needs found within the inclusive classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate perceptions of third- and fourth-grade teachers on their knowledge, implementation, and selfassessment of using differentiated instruction in classrooms in three elementary schools in one Appalachian state. The two research questions that guided this study asked how third- and fourth-grade teachers used differentiation to support all students and what perceived opportunities and struggles these teachers believed affected their ability to implement this strategy. Nine out of the 14 third- and fourth-grade inclusive teachers who volunteered were asked to participate in semistructured phone interviews and lesson plan analysis. Data were hand coded and analyzed using a spreadsheet to look for reoccurring categories and themes. Six themes emerged within the collected qualitative data to include ability grouping, technology, planning for differentiated instruction, professional supports, lack of training, and instructional support. With the findings, specific professional development was created to help the teacher more consistently use differentiation in the classroom. This study has positive social change implications because it might lead to a stronger administrator and teacher understanding of the perceived uses of differentiation as well as the perceived opportunities and struggles to fully implement the strategy.

scholarly journals TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS TEACHING WRITING USING WORD GAMES; THE CASE STUDY OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN SEMARANG, CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dias Andris Susanto ◽  
Maria Yosephine
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Lesson Plan ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Junior High Schools ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Central Java ◽  
The Way

This was a descriptive qualitative study which was done in 2017 at junior high schools in Semarang Central Java, Indonesia. This study focused on the teachers’ perception and teaching writing using word games. According to Chastain (1988) "writing is a basic communication skill and a unique tool in the process of second language learning" (p.244). The problem of this study was what are the teachers’ perception towards the word games used in enhancing the students’ writing skill? The sample of the research were 6 junior high schools’ students in Semarang central java, Indonesia. They were students of grade eighth at SMP N 8, SMPN 39, SMPN 36, SMP Institut Indonesia, SMP PGRI Semarang, and SMP Theresiana Semarang. A structured interview was kindly used as the instrument in collecting the data. The findings are; 1) Teaching writing is not easy and need to be creative to make students understand since they have to master the way hoe to organize a good paragraph or text. 2) Usually they do not apply any games in teaching writing since they got the material for granted. 3) Most of the teachers have known what word game is. Even they have applied it sometimes in speaking and vocabulary. 4) Teachers rarely do teaching English using word games by purpose. Especially teaching writing, teachers do not really pay attention on the current skill. 5) Even though some teachers do not really understand the way to use word games in the case of implementation but then, they are aware that students need a motivation in a space of teaching and learning process during filling the material. 6) Teachers like teaching writing using word games because word games can help them to motivate students in following the questions since the love playing while learning in the classroom. 7) teachers can motivate students to follow the lesson with fun, teachers easily follow the word games because it is equipped by the clear instructions, there are various word games which are related to teaching skills, word games are easily made/created by teachers based on the need of the lesson plan, word games are the simplest media to teach and long life. 8) word games which applicable to teach writing using word games are entitled broken sentence, mixed story, arranging sentence in a story, and getting occupation. The conclusions are The teachers’ perceptions towards teaching writing using word games are; teachers feel happy and fun during teaching writing using word games, teachers need more energy and time to maintain the word games, teachers should focus on the goal of writing mastery not the game itself, teachers should be creative in creating and organizing the word games, and teachers believe that word games are able to motivate students in following the lesson.  Key words: teachers’ perception, teaching writing, word games

scholarly journals ELEMENTARY STUDENTS’ CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS IN SCIENCE IN THE MALUKU ISLANDS, INDONESIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-89
Author(s):  
Marleny Leasa ◽  
John Rafafy Batlolona ◽  
Melvie Talakua
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Learning Improvement ◽  
Development Of Students

Learning that encourages the development of students’ creative thinking needs to be maximized since the level of primary education, including in the disadvantaged, outermost, and frontier regions that is referred to 3T areas (terdepan, terluar, tertinggal) in Indonesia is still categorized as underdeveloped that requires special attention. The main objective of this research was to diagnose students’ creative thinking skills for four components including fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration on students in the islands. The study was conducted on 161 students sitting in fourth grade from 6 elementary schools. The unique thing why this research was conducted because the research location was one of the Maluku Islands, which has abundant sea, air and land in terms of natural resources and is one of the areas that borders directly with Australia, so it can be predicted students’ creative thinking skills will be good. However, the analysis results report that students’ creative thinking skills were still very low and thus require comprehensive learning improvement to improve students’ creative thinking skills. It was hoped that good creative thinking skills of students will support better regional development in the future.

scholarly journals Creating a Democratic Culture in Managing Classroom Contexts of Disability – PART 1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg Alexander ◽  
Duma Mhlongo
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Lesson Plan ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Training System ◽  
Inclusive Classroom ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Democratic Culture ◽  
Democratic Classroom ◽  
Assessment Activity

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa ratified Education White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System- a policy document which made an explicit declaration to create inclusive classroom contexts within a targeted period of 20 years. Succinctly, this declaration has cast the year 2021, as a major social justice milestone for citizens with disabilities. The chapter strongly believes that this milestone deserves to attract both critical dialogue and empirical engagements as to determine the impact of the Education White Paper 6. Internationally, there are various policy guidelines available, in the quest to create a democratic classroom context with the objective of accommodating diversity, more specifically to address oppressive and non-inclusive disability contexts. The reader audience will be taken across various discourses on disability rights and literature readings responding to redress within the realm of the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation, among others. Before the chapter concludes, a reflective activity is provided; together with a practical assessment activity where the authors create a democratic culture-centric lesson plan meant to support teachers in their inclusive education quest to create ideal democratic classroom contexts.

Does Mobile Technology Have a Place in Differentiated Instruction?

2014 ◽  
pp. 132-149
Author(s):  
Therese M. Cumming
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusive Classroom ◽  
Limited Evidence

Although mobile technologies are relatively new, they have quickly become ubiquitous in education, despite a limited evidence base for their efficacy in instructional design. This chapter discusses differentiated instruction for the inclusive classroom and how this can be best accomplished using mobile technology as an educational tool. Using mobile computing devices such as the iPad in differentiated instruction has many advantages, but is not without challenges. Many of these challenges can be addressed using suggestions from previous research in the areas of differentiated instruction and educational technology. Future research is necessary to provide a solid evidence-base supporting the use of mobile technology with diverse learners in all levels of classroom instruction.

High-Quality Trade Books and Content Areas

2017 ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Carolyn A. Groff
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Lesson Plan ◽  
Informational Text ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Trade Books ◽  
Book Selection ◽  
Integrated Instruction ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Content Areas ◽  
Visual Learners

Integrating high-quality children's tradebooks into elementary content areas has long been considered a best-practice (Olness, 2007). When teachers choose to incorporate these texts into content area lessons, they are exposing students to art through the pictures and reaching an array of visual learners. Hoffman, Collins and Schickedanz (2015) state that teachers have difficulty discussing the concepts presented in the books. The goal is to strike a balance between the literacy skills and strategies needed to read the informational text, and the concepts that must be discussed (Hoffman, Collins & Schickedanz, 2015). In order to increase students' understanding, teachers must be able to successfully merge their book selection with a carefully scaffolded lesson plan (Fisher & Frey, 2015). This chapter presents a lesson plan template that assists teachers in planning for integrated instruction.

scholarly journals Investigating the impact of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) to help improve reading comprehension in low performing urban elementary schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 1571-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Vega ◽  
James Stanfield ◽  
Sugata Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Urban Elementary Schools ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In the United States, literacy rates vary between socio-economic groups, and this reading gap is also a common feature in the education systems of OECD member states. To help address this reading gap previous research has identified a number of teaching strategies that have a positive impact on student learning outcomes, including the use of peer collaboration and complex texts. However, the contribution of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning to help address the reading gap for students attending low performing urban elementary schools has, to date, received much less attention and little is known about the ability of young students with access to the Internet to read complex texts in groups and how this impacts on individual reading comprehension scores. This study therefore examines the impact of combining the use of complex texts, collaborative learning and access to the internet on the reading comprehension scores of 58 fourth-grade students (ages 10-11). The students met once a week for an hour over six consecutive weeks and read under the following three conditions: eighth grade level texts independently, eighth grade level texts in groups with internet access and fourth grade level texts in groups with internet access. Our findings demonstrate that groups of young students with access to the internet are capable of reading complex texts with minimal teacher intervention. We also believe that this approach has the potential to help students develop both their offline and online reading comprehension skills.

scholarly journals Unpacking the Relationship Between Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities and Differentiated Instruction Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-714
Author(s):  
Sally Wai-Yan Wan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Teacher Participation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: This exploratory study investigates the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities (PLCs) and their differentiated instruction (DI) practice in a Hong Kong primary education context. Design/Approach/Methods: Three subsidized primary schools participated in the study. A total of 121 teachers completed surveys regarding their perceptions of PLC engagement and DI practice. Findings: Using principal component analysis, three dimensions of PLC engagement were identified: student learning, reflective dialogue, and shared and supportive leadership. Two distinctive PLC engagement profiles were generated based on cluster analysis: high PLC engagement and low PLC engagement. Teachers’ PLC engagement profiles were correlated with their DI practices. Originality/Value: The findings have implications for fostering teacher engagement in PLCs. Increased teacher participation in PLCs has great potential for promoting the use of DI.

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