How are you teaching future teachers to differentiate?

[Brian Wojcik]

To get things started...lets talk about different strategies that are being used to help future teachers in teacher education programs learn to differentiate instruction for diverse learners...especially using technology.

[Samuel Charles Sennott]

This week, I saw the power of meeting teachers in training where they are at. I have the enormous privledge of being able to teach two SLP graduate assistants that serve in the classroom program I lead.

Showing them how to digitize books into PowerPoint, a program they know, helped them not only master that, but easily be able to transfer the skills to Intellitools Classroom Suite. Before we knew it, they were able to use both for the ebook creation!

[Valerie Laird]

Linda Schleef from Western Washington Unversity and I do a conference session called Multimodal Technologies and Universal Design for Learning. In this session we talk about what UDL means and ways to apply it to everyday instruction using technology. Most good teachers already use these concepts in their teaching although sometimes without doing it intentionally; this is just a matter of changing the mind set to doing this conciously. Also in this session we talk about technology tools that lend themselves perfectly to UDL principles (specifically show examples using Clicker, however this is not the only tool we mention). We stress as well the importance of incorporating different modalities that include rich audio/sounds/music, varyied styles of graphics and digital images, animations or movies where appropriate, etc. The activities we show and things most focused on are multiple examples, flexible models of skilled performance, ongoing and relevant feedback adjustable levels, and choice (early buy-in to the activity by the student(s)). If anyone would like a copy of the presentation (although it does not include our talking points) please feel free to contact me and I will email it to you. I can be reached here or my email address is [e-mail].

[Brian Wojcik]

Valerie,

Wow! This sounds like a great conference session...I would be very much interested in a copy of the presentation...or we can post it to the ning, if you would like. Better yet, I'd love to see the presentation for real... :)

Brian

[Debra Bauder]

Valerie,
I am new to this discussion. However, your presentation sounds very interesting. I hope you are still willing to share. My email address is [e-mail] Thanks,

[Valerie Laird]

Hi Debra,

Most definately. I will email it to you. Please know that it does not include our talking points only the powerpoint slides itself. I think you will see where we are going on each page even without our talking points.

[Darlene Brodbeck]

I think it is important to get the materials in the hands of the teachers so that they can see the amazing things that you can do with technology (low tech to high tech) to assist students without reinventing the wheel. From using the simple tools within standard programs such as auto summarize in Word to using programs, such as Clicker, where you can create a template and scaffold the supports for the unique needs of the students. We are fortunate to have a wide variety of tools on the market available to assist us with this process. Currently, I am teaching a graduate level class and have contacted vendors to obtain demo disks and materials for my students. This has been very well received. The students can hear about the features of various programs and use them in the lab during class and then explore the software demos when they have more time to digest the material and actually use it with students. Based on the feedback that I am receiving, they are exploring the demos Due to the generousity of the vendors, I have been able to present them with new materials each week to cordinate with the topic we are covering i.e. writing, reading, access. They look forward to their little gifts each week.

Through this process, they can learn how to differentiate the instruction using a varity of tools as well as becoming more knowledgable about the options available in resources that they already have access to and what to look for when making purchasing decisions.

Val - I would love a copy of your presentation.

Darlene

[Brian Wojcik]

I completely agree! Hands-on access to these products is vital for concept development. Without the hands-on access, students are left to wondering about how the product 'feels' when it is used. I would love to see a greater partnership between the industry and colleges to provide access to the tools to in order for the pedagogical skills of using those tools to be developed.

[Valerie Laird]

With so many products and tools produced today it is difficult to keep abreast of everything available, let alone learn how to use them; so it is sometimes necessary to make a selection of products that meet the most needs to focus on, plus provide resources for self study and exploration of more specialized applications. Technology is continually advancing and evolving and one way to help stay on top of new developments is to engage in meaningful relationships with vendors you respect. Demos are a great resource and can serve a good purpose but sometimes are limited. Another way to make good use of your vendors is to invite them in to share their specific ‘expertise’ with your students. Whether they live locally and can simply stop by for 20 minutes or incorporate technology and have them participate via a webinar. Deb Barrows and I have done numerous events and classes in this manner…its amazing fun. Occassionaly I have been brought in during a class to just answer questions so it doesn’t have to be complex or a major event to be productive.

If you are looking for additional resources to point your students to I would like to recommend a new book by Joan Green, Technology for Communication and Cognitive Treatment: The Clinician’s Guide. This is a very comprehensive guide to resources for practitioners who work with individuals with communication and cognitive deficits. I think it should be required reading for graduate programs as well as a staple in every school district AT dept. You can read more about it at www.innovativespeech.com .

Crick Software has designed a special program for Colleges of Education where teacher education programs can get a Clicker Thirty User Site License for a greatly reduced price and special single user editions for their students at only $49 (regularly $229). If you would like to know more about this College of Education Partnership program please contact me separately away from the discussion at [e-mail] .

[Samuel Charles Sennott]

Classmates at Simmons really took advantage of the great opportunity you folks provide. Pushing the envelope with webinars and creative workshops is great! Deb is terrific at championing that.

Thanks for the book recommendation, I look forward to checking it out.

[Chip Aldrich]

Valerie,
I found your comments particularly interesting since I find this to be a glaring weakness at the school I presently work at. We have a staff that is starting to transition from veteran teachers to younger staff. The veterans are frequently less receptive to change from well-known instructional methods. The newer staff has adopted some technology enhancements (primarily the use of SmartBoards), but there is little differentiation in instruction. Accommodations and/or modifications generally are implemented through my Resource Room. My personal objective for the next couple of years involves the creation of differentiated units of instruction for each content area.
I have recently purchased Clicker 5 and, in fact, attended a workshop w/ Dan Herlihy which has shortened my "learning curve" substantially. I'd be very interested in a copy of your presentation, which sounds like it may have some good ideas to discuss when collaborating with my regular ed. colleagues. My e-mail is as follows: [e-mail]