Summer School for ME!!!

March-May 2020 was eye opening. I had NO IDEA how to teach online, let alone make it reasonable for Kindergarten students and their parents. Insert groans and cries from parents, students and this teacher.

When I saw an announcement that K-State was offering 9-hours of credit to learn how to teach online, using an online platform, I begged my husband to let me take it. He has always been supportive of me when I want to take classes and it was a no brainer for him this time as well.

As I started an assignment this week, I thought, "This would be a great topic for my blog." So, here you go. 

Differentiation.

A while back that word was a trigger for me.

I've even blogged about it in the past. (Differentiation--It Was Fun)

I did not like it when any one would ask about how or what or with whom I was using differentiation. I think it is because I had no idea!! That was not part of my college classes. And I certainly had not received any PD from my district on it. And I didn't know the words to use to describe what I was doing in my classroom and how it related to differentiation.

Fast forward six years. Only it was not fast, it was slow and painful. Reading my favorite bloggers, collaborating with teachers near and far, reading books, and trial and error with my students have helped me do better. But I want to even better.

I seem to have academic differentiation "under control." 

        * Teach core curriculum to all students.

        * Modify assignments by length or content depending on IEP or classroom observations.

        * Offer extra time (this is kind of a crazy idea in kindergarten--they get the time they need in almost every situation)

        * Tier 2 and 3--kids are grouped by formal and informal assessments and work on skill deficit or enrichment areas within smaller groups.

Every day I came home exhausted because I made some of these decisions on the spot. But it was working.

After a week or two of school I had a pretty good grip on the social/emotional state of my class, and I could differentiate for that as well. 

        * This kid needs an extra hug today.

        * This one would benefit from a walk to another teacher's room to get a hug from him.

        * I need to play with this one a recess more.

        * Stuff is going on at home, be gentle and give the adult helpers a heads up to be extra kind and patient.

        * Teach and reteach calming strategies and the Zones of Regulation to the whole class.

In what ways would I like to improve differentiation with my students?

         * Offer choices to my students on how they want to do something. For example: draw a picture. Share it with the class in person or create a Flipgrid to share.

        * Center time: Let more choices be related to music, science, nature, as well as reading and math.

        * Find ways to talk to five-year-olds about what they like to do for school work and incorporate that into our class lessons.

        * Create more time in our day for drinks and snacks, and find a way to fund it.

Ok, that was basic differentiation when I'm in my classroom. How will I differentiate if I'm teaching from a computer in my house? I am learning about some wonderful apps and websites that will help me "get out the content instruction" and that is making me giddy with ideas. Here are a few for you to explore if you choose:

        * Loom is my absolute favorite right now. It's screencasting, and has my video on it as I am giving a tutorial on a website. Some kids may need this, others may not. Having this available makes navigating websites more manageable for kids and families that may not have as much experience with working on the web.

        * Clips is a way for me to create instructional videos. I like it because I can do it in segments, it's easy to navigate, I can use my cell phone, and easily upload it to YouTube and then send a link to students. This would be a great way for me to make videos for individual students, or groups of students who need different instruction. If I have 3 videos of the same content, perhaps different in speed of my instruction or movement through modeling, guided practice and independent practice, then I would feel like I was truly teaching online.

           *Flipgrid. I've had a mini presentation on this from a teacher, but never used it. Now I've used it multiple times as a student and I see how to use it with my students, either online or in person.

Side note: there are so many amazing possibilities for screencasting or creating videos, and a person could get bogged down in not doing anything because of too many choices. Here's what I've found: choose one. try it out. Try it again. Try something else if you feel like it. 

Back to differentiating. In my classroom I have routines and procedures to differentiate. I must, absolutely must do a better job of figuring out how to differentiate online. And I'm pleased to say that I feel confident that I can do this, I will do this, and my students will have a better go at school in 2020-2021 no matter where it happens.

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Drop a comment below if you want to try any of these resources with me, or if you have one that is great and I should know about it.

Happy Summer of Learning 2020!!