Session 8: Diverse Learners
35 minutes
discussion-based
Purpose
In this session, participants will have the opportunity to explore opportunities for differentiation within U5L5 with a focus on extending learning and supporting learning when appropriate. Participants will use the learning objectives and assessment opportunities to determine the core understanding that all students should have by the end of the lesson, regardless of how the lesson is modified to meet the diverse learning needs within the classroom.
Objectives
- Teachers understand how to make choices when implementing lessons that support equity within classroom
- Teachers are able to identify opportunities for differentiation within lessons in order to appropriately support a diverse group of learners
Supplies & Prep
Room Setup:
- Participants seated in pods
Facilitator Supplies:
- Your local copy of the CSD - Workshop 3 - Slides Template - 2019
Teacher Supplies
- Computers
- Journal
- Pen
Agenda
Lesson Learning Objectives (8 minutes)
Lesson Adjustments (14 minutes)
Differentiation (13 minutes)
Facilitation Guide
Lesson Learning Objectives (8 minutes)
(2 minutes) Review Learning Objectives and Assessment Opportunities
Participants navigate to the U5L5 lesson plan to read the lesson objectives and assessment opportunities for Lesson 5.
(6 minutes) Think, Pair, Share
Discussion Goal
Participants should understand that lesson is about understanding patterns not about understanding the math behind the pattern. This is NOT intended to be a math lesson.
Prompt: What is NOT included as a learning goal around representing numbers in binary that some people might have expected? Why do you think they were not included as a goal?
- (1 minute) Think: individual reflection
- (2 minutes) Pair: discuss with a partner
- (3 minutes) Share: share and discuss with the whole group
Lesson Adjustments (14 minutes)
(7 minutes) Lesson Extension
Remarks
At the end of Lesson 5, there is an optional lesson extension containing a video which connects the concept of binary to its real world application, and thus, adds context to the content presented in Lesson 5. As we watch the video, reflect on why you think this video is an optional extension instead of a core component of the lesson.
Display: Play the "Binary and Data" video.
(2 minutes) Teaching Tips
Remarks
For some of you in the room, this video might have been the context you were looking for to challenge your understanding of the concepts in this lesson and help you make connections between what you learned and the real world. For others, the content in this video might have felt overwhelming. It is possible that you thought you understood binary but then questioned that understanding because of the technical language in the video. This is a common experience for students in your classroom. This is where you as the teacher come in to make choices about how you will structure a lesson in order to meet the needs of your students. Just as we can make the choice to extend the lesson, we can also make the choice to take a step back in order to make the content more approachable for students.
Facilitator Instructions: Project and discuss the following teaching tips from Lesson 5:
- For younger students, you may want to stop the activity after they have finished the first page of the worksheet. This means that they will not need to go online for any of the lesson.
- This activity models a base-2 number system for the student. However, it is not necessary for the students to understand the math behind the patterns that they are creating. Students should focus on the fact that they are using a binary system (face up/face down) to represent information.
(5 minutes) Reflection
Prompt: Think about the students in your room and the objectives of this lesson. What adjustments will you make to this lesson to meet the needs of your students?
- (1 minute) Journal
- (4 minutes) Table Share Out
Differentiation (13 minutes)
Facilitator Tip
Some participants might find it overwhelming to think about differentiating at the individual student level. Think about the various entry points into differentiation that you might offer to participants. Perhaps a participants might want to think about differentiation at the class level. Maybe one class is ready to go deeper while another needs to take a step back. Another option is to think about differentiation from lesson to lesson. Maybe there are some lessons that a teacher chooses to teach at a deeper level than others. The goal is to articulate a way to move forward. Having a fully differentiated classroom is not a realistic expectation for first time teachers of this course. This work takes time.
(1 minute) Introductory Remarks
Remarks
In this session, we have focused on differentiation through the lens of Lesson 5. However, the ideas we have discussed here can be applied to multiple lessons throughout Unit 5 and the entire CSD course. At its core, we are simply adjusting our instruction to meet the unique learning needs of the students within our room. Each lesson can and should look different for different classrooms.
(11 minutes) Group Brainstorm
Discussion Goal
Everyone should leave with at least one actionable idea for differentiation.
Prompt: What strategies do you use in your classroom to meet the unique learning needs of your students? What strategies do others use that you might want to try?
- (5 minutes) Table Talk - Participants share with the people at their table
- (6 minutes) Group Share Out - Ask if anyone learned a strategy from another participant that they are excited to try.
(1 minute) Closing Remarks
Remarks
The students in our classrooms come to us with various levels of prior knowledge and experience. This is especially true in units involving math concepts and programming. As we work towards growing the culture of inclusion within our classrooms, it is important for us to continuously reflect on how we might meet the various needs of the diverse learners in our classes.