Reflection Module 5b

This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways

I have a very involved plan for my Project Based Lesson and I can see where specific and direct instructions would be needed for students with special needs. This blog post explains what I would like to do for those students. I will discuss accommodations for students learning english as their second language, students with learning disabilities, and gifted students.

Nonnative Speakers

These students are one's who are learning English as their second language. Students who are learning a new language and at the same time learning complex biology concepts, have an extreme disadvantage. But, with assistive technologies, many of these struggles can be overcome. I have seen google translate work well for one of my Japanese speaking students. At times, I have translated powerpoint text from the slides to Japanese using google translate. This is definitely something I would like to use for my unit plan. Another specific thing I can do in my PBL is to constantly check for understanding. I will ask questions such as "Do you understand the instructions?" or "Does that make sense to you?" I would also like to give the student a copy of the CFQs in their native language. This might clear up some major communication issues.

Gifted/Talented Students

For these students, I want to make sure that I keep them engaged. I might offer them a more difficult task for their project. I might give these students the option of creating a movie instead of a presentation. This might allow the gifted students to have more of an open-ended approach, which would satisfy the higher order thinking that they crave. I would direct students to websites that have more of a scientific literature approach. These would pose more of a challenge for them to read, but at the same time the knowledge would enrich their project. Careful placement of gifted students is key to keeping the students engaged in the lesson. I would make sure that the student or students isn't in a group that requires too much of a load, meaning the student needs to be in a group that balances the work well.

Special Needs Students

Whether students have hearing impairments, visual impairments, reading impairments, physical disabilities or learning disabilities, all these students need a fair chance to learn no matter what their disability. Here are some accommodations I could use them:

• Redirecting students if they become off task
• Make sure to include prior knowledge activities to help students relate to the topic
• · Ask the students to repeat the instructions back to the instructor
• · Give students with speech imparities voice software
• · Provide students with graphic organizers with their thoughts for their own project
• · Students with visual imparities may use magnification options for their computers
• Dictation for students who have trouble writing

I feel like these accommodation is an essential part of my Unit Plan. Now you have a look into my Unit plan accommodations. I will not only use some of these strategies at the same time, but I will make sure that I use some of them for my other students, because they might benefit from these. Assistive technology is found everywhere. They are also found built into your computer, or maybe it is a device that assists the student navigate on the computer, such as a joy stick. I hope this plan will allow me as an educator to become more self-aware of students with learning challenges.