Designed in tiers, this tool provides activities and questions geared for specific groups of students. One tier, (A), provides an alternate approach to the content for struggling learners. The second tier, (B), is appropriate for students working on grade -level, while the third tier, (C), challenges advanced learners with high-level thinking. The tiered questions are arranged in sets. Each set focuses on a specific skill required for answering the question, and each one contains three questions of varying difficulty.
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Tic-Tac-Toe is a tool that allows for student choice and accommodates different ability levels and interests. Students are given a menu of activities. Using the menu, they "win" when they complete three activities in a row, column, or diagonal. The football method is a great first foray into a differentiated classroom. It's a format for a class structure that provides a narrow, whole-class focus at the beginning of class, a wider expansion as groups of students break off into varied practice or application activities, and then return briefly at the end of the class period for whole group sharing or summary activity.
" When you give students a choice, they are more likely to give something a try. You don't need to cede control of your class, or even offer students particularly significant choices. The feeling of having some control is at lease as important as actually having control." Jensen, 2013 As teachers we are the consummate salesman. Selling ourselves, our content, our desire to make a difference, and our belief in the importance of education. Making it their idea is no exception to the sales package. We need to "sell" the choices that we give students so that they are aware of the power they're being given. Take a moment to reflect on the following statements, then share your thoughts, strategies and ideas in the comment section below. When you are through you may:
What does "make it their idea" mean in the teaching process? Do you already do this in your classroom? If so, how do you "sell" your choices to your learners? In what ways do you provide students with the option to "make it their idea" in your virtual classroom?
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