Critical incident week two.

On Friday the 24/11/16, I took a lesson with the grade six class regarding the
settlement and the Federation of Australia. The lesson involved the children
reading two texts and answering the accompanying comprehension questions.
As the grade six class has multiple children with learning difficulties, this being
three fully funded students and two-thirds of the class having some form of
learning difficulty, I had to ensure I accompanied to the needs of each student. I
first had to ensure that each student could enter the task at their own level, to
do this, I began the lesson by having all students sit in a circle and read the text
together. We then discussed the text and the many of the various difficult terms
and then answered the first question. I ensured that the questions increased by
difficulty as well. When answering the first question, we discussed strategies
that students could use when finding the answer for each question. Secondly, I
ensured that I provided support to the students that really needed it by:
providing different benchmarks in terms of how many questions I expect to be
completed and the level of achievement. I also ensured I consulted one on one
with the students and that I was always available for support. For the early
finishers, part of their extension task was to help another student who needs the
extra support. Differentiating to each childs needs is an essential and difficult
task in the teaching practice but it is crucial (Allen, Scheve, & Nieter, 2011).
Differentiating tasks enables all students to enter at their own level and
comprehend and retaining the learning (Hoffmann, 2013). Accommodating to the
students needs, allows for all students to be engaged and proactive in their
learning (Goodwin & Sommervold, 2012).
I have learnt that when differentiating it does not necessary mean that we need
to set different tasks for each students. It can be just utilising open-ended tasks;
setting questions that increase by difficultly; providing one on one support or
having other students provide support to the students in need. My goal is to
continue developing my knowledge in regards to differentiating and ensure I am
able to meet the needs of all students.

References
Allen, K., Scheve, J., & Nieter, V. (2011). Understanding learning styles: making a
difference for diverse learners. California: Shell education.
Goodwin, M., & Sommervold, C. (2012). Creativity, critical thinking, and
communication: strategies to increase students' skills. Lanham; New York;
Toronto; Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefiel Education.
Hoffmann, T. (2013). Reflecting on the Importance of Reflection and Critical
Analysis in Prior Learning portfolios: instructional materials designed to
enhance and guide the portfolio development and evaluation process. The
Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 61:2, 116-121.