Running head: STUDENT-CENTERED AND/OR DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 1

Student-Centered and/or Differentiated Instruction

Tiffani Cosendine

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2019

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Introduction

It is no surprise that each student is different, meaning every student has unique abilities

and qualities they bring into the classroom and different manners of learning material. For this

reason, it is important to differentiate instruction to support those various needs and capabilities.

Teachers should strive to meet students where they are and then bring them up to higher levels.

In a book on differentiation in the classroom, the author states, “If we let a child begin

instruction where he feels successful, this child will be willing to take more risks as learning

becomes more motivational and successful” (Nordlund, 2003). While this may be challenging

and tedious to achieve, especially as a first year teacher, it is something I want to master over the

years I teach. This paper reflects the competency of both student-centered and differentiated

instruction and describes two different instances where I incorporated these into the classroom.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact I chose to represent the student-centered component of this competency

is a lesson plan I wrote that focuses on students using collaborative learning to solve problems in

groups of 3 or 4 students. Student-centered instruction is a form of “learning by doing” that

involves “active learning where students are engaged and involved in what they are studying”

(Brown, 2008). The activity dealt with Math 4.5, where students add and subtract fractions and

mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators. This was a new concept for students, but the

goal of the lesson was for students to use collaborative learning and prior knowledge in order to

figure out how they could solve the problems. The problems increased in difficulty as students

were able to solve them. They were also given Legos to use as manipulatives and worked out

problems together in their group on giant poster paper. I chose this artifact because it reflects a

student-centered activity where students had to work together with little teacher guidance in
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order to figure out a new concept. Within their groups, they determined what strategies they

would use to solve the problems.

The second artifact I chose to represent the differentiated instruction component of this

competency is an activity I prepared for students to showcase what they had learned about

Earth’s different patterns (the seasons/day and night) and the different moon phases. For this

assignment, students were given vocabulary on each of those topics, and, using that vocabulary

as labels, they had to create some sort of model/diagram that would showcase what they learned

about the topics. I created two versions of this activity—one version where students had to create

their models independently from scratch and another version where students were already

provided the pictures and vocabulary to arrange to form the different models. I chose this artifact

because it demonstrates how I differentiated an activity for learners with different needs.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

The first artifact was more student-centered since students were given problems of a new

concept and asked to work together to determine how they could solve them. Students were

grouped by mixed ability so that higher students could help those who were generally lower in

math. A few days prior to the lesson, I taught the students how to find common denominators for

two unlike fractions, so they should have used this knowledge to help them solve the problems.

Some students did remember this and applied it, which was very pleasing. Overall, students

enjoyed this activity, especially once they figured out how to solve the problems and the rules

they needed to follow. They liked having the Legos to use as manipulatives, and my cooperating

teacher and I were impressed with how some groups represented the concepts using those

manipulatives and were able to solve the problems. I had never thought to simply give students a

new topic and have them figure it out for themselves, but I realized for some concepts this could

be a valuable experience.
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For the second artifact, I created two versions of an activity to suit different learners. For

the activity, students were given vocabulary words on three different topics: the Earth’s seasons,

the causes of day and night on Earth, and the moon phases. Students were required to create

some sort of model/diagram to represent each of these topics using the vocabulary provided as

labels. Students completed this using pictures on Google Slides or by drawing pictures of their

models and taking photos of them to put on their Slides. For the first version of this activity,

students were simply given the blank Slides to create their own model or diagram from scratch.

For the second version, students were provided with pictures and labels already on their Slides;

they just had to arrange the pictures and labels to create a proper model. I thought it be a good

idea to differentiate this activity because there were some students who would have had a harder

time using the first version. This included students who have difficulty using technology in that

fashion (such as one IEP student with issues in motor skills) and students who simply did not

fully understand the topic and would not have been able to replicate a model on their own.

In my future classroom, I want to go further with differentiated instruction and allow for

students to showcase their knowledge using a variety of platforms, such as art, music, writing,

etc. My faith impacts my decision making and practice in that I want to cultivate the inner

qualities and abilities that God has blessed my students with. For example, if I have a student

who is gifted in art or likes to draw, I want to promote classroom tasks that involve creativity and

would allow that student to incorporate his or her talent. The same goes for the students who are

strong in writing or math or music; I want to assign activities that would allow them to showcase

those areas of interest or ability. I also believe that students would be more motivated to learn if

instruction was differentiated based on those various capabilities. I desire to be the teacher that

encourages her students to find and pursue their “jam”—meaning, the things that interest or

motivate them and the unique gifts that God has given them.
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My faith also impacts my decision making in that one of my goals as a teacher is to meet

the needs of all of my students. If I am not differentiating instruction to meet students both high

and low, then I am doing them a disservice, and I do not think that is the kind of teacher that God

has called me to be. As I read in an article, when students feel over-challenged with an activity,

then their “attention is diverted from learning and focused on self-protection, resulting in

misbehavior or withdrawal, with more time being spent on learning to cope rather than learning

concepts” (Kapusnick & Hauslein, 2012). Likewise, if student readiness exceeds what is

necessary for a task, then students are more likely to feel unengaged or apathetic toward

learning. Even if it may take more time and planning, I do want to try my best in giving students

options in the classroom and tailoring activities to suit different learning styles, interests, and

abilities.
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References

Brown, J. K. (2008). Student-centered instruction: Involving students in their own

education. Music Educators Journal, 94(5), 30-35. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1177/00274321080940050108

Kapusnick, R. A., & Hauslein, C. M. (2001). The ‘silver cup’ of differentiated

instruction. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 37(4), 156-159. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2001.10518493

Nordlund, M. (2003). Differentiated Instruction: Meeting the Needs of All Students In Your

Classroom [E-book].