Reference no: EM131860604

Guided Response: Respond to your peers who were assigned a different approach.

1. Respectfully comment on what points they have made that you agree with or were solidly made, as well as obstacles or concerns that might arise for teachers using that approach.

2. Provide evidence and/or examples to support your response.

PEER 1

Explicit Instruction Approach

When using explicit instruction, teachers provide instruction that is straightforward. They explain and instruct the material to the students until they understand the material.

The teacher provides the students with a series of scaffolds to support the students learning. Scaffolds are different levels of teaching support.

In the beginning, the teacher shows student what to do, then they do it together, and finally, the student does it alone. There are 16 elements within explicit instruction:

· Teach critical content

· Teach sequentially

· Teach in small chunks

· Teach an organized lesson

· Start each lesson with a goal statement

· Review prior knowledge

· Use step-by-step demonstrations

· Use concise learning

· Use examples and non-examples

· Teach with guided and supportive practice

· Ask students for frequent responses

· Monitor student progress

· Provide feedback

· Teach at a brisk pace

· Make connections for students

· Provide practice

Explicit instruction is a great strategy for a teacher to use while teaching children with special needs. Explicit instruction is engaging, frequent responses, performance is carefully monitored, lesson delivered at a brisk pace, and immediate feedback is given.

PEER 2

Differentiation Approach

When working with a student with special needs teachers have to decide on which approach is going to help them succeed best. There are a few different approaches such as Explicit Instruction, Universal Design for learning, and Differentiation.

Of the three approaches, the differentiation approach provides teachers with the most flexibility when it comes to delivery and content of the lesson. "The principles of differentiation were formulated to help general classroom teachers meet the needs of all students" (Powell,2013, p2.2). This means the teacher takes into account the individual child's needs, learning style, interest, and level.

These principles bring into focus attributes such as the classroom environment. It is important to allow the child to feel accepted and welcomed into the classroom. Flexible grouping also allows the teacher to instruct in a way that is going to benefit the child the most. Small groups for those who need more attention or full class assignments to allow the child to feel fully included.

Differentiation differs from explicit instruction because; this approach is much more straightforward. Teachers will introduce a lesson or concept and focus on it until the outcome has been reached. This teacher will scaffold different portions with the child, use step-by-step instructions, and constantly engage with the student.

This approach, while direct can overstimulate a child who needs a different learning style. The Universal Design for Learning approach is a little more similar to Differentiation because it also accounts for a child's individual needs. This approach encourages children to use multiple means to display their knowledge of a subject.

The downside though is that there is not any guidance on how to incorporate the approach with children with disabilities.

Differentiation is an approach that allows the teacher to tailor their approach to the child's needs. According to an article from Understood.org, "Differentiated instruction, on the other hand, uses several learning approaches.

But it doesn't require an individual approach for each student. All students have access to the curriculum in a variety of ways. This makes the whole learning experience more effective" (Tucker, 2014).

This approach is successful to a child's learning because when you teach in a way that is directed around the child the likeliness that they will learn and retain information is going to be more than if information is drilled into them without any flexibility.