Specific Strategies for Online Differentiation and Personalization

Reflect: Think about a concept you enjoy teaching which would lend itself well to a differentiated and more personalized experience for your students. If you have not taught, think about a concept you feel comfortable with in your subject area or a concept you have experienced as a learner in a classroom.

Post in your blog: In four well-develop paragraphs, you will discuss two options for the process of learning the material and two options for demonstrating the knowledge acquired (the product).

1. The process (how you learn)– discuss two different options you can offer your students for learning the particular concept you have chosen. Each option should be discussed in at least one, well-developed paragraph, providing details. Some examples of modes of learning material may include researching, watching a video, reading an article, conducting an experiment, providing choice in books, etc. 
   
   One of my favorite units in psychology to teach is states of consciousness.  Though the College Board standards have recently changed in relation to the topic, I still get to discuss sleep!  I love this topic (though not a hot topic by College Board standards) because the students have tremendous amounts of questions pertaining to the content from the start!  There are two ways I can offer students learning opportunities about sleep disorders.
   
   The first differentiated approach I take is through case studies.  Students love having a mystery to solve.  Case studies put the students in charge of learning.  Case studies are great because you can design them in a manner that integrates prior knowledge with new knowledge.  For example, I provide the students a client.  I provide partial information about the individual.  The students have to make an initial diagnosis using what they already know.  Then I provide secondary information that either confirms their original diagnosis or challenges it.  Then I provide synthesis questions based on the particular disorder.  I have utilized this approach during a synchronous chat session.
   
   The second differentiated approach involves watching a video.  There are many myths the students believe coming into psychology from things they have seen on TV or in movies.  I can't tell you how many pleas I have had to see The Joker just so I can answer questions my students have, haha!  I feel it is my duty to provide the reality of circumstances we study such as sleep disorders like narcolepsy.  I have a BBC documentary that I have clipped down.  I share this in the news announcements conditionally after students make a post in the correlating discussion thread.  The case provides the reality of life with a clinical issue which illustrates the details students need to be familiar with.
2. The product (the assessment or what you learned) – discuss two different options you can offer your students to demonstrate the knowledge they acquired during the learning process. Each option should be discussed in at least one well-developed paragraph, using details and a description of each option. Examples may include, but are not limited to a written or oral report, a movie or video, a traditional-style test, a lab report, etc. The options are endless!
   
   I actually enjoy doing a flipped lesson.  What I mean by this is giving the students the answers and having them analyze the wrong options.  An easy way to do this would be providing the symptoms of a sleep disorder.  I clearly express what the correct diagnosis would be but provide options as to why someone may be lead down a different path.  Students then have to create an analysis piece that reflects their thinking.  A product like this helps students identify why distractors on exams are created in the manner they are.
   
   Since I enjoy case studies another option is allowing students to create a client profile.  They can provide background about a fictional individual and symptoms that he/she is experiencing.  These developed case studies can be posted in a discussion forum for students to solve the mysteries classmates have created.  This not only shows me what a student knows about a particular disorder but also the entire class.