Ashford 2: – Week 1 – Assignment

Parent Meeting

As a future educator, will you be charged with effectively teaching all the students in your classroom despite their differences. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work, and parents will ask you how you plan to support their child’s needs. The answer is differentiation, but many outside of the world of education will not know what that means. Therefore, you have been asked to address a diverse group of parents and their concerns on the topic of differentiation in the classroom.
In your assignment, cover each of the following items to address parental concerns. Possible parent questions follow the topics; ensure you address each one:

a.    Explain the history and theory behind differentiation.

§  Is it based on research, or it is it just another “educational fad”?

§  How does differentiated instruction look different from traditional instruction approaches?

b.    Discuss the characteristics of a diverse student.

§  My child is a “regular” student–why do you say he or she is diverse?

c.    Discuss the benefits of differentiation in the classroom for all students.

§  Will my special-education student or gifted student benefit from differentiation? How?

d.    Analyze the negative outcomes of differentiation.

e.    Analyze the teacher mindset required for differentiated instruction to work.

·       It seems like so much work for the teacher to differentiate–can you comment on this idea?

In the spirit of differentiation, you may choose one of the following options to address the parents’ concerns and questions:

a.    Prepare a two- to three-page newsletter (excluding title and references pages) to address parents’ concerns about the pros and cons of differentiation in their children’s classroom. The parents will then have a visual reference to remind them of the purpose of differentiation. Make the newsletter visually appealing with the use of graphics and organize it clearly. Your assignment must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing center (where applicable with regard to in-text citations and references). You must utilize one scholarly source in addition to the text to support your assertions. Here are a list of websites with templates and newsletter examples that can be used in a Microsoft Word document to get you started:

§  Education World’s Newsletter Templates

§  http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/index.shtml#miscellaneous

§  Word Draw’s Classroom Newsletter Template

§  http://www.worddraw.com/classroom-newsletter-template.html

Click to view an example of this week’s assignment (option “a”).

b.    Design a presentation to address parents’ concerns and questions. The presentation must include a minimum of ten slides (excluding title and references slides) and appropriate graphics. Your assignment must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing center (where applicable with regard to in-text citations and references). You must utilize one scholarly source in addition to the text to support your assertions. Consider using one of the following digital tools to make your presentations:

§  Microsoft PowerPoint

§  Prezi

§  Knovio (this digital tool allows you to attach audio to your PPT slides).

Click to view an example of this week’s assignment (option “b”).

You must include title and references pages or slides regardless of which option you choose. Reference the course text and at least one additional scholarly source using the Ashford University Library. For information regarding APA formatting, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located under the Learning Resources tab in the left navigation of the online course.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Book: Sousa, D. A. & Tomlinson, C. A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

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If you have any questions in regards to this DQ please feel free to ask me.