MJ Jones Portfolio - Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction

Curriculum Design and Examples

"At our Experiential Learning School, MJ fit right in and improved her students' abilities to succeed." - Jared Taylor, Principal, Recommendation Letter, 2018

Physics Examples

Final Exams

Sample set of Exams, Physics 1010

Final Exam
Final Exam with accommodations
Final Exam with extreme accommodations: for autistic student with limited speaking and writing abilities

Student showing off her Earth Interior Project

Rube Goldberg Machines

I facilitate students constructing a machine that results in a product, following learning targets and a rubric.
I assign groups; however, I have found that, given the opportunity to self-select, they will request groups adjustments that closely match their conceptual understandings of the content, which is desirable for this project.
I use a list of Discussion Questions to guide conversations that depend on previous content knowledge

Documents

Slides
Rubric (pdf) adopted from TeachEngineering.org
Discussion Questions

Example product: artwork

Image: TeachEngineering

Simulations

I put students into groups of varying abilities to explain various simulations to each other.

Here are some great Physics-related examples that I love using:

Gas Properties (click on Explore)
Buoyancy Basics
Kepler's Laws: Orbits

Image: CUPhET

Inclusive and Engaging

Engaged students of all abilities feel welcome and included in an integrated classroom
Addressed educational issues first with the student directly, while being polite, respectful, professional, and light-hearted
Cultivated supportive and professional relationships with students
Ensured that adapted educational activities are fun as well as appropriate to the learner
Wrote multiple iterations of exams based on student adaptability (If the student failed, find another way to check for understanding)
Solicited student input for methods to accurately assess content knowledge

Resources and Alternative Assessments

Developed a refined list of questions for an oral exam
Promoted executive function skill development
Proactively met with special education staff, as well as checking in periodically
Provided activities for special education staff to use in their classroom
Created alternative assessments, such as questions for verbal exams

Executive Function and Study Habits

Identified “can’t do” versus “won’t do” issues
Discussed study habits with both parents and students
See Executive Function

Skills Remediation, Physics

At times I have found that students need extra support, significant enough to warrant taking the time for an extra lesson. Please see Remediation for some examples.

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