ELM- 555: TOPIC 4 DISCUSSION 1 -  Available Resources For Students from Low Social Economic Status 

Consider GCU’s Statement on the Integration of Faith and Work that states, “Therefore, we are convinced that the Christian life must involve compassion and care, not only for the spiritual needs of mankind, but also for basic physical needs that stem from poverty, oppression, and injustice,” when responding to the following discussion question:

The access to resources in schools will differ depending on the access to funds, SES, etc., for students and families. Discuss options available to students who may not have access to resources because of low SES.

ELM- 555: TOPIC 4 DISCUSSION 2 - Benefits of Differentiation to Students 

Differentiation is not just for one specific population. Differentiation is meant to meet the diverse needs of all students.

Considering this information, how does differentiation benefit the needs of all students? Explain how you would differentiate for students during instruction to support individual students’ development, acquisition of knowledge, and motivation.

ELM- 555: Strategies for reaching all students

Assessment Description

Each student enters the classroom with a different set of factors that affect learning, all students learn differently. Consider GCU’s Statement on the Integration of Faith and Work that states, “Therefore, we are confident that the work we do is a part of God’s calling on our lives and a means by which we can glorify God as we meet others’ needs,” as you research and make decisions on how you will differentiate for instruction, activities, and assessments in order to reach all students.

Teachers differentiate instruction based on readiness, interest, and individual learning goals and determine appropriate instructional strategies based on assessment data.

Using the student data in the “Class Profile,” create a differentiation plan and present it as a digital presentation for the content area and grade level of your choice that will be used as professional development to inform new teachers about how to implement differentiation in the classroom.

Research differentiation strategies and create an 8-10 slide digital presentation to showcase your differentiation plan.

Your digital presentation should include:

State or National Standard: Identify a state or national standard that was hypothetically assessed on a recent assessment.
Readiness: Describe how you will group students based on testing results from the “Class Profile.” Identify the students below level, at level, and above level in your description.
Interest: Explain how you will determine students’ interest in the content. Include a specific strategy you will use to determine their interest level and how you plan to engage students who show low interest.
Differentiating: Explain how you will differentiate instruction based on the state or national standard and results of the recent assessment. Provide an example of appropriate differentiation for the grade level.
Technology: Identify one method for using technology to differentiate instruction. Be specific in which tool, software, website, etc. you plan to use, and explain how this tool provides a technology-rich learning experience.
Progress Goals: Explain how progress goals for each student are determined. Goals should be realistic and reasonable for the subject matter, grade level, individual strengths, and need for growth.
Learning Preferences: Describe how your everyday instruction includes considerations for all learning preferences.
Summary and Goal Setting: Summarize how data informs instructional decisions. Discuss potential outcomes when data is not used to make instructional decisions. Identify at least one goal for yourself in the areas of using data for instructional decision-making, differentiating instruction, determining student interest, and using technology to differentiate instruction.
Include a title slide, a references slide, and the presenter’s notes within your presentation.

Support your findings with a minimum of three scholarly resources.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

ELM- 555: Clinical Field Experience C: Implementing Formative Assessment

Assessment Description

Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience.

As you learned in Topic 2, formative assessments are an integral part of teaching and learning Teachers must continuously assess student learning at the beginning of lessons, during lessons, and at the end of lessons in order to guide, modify, and adjust instruction.

Part 1: Mini-Lesson Plan Implementation

Following your observations and collaboration with your mentor teacher in your previous field experiences, select a standard that is applicable to the unit your mentor class is currently learning. Complete the "Mini-Lesson Plan Template," which includes a description of a learning activity, instructional strategy, pre- and formative assessment questions, and a formative assessment following instruction.

If possible, administer your mini-lesson or another lesson, provided by your mentor teacher, to your mentor class as whole group instruction or to a small group of students chosen by your mentor teacher.

Use any remaining field experience time to speak with your mentor teacher and, provided permission, seek out opportunities to observe and/or assist your mentor teacher and/or work with a small group of students on instruction in the classroom.

Part 2: Reflection

In 250-500 words, summarize and reflect on creating and implementing formative assessments. Analyze the data gained through the formative assessments. How did you collect and organize the data? Discuss how you would use the data to inform future instruction on the same topic. Why is continuous formative assessment important for student learning? How does your learning activity and assessments align to your learning objective?

Explain how you will implement your findings in your future professional practice.

Support your findings with a minimum of two scholarly resources.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

Submit the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form in the last topic. Directions for submitting can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.