Differentiated instruction and questioning strategies in history lesson planning

¶ … social studies lessons in the modern classroom. It discusses the importance of planning in order to keep students engaged and learning. Ultimately, the most interesting and useful part of the chapter is the flexibility needed in the process of planning in order to adjust to individual student needs. The thing is, not all students learn in exactly the same manner. The highlight of the chapter for me was the section discussing strategies for adjusting lesson plans for students to better tailor the lesson to their needs. Differentiated instruction helps target the individual student needs that are required and allows a bit of flexibility within the lesson plan in order to meet those needs. The book provides great strategies for how to take a well-planned lesson plan and adjust it without loosing the primary focus of the plan itself. I feel like I will especially use the strategies outlined to focus on culturally responsive learning, so that I am more effective for each student on an individual level as needed. Thus, I plan to pay more attention to the cultural and individual needs of each learner in my classroom so that I can adjust my lesson accordingly.

Chapter 3

One of the most informative aspects of this chapter was the strategies for asking questions. Like the Socratic method, asking questions proves an invaluable tool for forcing students to find their own answers. This is a powerful tool for learning, as it requires extensive critical thinking. Chapter 3 really explains the benefit of questioning in the classroom from a teacher's perspective. Traditionally, one would expect the students to be asking all the questions, but the chapter really demonstrates how teacher questioning can lead to the development of critical thinking capabilities. The section discussing the way to sequence questions was exceptionally informative, and I feel that I can adopt it into writing my own lesson plans. It is important not only to utilize questioning in lesson plans, but to make them strategic. Sequencing questions in a way that one answer flows to another is the best way to provide for critical thinking development.

Chapter 7

We do not live isolated from the rest of the world. This chapter sows how learning must take into account international perspectives in order to be as up-to-date and relevant in an ever-changing world. For me, the best part of this chapter was the advice on how to handle controversial issues. When teaching civics or any political topics in general, it is important to be aware of how controversial topics may affect learning for certain students. However, this does not mean that teachers can shy away from entire topics altogether. The explanation of Oliver and Shaver's (1966) jurisprudential inquiry model is a great approach to handling controversial topics in the classroom. It acknowledges the fact that there will be differing opinions in the classroom and prepares the teacher for how to let students express their opinions without insulting others. I feel that this is a critical part of implementing successful strategies for civics lessons dealing with controversial issues.