Differentiating Instruction and Why It Is Important- Bring it all Together w8 - Essay Example

Differentiating Instruction and Why It is Important Differentiating Instruction and Why It is Important Before one can plan an effective course, one should first determine the background knowledge of one’s students. It is important that one knows the prior knowledge of his students, their intellectual development, cultural background and their generational experiences and expectations (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.). There are several steps which one can take to achieve this goal. A step that one can take to discover the background knowledge of the students is to confer with their teacher in the previous course and get a copy of his syllabus.

In this way, one will know what have been taken up already and what skills were required of the students during the course. Furthermore, one can also ask the help of the other faculty members in the department who may be knowledgeable of the profile of the students that one will have. Aside from talking with their previous teacher, one can administer a diagnostic pre-test during the start of the class (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.). This activity will be very useful in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the students.

Another activity that can be done is to ask the students to make a concept map about a major topic in the course one is teaching (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.). This can provide one with a clear sense of the extent of understanding of the students on the issues that will be discussed. It will help one point out the students’ false impressions and wrong beliefs. If one has a culturally-diverse class, one must be ready to adjust one’s teaching skills to adapt to the varied culture of his students and their learning dynamics.

One of the challenges posed by the teaching profession is to be able to assess a student’s background knowledge. To be an effective teacher, one must find ways of determining where the students stand at the start of the class. It is only then that one can design a course which will be useful and appreciated by one’s students.ReferencesCarnegie Mellon. (n.d.). Recognize who your students are. Retrieved May 15, 2012, from cmu.edu: http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/yourstudents.html