Challenging experience - Essay Example

One of my most challenging experiences with occurred during a summer environmental camp. I was charged with instructing ten very energetic5th -8th grade students every day for two weeks. The instruction was in environmental science. By the end of the first day I could see that there were two problems that needed to be addressed. The first problem was how the curriculum was presented to the students. These students came to camp expecting to have exciting experiences in the outdoors. The curriculum I was instructed to present was nearly all classroom activities.

It had been borrowed from a local school district. The students grew bored quickly with the outlined activities. They said that it felt just like school. They grew restless, talkative and defiant at times as a result of their boredom and disappointment. The second problem centered on the different ability levels of my group of ten students. Some were obviously very academically inclined while others were more interested in just being in the outdoors. There wass also a wide range of cognitive abilities from 5th to 8th grade, so after only one day I could see that spanning this difference was going to be a challenge.

The evening of my first day at camp, I met with the director to discuss some changes in approach to teaching the curriculum. I suggested that much of the classroom instruction could be delivered in a more meaningful way through activities outdoors. I knew this would allow my energetic students more time and freedom to engage in active learning. I also received permission to differentiate the activities based on student ability and maturity. I did this so everyone would be able to participate in ability appropriate activities.

The director gave me permission to make the modifications, but stressed that the students would still be accountable for knowing the entire curriculum. I stayed up late preparing for the next day. I prepared three different activities with different reading levels and levels of thinking. The lowest was based on a worksheet I constructed, the middle incorporated higher level activities such as a critical thinking activity and the third required the students to synthesize new information. The outcome of these adjustments was positive.

Managing multiple activities at once was much more difficult, but the students were more engaged in learning. They were less disruptive and more respectful to me and the other students because they were enjoying the learning activities. I feel that I impacted the outcome by working hard each evening to deliver a program of active learning the next day. I had to get creative and to really think about what was going to be best to engage each student in the group. I really had to consider the best way to modify the curriculum, or if it needed modified at all.

Differentiating instruction is very hard work. It takes a long time to prepare multiple activities and is difficult to manage, but it is worth it. I know that the outcome was successful at the end of the two weeks because my group won the camp-wide environmental science quiz bowl. The students also told me that it was the best stay they have ever had at camp. These outcomes told me that differentiating the instruction made learning more enjoyable for the students and helped them to learn the curriculum better than any of the other groups.

Looking back on this experience, I realize that differentiating instruction is vital for optimal learning. I would, however, do a few things differently. I realize that some of the activities I did were probably over-planned. I could have spent a bit less time and energy on them and still had a positive outcome for the students. I don’t regret doing this, but experience has taught me that sometimes it is best to devote less time and energy to a project that is “good enough” in order to have the resources to really focus on something that needs considerable improvement.