10th - What are some ways to differentiate a lesson plan, and how you explain each type?

Each type of lesson planning has its benefits and its disadvantages. When planning, teachers must take into account the different types of learners they have due to not all of them learn in the same way.

I can differentiate the lesson plans in these:

Learners’ interests

This lesson plan is made according to what the students want to learn their intentness, concerns, curiosities, etc. Some learners would like information about an specific topic but others would not like it. So, we better find out how to work it well.

Interests are emotionally and/or cognitively based. They might involve using varied kinds of instruction, which correspond to modality preferences, or construction of materials to facilitate learning.

Learners’ needs

This is the subjective or objective evaluation component regarding instruction. While some students’ needs are obvious, as in the hearing impaired student requiring an amplification system in the classroom, or students needing enrichment activities to stimulate them, others are not apparent.

Interestingly, a study showed that teachers employing higher levels of differentiated techniques experienced increased feelings of self-efficacy and demonstrated greater willingness to try instructional approaches. We relate that this sense of self-worth may also be experienced by students.

Learning styles

In this case, teachers put special attention in the different learning styles students have. Each lesson plan must full fill the requirements each of the learning styles have.

Tier lesson

This is the most applied type of lesson planning. They go from basic to advanced. This kind of lesson planning are the ones called “step by step” because it goes gradually according to the process of the students.

Tier lessons and scaffolding are implemented like the rungs of a ladder, moving from lower to higher levels of understanding.

"A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time. Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to identify the learning objectives for the class meeting."

Stiliana Milkova

9th - What is a teacher’s style of delivery and what is your style of delivery?

A teacher’s style of delivery refers to the teaching strategies and methods employed by the teacher. I have realize about some teachings styles, and I have divided into the following categories:

Formal Authority: This kind of teachers might be so instructor-centered and Students play a very small part in the classroom. These teachers are the ones who established not only evaluations, but also ways to teach and how to work. 

Model: These are the ones who does the thing to then the students do. The instructor define the steps an way to follow and the students have to putting into practice. The instructor may be the one who demonstrates the procedures; students may be the ones practicing the procedures, or some combination of both. 

Facilitator: such kind of teachers are the ones, that from my point of view, are the best ones due to they give the students the necessary tools and help but will never make the students’ work. It is an style that is student-centered because the student is the one who must make the initial move to achieve some tasks. 

Delegator: are the ones who give the students too much responsibility. They just give the task and no help. The duty is on the students. 

I think that my teaching delivery style is facilitator because I tend to give my students help but I never do their work or put it to easy. If not you can check the following link:

http://members.shaw.ca/mdde615/tchstylsquiz7.htm

"Just as people have individual learning styles, teachers have teaching styles that works best for them. It is important to be aware of your preferences when creating and delivering online instruction."

Ps. The book has too limited information

8th - What are convergent and divergent questions? How can these types of questions help students initiate addressing reasoning as an active process?

In the book, we found that convergent questions are those which have not a difficult answer, in other words, they are just yes/no questions or limited questions. convergent questions are questions with a specific answer. They lead you to an expected result or answer. Questions usually starts with what, where and when. 

Example:

What is your name?

What is in that container?

What animal having 2 legs?

I do not think these kind of questions can help students initiate addressing reasoning as an active process because they limit the student to a simple answer.

On the other hand, we have the divergent questions or we call it opened questions. This type of questions give the students the opportunity to analyze what they are asked, and therefore they have to think outside the box when answering.

A divergent question can result from a convergent one. An example

would be:

Asking the definition of the word “open-minded”. If the one answering

the question has never seen the word, and arrives at the correct

answer through generalization and inductive reasoning by thinking

about the meaning of the words ”open” and “minded”, synthesizing these

two words, and analyzing the meaning through the synthesis, then it is not only, at first, a convergent question and answer but also a divergent question and answer as well.

Both kind of questioning are important, however the covergent questions, I think limit the students too much, but the divergent helps better initiate addressing reasoning as an active process.

"Eliciting questions from students is a noble goal. The ability to generate questions serves as a renewable source of intellectual energy that makes it possible for students to continuously inquire, explore, problem-solve and, indeed, create in setting after setting"

- William F. McComas

7th - What are two ways classroom design has changed over the past twenty years?

The classroom design is not just about the material we have there, but also the way in which we set them up.

We can notice that trough the years, the classroom design has changed a lot. However two main characteristics I can notice are:

- Desk arrangement

- The way the instruction is given

20 years before, the order of the desks were no that good, not that appropriate and not htat appealing. What do I mean by that, well I mean that before due to the arregmeant of desks you always saw tha back part of the head of your classmate. It was the traditional arreagment, one student’s desk after the other student’s desk. Except for the first student in a row, everyoneelse is looking at the back of another’s head. How do you suppose that might influence instruction? To where is the students’ attention drawn?

But nowadays, teachers look fo many different ways in which they can arrange the desks the best, and therefore make an create a better learning environment.

Moreover, instruction has changed a lot. Why? Because 20 years ago the teacher was the one who had all the power and control and participation of the class, students were just fill out with knowledge without being participants of it. In our times, students take an active role in the classes.

“An arrangement that is disagreeable to 

the student may erect a needless barrier, 

possibly one that will prevent learning.”

McCorskey and McVetta 1978

6th - What are three types of comprehension, and how do these differ from one another? Provide one example of each type.

Comprehension involves some, or three main aspects:

- Memory

- Cognition

- Metacognition.

Each of them has a definition; Memory is the storing and then recalling and retrieving the information from the past and takes it to the present.

Cognition is said to be the higher function of the brain (thinking, knowing, etc), the ability of the brain to store, retrieve and retain info.

And Metacognition is the lower function of the brain, managing the individual’s knowledge.

“Cognition is “thinking”, and Metacognition is “thinking about thinking”.

- Cengage Learning Australia 2010

Well, just being simple, types of comprehension are three: Literal, Applied and Implied.

Literal: Fact-based evidence of comprehension. It is mainly or basically the information that is in the material

Ex: Liverpool is wonderful.

Applied: It is when the student contrasts and compares the information with his/her own real life situations.

Ex: Liverpool is wonderful, but Ataco is even better. (Contrasting and comparing)

Implied (so difficult to explain): It implies that the student has to not only understand the material but also reach his own understanding with the given material.

Ex. Students may talk about Liverpool and Ataco and begin comparing the two cities and what makes it better.

5th - How can someone give effective feedback to his/her students?

Feedback is a special and important tool in the teaching learning process, not only because it helps the teacher to asses the students process, but also because it helps students to improve in their four skills.

We can have two types of feedback: Negative feedback and Positive feedback.

We can provide feedback to our students orally and written. One way to give feedback in an oral way is trough Improvement comments. Personally, I like this technique because it avoids any grading or scoring of work and concentrates on the success and improvements in the areas we are going over. But we also can give feedback in a written form. Written feedback has the advantage that the student can refer to it over and over again. With oral feedback, students usually forget what they have been said. 

Some characteristics of good feedback are: 

1. Tangible and Transparent

2. Goal-Referenced

3. User-Friendly

4. Consistent

"Feedback is the breakfast of champions"

- Ken Blanchard

4th - What are the purposes of teacher’s classroom questions?

Many students think that teachers tend to ask question just to provoke the, or to make the feel embarrassed. To make them feel they do not know a thing!! Bun in fact, it is not so… Questioning has many purposes, may be not purposes, we better call them aids. Questioning helps in a variety of ways, and we can number a few of them:

• It helps the teacher to achieve his/her goals.

• Questioning is a means of developing and extending student dialogue.

• It helps to involve students in the classes more actively.

• It develops critical thinking skills and inquiring attitudes

• It can be utilized as a review tool.

• Finally, it could be a tool to make students to look for their own learning.

Some tips to make your questions worthy:

• Ask clear question

• Ask questions of primarily academic nature

• Wait for the students answer, do not push them to rush

• Encourage students to ask and answer

• Use not only volunteering but also non volunteering students

• Demonstrate the students there is not such thing as stupid answers.

To sum up, I like this quote:

"A teacher's questions impact student achievement, retention and participation. They fulfill numerous instructional purposes including: assessing understanding, reviewing and summarizing, developing critical and creative thinking skills and inspiring interest and motivation."

 - Cotton, 1989