Using Pre-assessments to differentiate learning
The idea that everyone is on the same learning curve is a ludicrous notion. Students come from many different backgrounds, circumstances, and these students have different abilities, or challenges. Some students are talented with a higher level of intelligence. Some students know certain content better than other. Some students do not know English very well and thus will be behind. Some students are average. Some students have disabilities. The teacher has to sort through all these notions and figure out the best way to teach these little sprouts. One very important tool in the teaching toolkit is the pre-assessment. This tool is used to figure out where students are. This could be a simple quiz like ordeal, checklists, KWL charts, general class discussions, technologically enabled work using iPads, computers or mobile devices, or other task oriented activities to see where students are at. Once the information is gathered,...
