WGU DGM2 TASK 1: DIFFERENTIATING
INSTRUCTION
Douglas Ingram
Student ID: #000934791
A. Select one video from the formative assessment videos given in the “Task 1 Video List” in
the Supporting Documents section below and watch it in its fully. Reflect on your observations
of the video by doing the as follows:
Case #244 Developing a Working Definition of Density
Description
1. Describe modifications the teacher made to curriculum, instruction, or assessments based
on formative assessment data during the video segment, and include evidence from the video
for support.
The teacher asked students to identify what the meanings of various scientific terms were.
She asked the students to give examples of the descriptions they were trying to develop.
After the teacher discovered that the students had referred multiple times to an analogy of the
state of luggage to examples of volume, mass and density, she directed the class to respond
to questions based on scenarios regarding the state of the luggage in different situations.
Feelings
2. Describe how you think specific students felt before and after the adjustments from part A1
were implemented, and include evidence from the video for support.
Students seemed to become more confident in describing their thoughts once a unified
nomenclature was established. One girl in the class was trying to explain density, stumbled
on her description, and tried to recover by referring to the suitcase analogy. After the teacher
referenced various ways the state of the luggage could be identified, the girl, and others in the
class, were more confident in comparing the science terms to the scenarios the teacher was
describing.
Evaluation
3. Discuss the effectiveness of specific adjustments from part A1, and include evidence from
the video for support.
The teacher’s ability to adapt to her formative evaluation of the students' knowledge of
density, volume and mass seemed effective as evidenced by the way the classroom became
more active and engaged when they had an established analogy and nomenclature that
helped them associate the science terms with personal, real world experience.
, Analysis
4. Explain why you believe the teacher made the changes or adjustments described in part
A1, including how formative assessment data may have influenced those decisions.
The teacher was not receiving the feedback from her students that would indicate that they
were already familiar with the science terms. While she asked students for an indication of
their understanding by a raise of hands, she did not get a consensus that the class in general
was on-level and ready to proceed. Hard data from a formal formative assessment would
have taken the ambiguity of the student’s reaction out of her analysis of the student’s
response, however, it also would have precluded the opportunity for a constructivists
approach to instruction on these topics through dialogue and building on personal experience.
Conclusion
5. Discuss how teachers must actively analyze formative assessment data as they teach in
order to make modifications to curriculum, instruction, or assessments to improve student
learning.
A lecture in which a pre-generated set of instructions is disseminated will not account for the
ability of students to understand the teacher's lesson, nor for the teacher to gauge if their
teaching method is effective. The teacher needs to continually react to the feedback and data
from a constant assessment of the students to ensure genuine learning is taking place.
Action
6. Discuss two strategies you learned from the video that you can incorporate into your
teaching to help you better meet the needs of all learners.
The teacher kept a dialogue with the students in motion in order to gauge on a moment by
moment basis how the class was progressing in the material. This method seems almost
socratic and lets students express their thoughts while informing the teacher of their progress.
I also found the “clicker” system interesting, allowing the teacher to get a more detailed view
of the students' understanding, even if it is less dynamic and on a more narrow topic.
B. Identify one video from the differentiation videos provided in the “Task 1 Video List” in the
Supporting Documents section below and watch it in its entirety. Reflect on your observation of
the video by doing the following:
Case #1355 Demonstrating Map Skills Through Hands-On and Creative Activities
Description
1. Describe how the teacher in the chosen video differentiated instruction based on individual
learning needs or learning contexts, and include evidence from the video for support.
The children, broken into workgroups, were learning about features on a map. The teacher
was moving between groups in order to observe their progress and evaluate how well the
students were learning and applying the lesson. By being in small groups, the teacher had
INSTRUCTION
Douglas Ingram
Student ID: #000934791
A. Select one video from the formative assessment videos given in the “Task 1 Video List” in
the Supporting Documents section below and watch it in its fully. Reflect on your observations
of the video by doing the as follows:
Case #244 Developing a Working Definition of Density
Description
1. Describe modifications the teacher made to curriculum, instruction, or assessments based
on formative assessment data during the video segment, and include evidence from the video
for support.
The teacher asked students to identify what the meanings of various scientific terms were.
She asked the students to give examples of the descriptions they were trying to develop.
After the teacher discovered that the students had referred multiple times to an analogy of the
state of luggage to examples of volume, mass and density, she directed the class to respond
to questions based on scenarios regarding the state of the luggage in different situations.
Feelings
2. Describe how you think specific students felt before and after the adjustments from part A1
were implemented, and include evidence from the video for support.
Students seemed to become more confident in describing their thoughts once a unified
nomenclature was established. One girl in the class was trying to explain density, stumbled
on her description, and tried to recover by referring to the suitcase analogy. After the teacher
referenced various ways the state of the luggage could be identified, the girl, and others in the
class, were more confident in comparing the science terms to the scenarios the teacher was
describing.
Evaluation
3. Discuss the effectiveness of specific adjustments from part A1, and include evidence from
the video for support.
The teacher’s ability to adapt to her formative evaluation of the students' knowledge of
density, volume and mass seemed effective as evidenced by the way the classroom became
more active and engaged when they had an established analogy and nomenclature that
helped them associate the science terms with personal, real world experience.
, Analysis
4. Explain why you believe the teacher made the changes or adjustments described in part
A1, including how formative assessment data may have influenced those decisions.
The teacher was not receiving the feedback from her students that would indicate that they
were already familiar with the science terms. While she asked students for an indication of
their understanding by a raise of hands, she did not get a consensus that the class in general
was on-level and ready to proceed. Hard data from a formal formative assessment would
have taken the ambiguity of the student’s reaction out of her analysis of the student’s
response, however, it also would have precluded the opportunity for a constructivists
approach to instruction on these topics through dialogue and building on personal experience.
Conclusion
5. Discuss how teachers must actively analyze formative assessment data as they teach in
order to make modifications to curriculum, instruction, or assessments to improve student
learning.
A lecture in which a pre-generated set of instructions is disseminated will not account for the
ability of students to understand the teacher's lesson, nor for the teacher to gauge if their
teaching method is effective. The teacher needs to continually react to the feedback and data
from a constant assessment of the students to ensure genuine learning is taking place.
Action
6. Discuss two strategies you learned from the video that you can incorporate into your
teaching to help you better meet the needs of all learners.
The teacher kept a dialogue with the students in motion in order to gauge on a moment by
moment basis how the class was progressing in the material. This method seems almost
socratic and lets students express their thoughts while informing the teacher of their progress.
I also found the “clicker” system interesting, allowing the teacher to get a more detailed view
of the students' understanding, even if it is less dynamic and on a more narrow topic.
B. Identify one video from the differentiation videos provided in the “Task 1 Video List” in the
Supporting Documents section below and watch it in its entirety. Reflect on your observation of
the video by doing the following:
Case #1355 Demonstrating Map Skills Through Hands-On and Creative Activities
Description
1. Describe how the teacher in the chosen video differentiated instruction based on individual
learning needs or learning contexts, and include evidence from the video for support.
The children, broken into workgroups, were learning about features on a map. The teacher
was moving between groups in order to observe their progress and evaluate how well the
students were learning and applying the lesson. By being in small groups, the teacher had
