DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TECHNIQUES
01. Skim: Read the section quickly to become familiar with the material. Pay attention to headings and key words and phrases. Notice the conceptual items presented as bullets or headings.
02. Read: Be an active reader. This means that you should ask questions of the headings and search for answers while reading. Example: “A Technological Revolution”—Becomes: “What was the technological revolution?” “Why did the technological revolution take place?” “Who was involved in the technological revolution?” “How did the technological revolution occur?” “Where did the technological revolution occur?” If you are an auditory learner, read the material aloud.
03. Highlight: After you or your parent/guardian photocopies parts of the text, use different highlighters to bring the material to the forefront. Example: Use orange for names, green for places, yellow for general terminology, pink for dates, etc.. Make sure you only highlight key words or phrases. To make items “jump” at you while studying, highlight your notes.
04. List: Create a list of terminology under the following headings: Who—What—Where—When. Make sure you know the data in relation to the chapter or section heading. This becomes a great review item. For higher-level thinking, always ask Why and How. Also, always be aware of cause and effect.
05. Word Association: This is also called mapping or webbing. Take any term or date and place it on the center of a piece of paper. Draw lines from it and use terms or other information to analyze, break into components, your key word. Don’t be afraid to branch beyond your term to anything related in the section or chapter. This practices analysis, which is essential for many standardized tests (ACT, SAT, etc.) and for college.
06. Questions: Create your own questions in the style similar to your teacher. You can create these for others and share. If you are an auditory learner, have someone ask you the questions and present them with answers. In U.S. History, I will supply the questions and answers!
07. Ranking: Take the terms and decide which are most important to the theme of the chapter or the history of the United States. By supporting your position, you are practicing higher-level thinking and reinforcing the memory of data.
08. Essay: Take your terms and compose an essay. By doing this, you will gain a greater understanding of the relationship of terms to each other. This will give you the “big picture” and allow practice with higher-level thinking: analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
09. Flash Cards: Create your flash cards from unlined paper instead of purchasing index cards. This paper is available in my room next to the lined paper. Write a term on one side and facts on the other. Study! When you know a term well, place it in a separate pile; continue to review the terms that are difficult for you. When you feel mastery has occurred, shuffle all the cards and go through the data again. Turn the cards over and attempt to read the facts and locate the term. This will prepare you for matching and fill-in-the-blank.
10. Drill-and-Practice: Form a study group and take turns asking questions. Eventually, attempt to not only answer the questions accurately but also quickly. This speed will give you confidence when beginning a test. This is an excellent technique for those who suffer from test anxiety.
11. Chunking: Always work with manageable portions. Work with a small portion at a time (i.e., master a single paragraph before moving to the next one). You can also chunk by page or section.
12. Anecdotes: An anecdote is a short account of a specific incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.
13. Story Mapping: A story map is a visual depiction of the settings or the sequence of major events and actions of story characters. This procedure enables students to relate story events and to perceive structure in literary selections. By sharing personal interpretations of stories through illustrations, students increase their understanding and appreciation of selections. Story maps can be used as frameworks for storytelling or retelling, and as outlines for story writing.
02. Read: Be an active reader. This means that you should ask questions of the headings and search for answers while reading. Example: “A Technological Revolution”—Becomes: “What was the technological revolution?” “Why did the technological revolution take place?” “Who was involved in the technological revolution?” “How did the technological revolution occur?” “Where did the technological revolution occur?” If you are an auditory learner, read the material aloud.
03. Highlight: After you or your parent/guardian photocopies parts of the text, use different highlighters to bring the material to the forefront. Example: Use orange for names, green for places, yellow for general terminology, pink for dates, etc.. Make sure you only highlight key words or phrases. To make items “jump” at you while studying, highlight your notes.
04. List: Create a list of terminology under the following headings: Who—What—Where—When. Make sure you know the data in relation to the chapter or section heading. This becomes a great review item. For higher-level thinking, always ask Why and How. Also, always be aware of cause and effect.
05. Word Association: This is also called mapping or webbing. Take any term or date and place it on the center of a piece of paper. Draw lines from it and use terms or other information to analyze, break into components, your key word. Don’t be afraid to branch beyond your term to anything related in the section or chapter. This practices analysis, which is essential for many standardized tests (ACT, SAT, etc.) and for college.
06. Questions: Create your own questions in the style similar to your teacher. You can create these for others and share. If you are an auditory learner, have someone ask you the questions and present them with answers. In U.S. History, I will supply the questions and answers!
07. Ranking: Take the terms and decide which are most important to the theme of the chapter or the history of the United States. By supporting your position, you are practicing higher-level thinking and reinforcing the memory of data.
08. Essay: Take your terms and compose an essay. By doing this, you will gain a greater understanding of the relationship of terms to each other. This will give you the “big picture” and allow practice with higher-level thinking: analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
09. Flash Cards: Create your flash cards from unlined paper instead of purchasing index cards. This paper is available in my room next to the lined paper. Write a term on one side and facts on the other. Study! When you know a term well, place it in a separate pile; continue to review the terms that are difficult for you. When you feel mastery has occurred, shuffle all the cards and go through the data again. Turn the cards over and attempt to read the facts and locate the term. This will prepare you for matching and fill-in-the-blank.
10. Drill-and-Practice: Form a study group and take turns asking questions. Eventually, attempt to not only answer the questions accurately but also quickly. This speed will give you confidence when beginning a test. This is an excellent technique for those who suffer from test anxiety.
11. Chunking: Always work with manageable portions. Work with a small portion at a time (i.e., master a single paragraph before moving to the next one). You can also chunk by page or section.
12. Anecdotes: An anecdote is a short account of a specific incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.
13. Story Mapping: A story map is a visual depiction of the settings or the sequence of major events and actions of story characters. This procedure enables students to relate story events and to perceive structure in literary selections. By sharing personal interpretations of stories through illustrations, students increase their understanding and appreciation of selections. Story maps can be used as frameworks for storytelling or retelling, and as outlines for story writing.