Reflection on Lesson 6 (6 Apr 2013) - Differentiated Instruction

The learning capacity of all children are different.  In a classroom setting, teachers have to deal with children of different learning abilities.  Some children are advanced learners, some are average learners while others are slower learners.  How can teachers cater to the different needs of the children in the class effectively?

We watched a video on how Dr. Yeap conducted an enrichment activity for a class of Primary 1 children.  The children did the number trick activity together.  During the process, some children were able to see the link between the two numbers but it was evident that some children were not able to grasp it.  As this was an enrichment activity, the children were not expected to understand how it was done if they were not ready yet.  But they need to meet the goals of that day's lesson.  The children had to practise doing subtraction with renaming and to be able to subtract within 100.

So why are weaker children included in enrichment activities?  They are included in these activities so that they can learn from their peers.  These children also need to be constantly given the exposure to stimulate their brains.  They might not be able to understand fully what is being taught initially, but one day they will be able to get it.