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Breaking Down Learning into Smaller Targets: The Micro-Skill Differentiation Approach
Updated: Mar 11
Micro-Skill Differentiation is an approach to teaching and learning that involves breaking down larger skills or concepts into smaller, more manageable targets. This approach is especially important in special education, where individualized instruction is crucial for supporting student learning and development.
In special education, it is essential to provide instruction that meets the unique needs of each student. This can be challenging, as students with disabilities may have a wide range of abilities and learning styles. Micro-Skill Differentiation offers a way to tailor instruction to meet these individual needs by providing a clear and structured path toward mastery based on each student's unique abilities and needs.
In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of Micro-Skill Differentiation for teachers and students and how it can revolutionize teaching in special education. We will also discuss strategies for implementing this approach in the classroom and provide examples of how it can be used to support student learning and development.
The Benefits of Micro-Skill Differentiation for Teachers
Micro-Skill Differentiation offers several benefits for teachers in special education. Here are some of the key advantages:
Allows teachers to identify specific areas of strength and weakness: By breaking down larger skills or concepts into smaller targets, teachers can more easily identify areas where students are excelling or struggling. This can help them to tailor instruction to meet each student's individual needs and to provide targeted support where it is needed most.
Provides a clear and structured learning path for students: Micro-Skill Differentiation provides a clear and structured path toward mastery for students. By breaking down larger skills into smaller targets, students can see their progress more clearly and understand the steps they need to take to reach their learning goals.
Helps teachers provide targeted instruction and support: Micro-Skill Differentiation allows teachers to target their instruction and support based on each student's needs. This can help to ensure that each student is receiving the appropriate level of challenge and support and can lead to more effective and efficient teaching.
Allows teachers to differentiate instruction based on individual student needs: Micro-Skill Differentiation allows teachers to differentiate instruction based on each student's unique needs and abilities. This can help ensure that each student receives instruction that is appropriate for their level of understanding and learning style.
Increases teacher effectiveness and efficiency: By providing a clear and structured path towards mastery, Micro-Skill Differentiation can help teachers to be more effective and efficient in their teaching. Teachers can focus on specific targets and provide targeted instruction and support rather than trying to cover a broad range of skills or concepts in a general way.
Overall, Micro-Skill Differentiation can help teachers in special education provide more effective and targeted instruction and support, leading to improved student outcomes.
The Benefits of Micro-Skill Differentiation for Students
Micro-Skill Differentiation also offers several benefits for students in special education. Here are some of the key advantages:
Builds skills incrementally, leading to increased confidence and success: Micro-Skill Differentiation breaks down larger skills or concepts into smaller, more manageable targets. This allows students to build their skills incrementally, leading to increased confidence and success over time. By providing a clear and structured path toward mastery, students can see their progress more clearly and understand the steps they need to take to reach their learning goals.
Example of a micro-skill differentiated scaffold for teaching Text-based Comprehension- Main Idea: Micro-Skill Differentiation can be applied to a wide range of skills and concepts. For example, when teaching text-based comprehension, teachers might use a scaffolded approach that includes:
Starting with literal pictures enabling students to visualize and tell what the picture is about
Introducing pictures that require more examination
Giving students a topic sentence and 4 additional sentences and asking them to isolate which sentence does not support the topic sentence
Finding key details in a short 4-5 sentence passage on a topic of interest
By breaking down the larger "Main Idea" skill into smaller, more manageable targets, students can build their skills incrementally and achieve success along the way.
Overall, Micro-Skill Differentiation can help students in special education to build their skills incrementally, leading to increased confidence and success over time. By providing a clear and structured path toward mastery, students can see their progress more clearly and understand the steps they need to take to reach their learning goals.
How Micro-Skill Differentiation Revolutionizes Special Education Teaching
Micro-Skill Differentiation revolutionizes special education teaching by providing a framework for individualized instruction that meets the unique needs of each student. Here are some of the key ways that Micro-Skill Differentiation can transform special education teaching:
Provides a framework for individualized instruction that meets the unique needs of each student: Micro-Skill Differentiation provides a clear and structured framework for individualized instruction that meets the unique needs of each student. By breaking down larger skills or concepts into smaller targets, teachers can provide instruction tailored to each student's needs and abilities.
Supports the development of executive functioning, attention, and memory skills: Micro-Skill Differentiation supports the development of executive functioning, attention, and memory skills. By breaking down larger skills into smaller targets, students can more easily remember and organize the information they are learning. This can help to improve their overall executive functioning and attention skills.
Allows teachers to provide targeted instruction and support that meets the individual needs of each student: Micro-Skill Differentiation allows teachers to provide targeted instruction and support that meets the individual needs of each student. This can help ensure that each student receives the appropriate level of challenge and support and can lead to more effective and efficient teaching.
Promotes inclusion and access to the general education curriculum: Micro-Skill Differentiation promotes inclusion and access to the general education curriculum. Students can easily access and understand the general education curriculum by providing a clear and structured path toward mastery. This can help promote inclusion and ensure all students have the same learning opportunities.
To implement Micro-Skill Differentiation in the classroom, teachers can start by breaking down larger skills or concepts into smaller, more manageable targets. They can then use a scaffolded approach that builds on each target to help students build their skills incrementally. By providing targeted instruction and support that meets the individual needs of each student, teachers can help to ensure that all students are making progress and achieving success in their learning.
Examples of Micro-Skill Differentiation in a Lesson Series: A Note from a Teacher
As a teacher, I use micro-skill differentiation in my lesson series to help my students develop their reading comprehension skills. At the entry-level, we begin with lesson 1, where we focus on identifying what a picture is about using simple, one-focus target images. As students progress, we move on to mid-level skills where we focus on identifying what a picture is about using more complex multi-subject focus images.
Once my students have mastered these skills, we move on to the approaching proficiency level, where we focus on determining the topic and purpose of short informational passages. For instance, in lesson 1, students are expected to determine the topic and purpose of a 3-4 sentence informational passage, while in lesson 2, they work on determining the topic and purpose of a 5-6 sentence informational passage.
By breaking down the concept of the main idea into smaller micro-skills, my students can gradually build their understanding and confidence in this area. This approach ensures that all my students receive the support and instruction they need to be successful, regardless of their starting point. I am committed to using micro-skill differentiation in my teaching to help my students develop their reading comprehension skills and achieve their goals.
Implementing Micro-Skill Differentiation in the Classroom
Yes, those are some key steps in implementing Micro-Skill Differentiation in the classroom. Here is a more detailed explanation of each step:
Identifying overarching skills and breaking them down into smaller targets: The first step in implementing Micro-Skill Differentiation is identifying the larger skills or concepts students need to learn. These overarching skills can then be broken down into smaller targets that are more manageable for students to learn and achieve.
Developing learning activities and assessments focusing on each micro-skill: Once the smaller targets have been identified, teachers can develop learning activities and assessments focusing on each micro-skill. This can include hands-on activities, group work, individual tasks, and other strategies tailored to each student's needs and abilities.
Providing clear and structured feedback to students: Feedback is an important part of Micro-Skill Differentiation. Teachers should provide clear and structured feedback to students on their progress toward each micro-skill target. This feedback can help students understand what they have achieved and need to work on next.
Encouraging self-reflection and self-assessment: Micro-Skill Differentiation also involves encouraging self-reflection and self-assessment. Students should be encouraged to reflect on their learning and progress and to assess their strengths and weaknesses. This can help students to take ownership of their learning and to become more self-directed learners.
In summary, Micro-Skill Differentiation is a powerful tool for teachers to provide individualized instruction that meets the unique needs of each student. By breaking down larger skills into smaller targets, developing tailored learning activities and assessments, providing clear feedback, and encouraging self-reflection and assessment, teachers can help students build skills incrementally, increasing confidence and success.
In special education, where individualized instruction is paramount, Micro-Skill Differentiation can revolutionize how teachers approach teaching and support students' learning. The importance of individualized instruction cannot be overstated, as it can make a significant difference in students' academic progress and overall well-being.
If you want to implement Micro-Skill Differentiation in your classroom, there's no better time to start than now. TeachTastic offers Micro-Skill Differentiated resources aligned with standards and appropriate for all levels of academic progress. Don't waste another day not having the resources your students deserve. Start implementing Micro-Skill Differentiation today and see the difference it can make in your student's learning and success.