Post on 11-Dec-2015
John D. Clare
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Henry David Thoreau
I have found very little on the practical down-to-earth, doing-it-in-the-classroom strategies for differentiation, especially in History.
John D Clare
***CLARE, JOHN D. (2004), 'Differentiation', at Greenfield School Website
(http://www.greenfield.durham.sch.uk/differentiation.htm)
Agenda
What is Differentiation? Getting your classroom routines and
curriculum ‘differentiation ready!’ the ‘How’ Dimensions of Differentiation and Practical
Examples using Three Tier Lessons for Individual Teachers.
Basically how to embed different entry points and consider student readiness for learning in
a realistic and results orientated fashion.
My Influences
My Context – IGS, Cconnect, GRIN/GRIN Thomas the TankEngine Experiment Carol Tomlinson Robert Marzano Marzano and Kendall (2007), The New
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives http://www.diffcentral.com/ My Students VAK (instead of Multiple Intelligences) Explicit Teaching, Responsive Teaching and
Feedback
Why?
… I also teach Plato to nurses aides, soldiers, ex-cons, pre-school music teachers, janitors, Sudanese refugees… Traditionally the liberal arts have been privilege of an upper class… I recently got a letter from a former student, a factory worker, thanking me for introducing him to Schopenhauer. I was surprised, because I hadn’t assigned the German pessimist. The letter explained that I’d quoted some lines from Schopenhauer in class, and they’d sparked my student’s imagination…. he wrote me a long letter of thanks for inadvertently turning him on to a kindred mind…The fire will always be sparked. Are we going to fan it, or try to extinguish it?
Scott Samuelson, “Why I Teach Plato to Plumbers.” The Atlantic 29 April 2014.
So… is this the idea?
Differentiation? What it is, What it is not.
If I were to differentiate this PD I would get some of you to answer questions, other to criticise my presentation and others to construct an interpretive dance regarding AusVELS progression points.
High Achievers do not require differentiation Differentiation is just for students on a modified list, for example, with SLD Differentiation can address various learning goals Differentiation always includes pretesting Differentiation means doing more/less work Differentiation always means providing content that students find interesting Differentiation is for all year levels P-12 Differentiation means having three lesson plans for each lesson every time Saying to kids – its ok not to have a go at the final task Differentiation allows students to work in one preferred way all of the time Getting kids to make a pyramid in an Ancient Egypt class which examines the
social hierarchy of Ancient Egypt is differentiation When in doubt teach up (a level slightly higher than the student is ‘capable of’)
My definition…
An approach to learning and teaching in which the delivery of the learning intentions allows for multiple pathways into the same learning intention to help students move closer to expected levels used with other instructional approaches.
“Curriculum tells us what to teach. Differentiation
tells us how.”Carol A. Tomlinson
So Go! Differentiate!
NOW you are ready to differentiate! So how? Most PD ends here…
Before you abandon the curriculum…
“There is no contradiction between effective standards based instruction and differentiation. Curriculum tells us what to teach. Differentiation tells us how.”
Carol A. Tomlinsondifferentiationcentral.com
However, you do need to control it Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (Robert Marzano, What Works in
Schools: Translating Research into Action) before you delve into depth studies.
The research indicates that there is greater within school variability than between school variability (Harvard Graduate School of Education).
Opportunity to Learn (OTL) has the strongest relationship with student achievement of all school-level factors identified by Marzano (2000).
Curriculum mandated at State and Federal Level is overcrowded Marzano estimates 23 years to adequately cover US K12 curricula McREL identified 200 standards and 3,094 benchmarks in national and
state level documents for 14 subject areas (Kendall and Marzano, 2000). To deliver this one would need 15,465 hours (Marzano, Kendall and Gaddy, 1999) – lets not forget that not all classroom time is instructional either. Marzano estimates teachers have 9,042 hours available to deliver the 15, 465 hours of content.
Solution
Whole Team: “Organised Abandonment” (Rick DuFour)
Marzano suggests in Schools That Work: Identify and communicate essential content versus supplementary content for those seeking post-secondary education. This is whole team differentiation.
The Compass – less but better
Solution – Be Like Truman! :/ Individual: identify key objective linked
to each lesson and clearly communicate to students.
When the door of your classroom closes YOU are the educational system.
Routine 3: Differentiate when it makes sense and be strategic!
Routine 1: Pretesting
Routine 1: Pretesting
Routine 1: Pretesting
Readiness for Learning
Routine 1: Pretesting – Readiness for Learning
Data Collected by the School and Data Collected by You
Examples On Demand/NAPLAN
Pre-tests for units of study Post-tests of units of study
Formative assessment measuresBUT it does not have to be that formal!!!
Routine 1: Pretesting
The most effective pre-testing occurs in the classroom as a regular part of the teaching program. These are
routines which are in place to assess the ‘temperature’ of the classroom…
Examples Mats
Ball of Pain Caesar Salute
True/False cards Spot book checks and workshops
Traffic Lights Ask questions while you complete the roll
Routine 1: Pretesting
Not a summary of what you did at the beginning of class but ask kids what have
you learnt?Golden rule:
Everything a student says or does IS assessment.
“Become an assessment junkie.” (Tomlinson and Stirckland).
Routine 1: Pretesting
Learning Profile
Routine 1: Pretesting – Learning Profile
VAK – moving beyond learning styles to sensory receivers – thus focusing on reception rather than
expression.
Learners use all three to receive and learn new info (focus of MI has traditionally been on output
of students and this is where this is different; there is no evidence that this improves retention).
Preference NOT fixed.K-3: K, 4-8: V, 8+and VCE: A
According to VAK theorists we need to use all three.
Routine 2: Making the learning intention clear and tracking
Before you can provide different entry points for learning you have to make explicit what is at level and what the learning intention is for everyone.If it doesn’t match your learning intention its not
differentiation. Kids have to track that learning intention and their movement towards it as much as you do.
Example Capacity Matrix
Entry and Exit Cards
Manage student reactions before they happen if using Tiered Approach
As Tomlinson (1999) so aptly states, “Assessment always has more to do with helping students grow than with cataloguing their mistakes.”
Think about sequence of History
•Vocabulary•Historical knowledge• Sources and perspectives• Structure
Marzano and Kendall New Typology of Educational Objectives
• Vocabulary - Retrieval• Historical knowledge -
Comprehension• Sources and perspectives -
Analysis• Structure – Knowledge
UtilisationMarzano and Kendall (2007), The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Bloom-Marzano Hybrid (2012).
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• By Assessment• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using sources to make an argument), structure
Level 1: Contestability Table sources regarding HiroshimaLevel 2: Essay Hiroshima with or without sentence starters
Level 3: Student participates in Simpson Prize.
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• By entry point student readiness/Flexible Grouping• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using Point Evidence Explain (PEE) to identify and explain the main message of a source), structure
Level 1: Procedural ActivityLevel 2: Declarative Activity (Marzano) – retention and
ability to apply to new contexts
Routine 3: PEE (Point, Evidence, Explain)
The main point of the source titled ________________ is ________________________________. Evidence of this is _______________________________________________. This source does/does not fit with other sources from the period, for example, ______________, which states that ___________________________.
Ability Grouping…
Robert Slavin (1986).-Grouping students as a class by ability for
all subjects does not improve achievement.
Finding: within class ability groups work (although more so for low achievers than
average or high).Robert Slavin, Achievement Effects of Ability Grouping in
Secondary Schools.
MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IT IS FOR THIS TASK
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• Tiered Lesson – by activity (‘typical idea’)• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives, structure
All students listen to PPT regarding key terms. Post Test.Level 1: students provided with a cloze activity.
Level 2: Marzano TableLevel 3: Create a paragraph regarding X which utilises each of the vocabulary terms to predict what this area of study
might be about. Next create a Marzano table of antonyms of each word (for example, Revolution/Status Quo).
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• No Differentiation• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using sources to make an argument), structure
Explain Harvard Project Zero circle of viewpoints. Students THINK, PAIR, SHARE.
No Differentiation Today.
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• Tiered using time• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using sources to make an argument), structure
Differentiate time.Level 1: More time; hand in next class (open book)Level 2 and 3: Hand in at end of class (closed book)
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• Tiered using resources• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using sources to make an argument), structure
Differentiate resources.Level 1: Appropriate internet site focus on (Who, What,
Where, Why and When OR Big Fox Template).Level 2: Textbook and Wikipedia Student
(simple.wikipedia.org).Level 3: Textbook and extension reading (student selects).
Level 4: Student creates own resource example
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• Tiered using time• Kula (2014) typology of historical education:
vocabulary, historical knowledge, source and perspectives (using sources to make an argument), structure
Level 1: Just Literal QuestionsLevel 2: Literal and Evaluative
Level 3: Literal, Evaluative and Analytical**** Many texts are already structured in this manner. Just
watch that matches learning intention.
Routine 3: Find a strategy to suit it
• The things that take a LOT of time… • Differentiation complexity in Assessments. Lesson:
Slave Trade.• Differentiation complexity in an Exam. Lesson – Literal,
Evaluative, Analytical.• Best done in teams.
Key Learnings
DO LESS BETTER – in reference to time At point of need differentiation works best with our students
especially in terms of formative assessment. Learning Intentions need to be clear for differentiation to occur. Our students need explicit modelling so a variety of different tasks
is not necessarily advantageous. Celebrate successes. Encourage students to extend themselves and allow them to move
between groups. Be realistic about what at level actually looks like and
communicate to students. Do lots of testing – informal and formal. Whole class activities are ok – differentiate when needed not just
because it is expected (be sure to meet learning objective). Throw out the rule book and make sure whatever you do is actually
viable.
Network – Western Suburb
Networking Opportunities. Please email AKU to receive invites and
updates: kula.agata.a@edumail.vic.gov.au .
Teaching Takeaways