How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

Hardevi Shah Rider University - Graduate Level Teaching Program 2011

What?

Talk about unfair!

Let’s make some changes….

"How Differentiated Instruction and Formative Assessment Work at Forest Lake Elementary"

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njeK8BGqJq0

What Differentiated Instruction is NOT

Individualized Instruction

• In the 1970s teachers believed that providing specific lessons to each child was the best method of teaching

• They quickly discovered the impossibility of creating a different lesson for each child, every day of the week. Teachers were found themselves exhausted and out of ideas!

What Differentiated Instruction is NOT

Chaotic• Before a teacher decides to

participate in differentiated instruction, he or she MUST set the ground rules for classroom management.

Homogeneous grouping• Prior to differentiated instruction

students were placed in groups based on skill level and did not easily switch groups.

• Blue jays, Robins, Cardinals• Students did not have the

opportunities to work with different skill levels

What Differentiated Instruction is NOT

Tailoring the same suit of clothes

• It is not beneficial to “tailor” lessons to each student’s skill level.

• Those in lower levels should not “skip” what they struggle with.

• Those in higher levels should not be given extra work on principles that they master.

What Differentiated Instruction IS

PROACTIVE

• Proactive teachers observe their student’s learning style and plan their lessons accordingly

• If a particular lesson does not appeal to a particular learner, a proactive teacher will adjust accordingly.

What Differentiated Instruction IS

More QUALITATIVE than quantitative

• A mastered skill = busy work more challenging work

• A struggling student= decreased amount of work

What Differentiated Instruction IS

Rooted Assessment

• Each lesson allows the teacher to asses to developmental level of their students and plan her lessons accordingly

Provides at least 3 curricular elements• Content input• Process• Product output

What Differentiated Instruction IS

Student Centered Organic

“Differentiated Instruction

acknowledges that later

understandings must be built on

previous understandings

And that not all students process

the same understandings at

the outset of a given

investigation”

Students and

teachers learn

together

Understanding the Needs of Advanced Learners

It is crucial to avoid boredom and mental laziness in advanced students

Constantly challenge them

Caution! Advanced learners are at risk of becoming:

• Perfectionist• Depleting their self-efficacy• Lack coping skills

Understanding the needs of Struggling Learners

Build on the positives!

Do not allow the students to focus on what they cannot do!

How is school helping students now?

Constantly telling student’s that their skills in the classroom will benefit them in the future means nothing!

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

• Highest priority = organizing a class for effective activity and exploration

• Teachers who differentiate instruction focus on their role as coach or mentor• Give students as much

responsibility for learning as they can handle and teach them to handle a little more every step of the way

• Covering information takes a back seat to making meaning out of important ideas

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

Assess student readiness through a variety of means

Read and interpret student clues about interests and learning preferences

Create a variety of ways students can gather information and ideas

Develop diverse ways in which students can explore and own their ideas

Present channels through which students can express and expand understandings

Teachers who differentiate instruction grow in their ability to:

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

Teacher as director of the orchestra The director of the orchestra helps musicians make music, but does not make the music himself

The teacher as jazz musician The artistry and confidence of the jazz musician with the music, instrument, and group allow her to abandon the score for the sake of the music, the group, and the audience

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

Differentiated teaches have two things in common:

• The conviction that students differ in their learning needs

• A belief that classrooms in which students are active learners, decision makers and problem solvers are more natural and effective than those in which students are passive recipients of information

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

Classroom Rules of Thumb

• Be clear on the key concepts and principles which give meaning and structure to the topic (chapter, unit, lesson)

• Focus on key concepts to ensure that all learners gain powerful understanding that serve as building blocks for meaning and access to other knowledge

• Think of assessment as a road map for your thinking and planning

• Lessons for all students should be engaging and emphasize critical and creative thinking

Learning Environment in a Differentiated Classroom

A differentiated classroom should support and be supported by an evolving community of learners

• Everyone feels welcomed and contributes to everyone else feeling welcome

• Classroom that contains student work and other student designed artifacts are inviting

• Flexible and comfortable seating options

• Time during the day when students and the teacher can talk about the day and life in general

• Build bridges between learning and the world of the learner

Learning Environment in a Differentiated Classroom

Mutual respect is a nonnegotiable

• Teacher helps students learn to solve problems in constructive ways that attend to the issue at hand without making a person or group feel smaller

• Humor plays a central role in a welcoming and respectful classroom – sarcasm and sharp words do not

• Students feel safe in the classroom

Learning Environment in a Differentiated Classroom

There is a pervasive expectation of growth

• Students learn to chart their own growth

• Students should be encouraged to discuss their learning goals and ways of achieving them

• Growth of each student is a matter of celebration

Teacher teaches for success

• Scaffolding - whatever kind of assistance is needed for any student to move from prior knowledge and skill to the next level of knowledge and skill

• Challenging work – assignments and tasks that are slightly beyond the student’s comfort zone

Learning Environment in a Differentiated Classroom

Teachers and students collaborate for mutual growth and success

Teacher’s can:• Set the tone for the classroom environment• Continually coach students to be contributing members of a group

Student’s can:• Help develop routines for the classroom• Help one another• Keep track of their work

All students need to be guided in assuming a growing degree of responsibility and independence as a learner and member of a community of learners

A Look Inside Some Differentiated Classrooms: Classroom Techniques

Interest centers

Mixed-ability and matched-ability cooperative groups

Negotiated criteria

Independent investigations Peer Reviews

Classroom Management Strategies

• Start at a comfortable pace for you

• As you gain confidence slowly add activities to your repertoire

• Time differentiated activities to help students be successful

• Know the attention span of your students

Strategies to Make Your Classroom Run Smoothly

Anchor activities• Prevent unnecessary downtime

Minimize noise• Teach students a quiet signal

Way to turn work in• An unchecked bin

Minimize Movement• Assign a “gopher”

Preparing Parents for Differentiated Instruction

Teach parents about

differentiated instruction

Point out the benefits of

learning in a classroom based

on individual student’s

academics

The importance is on the growth and not on the grades

Explain to parents that the focus is on helping the student reach

their potential at their own pace

Planning Lessons Differentiated by Readiness

The teacher needs to figure out how to meet the individual students needs by doing a standard

assessment

The teacher needs to have an idea of what the student

knows

The student needs the basic idea of a topic before they

can see it in a new light

Example: A student needs to know the sounds that a letter makes before being

able to read.

The Equalizer: A Way to Determine Readiness

Foundational to Transformational

Know the basics before looking at in a new way

Concrete to Abstract

Familiarity with the material before exploring meanings or implications

Simple to Complex

Starting at the most simple details of a topic and then expanding on them

The Equalizer: A Way to Determine Readiness

Dependent to Independent• Students vary on the amount of independence they are ready for

Structured to Open-ended• Some students are ready to improvise while others still need more

straight forward guidelines to follow

Slow to fast• Some students will move quickly through one part of a topic but then

need to move more slowly in other areas

Differentiating Content, Process, and Product

• Assigning work on the same topic at different degrees of difficulty

• The students are getting the same type of information but in a way that is geared towards their individual ability.

• The teacher should aim to provide work that is just a little too hard

• This pushes students out of their level of comfort and allows the teacher to help them reach a new level of understanding

Planning Lessons Differentiated by Interest

Enhancing motivation to

learn

Using familiar ideas as a way to introduce less familiar

ideas

Helping students to realize that

there is a connection

between school and their own

interests

Strategies to Plan Lessons that are Differentiated by Interest

“Sidebar” Studies• Students study the aspects of a

topic that interest them• Example- A student might like

music and decide to focus on the music of the 1950s for a history class.

Interest groups• Students who have similar

interests form a group to do an in-depth study on one particular topic that they find most interesting

Guidelines for Interest-based Differentiation

• Find a way to link a student interests with the curriculum

• Teachers should make sure that students are acquiring the skills that the curriculum specifies.

• Guide students to success by providing structure

• Teachers should set goals and time-lines to guarantee that students are getting the most out of their learning.

Curriculum Can Be Subdivided for the Purposes of Differentiating Instruction

Teacher Dependent Dimensions

• Content: What we teach, what we want students to learn (input)• Process: Sense making, information is run through an individual’s filters of

meaning• Product: How student’s show what they know, typically a long term assignment

that demonstrates understanding and application of content (output)

Student Dependent Dimensions

• Interest: Ignite curiosity and passion• Readiness: Match skills and understanding• Learning Profile: Work in a preferred manner

Differentiating Content

Adapt what we teach: Content can be varied according to Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Unfamiliar with concepts- complete tasks at lower levels such as knowledge, comprehension, application

• Partial mastery- focus on application, analysis and evaluation

• High level of mastery- emphasize evaluation and synthesis

Adapt how we give student access to what we want them to learn

• Different texts, novels or short stories based on reading level

• Internet sources of varied sophistication

• Work in pairs, groups or individually

Strategies for Differentiating Content

Concept Based Teaching

• Avoid rote memorization of long lists of facts

• Focus instead on key concepts and principles, which are the building blocks of meaning

• Make connections between subjects and facets of a single topic

• Relate ideas to the student’s lives• Identify patterns and help

student’s to use these to deal with future learning

Strategies for Differentiating Content

Stage 3: Collaboratively design a project for the

student to engage in while others focus on the general

lesson

Stage 2: Note gaps in knowledge and define plan

to address these

Stage 1: Identify candidates and assess their

understanding of a particular subject or lesson

• Create a challenging learning environment

• Guarantee proficiency in basic curriculum

• Buy time for enrichment and acceleration

Curriculum CompactingDesigned to help advanced learners maximize the use of their time for learning

Areas of Strength Documenting Mastery Alternate Activities

Student’s Name: ________________________________

Strategies for Differentiating Content

Using varied texts and resource materials

• Build a classroom library that includes texts of various levels, magazines, brochures, internet files, videos etc.

• A rich array of materials ensures that content is meaningful to learners of all levels

• Computer programs can present different levels of challenge and complexity

Learning contracts• Can contain both skills and content components• Combine a sense of shared goals with individual

appropriateness and autonomy

Mini-lessons• Some students may not fully grasp newly taught material• Meet with these students to revisit these concepts to

extend their understanding and skill

Differentiating Process

• Process refers to how a student comes to understand and assimilate facts, concepts and skills

• Allows students to learn based on what method is easiest for them, or alternatively, what will challenge them the most• A learning style inventory may help to identify this• http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm• Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences to guide appropriate methodology

• Students make sense of ideas and information most effectively when classroom activities are:• Interesting• Involve high level thinking• Use key skills to understand key ideas

Strategies That Support Differentiated Process

• These strategies work best when students work in small groups or independently

• Easier to match activities and process to individual needs

• Utilize tools that allow students to express their creativity!

• Some of the many examples:• Journals• Graphic Organizers

• http://readwritethink.org/materials/trading_cards

• Mind Maps, Learning Centers/Interest Groups, Model Making, Laboratory Exercises, Jigsaw, Role Playing

• Cubing• http://readwritethink.org/materials/bio_c

ube/

Differentiating Product

Products represent the student’s application and understanding of what they have learned

• Typically a long term assignment• May supplement or replace a more traditional written test as an assessment of

knowledge and understanding• Has the advantage of allowing a more flexible approach to student

evaluation, accounting for multiple learning styles

How to design an effective product • Decide on format• Clearly define core expectations• Decide on necessary scaffolding (brainstorming, rubrics, timelines, critiquing

and revising• Coach for success and quality

Benefits• Encourages students to engage using their strengths and interests• Student are intrinsically motivated as this is their chance to “own” the

curriculum

Grading in a Differentiated Classroom

1. Provide two grades (Traditional

and Personal)

2. Traditional letter grades

with a numeric superscript to

indicate 3below, 2at or 1above grade level

3. Supplemental normed grades

with more individualized

grades as it relates to a portfolio of

work

Traditional grading system is designed to rank you within your classroom cohort

The goal of differentiated instruction is help you develop as a learner…it can be more individualistic

Not all work has to be graded, especially if intellectual risk taking is the goal!

*Terrific resource for implementing technology and multimediahttp://www.cited.org

*Terrific resource for implementing technology and multimediahttp://www.cited.org

Thank you for taking the time to learn about Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms with me!

An excellent resource on Differentiated Instruction which also served as a reference for this presentation:

How to Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

By: Carol Ann Tomlinson