Differentiated Instruction

Language Arts Presentation and WorkshopBy Robin Knutelsky and Cara RussoMay 23, 2013

Do Now-Interest Survey

On post-it notes answer the following questions:1. What am I most passionate about?2. What do I like to teach the most? How is this linked to my passion?3. What concerns me the most in the “leveling up” model?4. What concerns me the most in a differentiated classroom?5. What questions do I have?

Post your post-its…

Today’s Agenda

You shall:• Be able to describe district expectations for

“leveling up”

• Be able to explain what Differentiated Instruction is and how it works

• Have successfully mapped one differentiated unit.

“Leveling UP”

• If there are levels within levels, levels do not truly matter if we are meeting students where they are and taking them where they need to be

• All students must achieve common core curriculum content standards

• Issue of compliance• Raising the bar for all students to achieve success• Supports for all learners still in place

Metaphor Study-Understanding DI

Thinking about levels, within levels, choose a metaphor to work in groups to discuss and draw…yes, I said draw!

• Teaching is like coaching because:

• Teaching is like being a director of an orchestra because:

• How can this metaphor guide our work?

Understanding why we must differentiate in ALL Classes

Carol Ann Tomlinson on the intricacies of • Readiness• Interest• Profile• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvCd5Xaf

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What Differentiated Instruction is not…

• DI Is Not…• Individualization—it isn’t a different lesson plan for each student

each day. This would be too time consuming.• Giving easier work to some students so they never reach the

standard.• Assigning more reading at the same level to higher achieving

students.• Giving all students the same work most of the time so each student

is treated “fairly.”• Requiring students to teach material they have mastered to other

students who have not.• Focusing on student weaknesses and ignoring student strengths

Differentiation Instruction Defined

• DI Is…• Providing multiple assignments within each unit, tailored for

students of different levels of readiness interest and learning style.• Having high expectations for all students. Aim high and

differentiate down as needed.• Permitting students to opt out of material they know and progress

at a different pace through new material (compacting)• Allowing students to choose, with a teacher’s guidance, ways to

learn and to demonstrate what they have learned• Implementing flexible grouping strategies that cluster students by

a particular subject area, interest, learning style, choice or ability• Focusing on student strengths so that each student can experience

and strive for excellence.

How can I differentiate?

• Product• What students create as a result of the lesson to

demonstrate mastery of the common core curriculum standards.

• Process• What students do to meet the objective/goal/standard to

achieve the common core curriculum standards.• Content• What students learn in the curriculum to achieve the

common core curriculum content standards

SOME Best Practices that “fit” differentiation

• The use of assessment to inform instruction (formative!)• Pre-assessment• Teaching for understanding• Flexible grouping• Danielson’s Frameworks for Teaching• Special education and gifted education – both inclusion

and support programs• Challenge and accountability• Acceleration – yes, acceleration!• Response to Interventions (i.e. Pyramid of Intervention)• Tiered Assignments

Where to start…

1.Know your students2.Know your curriculum3.Plan• Plan to differentiate content, process and product• Take students from where they are to where they need to

be• Flexible grouping• Whole class• Pairs• Independent

Tiered Product and Process

• Tiered by Complexity - Address needs of students who are at introductory level and those ready for more abstract or advanced work.

• Tiered by resources : Choose materials at various reading levels and complexity of content.• Explore various print options:

• Newspapers• Magazines• Newsletters• Primary sources• Diaries/journals

• Tiered by Outcome (Product): • Use same materials but prepare differentiated outcomes. • All students are building on the same understanding concept but producing

different products to demonstrate understanding.

How should we begin this work?

• Just begin…• Ideas for Differentiating Content, Process and Product (hand

out)• Use those you have already mastered and work!• Low Prep• High Prep

• Instructional Strategies for Differentiation (hand out)• Use those you have already mastered and work!• Low Prep• High Prep

• Viable curriculum• Mapping

Unit: Works to be Studied: Unit Components:  Reading Literature

TextsReading Informational

TextsWriting Speaking & Listening Language

 Materials

  

         

 Skills Linked to

Common Core and Evidence

  

         

 Instructional

StrategiesWhole Class

 

         

 Instructional Activities

Differentiated Components

 

         

 Assessment Whole

Class 

         

 Assessment

Differentiated 

         

Where We Will End Today, We Will Begin…

• Mapping of the first unit (marking period)• Closure: Revisit the “Gallery” of Post-its, take down

those that are no longer of concern• We will address your other concerns through• Continual professional development• Monthly department meetings• PLC• Monthly DI Continuous Learning (optional)