Differentiated Instruction

Evelyn Wassel, Ed. D. Williams Valley School District September 24, 2010

Agenda

Discuss the concept of DI Look at techniques to differentiate

the classroom Consider a rationale for on-going

assessment in the classroom to guide instruction

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What It Is/What It’s Not

Differentiated Instruction IS:

Differentiated Instruction IS NOT:

The success of education depends on adapting teaching to individual differences among learners.

Yuezheng, in fourth century B.C. Chinese treatise, Xue Ji

(Snow, 1982)

What is Differentiation?

A teacher’s response to learner’s needs

The recognition of students’ varying background knowledge and preferences

Instruction that appeals to students’ differences

The rationale for DI

Examples of learner diversity: Cognitive abilities (Bloom) Learning styles (Gardner) Socioeconomic and family factors Readiness Learning pace Motivation Gender Cultural and ethnic influences

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One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Essential Characteristics of DI

There is no recipe for DI It is a way of thinking Teacher acts as facilitator for learning DI challenges the notion that the

curriculum is just coverage of facts.

Readiness Differentiation

Where is THIS child at THIS time with THIS particular

skill or idea?

What Information Do You Need? To know your students

The process of differentiating curriculum, instruction and assessment begins by knowing your students.

To understand your students Strengths, interests, learning styles, preferences and

intelligences

To know student needs This information can be utilized to make your

curricula more meaningful to students because you can tailor your delivery and expectations to meet their needs.

How will I get this information? Record review Family-centered and culturally responsive fact

gathering Interest inventories Learning preferences information Multiple intelligences Data-based observations

Functional behavior assessment Monitoring cooperative group learning

The Differentiated

Instruction Decision Making

Process Students

How can I differentiate instruction and align lesson

outcomes and tasks to learning goals?

Adapted from Oaksford, L. and Jones, L. 2001

Product• Assessment of the

content

Review the Data Link To Next Concept, Lesson or

Unit

Curriculum• PA Standards/

Assessment Anchors

Pre-assessment• Readiness/Ability• Interest/Talents • Prior Knowledge

Content•What the teacher plans to teach

Process•How the teacher plans instruction•Management of flexible groups

WHAT CAN BE DIFFERENTATED?

Classroom Elements

Content Process Product Affect Learning Environment

Differentiating Content

Sources of content: 1. 2. 3.

Teacher determines/clarifies essential knowledge, understanding and skills of a unit or topic.

Pre-test to determine readiness. Differentiate content to ensure all students

have equal access to the essential knowledge.

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DO NOT ASSESS

BIG IDEASALL WILL LEARN

DO TEACH INTENSIVELY

DO ASSESS

DO TEACH

DO

NO

T

ASS

ESS

INTERESTING BUT NOT ESSENTIAL

SOME WILL LEARN ANYWAY

SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE – TRIVIA

FEW WILL LEARN

DO NOT

TEACH DO NOT

ASSESS

Edwin Ellis, 2002

Differentiating the Curriculum

Ways to differentiate curriculum

Reading partners/reading buddies Read/summarize Adjust questions Graphic organizers Varied texts Highlighted texts With a partner, discuss some other ways

you can help all students have equal access?

Differentiating Process

Learning and using higher order thinking skills Creative thinking Critical thinking Problem solving

Integration of basic skills and abstract thinking skills

Process = “activities”

Ways to Differentiate Process

Games RAFTs Cubing, Think Dots Choices Tiered Lessons Anchor Activities Online Activities

Games

Use games to capture a student’s interest, reinforce ideas and for review.

Frequent practice is also necessary for children to build and maintain strong academic skills.

Have varying levels according to ability.

Friendship Cinquain

A cinquain is a five-line poem that follows a certain pattern.

Interview a partner and use what you learn to write a cinquain about that person.

Questions are on the next slide.

Friendship Cinquain

What is your name? Adjectives that describe you Activities you enjoy What makes you a good friend? Nickname?

Friendship Cinquain

NameAdjective, adjective

Action word, action word, action word

Four word phrase about friendshipNickname or noun

Friendship Cinquain

JordanMusical, athletic

Singing, dancing, tacklingEveryone can be considerate

JJ

Friendship Cinquain

This can be used for any topic if you change the questions.

Examples:Plants

Columbus’ journeyCharacter in a story

RAFT

Writing to learn activities to enhance understanding of informational text ROLE AUDIENCE FORMAT TOPIC

The RAFT strategy forces students to process information rather than merely write answers to questions.

Role of the Writer

What is the writer’s role: reporter, observer, eyewitness, object, number, etc.

Audience

Who will be reading the writing?

Teacher Other students A parent Editor People in the community, etc.

Format

What is the best way to present the writing? Letter Article Report Contract Poem Advertisement E-mail

Topic

Who or what is the subject of this writing?

A famous scientist A prehistoric cave dweller A character from literature A chemical element or physical object

Plant RAFT

ROLE AUDIENCE FORMAT TOPIC

Plant parts Plant needs Picture We’re made for each other

Roots Stem, leaf, flower, seeds

Letter You’d be lost without me

Flower Stem, leaf, seeds, roots

Ad I’m more than just a pretty face

Immigration RAFT

ROLE AUDIENCE FORMAT TOPIC

Boy of 12 who came from Europe

Best friend in Germany

Letter Crossing the ocean on a ship

Ship captain Emigrants waiting to come to America

Booklet How to prepare for your trip

Artist arriving from France

Graphic design firm in NYC

Postcard Wish you were here

Activity

With a partner develop several scenarios where you could use the raft in your classroom.

Cubing

Students consider a concept from a variety of different perspectives.

The cubes are six-sided figures that have a different activity on each side of the cube.

A student rolls the cube and does the activity that comes up.

Think Dots

Each student is given a set of activity cards on a ring, a die and an activity sheet.

Student rolls the die and completes the activity on the card that corresponds to the dots thrown on the die.

Student then completes the activity on the activity sheet.

Think Dots Suggestions

Use colored paper and/or colored dots to indicate different readiness levels, interests or learning styles.

Have students work in pairs. Let students choose which activities – for

example: Roll the die and choose any three. Create

complex activities and have students choose just one to work on over a number of days.

Choices

Use Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences

Human beings are capable of "many different and discrete facets of cognition."

Humans display different types of intelligences which can be measured, fostered and evaluated as isolated faculties of the mind.

Multiple Intelligences The MI Theory assumes

that all students possess an array of at least eight intelligences.

Identifying students’ strength intelligences allows educators to use the strengths to capture a students’ attention and assist the student in learning new information.

Source: Google Images

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

The ability to manipulate ones own body and control muscle movements with utmost precision (surgeons, pianists)

Musical Intelligence

The ability to understand and perform music

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

This also includes scientific ability.

Linguistic Intelligence

Knowledge and ability to manipulate language

Spatial Intelligence

The ability to form a mental model of a spatial world (i.e. sculptors, engineers, surgeons)

Interpersonal Intelligence

The ability to understand others

Intrapersonal Intelligence

The ability to understand oneself

Nature Intelligence

The ability to understand nature

Gardner’s MI

http://www.op97.k12.il.us/lincoln/mi.html

What’s your learning style? http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-

intelligences-learning-styles-quiz?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=pdf&utm_campaign=quiz&gclid=CNvIpqDLmaQCFaVn5Qod1WlVEA

Tiered Lessons

Strategy that addresses a particular standard, key concept and generalization

Allows several pathways for students to arrive at an understanding of these components

Based on the students’ interests, readiness or learning profiles

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Developing a Tiered Assignment

Identify unit/lesson.

Identify essential questions or objectives. Student outcomes Student skill levels Student output

Develop/review lesson activity. Determine level of learner(s). Adjust COMPLEXITY for each level of

learners.

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Implementing a Tiered Assignment

Assignments should be… Accompanied by directions Respectful. Adjusted for varying levels Designed to meet the lesson objective

Determine product. Traditional versus alternate

Teacher in role of facilitator

Anchor Activities

Specified ongoing activities on which students work independently

Ongoing assignments that students can work on throughout a unit

Why Use Anchor Activities? provide a strategy for teachers to deal with

“ragged time” when students complete work at different times

allow the teacher to work with individual students or groups

provides ongoing activities that relate to the content of the unit

allow the teacher to develop independent group work strategies in order to incorporate a mini lab of computers in classroom

Examples of Anchor Activities

A worksheet with open- or closed-end questions

Learning centers Journal writing Creating games or books Playing games that reinforce

concepts/skills

With a partner, develop a few examples of anchor activities you can use in your classroom.

Don’t forget online options!

Differentiating Product

Varying the ways students demonstrate what you asked them to learn.

Use frequent assessment as checks for understanding and feedback – not just for grades.

Replace some tests with rich product assignments. You can also give students a choice

between tests and assignments.

Ways to Differentiate Product

Choices based on interest, readiness and learning profile

Clear expectations Timelines Agreements Product guides Rubrics

Differentiating Affect

Students need to feel they belong to a group and are important to it.

Teacher should be continually attuned to student feelings.

Readiness levels should be value challenged & supported in the classroom.

Differentiate proactively and reactively. Affect is the “weather” of the classroom.

Differentiating Learning Environment

Use fluid, flexible grouping that reflects real-life situations.

Use space, time and materials flexibly. Encourage expression of new ideas,

accept diversity and exploration. Experiences reflect learner interests and

ideas. Honor the dignity of all learners.

Differentiating Student Characteristics

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Differentiating Readiness

Make work a little more difficult for students at a given point in their growth. Provide support to succeed at new level

of challenge. Pre-assessment is key. Teachers need to adapt teaching in ways

that make curriculum appropriately challenging for a range of learners.

Differentiating Interest

Help students connect with new information by revealing connections with things they already find appealing and worthwhile.

Interest surveys will give clues to teachers.

Differentiating Learning Profile

Influenced by learning style, intelligence preference, gender and culture

The goal is to help students learn in the way they learn best and to extend ways in which they can learn effectively.

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In a differentiated classroom, the teacher plans and carries out varied

approaches to content, process, and

product in anticipation of and response

to student differences in readiness and/or interest.

On-going Assessment

“Assessment is today’s means of understanding how to modify tomorrow’s instruction.”

Carol Tomlinson

Some Thoughts on Assessment

Assessment should happen on a daily basis in the classroom.

It provides ways to use instruction to inform the next steps.

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As you begin….

Examine your philosophy about individual needs.

Start small. Grow slowly – but grow! Envision how an activity will look. Step back and reflect.

Management Hints

Giving Directions If the whole class is doing the same activity

then give the directions to the whole group. Do not give multiple task directions to the

whole class. For small group work, tape directions so

students can listen to them repeatedly Use task cards to give directions to small

groups. A general rule is that once the teacher has

given directions the students can’t interrupt while he/she is working with a small group Ask Me Visors

Assigning Groups

Clothes pins with student’s names to assign them to a particular task

Color code children to certain groups (a transparency with students names in color works well)

Cubing allows you to assign groups by interest or readiness level

Handling Materials

Assign jobs to different students (materials handler, table captain)

As a teacher ask yourself, “Is this something I have to do myself, or can the students learn to do it?”

Remember that you have to teach children how to become responsible for their own things.

Transitions

Directions for transitions need to be given with clarity and urgency. Time limit for transition Address the acceptable noise level

Rehearsal

Routines for Handling Paperwork

Color-coded work folders Portfolios Baskets for each curricular area or

class period Filing Cabinet Key to these organizational

patterns is that the children have access to their own work and know how to file and/or find what they need to accomplish a task.

Time

Must be flexible in order to address every child’s readiness level Catch-up days Anchoring Activities Postcards for Writing Ideas Independent Investigations

Principles for Fostering Equity and Excellencein Academically Diverse Learners

Good curriculum comes first.The teacher's first job is always to ensure a coherent, important, inviting, and thoughtful curriculum.

All tasks should respect each learner.Every student deserves work that is focused on the essential knowledge, understanding, and skills targeted for the lesson. Every student should be required to think at a high level and should find his or her work interesting and powerful.

When in doubt, teach up!Good instruction stretches learners. The best tasks are those that students find a little too difficult to complete comfortably. Be sure there's a support system in place to facilitate the student's success at a level that he or she doubted was attainable.

Adapted from Tomlinson, C.A.,& Edison, C.C. (2003).Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum, Grades 5-9. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Principles for Fostering Equity and Excellencein Academically Diverse Learners

Use flexible grouping.Find ways and time for the class to work as a whole, for students to demonstrate competence alone, and for students to work with varied groups of peers. Using only one or two types of groups causes students to see themselves and one another in more limited ways, keeps the teacher from" auditioning " students in varied contexts, and limits potentially rich exchanges in the classroom.

Become an assessment junkie.Everything that a student says and does is a potential source of assessment data. Assessment should be an ongoing process, conducted in flexible but distinct stages, and it should maximize opportunities for each student to open the widest possible window on his or her learning.

Grade to reflect growth.The most we can ask of any person-and the least we ought to ask-is to be and become their best. The teacher's job is to guide and support the learner in this endeavor. Grading should, in part, reflect a learner's growth.

Adapted from Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, Grades 5-9,

I like this class because there’s something different going on all the time. My other classes, it’s like peanut butter for lunch every single day. This class, it’s like my teacher really knows how to cook. It’s like she runs a really good restaurant with a big menu and all.

Comment from a course evaluation written by a 7th grader.

Exploring DI Sites

Use the following wiki to access two DI word documents related to DI.

http://wassel.wikispaces.com/DI+WV+2010

Explore the wiki to complete the Ticket Out The Door activity.

Let’s review…

Differentiated Instruction is…

Differentiated Instruction is not…

For more information

www.iu29.org Teacher Resources Differentiated Instruction Resources

http://wassel.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Instruction

http://wassel.wikispaces.com/DI+Webpages