Differentiated Instruction Success for ALL

“Student differences matter and

effective teachers attend

to those differences

thoughtfully and proactively.”

Challenges Require more time Bring with them to the classroom great reservoirs of

knowledge that other students do not bring Need to move around more than others Seem to have given up on school – or themselves or

adults – and are angry or lethargic much of the time Have difficulty concentrating during whole-class

discussions Are poor test takers but actually understand far more

than they show Will not engage with learning if they fail to see the point

of it

Today’s students…• Are accustomed to watching a particular TV

show when it is convenient rather than when it’s broadcast

• No longer buy entire albums to “own” a particular song but rather download just the selections they like

• Order computers specifically designed for their needs

• Get news on demand and information they need when they need it

• Etc. - Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom

by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau

“… the question is not whether teachers recognize that such differences exist in virtually every classroom, or even whether they impact student success.”

“The question that plagues teachers is HOW TO attend to the evident differences in a room that contains so many young bodies.”

Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau

Differentiated Instruction is_____________.

What Experts Say about DI…

It is a comprehensive and flexible process that includes the planning, preparation and delivery of instruction to address the diversity of students’ learning needs within the classroom. Through DI, teachers take into account who they teach, what they teach, where they teach and how they teach.

National Professional Resources, Inc.

“At its most basic level, differentiating instruction means “shaking up” what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson - HOW TO Differentiate Instruction IN Mixed-Ability Classrooms -2nd Edition

Challenges to Conquer

Let’s work smarter, not harder!

1. CHALLENGES 2. WAYS TO CONQUER

How do we DO DI? If we only learn methods, we are tied to those methods, but if we learn principles, we can develop our own methods. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

#1

Misunderstanding : Differentiation is a set of instructional strategies.

Reality: Differentiation is a philosophy – a way of thinking about teaching and learning. It is, in fact, a set of principles.

#2

Misunderstanding : It’s adequate for a district or school leader (or professional developers) to tell, or even show, teachers how to differentiate instruction effectively.

Reality: Learning to differentiate instruction well requires rethinking one’s classroom practice and results from an ongoing process of trial, reflection, and adjustment in the classroom itself.

#3

Misunderstanding : Differentiation is something a teacher does or doesn’t do.

Reality: Most teachers who remain in a classroom for longer than a day do pay attention to student variation and respond to it in some way- especially with students who threaten order in the classroom. However, very few teachers proactively plan instruction to consistently address differences.

#4Misunderstanding : Differentiation is just about

instructionReality: Although differentiation is an instructional

approach, effective DI is inseparable from a positive learning environment, high-quality curriculum, assessment to inform teacher decision making, and flexible classroom management. To the degree that any one of those elements is weak, the others are also diminished.

If we only learn methods, we are tied to those methods, but if we learn principles, we can develop our own methods.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

INSIDE DI - Getting to HOW we influence student learning?

Tomlinson, C.A. (2000) Differentiating in the Elementary Grades

Student Learning Profile: Multiple Intelligences

Logical/mathematical - learning experiences that give the opportunity to think conceptually, use clear reasoning, look for abstract patterns and relationships, experiment, test things, classify and categorize.

Kinesthetic - processing knowledge through bodily sensations, communicating through gestures, learning by touching and manipulating, role playing, creative movement, and other physical activities. Kinesthetically dominant learners enjoy fixing and building things.

All Grades 2012

All Grades 2012

Learning Styles - VARK Model by Neil Fleming

FOCUS

“Differentiation can be accurately described as classroom practice with a balanced emphasis on individual students and course content.”

Tomlinson & Imbeau (2010)- Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom

Figure 1.1 Examples of Differentiation Based on Student Need

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Content

Process

Product

Tomlinson & Imbeau (2010)- Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom

Evidence of Learning

Content Standards and Objectives

Directions: •Pick a standard from the cards•Decide what acceptable evidence of deep learning might be•List a variety of end products, performance tasks and/or assessments that would be acceptable

Video -Teaching ChannelNew Teacher Survival Guide: DI Science 9-12

1. Why is assessment a key part of differentiation?

2. What kinds of assessments could/should these be?

3. What aspects of your lesson can be tiered to meet students at their level?

4. What are simple ways you can start differentiating tomorrow?

5. More difficult ways you can work at over the year?

So what?

One differentiated idea per month for three years; that’s a teacher on pace for implementing this.” – Rick Wormeli

“I know that one day I will be an expert in differentiated instruction. It won’t be today, and it won’t be tomorrow. It just takes a lot of time.” – Laura Gurick

Principles of DI

Principles of DI

DI Tools for the Road Ahead…

In this refreshing addition to differentiated learning literature, Rick Wormeli takes readers step-by-step from the blank page to a fully crafted differentiation lesson. Along the way he shows middle and high school teachers and behind-the-scenes planning that goes into effective lesson design for diverse classrooms.

http://www.stenhouse.com/html/wormelipodcast.htm