1. Differentiated Instruction

2. WhY ?
Sir Ken Robinson video – start 2:13

3. Bloom’s New Taxonomy OLD NEW
Source:

4. What is differentiation?
Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning.
Tomlinson 2001
Differentiated Instruction Awareness

5. People learn differently – learning styles, strengths, abilities, and interests. We also learn alike in that we need to find meaning and make sense of what we study. We learn best from work that demands we stretch ourselves, but does not intimidate us.

7. Activity Reflect on this quote by completing these phrases:
When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, “chances are, 1/3 of the kids already know it; 1/3 will get it; and the remaining 1/3 won’t…. So 2/3’s of the children are wasting their time.” Lilian Katz
Reflect on this quote by completing these phrases:
Activity/Handout #1 – Pie Graph divided in to thirds. See handout for directions for completing.
What feelings concerning education were elicited as you responded to these statements?
Through classrooms today, one can find students with advanced learning skills sitting next to students who struggle with academics.
Along with that reality is the fact that most of these students will encounter a teacher who treats all students as though they are on the same academic level. Take 3-5 minutes to discuss which third you found yourself in as a student, parent and then later as a teacher. Complete pie graph provided to each small group. (After permitting time to complete the activity, share with large group. Reporting out.)
As a student, I was in the 1/3 who…
As a teacher, I am in the 1/3 who...
As a parent, my child is in the 1/3 who…

8. how ?
Sir Ken Robinson video – start 2:13

9. Differentiation Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs
Guided by general principles of differentiation
Meaningful tasks
Flexible grouping
Continual assessment
Teachers can differentiate through
Building Community
Quality Curriculum
Content
Product
Affect/Environment
Process
According to students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
Through a variety of instructional strategies such as:
RAFTS…Graphic Organizers…Scaffolding …Cubing…Tic-Tac-Toe…Learning Contracts….Tiering… Learning/Interest Centers… Independent Studies…Intelligence Preferences..Orbitals..Complex Instruction…ETC.

10. Teachers Can Differentiate:
Content
Process
Product
Environment
According to Students’
Content- is what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the segment of study. “it’s the stuff we want students to learn, therefore it is the stuff we teach”…..content standards, curriculum provide guidance for this.
Process- a purposeful activity that is unambiguously focused on essential learning goals. It requires students to work directly with a subset of the key knowledge, understanding, and skills specified as content goals. It requires students to think about ideas, grapple with problems and use information.
Products – refers to the major or culminating demonstration of students learning. Products can take many forms and this is what makes them potentially powerful in classrooms that are sensitive to learner variance. Tests are a form of products and when the only form many students find themselves restricted in the ability to show what they have learned.
Readiness
Interest
Learning
Profile

11. What to Differentiate…
Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information;
Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;
Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and
Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.
In a differentiated classroom it is the teacher who does the adapting – not necessarily the student.

12. Content Reading materials at varying readability levels;
Putting text materials on tape;
Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;
Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;
Using reading buddies
Small group re-teach or extend teach

13. Process
Using tiered activities: same understandings/ different support, challenge or complexity
Interest centers: encourage exploration into areas of interest
Personal agendas: task lists including in- common work and individual work
Offering manipulatives etc.
Varying the length of time for task (this works for adv. & struggling learners
In a differentiated classroom it is the teacher who does the adapting – not necessarily the student.

14. Product Options of how to express required learning
Rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels
Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products
Encouraging students to create their own product assignments (keeping targets in mind)
In a differentiated classroom it is the teacher who does the adapting – not necessarily the student.

16. Environment
Places to work quietly and, places that invite collaboration
Materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings
Clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;
Routines that allow students to get help without chaos
Classroom understanding re: learning styles; some need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly
In a differentiated classroom it is the teacher who does the adapting – not necessarily the student.

17. WHAT CAN BE ASSESSED? READINESS LEARNING PROFILE INTEREST Content
Areas of Strength
and Weakness
Work Preferences
Self Awareness
Interest Surveys
Interest Centers
Self-Selection
Content
Knowledge
Skills
Concepts

18. Readiness
KWL charts

19. Examples of Pre-Assessments: How Do You Like to Learn?
1. I study best when it is quiet Yes No
2. I am able to ignore the noise of
other people talking while I am working Yes No
3. I like to work at a table or desk Yes No
4. I like to work on the floor Yes No
5. I work hard by myself Yes No
6. I work hard for my parents or teacher Yes No
7. I will work on an assignment until it is completed, no
matter what Yes No
8. Sometimes I get frustrated with my work
and do not finish it Yes No
9. When my teacher gives an assignment, I like to
have exact steps on how to complete it Yes No
10. When my teacher gives an assignment, I like to
create my own steps on how to complete it Yes No
11. I like to work by myself Yes No
12. I like to work in pairs or in groups Yes No
13. I like to have unlimited amount of time to work on
an assignment Yes No
14. I like to have a certain amount of time to work on
15. I like to learn by moving and doing Yes No
16. I like to learn while sitting at my desk. Yes No

20. Big Ideas…

21. Differentiated Instruction is Proactive
Begin with assumption: different learners/different needs
Variety of ways to “get at” and express learning.
Organized/Purposeful and not chaotic.

22. High Flyers: Expect BETTER work, not MORE work!!!
Adjusts the nature of the assignment to meet student needs.
Level of complexity, steps in a task, and levels of questioning
Turn and Talk – do you current practices ask high flyers to think deeper?

23. Considerations for Planning a Differentiated Lesson
Identify the student learning target/s that ALL students must reach
Decide WHAT you will differentiate
Decide HOW you will differentiate and the assessment method you will use
Determine what assessment method/s you will use

24. Begin With Pre-Assessment
Readiness based on:
Standardized test results
Pre-testing
Conversations
Self assessments (KWL’s)
what else…..?

25. Assess along the way….

26. Minute Paper
In one minute, students identify the most significant (useful, meaningful, disturbing, etc.) things they learned during a particular session.

27. Ticket out the Door We have begun a study of author’s craft.
List and identify three examples of figurative language used in the novel Morning Girl by Michael Dorris.

28. Exit Cards On your Exit Card--- Explain the difference
between prime and
composite numbers.
You may wish to give
some examples of each
as part of your
explanation.

29. Differentiation is Fluid
Teachers participate in ongoing collaboration with students
Lessons and assignments are adjusted as needed
There is no one “right” way to differentiate as long as the basic principles of differentiated learning are followed.

30. DI Might Be…… Whole-class instruction Individual instruction
Flexible grouping
Cooperative/collaborative learning

31. Critical Thinking…. Foundational…………….Transformational
Concrete………………….Abstract
Simple…………………… Complex
Single Facet………………Multiple Facets
Small Leap………………..Great Leap
More Structured…………..More Open
Less Independence………More Independence
Slow………………………..Quick

32. Some Examples

33. Low Prep Differentiation
Choices of books
Homework options
Use of reading buddies
Varied journal prompts 
Student- Teacher goal setting 
Work alone/together
Whole-to-part and part-to-whole explanations
Flexible seating
Let's make a deal projects 
Use collaboration, independence, and cooperation 
Open-ended activities 
Mini- lessons 
Games to practice mastery of information and skill 
Multiple levels of questions

34. High Prep Differentiation:
Tiered activities and labs.
Independent studies
Multiple tasks
Alternative assignments 
Learning contracts
Multiple intelligence options 
Graphic organizers 
Community mentorship's 
Interest groups 
Tiered centers 
Interest centers 
Personal agendas
Literature circles
Stations 
Group investigation

35. Differentiate by Readiness…

36. Tiering Instruction Change the nature of the task, not the workload
Change the sophistication of the prompt and/or the student’s response to it
Keep all students “above water” by adjusting challenge levels so all students can make sense of their learning

37. Learning Contracts
Students enter into independent study with an agreed-upon set of tasks supporting adjusted goals.

38. Learning Menus
Students are given choices of tasks in a unit or for an assessment.
They must do one “entrée task”,
select from two “side dish” tasks,
choose one of the “dessert” tasks for extra enrichment.

39. Cubing
Students receive foam or poster board cubes with a different task written on each face; each task has a different complexity level than the others.
Given a topic, students:
Describe it, Compare it, Associate it, Analyze it, Apply it, Argue for it or against it.

40. Summarization Pyramid
SOME GREAT PROMPTS Synonym Analogy Question Three attributes Alternative title Causes Effects Reasons Arguments Ingredients Opinion Formula/sequence Insight Larger category Tools Sample People Future of the topic
Create a pyramid of horizontal lines, then ask students at different readiness levels to respond to tiered prompts as they interact with the topic.

41. Change the Verb
Raise or lower the challenge level by changing the verb in your prompt:
CONSIDER USING: Analyze Revise Decide between Why did Defend Devise Identify Classify Define Compose Interpret Expand Imagine Suppose Construct Recommend Predict Argue for (or against) Contrast Critique

42. Some Tips
All students need coherent lessons that are relevant, powerful, and meaningful.
Good curriculum pushes students a bit beyond what is easy or comfortable.
Encourage students to “work up” and complete tasks that stretch them.

43. Differentiate by Interest…

44. Sidebar Studies
Interest Centers
Specialty Teams
Real-Life Applications of Ideas and Skills
New Forms of Expression

45. Strategies That Support Interest-Based Studies
Studying concepts and principles through the lens of interest
Student choice of tasks
Independent Study
I-Searches
Orbitals
Mentorships
Group Investigations
Interest Groups
Jigsaw
Literature Circles
WebQuests
Student-selected audiences

46. Differentiate by Learning Profile…

47. Four Factors Learning Style Preferences Intelligence Preferences
Culture-Influenced Preferences
Gender-Based Preferences

48. Strategies for Learning Profile Preferences
Vary teacher presentation (auditory, visual, kinesthetic)
Vary student mode of expression (Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences)
Working choice arrangements
Multiple modes of assessment
Varied approaches to organizing ideas and information

49. Differentiate Content…

50. Strategies for Differentiating Content
Curriculum Compacting
Learning Contracts
Mini-lessons

51. Ways to Support Students
Reading partners or audio/video recorders
Note-taking organizers
Highlighted print materials
Digests of key ideas
Peer and adult mentors

52. Differentiate Process…

53. Processing: Making Sense of the Content
Present activities that are interesting to the student
Provide opportunities for students to think at a higher level
Cause students to use key skills to understand key ideas

54. Strategies for Differentiated Processing
Cubing
Learning logs or journals
Graphic organizers
Centers or interest groups
Role playing
Choice boards
Jigsaw
Think-pair-share
PMI
Model-making
Labs
Tiered activities

55. Differentiate Product…

56. Creating Product Assignments
Big IDEAS
Format of the project.
Expectations for quality (content, process, product).
Scaffolding (brainstorming, rubrics, time lines, planning/goal setting, storyboarding, critiquing, revising/grading).
Differentiate based on readiness, student interest, student learning profile.

57. you must:
Find exactly where students are before you know how to take them someplace new
Organize your resources
Adjust for varying degrees of depth
Support those who can’t keep their heads above water
Modify your strategy as you go
Recognize there are different ways to reach the same destination

58. The content of this presentation is based on the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson of the University of Virginia and on her book, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed- Ability Classrooms.

59. Supplementary Resources
Glossary of terms
Learning Style inventory
Sample lessons
List of additional resources

60. Resources
pathubert.wikispaces.com
Templates
Resources
Videos