Differentiated Instruction Cubing EDU382 Heather Manousardis Nikki Belt August 5,2011

Describe It Compare It Associate ItApply It Analyze It Argue for or Against it Cubing/Six Sides/Six Questions

Benefits of Cubing By using Cubing we can ask questions, as teachers, at students different levels of thinking. 1.Level 1: Knowledge- Recall 2.Level 2: Comprehension-Understanding 3.Level 3: Application-Transfer 4.Level 4: Analysis-Examining 5.Level 5: Synthesis-Combining 6.Level 6: Evaluation- Rating These are called Blooms Thinking Taxonomy. “We plan opportunities so that students interact with new knowledge and skills and develop an understanding and ability to retain and retrieve information in long term memory”.(Gregory, 2007 pg.120) Multiple Intelligences helps us understand how students learn. With cubing we can help students use their ability to learn in a certain way to their advantage with a large group. Types of Multiple Intelligences: 1.Verbal/Linguistic 2.Logical/Mathematical 3.Visual/Spatial 4.Musical/Rhythmic 5.Bodily/Kinesthetic 6.Interpersonal 7.Intrapersonal 8.Naturalist

Cubing Differentiates Learning Design Alternate Activities Appropriate Multidimensional Reinforce Connect Lesson plans that will include multiple intelligences. Allows a change to occur so students stay focused. Gives choices so students feel they have a say in their learning. Gives all students an opportunity to learn at their own speed. Gives different views for students to build upon and use in the future. Allows information to be revisited and retained over time. Students can relate one subject piece to another to get a whole picture. “Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms” (Tomlinson, 2001).

TasksCommands VerbsIdeas Formulate Cubing combines these 5 things for Different levels of learning by using six Sides of different colored cubes for different degrees of abilities. By asking questions with different abilities in mind the teacher can start to assess her students according to their strengths.

Assessment Chart For Students Understanding In Subject Area. Subject 1 and 3 are unnamed students. How and where they stand on abilities in a subject area based on pre- assessment testing using cubing for the questions to determine what group to put them in.

Teachers Assessing Readiness. Once a pre-test is established with quantifiable data on each student and a chart is made to assign flexible groups the teacher can further make evaluation decisions on the students readiness in the following ways: 1.Group Activities and Interaction Thru Observation and Note Takeing. 2.Portfolios 3.Conversation Circles 4.Drawings 5.Role Playing

Cubes can be used by color coding in groups. A blue cube can be used for a Mastery group, Yellow for Proficient, Green for Semi-Proficient, and Red for introductory. Students are assigned a color cube a the beginning of the lesson. Working within that assignment the cubes are designed to ask questions, give a task, formulate a hypothesis, suggest ideas, command a performance, argue for or against the subject. By designing the cubes to the abilities of the students readiness the students can learn by different degrees and use their strengths to understand the subject at hand. This also creates a sense of ownership to the assignment for the students, builds their self- esteem, encourages cooperative engagement within a peer group, gives a opportunity for creativity, logical thinking and some independent study within a community environment.

A popular children’s book is Where The Wild Things Are. Cubes can be used to teach children about this Book in a fun and interesting way. Describe It Compare It Analyze It Argue for or against it. Associate It Apply It An Example of Cubing: Six sides of the cubes are represented here with the basic concept on Each side. Now we develop the task or command for each side to correlate with the story

Describe it: Tell about the story. Compare it: Write about a time in your life when you wanted to get away? Associate it: Paint a picture about when you have been happy ? Analyze it: Act out a role playing game to show the story. Apply it: Suggest a way to deal with a problem that does not involve running away. Argue for or against: How you would tell someone else to deal with a problem. The boy wanted to get away because he was mad. When I had to do chores. Children paint their pictures and hang them up. Children role play in centers with each other the story. Talk to an adult to help out. Draw a picture about how we feel.

Students read the story and brainstorm on how to do tasks at hand. Students write out their ideas. Students describe story in picture form. Students give ideas how to handle their own emotions. Students formulate on the meaning of the story and how the boy found he could not run from his problems. This is an example how cubing works for differentiated instruction.

References: Gregory, G. & Chapman, C. (2007). Differentiated instructional strategies: One size doesn’t fit all (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Ltd./Corwin Press. Tomlinson, C. A., (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. (2nd Ed.) Alexandria, VA: ASCD.