Contemporary Issues November 8, 2010

Bloom’s Taxonomy Synthesis Comprehension Knowledge

Web-Quests Rubric Development: Gather samples of student performance that illustrate the desired skill or understanding. Sort student work into different stacks and write down the reasons. Cluster the reasons into traits or important dimensions of performance. Write a definition of each trait. Find samples of student performance that illustrate each score point on each trait. CONTINUOUSLY REFINE!

Differentiated Instruction Give One, Take One Activity….. DI = Putting the students at the center of the conversation The only homogenous group of kids is ONE. It’s about how teachers THINK not what they do Balance success and a challenge for each student

Never forget to stop and look for the light through the trees…

Standards Teachers know and understand: 2.1 How students construct knowledge, acquire skills and develop habits of mind and how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning 4.3 Techniques for modifying instructional methods, materials and the environment to help all students learn Teachers value and are committed to: 2.6 Appreciation for multiple ways of knowing Teachers apply: 2.9 Learning theory to accommodate differences in student intelligence, perception, cognitive style and achievement levels 4.9 Identify strategies to create learning experiences that make subject matter meaningful for students, address a variety of learning styles, encourage students to pursue their own interests and inquiries and help students connect their learning to personal goals

Transfer Goals Progress, whether gradual or expedient, is still progress  NO ONE is expected to learn at the same rate or same pace, but EVERY ONE is expected to demonstrate progress towards their learning Differentiation is foremost a professional and responsive mind-set; everything else is craft Differentiation is not about requiring less or more work from students of varying degrees of readiness; instead, it is a change in the nature of the work rather than in the quantity

Essential Questions Does one size fit all sometimes, all of the time, or none of the time? Is there an end point to learning? Does “same” mean “equal”? Do we organize our classrooms for students’ learning or for our teaching?

You can DIFFERENTIATE: TO DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION If it’s not broken, don’t fix it: If your students are meeting or exceeding the NJCCS, are actively engaged, are thinking critically, and have strong skills, then keep it up!!! HOWEVER, If you are riding a horse and it dies, GET OFF!!! You can DIFFERENTIATE: CONTENT – What will I teach? What materials will I use? (same standards, varied materials) PROCESS – How will I teach? (varied strategies) PRODUCT – How will I assess? (varied assessments) LEARNING ENVIRONMENT – How will I manage?

A few hints… Know Your Kids- Learning Inventories: readiness, interests, learning profile, prior knowledge Students as Active Participants – Give CHOICE, self-evaluation, goal setting, place students at center of conversation COLLABORATE! - Don’t reinvent the wheel 5% 15% ***Essential information should 80% match what ALL need to know MOST SOME ALL

Some D.I. Strategies Tiered Assignments – develop levels of a lesson based on the same curriculum concept RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) – independent or group to create self-selected projects to show understanding Curriculum Compacting – 3 step process: knowing your students, design lesson applicable to them (some can jump info already know while others don’t) Learning Centers – stations around classroom where students can practice skills or explore new topics Anchor Activities – Activities for those students who finish early

More Strategies… currently in a classroom near YOU Picture Walk In order to help teach the concept of motion… Students will walk around the room looking at 5 pictures. At each station, answer each of the following questions in the appropriate square. Answers must be written in complete sentences. a) ignoring the obvious, what clues tell you that motion is taking place? b) explain, in words, the motion you see. c) describe how you could measure the motion you see in the picture.

“Motion” Picture Walk Picture #1

“Motion” Picture Walk Picture #2

“Motion” Picture Walk Picture #3

“Motion” Picture Walk Picture #4

“Motion” Picture Walk Picture #5

Do Schools Kill Creativity? Final: Develop a rubric and performance assessment for a task. Take a lesson and differentiate it.

Homework WORK on your web-quest research!!!! Part 7,  Educational Reform   (Ryan) Chapters 6, 7   (Ramirez)