Differentiated Instruction The Basic Steps Towards Differentiating

Super Sleuth Directions: Walk around the room and find someone to respond to the questions on your Super Sleuth paper. After a verbal answer the person will initial the square. Rules: A person can only answer and initial one square. The goals are to activate prior knowledge and to meet new people with new ideas. Pass out Super Sleuth paper for this activity.

Super Sleuth What is your definition of differentiated instruction? Give an example of when you have used DI? What is something you would like to learn about DI? When do you use small group instruction? Differentiation means as many lesson plans as you have students. Agree? How do you discover how your students learn? What is one way you can form groups in your classroom? What are some quick on-going assessments in your class? Are DI and assessment related?

Let’s Define Differentiated Instruction Differentiating instruction is doing what’s fair for students. It means creating multiple paths so that students of different abilities, interests, or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to learn.

The Rationale for Differentiated Instruction Different levels of readiness Different Interests

The Rationale for Differentiated Instruction Different Ability Levels Different Cognitive Needs

Teachers can differentiate according to …. The content The process The product

Differentiating Content Resource materials at varying readability levels Audio and video recordings Highlighted vocabulary Charts and models Interest centers Varied manipulatives and resources Peer and adult mentors

Differentiating Process (making sense and meaning of content) Use leveled or tiered activities Interest centers Hands-on materials Vary pacing according to readiness Allow for working alone, in partners, triads, and small groups Allow choice in strategies for processing and for expressing results of processing

Differentiating Products (showing what is know and able to be done) Tiered product choices Model, use and encourage student use of technology within products and presentations Provide product choices that range in choices from all multiple intelligences, options for gender, culture, and race Use related arts teachers to help with student products

Strategies to Make Differentiation Work Tiered Instruction Changing the level of complexity or required readiness of a task or unit of study in order to meet the developmental needs of the students involved. Tiering is one of the best approaches because it allows that all students with different learning needs work with the same curriculum.

Tiering Two students in the same math class. Student A struggles with basic concepts and math reasoning and needs help understanding the principle of the lesson. Student b is beyond grade level. A single approach will not work. The two students need to approach the principles from different directions or at different levels of difficulty.

What Can Be Tiered? Processes, content and products Assignments Homework Learning stations Assessments Writing prompts Anchor activities Materials

What Can We Adjust? Level of complexity Amount of structure Pacing Materials Concrete to abstract Options based on student interests Options based on learning styles Pass out lesson plan showing three tiers to a lesson.

Tiering Instruction Identify the standards, concepts, or generalizations you want the students to learn. Decide if students have the background necessary to be successful with the lesson. Assess the students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles.

Tiering Instructions Create an activity or project that is clearly focused on the standard, concept or generalization of the lesson. Adjust the activity to provide different levels or tiers of difficulty that will lead all students to an understanding. Develop an assessment component for the lesson. Remember, it is on-going!

Strategies to Make Differentiation Work Anchoring Activities These are activities that a student may do at any time when they have completed their present assignment or when the teacher is busy with other students. They may relate to specific needs or enrichment opportunities, including problems to solve or journals to write. They could also be part of a long term project. Give examples of anchoring activities.

Strategies to Make Differentiation Work Flexible Grouping This allows students to be appropriately challenged and avoids labeling a student’s readiness as a static state. It is important to permit movement between groups because interest changes as we move from one subject to another

Ebb and Flow of Experiences (Tomlinson) Back and forth over time or course of unit Individual Small Group Whole Group Small Group Individual

Flexible Grouping Homogenous/Ability Heterogeneous Groups -Clusters students of similar abilities, level, learning style, or interest. -Usually based on some type of pre-assessment Heterogeneous Groups -Different abilities, levels or interest - Good for promoting creative thinking. Individualized or Independent Study -Self paced learning -Teaches time management and responsibility -Good for remediation or extensions Whole Class -Efficient way to present new content -Use for initial instruction

Strategies to Make Differentiation Work Compacting Curriculum Compacting the curriculum means assessing a student’s knowledge and skills, and providing alternative activities for the student who has already mastered curriculum content. This can be achieved by pre-testing basic concepts or using performance assessment methods. Students demonstrating they do not require instruction move on to tiered problem solving activities while others receive instruction.

What Differentiation Is … Student Centered Best practices Different approaches 3 or 4 different activities Multiple approaches to content, process, and product A way of thinking and planning Flexible grouping

What Differentiation Isn’t One Thing A Program The Goal Hard questions for some and easy for others 35 different plans for one classroom A chaotic classroom Just homogenous grouping

In Summary….. What is fair isn’t always equal… and Differentiation gets us away from “one size fits all” approach to curriculum and instruction that doesn’t fit anyone

Bibliography Campbell, Bruce. The Multiple Intelligences Handbook: Lesson Plans and More. Stanwood, WA. 1996. Daniels, Harvey and Bizar. (2005). Teaching The Best Practice Way: Methods that Matter, K-12. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers. Gregory, Gayle. Differentiated Instructional Strategies in Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA. 2003. Tomlinson, Carol Ann. The Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 1995. Wormeli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom, Stenhouse Publishers, 2006.