1. Effective Teaching in the Differentiated Instruction Class By: Stephanie Yates

2. How to begin using differentiated instruction… Frequently reflect on the match between your classroom and the philosophy of teaching and learning you want to practice. Look for matches and mismatches, and use both to guide you.

3. Create a mental image of what you want your classroom to look like, and use it to help plan and assess changes

4. Prepare students and parents for differentiated classroom so that they are your partners in making it good fit for everyone. Be sure to talk often with students about the classroom—why it is the way it is, how it is working, and what everyone can do to help

5. Begin to change at a pace that pushes you a little bit beyond your comfort zone—neither completely duplicating your past practice nor trying to change everything overnight. You might being with just one subject, just one time of the day, or just one curricular element

6. Think carefully about management routines— for example, giving directions, making sure students know how to move about the room, and making sure students know where to put work when they finish it.

7. Teach the routines to students carefully, monitor the effectiveness of the routines, discuss the results with students, and fine tune together

8. Take time off from change to retain your energy and to assess how things are going.

9. Build a support system of other educators. Let administrators know how they can support you. Ask specialists to teach with you from time to time so that you have a second pair of hands and eyes. Form study groups on differentiation with like-minded peers. Plan and share differentiated materials with colleagues.

10. And finally… Enjoy your own growth. One of the great joys of teaching is recognizing that the teacher always has more to learn than the students and that learning is no less empowering for adults than for students.

11. Now that you’ve begun using differentiated instruction in your classroom here are some tips to ensure success for everyone…

12. Emphasize critical and creative thinking as a goal in lesson design

13. Be sure all students have choices in their learning.

14. Vary tasks within instruction as well as across students.

15. Develop tasks, activities and procedures for students that require understanding and applying meaning.

16. Identify essential concepts and instructional foci to ensure all learners comprehend.

17. Clarify key concepts and generalizations.

18. Keep focus on concepts, emphasizing understanding and sense-making, not retention and regurgitation of fragmented tasks.

19. Differentiate among and within the areas of content, process, products and learning environment.

20. Be sure several elements and materials are used to support instructional content.

21. Key to effectively utilizing differentiated instruction is the students’ access to content. Through your instruction you want to be sure every student has access to the content and understanding at the center of your lesson.

22. Content of instruction should address same concepts with all students. You only want to adjust the degree of complexity, not what the students are learning.

23. In designing lessons Do not assume all students need a certain task.

24. In designing lessons Understand differentiated instruction is not about individualized instruction.

25. In designing lessons Keep in mind, even when done effectively, a limited number of students of specific cognitive disabilities will require the student learning outcomes to be modified.

26. In designing lessons Be sure curriculum is clearly focused on the information and understandings most valued by an expert in a particular discipline. You do not want to be teaching unnecessary information.

27. In designing lessons Reflect constantly on the quality of what is being differentiated.

28. In designing lessons Carefully select organization and instructional delivery strategies

29. In designing lessons Be sure lessons, activities, and products are designed to ensure that students grapple with, use and come to understand the essentials of the lesson.

30. In designing lessons Keep in mind that each child should feel challenged most of the time.

31. In designing lessons Engage all learners. Make sure the students are active and responsible explorers.

32. In designing lessons Vary expectations and requirements for students responses

33. In designing lessons Realize that a student may be below grade level in one subject and at the same time be above grade level in another subject.

34. In designing lessons Give yourself the role of a guide. Help students set goals based on readiness, interests and learning profiles.

35. In designing lessons Work hard to develop “respectful activities” for all students.

36. In designing lessons Provide a balance between teacher-assigned and student-selected tasks.

37. Student Work Each student’s work should be equally interesting, equally appealing, and equally focused on essential understanding and skills

38. Student Work Products should allow for varied means of expression, alternative procedures and offer varying degrees of difficulty, types of evaluation and scoring

39. Student Work Assign tasks by learning styles

40. Student Work Structure problem-based learning to have students actively solving problems

41. Student Work Encourage students to use different tools to perform same task: Paper/pencil, manipulatives, computer

42. Student Work Chunk or break assignments and activities into smaller, more manageable parts and provide more structured directions for each part

43. Student Work Assign tiered activities to allow learners to work on same concepts, but with varying degrees of complexity, abstractness and open-endedness. Tiered activities allow for alternate ways to reach same goals by taking student needs into account.

44. Use Peer Teaching After receiving extra instruction, student could be designated as the “resident expert” for that concept or skill and then can get valuable experience by being given the opportunity to re-teach the concept to peers.

45. Use Buddy Studies A buddy-study permits two or three students to work on a project together. All students share in the research and analysis/organization of information and then complete an individual product to demonstrate what they have learned. Creates its own support system.

46. Use Learning Contracts A learning contract is a written agreement between the teacher and student outlining what assignments or projects the student will be responsible for doing. The contract helps student set daily and weekly goals as well as helps the teacher monitor the student’s progress.

47. Use Choice Boards Learners can select one of several assignments that are printed on cards and affixed to the choice boards. Be sure that the assignments vary in complexity or they will not be differentiated.

48. Entry Points By using entry points, students are able to explore a topic through as many as five paths: Narrative – presenting a story Narrative – presenting a story Logical-quantitative – using numbers Logical-quantitative – using numbers Foundational – examining philosophy and vocabulary Foundational – examining philosophy and vocabulary Aesthetic – focusing on sensory features Aesthetic – focusing on sensory features Experiential – hands-on Experiential – hands-on

49. Compact the Curriculum Assess a student’s knowledge, skills and attitudes and provide alternate activities for the student who has already mastered curriculum content. Students who demonstrate that they do not need instruction move on to tiered problem solving activities while others receive instruction

50. Monitor and Adjust Pace Use flexible pacing to allow for differences in students’ ability to master the key concepts. This means you should accelerate or decelerate your pace as necessary as students move the curriculum.

51. Grouping Be sure flexible grouping is consistently being used.

52. Grouping Grouping and regrouping should be a dynamic process, changing with content, projects and ongoing evaluations.

53. Grouping Plan extended periods of instruction so that all students work with a variety of peers over a period of days.

54. Questions Vary the level of questioning so as to accommodate differences in ability or readiness

55. Questions Direct higher level questions to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for students with greater needs

56. Assessment Be sure assessment is tightly linked to instruction, as well as, ongoing both throughout the lesson and throughout the course. Hence, you should assess before, during and after a lesson.

57. Assessment In your pre-assessment be sure to find the students needing more support and those who can leap forward.

58. Assessment Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend versus merely measure instruction.

59. Assessment Use formal and informal assessments such as interviews, surveys and performance assessments.

60. Assessment Encourage independent study for students who want to work on their own on topics of interest to them.

61. Assessment Use portfolios as a means for reflecting on student growth over time.

62. To keep in mind… Time is the greatest challenge in implementing differentiated instruction. Also of great consequence is the changing role of the teacher, from dispenser of knowledge to facilitator of learning and classroom management. In addition effective use of differentiated instruction requires teachers to acquire and use strategies that may be new to them.

63. There is hope Through effective professional development that strongly encourages teachers to apply the skills and then provides coaching throughout the process of moving toward differentiation as a teaching approach teachers can rise above the previously mentioned challenges and use differentiated instruction to its fullest potential. (Plus using the tips in this presentation.)

64. References http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffin struc.html http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffin struc.html http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffin struc.html http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffin struc.html http://www.weac.org/kids/1998- 99/march99/differ.htm http://www.weac.org/kids/1998- 99/march99/differ.htm http://www.weac.org/kids/1998- 99/march99/differ.htm http://www.weac.org/kids/1998- 99/march99/differ.htm http://www.ericdigests.org/2001- 2/elementary.html http://www.ericdigests.org/2001- 2/elementary.html http://www.ericdigests.org/2001- 2/elementary.html http://www.ericdigests.org/2001- 2/elementary.html http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/elements.html http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/elements.html http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/elements.html http://www.ncsall.net/?id=736 http://www.ncsall.net/?id=736 http://www.ncsall.net/?id=736 http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differenti atingstrategies.html http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differenti atingstrategies.html http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differenti atingstrategies.html http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differenti atingstrategies.html