1. D IFFERENTIATED I NSTRUCTION A Professional Development for Teachers Grades K-5 By: Lorie Knaeble National University MAT 640 Presented to Dr. Kathleen Klinger

2. T HE P URPOSE The purpose of this project is to conduct research for a professional development presentation to elementary school teachers on how to effectively use differentiated instruction strategies in their teaching.

3. L EARNING O UTCOMES At the end of this presentation, all participants will be able to:  Identify Tomlinson’s three elements of differentiated instruction and three ways to modify these elements.  Describe what IS differentiated instruction.  Describe what is NOT differentiated instruction.  Explain flexible grouping and tiering.  Discuss the importance of assessment in a differentiated classroom.

4. W HAT IS D IFFERENTIATED I NSTRUCTION ? Differentiated instruction is an instructional technique that allows teachers to plan and deliver classroom lessons that address the variety of learning styles, abilities, and interest of students within a classroom.

5. T OMLINSON ’ S T HREE E LEMENTS OF D IFFERENTIATED I NSTRUCTION Teachers can differentiate : Process Product Content Content refers to what we teach or “what a student should come to know, understand, and be able to do as the result of a segment of study, or how the students will gain access to that understanding, and skill” (Tomlinson & Eidson, 2003). Process refers to how students go about making sense out of essential ideas and information. It takes into account how teachers teach and how students learn. Product refers to the way students show understanding of what they have learned. The teacher has students create their final product by having them use tiered application activities to demonstrate understanding.

6. T EACHERS MODIFY ELEMENTS IN R ESPONSE TO : Student Readiness Student Interest Student’s Learning Profile Flexible Grouping Respectful Tasks Ongoing Assessment T ENETS OF D IFFERENTIATION : Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999).

7. What IS Differentiated Instruction? What is NOT Differentiated Instruction?

8. W HAT IS NOT D IFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ?  Traditional  One-size fits ALL teaching and learning  Fixed grouping  Last minute lesson planning  Only for students with Special needs  Only for elementary schools  Only for one or two students

9. W HAT IS D IFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ?  Best Practice  Untraditional  Diversity  Flexible grouping  Precise fit for ALL learners  Common sense  Challenging  Responsive Teaching  Ongoing Assessment

10. F LEXIBLE G ROUPING Flexible grouping implies that groups never remain the same. “Groups of students are arranged and rearranged to target their levels of readiness” (Ventriglia, 2010, p.7). Grouping for students needs: Teachers group student by ability based on ongoing, formal assessment (Levy, 2008) Grouping for learning styles: Teachers can group students according to Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Students may be grouped as auditory learners, visual learners, kinesthetic learners, and visual learners (Levy, 2008). Heterogeneous grouping: Includes a mix of students with varying skill levels (Ventriglia, 2010). Grouping for student interests: Students can be grouped according to their interests. Students can complete a simple “personal interests” survey before a lesson.

11. T IERING Tiering refers to the way teachers adjust instruction and assessment according to student readiness levels, interests, and/or learning profile (Wormli, 2007). Tier 1 Lesson: Students below grade level can build basic understanding. Tier 2 Lesson: Students on-grade-level can connect understanding. Tier 3 Lesson: Above grade-level students can transform content into new understanding (Ventriglia, 2010, p.19)

12. A SSESSMENT IN A D IFFERENTIATED C LASSROOM  Formal or Informal  Guides Instruction  Comprehensive  On-going  Classroom based  Easy to administer  Conferencing

13. (Tomlinson, 1999) Summary of Differentiated Instruction

14. F EEDBACK /E VALUATION

15. R EFERENCES Feinberg, J. (2011) Wordle. Retrieved from: www.wordle.com King-Shaver, B. (2008) Differentiated instruction: The new and the not so new. California English. California Association of Teachers of English. Levy, H. (2008). Meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction: Helping every child reach and exceed standards. The Clearing House. 81(4), 161-164. Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum. Tomlinson, C. & Eidson, C. (2003). Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum, grades K-5. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum. Ventriglia, L.D. (2010). Best practices; Differentiated instruction: The rule of foot. (8 th ed.). Mexico D.F., Mexico: Younglight Educate. Wormeli, R. (2007). Differentiation: From planning to practice grades 6-12. Portland, Maine. Stenhouse Publishers.