Differentiated Instruction

1. DifferentiatedInstruction

2. Reference: • ASCD Institute led by Carol Ann Tomlinson & Marcia Imbeau in February 2011 in Houston, Texas.

3. In Our Schools, We Have: • More students speaking more languages than ever; • Increasing numbers of students with learning difficulties; • More students needing help with reading & writing; • Many advanced learners who need to continue their growth; • An economic divide reflected in our classes; • A need for virtually all students to leave school as: • thinkers, • flexible & independent learners, & • producers of knowledge.

4. According to Research: • Students: • Learn at different rates; • Need different degrees of difficulty. • Have different interests. • Learn in different ways. • Need different support systems.

5. And Yet In spite of the great and growing variety of students in our classrooms…

6. We teach as though they are essentially alike.

7. In Many Cases: • Teachers cover highly-prescribed content (we don’t always think about teaching individuals). • And there is too much of it for the time available. • We have an expectation of success for everyone on the same activities and tests, administered at the same time, under the same circumstances. • This is comfortable for teachers; not so much for students. • It allows us to retain (and intensify) familiar habits of instruction that are: • Mostly teacher-centered • Often low-level • Mainly text-focused • Usually orderly & predictable

8. What We Know: • Teaching a roomful of learners • the same thing in • the same way • over the same time span • with the same supports • and expecting good results • has never happened • and it never will…

10. So What do We Do? Differentiate Our Instruction & Assessment

11. So, What is Differentiation? Develop a metaphor, analogy, or visual symbol that you think represents & clarifies what‘s important to understand about differentiation. Explain to a new teacher what differentiation is in terms of what he/she would be doing in the classroom – and why. The definition should help the new teacher develop an image of differentiation in action. Write a definition of differentiation you feel clarifies its intent, elements, & principles. In other words, create a definition that could clarify thinking here at your school.

12. Sternberg’s Three Intelligences

13. The Basics At its most basic level, differentiating instruction means shaking up what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for: • taking in information, • making sense of ideas, & • expressing what they learn.

14. The Building Blocks of Good Instruction

15. DI Building Blocks • Reflecting on Students • Developing Clarity About Curriculum • Using Effective Instructional Approaches • Managing for Flexibility • These practices are essential to DI; but sometimes they also can be the largest barriersfor teachers/groups of teachers who are trying to use differentiation in classrooms. • Many teachers are good at one or two of these, but not at others. • Each step involves questions we need to continually ask ourselves:

16. Reflecting on Students • What do I want to know about my students as individuals? As a group? • What do I already know? • How well do they read & write? • How well do they understand when they listen? • What’s the hardest for them in school? • What do they already know about what I’m planning to teach? • How do they feel about their peers? • How do their peers feel about them? • How does their culture & gender affect their learning? • What are their dreams? What are their interests? How do they work best? • What experiencesdo they have that relate to what we’re studying? • What attitudes do they have about learning? About schools? • What kind of adult supports do they have outside of school?

17. Reflecting on Students Formative assessments are key at this stage.

18. Clarity About Curriculum • What is this topic really about? Why study it? • What makes it connect to the students’ lives? • How does it help students understand the discipline better? • What should students know, understand, & be able to do as a result of each lesson & the unit as a whole? • What questions are essential to ask about the topic? • What are the key concepts that give the topic meaning? • How does the topic relate to experts? • What is the potential of this topic to show students connections & to help students understand themselves & their world?

19. Clarity About Curriculum Familiarity with the Specific Curriculum Outcomes are key at this stage.

20. Effective Instructional Approaches • In what ways might I honor student interests? • What options do I have when I share ideas/create tasks for students? • In what ways might I honor students’ varied learning preferences/styles? • How can I encourage a wide range of complex thinking? • What modes of expression might I offer/teach students? • Which instructional approaches best serve the goals of this lesson/unit? • How do I ensure that the approaches I select serve my students well? • What choices in learning might I offer my students? • How can I point the way to increase the quality of student work?

21. Effective Instructional Approaches Knowing how our students learn best is key at this stage.

22. Managing for Flexibility • How can I use time, space, & materialsmore flexibly? • How do I establish & maintain appropriate levels of sound& movementin the classroom? • How can I make students my partnersin operating our classroom? • How do we practice class routinesto foster independence? • Where do I find time to meet with small groups? • How & when can I coach individuals? • How do I give multiple sets of directions? • How do I create tasks that provide adequate challenge, engagement, & structure for individuals & small groups? • What record-keeping systemsclarify goals & progressfor me & my students?

23. Managing for Flexibility The Key? A shift in the traditional mindset.

24. A Continuum of Differentiated Instruction • In a classroom with little or no differentiation: • The class works as a whole on most materials, exercises, projects. • There is group pacing • Doesn’t necessarily suit all learners in the room. • There are group grading standards. • There is an implied or stated philosophy that all the students need the same teaching & learning.

25. A Continuum of Differentiated Instruction • In a classroom with some differentiation: • Teachers adjust questions in discussion. • Teachers encourage individuals to take an assignment farther. • There are implied variations in grading experiences. • Students pick their own work groups. • If students finish work early, they can read, do puzzles, etc. • There are occasional exceptions to standard pacing. • May not need to show work, do all math problems, etc. • There are occasional adjustments in grading to reflect student effort and/or ability.

26. A Continuum of Differentiated Instruction • In a fully-differentiated classroom: • There is a clearly-stated philosophy of student differences. • There is planned assessment/compacting. • Variable pacing is a given. • There is moving furniture & consistent use of flexible groups. • There is planned variation in content/input. • There is also planned variation in product/output. • There is individual goal setting & assessment. • Grading reflects individual growth/process. • There is frequent mentoring and monitoring.

27. Some Common Barriers • According to Tomlinson, the four biggest impediments to differentiation in the early stages are: • Lack of clarity about curriculum goals (what students should know, understand, do - not what they're going to cover. That's very important because that provides the platform for differentiation). • Lack of focus on individual students (we tend to think and talk about "the kids" as a whole rather than studying individuals. As long as we see them predominately as a group, we teach that way). • Lack of comfort with instructional strategies that invite us to differentiate - to reach out to kinds in different ways. • Uncertainty about how to manage a classroom in which students are not all doing the same thing in the same way in the same time span.

28. Response to a Common Concern: ‘Differentiated instruction may seem like a very time consuming task. While it does take more time than simply teaching a concept once through your favorite modality, it may actually save time when you consider how many times you will have to re-teach the concept when you just use one method and your students don't get it the first time.’

29. DI Example Using Learning Profiles in Grouping

30. Learning Profile pre-Assessment Carol Ann Tomlinson (ASCD)

31. Learning Profile Pre-Assessment • The following exercise can be used to group students according to their learning profiles. • It is a great way to gain some insights into the interests of students and the way they learn. • It was developed by a grade five teacher in Virginia as a pre-assessment activity at the beginning of the school year.

32. Learning Profile Pre-Assessment • Favorite subjects in school are indicated by head color and body color: • Math-purple • Science-red • Reading-blue • Writing-orange • Least favorite subjects in school are indicated by hair color (you can design fun hair). • If you are a boy, use shorts. If you are a girl use the pants. • Make the color pants with your favorite color.

33. Learning Profile Pre-Assessment • Strongest multiple intelligence area is indicated by the shirt color: • Intrapersonal = white • Interpersonal = red • Musical = blue • Kinesthetic = black • Logical mathematical = yellow • Verbal/linguistic = purple • Visual/spatial = orange • Naturalist = green • Learning preference is their shoe color: • Visual = white • Auditory = black • Kinesthetic = brown

34. Learning Profile Pre-Assessment • If you prefer to work alone on project , put on stripes. If you prefer to work in groups, draw polka dots on your shirts. • If you like to be challenged and learn new and difficult things, design a hat for yourself.