The Top Ten Differentiation Practices

1. The Top Ten Differentiation Practices Susan K. Johnsen, Ph. D. Baylor University Oklahoma Association for Gifted, Creative, and Talented February 18, 2011

2. What is differentiation? Differentiation is providing an instructional environment that adapts to student differences.

3. Individual Differences • Content (What do the students need to learn?) • Rate (How quickly do they learn it?) • Preference (How do they learn it? What resources do they need?) • Environment (Where and with whom do they learn best?)

4. Individual Differences Individual differences are always present in the classroom. The teacher’s instructional practices determines the degree of differentiation for each student.

5. Degree of Differentiation

6. Content Definition Scope and sequence of: √subject matter (facts, concepts, topics, themes, generalizations, principles, theories) √processes (describe, analyze, evaluate, explain, compare, summarize, write, observe), and √products (essays, experiments, debates, compositions) that needs to be learned.

7. Content • PASS Standard 5, Grade 7 (Social Studies-World Geography): The student will examine the interactions of humans and their environment. • CCSS Standard, Grade 4 (English/Language Arts): Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

8. Content Differentiation:Practice 1. Depth and Complexity Adding depth and complexity to differentiate the content.

9. Content DifferentiationPractice 1: Depth and Complexity

10. Content Differentiation The student will examine the interactions of humans and their environment.

11. Content Differentiation The student will examine the interactions of humans and their environment.

12. Content Differentiation Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

13. Content Differentiation Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

14. Content DifferentiationPractice 2: Questioning

15. Questioning Frameworks • Bloom’s: Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation • Costa’s: factual, interpretive, evaluative • Socratic: conceptual clarification, probing assumptions, probing rationale and reasoning with evidence, questioning viewpoints and perspectives, probing implications and consequences, questioning the question

16. Conceptual Clarification • What exactly does this mean? • How does this relate to what we have been talking about? • What is the nature of ...? • What do we already know about this? • Can you give me an example? • Are you saying ... or ... ? • Can you rephrase that, please?

17. Questioning Viewpoints • Another way of looking at this is ..., does this seem reasonable? • What alternative ways of looking at this are there? • Who benefits from this? • What is the difference between... and...? • Why is it better than ...? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of...? • How are ... and ... similar? • What would ... say about it? • What if you compared ... and ... ? • How could you look another way at this?

18. Synthesis Questions • What would you predict/infer from? • What ideas can you add to . . .? • How would you create or design a new . . . ? • What might happen if you combined . . . ? • What solutions would you suggest for . . . ?

19. Synthesis Questions • S (substitute) • C (combine) • A (adapt) • M (modify) • P (put to other uses) • E (eliminate) • R (reverse)

20. SCAMPER

21. Synthesis Questions • S (Who else could have written it?) • C (Who might have been a good co-author?) • A (What would the author have written today?) • M (How might you change the story?) • P (How does this story apply to your life?) • E (What would happen if a character were not in the story?) • R (What would be the antithesis of this character’s viewpoint?)

22. Content Differentiation Practice 3: Creative Problem Solving • The “Mess” or Broad Problem (Interdisciplinary) • Problem Finding • Main Problem • Solution Finding • Main Solution • Action Finding

23. CPS is a cyclical process.

24. Interdisciplinary “Messes,” Problems, Issues Fast foods, convenience foods, stress, multi-tasking, working vacations...all of these are affecting our lives today, resulting in a generation of people with disorders that were unknown twenty-five years ago. Illnesses related to stress and a fast-paced lifestyle seem to be part and parcel of the intensity at which people are living today. These conditions include both physical and psychological conditions such as broken sleep patterns, obesity, and lack of physical exercise– to name just a few. What impact (social, economic, political, etc.) will these unhealthy habits have on the lives of the next generations?  (Source: Future Problem Solving)

25. Differentiation of RatePractice 4: Use of Formative Assessments Formative assessment is the process used to gather information about students so that changes may be made to the curriculum and to instructional strategies so that each and every student learns something new every day.

26. Effective Formative Assessment • Informs the design of curriculum and instruction and establish learning goals. • Shows the progress that students are making. • Is integrated into instruction and learning. • Is frequent and ongoing. • Provides feedback to both teacher and the student about strengths and weaknesses. • Involves the teacher and the student.

27. Implementing Formative Assessment • Learning progressions • Success criteria • Descriptive feedback • Self-assessment and peer-assessment • Collaboration (Heritage, M. [2010]. Formative assessment and next generation assessment systems: Are we losing an opportunity. Washington DC: CCSSO)

28. Learning Progressions • Continuum of content (PK-16) addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, proportionality, linear equations, etc. • Continuum of process (PK-16) Descriptive research, historical research, correlational research, quasi-experimental, experimental, etc. • Continuum of products (PK-16) Sentences, paragraphs, narratives, poetry, persuasive essays, informational pieces, etc.

29. Success Criteria

30. Descriptive Feedback Focuses on the student’s growth to create a learning orientation. (Carol Dweck). “I like the way you included scientific vocabulary.” “You must have worked very hard because your presentation was interesting to the audience.” “You included these original ideas. What might be some others?”

31. Differentiation of RatePractice 5: Acceleration

32. Types of Acceleration • Early admission (kindergarten, secondary school, college) • Grade skipping • Continuous progress • Self-paced instruction • Subject-matter acceleration • Combined classes (multi-age, telescoped) • Mentoring • Extracurricular programs • Correspondence courses • Concurrent/dual enrollment • Advanced placement • Credit by examination From: A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students

33. Continuous Progress lrng resource S&S assess lrng resource assess Next content Ind study lrng resource

34. Differentiation of RatePractice 6: Curriculum Compacting Use preassessments to determine what students know and allow them to skip that content.

35. When to Use Compacting • Consistently finishes work early. • Finishes reading assignments first. • Appears bored during direct instruction. • Creates own diversions in class. • Daydreams. • Asks questions that indicate advanced knowledge. • Other students ask his or her for assistance. • Tries to make the assignment more difficult.

36. The Compactor Name_____________ Teacher______________

37. Preference and Environmental DifferentiationPractice 7. Grouping Placing gifted students together based on their interests, achievement levels, and needs.

38. Effective Grouping Practices Learning activities must match the needs of students in the group (inquiry, differentiated questions, above-grade level content, etc.)

39. Forms of Grouping Practices that Produce Academic Gains for Gifted Learners • Full time ability grouping (self-contained) • Cluster grouping (3-6 students) • Within-class flexible grouping • Cross-class/grade grouping • Pull-out grouping (resource room)

40. Effects of Grouping “Gifted students actually achieve approximately 60% more grade-equivalent knowledge and skills than equally gifted children who have not been clustered." (Rogers, 2002, Reforming Gifted Education, p. 227).

41. Preference and Environmental DifferentiationPractice 8. Tiered Assignments Tiered assignments are varied levels of tasks that ensures students explore ideas and uses skills at a level that encourages growth. All students may be exploring the same general topic area and may share their understandings at the conclusion of the assignments.

42. Ways to Tier Assignments • Level of thinking required (Bloom’s) • Concrete to abstract level • Complexity of resources • Complexity of the product • Complexity of the process

43. Groups in Tiered Assignments Group 1: Students who are struggling with the knowledge/skills Group 2: Students with some understanding of the knowledge/skills Group 3: Students who understand the knowledge/skills and need more challenge

44. Tiered Activities • Group 1: These students will be using cubes as measuring devices since they were not able to use rulers. • Group 2: These students will be learning how to line the rulers up with the beginning point and measuring objects to the nearest inch. • Group 3: These students have demonstrated a high degree of readiness with the ruler. They will be dealing with “in between” lengths in measuring objects. All groups will share how long and wide things are in whole group.

45. Preference and Environmental DifferentiationPractice 9. Learning Contracts • Identifies the student’s learning objective • Identifies the resources to use in learning the objective • Identifies when, where, and how to access resources to learn the objective • Identifies how learning will be assessed. • Identifies time frame. • Identifies what the student may be next.

46. Primary Contract Name__________________________________ My question or topic is:_________________ I will read:____________________________ I will look at:___________________________ I will write:____________________________ I will draw:___________________________ I will share what I know: ________________ ______________________________________ I will evaluate my work:_________________√ ______________________________________

47. Contract for Older Students Student__________________ Teacher__________________ Time period of contract:______________________________ Purpose of contract:_________________________________ Primary questions:___________________________________ __________________________________________________ I intend to obtain information and ideas from (select 5): Books, interviews, journals, newspapers, own research, DVDs, museums, audio recordings, photographs, magazines, surveys The product of my work will be:________________________ I will share my work with______________________________ Important areas for evaluation will be: ___________________ ___________________________________________________

48. Preference and Environmental DifferentiationPractice 10. Independent Study Is a process that students use when they research a new topic by themselves or with others.

49. The Process

50. Top Ten Practices • Depth and Complexity • Questioning • Creative Problem Solving • Using Formative Assessment • Acceleration • Curriculum Compacting • Grouping • Tiered Assignments • Learning Contracts • Independent Study