Differentiation: One Size DOES NOT Fit All

1. Differentiation:One Size DOES NOT Fit All Introduction to Differentiated Instruction St Francis High School May 2010

3. “If students don't learn the way we teach them, we must teach them the way they learn.” - Marcia Tate, Developing Minds Inc., Conyers, GA

4. Outcomes • Increased understanding of what differentiation IS and ISN’T • Add strategies to our instructional toolbox

5. Personalized License Plate

6. Who Are Today’s Students? • Silent Generation • Born before 1946 • Baby Boomers • Born 1946-1959 • Generation X • Born 1960-1989 • Generation Y • Born since 1990

7. Essential Questions • Who are the students in our classrooms? • What “diversity” impacts and influences curriculum and instruction? Teams complete Star Diagram

8. Differentiation IS NOT . . . • The same as an IEP for every student • Just another way to group kids • Expecting less of struggling learners than of typical learners • A substitute for specialized services • Chaotic • New

9. Good Differentiation IS . . . • Varied avenues to content, process, product • Respectful of all learners • Proactive • Student-centered • A blend of whole class, small group, and individual instruction • Based on students’ readiness, interests, and/or learning profile

10. Begin With the Brain

11. Dots on Grids A B D C

12. Give the Brain What It LOVES • Processing • Movement • Novelty • Connections • Threat-free environment • Pattern • Feedback Music Humor Enrichment

13. Simple Learning Styles • Auditory • Learns best from listening • Visual • Learns best from seeing • Over 85% of Generation Y • Kinesthetic/Tactile • Learns best from doing

14. Why Visual Literacy? • Average 18 year old today • 22,000 hours watching TV • By age 14 has seen 12,000 murders on network TV programming!!!! • 12,500 hours in school • Average vocabulary of 14-year-olds is shrinking • In 1950 – 25,000 words • In 1999 – 10,000 words

15. Visual Learner • Images go directly to long-term memory in brain • Humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text • Words processed sequentially • Keyboard • Images processed simultaneously • Camera

16. Vision & Learning • “25% of students in grades k-6 have visual problems that are serious enough to impede learning.” (American Public Health Association) • “It is estimated that 80% of children with a learning disability have an undiagnosed vision problem.”(Vision Council of America)

17. 20/20 does not mean that vision is perfect! • The 20/20 test does not test how well you see at reading distance. In fact, the 20/20 test fails to evaluate many other important aspects of normal vision such as: • Eye focusing • Eye coordination • Eye teaming (binocular vision) • Eye movement • Visual perceptual skills • Color vision

18. TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? DONALD: H I J K L M N O. TEACHER: What are you talking about? DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

19. Show ‘n Tell • Teachers use graphic organizers • Help learners visualize information • Critical for visual learners!! • Students use graphic organizers • Great way for kinesthetic & visual students to process understanding • Add another aspect • Large size for group work • Manipulate the pieces for the kinesthetic

20. Graphic Organizer Examples

21. Logical/Mathematical Visual/Spatial Musical/Rhythmic Bodily/Kinesthetic Naturalist Interpersonal Intrapersonal Verbal/Linguistic Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences • It’s not “how smart you are” – it’s “how you are smart”!- Howard Gardner • http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz

22. A Few Fun Strategies

23. Involve ALL of the Senses . . . • See • Hear • Taste • Smell • Touch

24. Learning On Their Feet • Movement stimulates the brain • Use frequently at all ages levels • Demonstration • Participatory modeling • Role-play • Simulation • Manipulatives • Minds in Motion • http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/mindsinmotion/

25. Smells Trigger Memory • Fresh air • Peppermint • Cinnamon • Lemon • Lavender (relaxing) • Caution – check for smell sensitivity & allergies Smells stimulate memory – both positive & negative.

26. The Role of Music • Stimulates the brain • Activates thinking parts of the brain • Creates a sound curtain to isolate groups • Increases attentiveness • Effects emotions, heart rate, mood, mental images of listener • Embeds learning faster • Alphabet song • http://www.school-house-rock.com/Prea.html

27. COLORIncreases Understanding • Using color for key concepts can increase memory retention up to 25%

28. Experiment

29. Memorize the Pattern30 seconds

30. Memorize the Pattern30 seconds

31. Memorize the Colors Used30 seconds

32. WHY? WHAT? Differentiation . . HOW? WHEN?

33. More Than One Way to Get There

34. 3Keys to Differentiated Instruction • Content • What we teach students • Materials and methods used • Process • Activities • Calls on students to use key skills • Product • How students show what they have learned • Should also allow students to extend what they learned

35. Key #1 – Adapt Content • Refers to both materials & methods • Accommodate students’ different starting points • Some students ready for more complex or abstract levels • Some students ready for independent work

36. Content Differentiation Examples • Multiple versions of texts • Variety of texts to support concept • Interest centers • Learning contracts • Support systems • Audiotapes • Mentors • Study partners

37. Key #2 – Adapt Process • Common focus • Vary student activities • Students use key skills • Bloom’s Taxonomy • Multiple Intelligence Theories • Teacher uses a variety of methods

38. Process Differentiation Examples • Tiered Assignments • Layered Curriculum (Nunley) • Learning Centers • Jig Saw Assignments • Learning Logs • Graphic Organizers • Modify their environment • Fidgets • Time flexibility

39. Key #3 – Adapt Product • Culminating learning experience that occurs after many days or weeks of study • Demonstration and extension of what they know, understand, and are able to do

40. Product Differentiation Examples • Variety of assessment types • Tiered Assignments • Independent Study • Enrichment vs remediation

41. Variables to Consider • Readiness – in reading, math, & beyond • Complexity & Challenge of both process & product • Pace of learning and production • Grouping practices • Use of assessment results to inform teaching and learning

42. Guidelines for the Classroom • Focus on essentials • Attend to student differences • NO strategy works on ALL students • Assess often and use it to make adjustments/modifications • Mutual respect • DI is a proactive strategy • Be flexible • Doesn’t happen 100% of the time!!!!

43. Building Blocks . . . • Choice • Encouraging higher level thinking • Accountability

44. Simple Ways to Start • Add an interdisciplinary element to a favorite unit • Collaborate with other teachers • Provide choices • Offer students a variety of process and/or presentation options • Apply Multiple Intelligence thinking to group/individual projects

45. Exit Card – 3 2 1 • On an index card, please write • 3 strategies from today • you think you can do in your classroom next year • 2 strategies from today • that you are not comfortable with doing • 1 strategy from today • you will need help to implement • you want more information for