Collaboration for Differentiated Instruction

1. Collaboration for Differentiated Instruction Accommodations vs. Modifications

2. Accommodations vs. Modifications According to the Webster's New World Dictionary: Accommodations 1:  Adjustment, 2:  Willingness to do favors, 3:  A help convenience. Modifications 1.  To change partially in character, form, etc.  2.  To limit slightly, 3.  To limit in meaning.

3. Accommodations Changes how a student accesses information and demonstrates learning. Does not change the instructional level, content (standards), or performance criteria during the instruction and assessment phase. Modifications Changes what a student is expected to learn. Does alter the instructional level, content (standards), or performance criteria. Accommodations vs. Modifications

4. Accommodations Scheduling Setting Equipment or Materials Presentation Response Modifications Same, only less Same activity with different performance requirements Same activity with a focus on embedded skills Different activity with different materials Examples ofAccommodations & Modifications

5. Accommodations Accommodations are adjustments to make sure kids have equal access to curriculum and a way to be successful. But once accommodations are made, kids with learning disabilities (LD) or AD/HD are expected to meet the same standards set for all kids. • Kids with LD can learn the same material as others in the class but in a different way. A child with delayed reading skills can participate in class discussions about a novel if she’s listened to the audio tape version of the book. • Kids with LD can let you know what they’ve learned. A child with poor writing and spelling skills may use assistive technology — tape recorder or word processor — rather then struggle with pencil and paper to do her report about a famous person in history. • Kids with AD/HD can improve their ability to pay attention. A child who’s easily distracted by background noise may be seated away from the window and heater or close to the teacher for prompting.

6. Modifications On the other hand, modifications mean that the curriculum is changed quite a bit. When modifications are made, kids with disabilities are not expected to meet the same standards as others in the classroom. • A child who can’t learn the twenty-word spelling list every week may learn only ten words. This results in different standards for mastery — half of what the kids without a disability learn weekly. • A fifth grade child with a severe math disability who isn’t ready to learn fractions and decimals may still be working on addition and subtraction. This means that his instructional level has changed significantly — second, not fifth, grade instruction -- from other kids in his classroom.

7. Why provide Accommodations? • All students need support in their learning. • For students with disabilities, accommodations are supports. • Accommodations help these students learn. • Equal opportunity to obtain results and benefits. • Adaptations/accommodations allow students with disabilities “equal opportunity.” • Accommodations to a standard test format assesses an individual’s abilities, rather than his or her disability.

8. When do we provide Accommodations? • Instructional • Throughout the school day in all school environments. • Addresses the supports needed to participate in regular school routines and activities as well as specific instructional areas. • Assessment • MSDE - “Decisions for necessary assessment accommodations should be derived by the daily instructional accommodations. Each accommodation must reflect an actual instructional practice.” • The same accommodations are performed during informal tests taken in class on a regular basis.

9. Examples of Accommodations Reading • Tape recorded materials. • Semantic Mapping software or materials. • Allow students to record lectures and class discussions. • Use less difficult or alternative methods. (Make certain you are not removing, or watering down, curriculum.)

10. Examples of Accommodations Written Expression • Use technology such as Dragon Speaker. • Provide written outlines as guides to written assignments. • Allow students to spell check using word processor. • Use spelling strategies to help students overcome fear of producing written work. • Reduce amount of written work. • Pencil grip.

11. Examples of Accommodations Math • Encourage student to use graph paper to avoid errors of column alignment in math problems. • Use calculators. • Use talking calculators for students who also have a significant reading disability. • Use manipulatives to illustrate math rules and problem solving.

12. Examples of Accommodations Memory • Provide written outlines. • Provide written directions as well as oral directions. • Link materials to be recalled to real life, or episodic experiences. • Teach techniques that use organizers of web designs that highlight main points for anchoring of content to be recalled. • Give checklists that student can work through for long assignments.

13. Examples of Accommodations Paying Attention • Use alternative seating. Have student sit near teacher, at front of room or away from distractions such as window facing playground. • Permit movement during class activities. Have a 7th inning "stretch" where students stand up and explain concepts or the assignment to one another. • Provide quiet, distraction free areas for testing. • Have student use day planner to record all assignments due and those that have been completed. • Break complex assignments into sections and provide checklists to help organize the student's progress.

14. Examples of Accommodations Participating in class • Use positives. • Cue the student the day before what types of question you may ask in class. Help the student organize a good answer. • Find an activity that the student can lead or an activity the student can do in the class that helps the student feel needed and important.

15. Examples of Accommodations Transitioning • Help students get ready for transitions. Warn them in advance that they will be changing activities. "We are finishing our math problems now. In five minutes we will move to our reading corners to finish reading the story about Joey Pigza." • Provide a list of the day's planned activities and the order in which they will be done. Many teachers put a daily schedule in the front of the room to help students know what is coming next. • For special projects have an organized list of the materials that students will need so that the student does not arrive unprepared and anxious. • Have specified sections of the classroom for classroom materials and activities. Pencils are found in the jar on the shelf. Reading is done where the circle of chairs is located, etc.

16. Examples of Accommodations Lesson Presentation • Provide an outline, key concepts or vocabulary prior to lesson presentation.  Increase the pace of lesson presentation. Include a variety of activities during each lesson. Use multi-sensory presentation but screen audio-visual aids to be sure that distractions are kept to a minimum. For example, be sure interesting pictures and or sounds relate directly to the material to be learned.  • Make lessons brief or break longer presentations into discrete segments.  • Actively involve the student during the lesson presentation. • Encourage the students to develop mental images of the concepts or information being presented. Ask them about their images to be sure they are visualizing the key material to be learned. Allow the students to make frequent responses throughout the lesson by using choral responding, frequently calling on many individuals, having the class respond with hand signals. Employ role-playing activities to act out key concepts, historical events, etc. • Provide self-correcting materials. Use computer assisted instruction. Use cooperative learning activities, particularly those that assign each child in a group a specific role or piece of information that must be shared with the group.  • Develop learning stations and clear signals and procedures for how students transition from one center to another. Use game-like activities, such as "dictionary scavenger hunts," to teach appropriate use of reference/resource materials. • Interact frequently (verbally and physically) with the student. Use the student's name in your lesson presentation. Write personal notes to the student about key elements of the lesson. • Pair students to check work. Provide peer tutoring to help student's review concepts. • When presenting a large volume of information on the chalkboard, use colored chalk to emphasize key words or information. 

17. Examples of Accommodations Worksheets • Use large type.  Keep page format simple. Include no extraneous pictures or visual destructors that are unrelated to the problems to be solved.  • Provide only one or two activities per page. Have white space on each page. Use dark black print. (Avoid handwritten worksheets or tests.) • Use buff-colored paper rather than white if the room's lighting creates a glare on white paper. • Write clear, simple directions. Underline key direction words or vocabulary or have the students underline these words as you read directions with them. Draw borders around parts of the page you want to emphasize. • Divide the page into sections and use a system to cover sections not currently being used. If possible, use different colors on worksheets or tests for emphasis, particularly on those involving rote, potentially boring work. Have the students use colored pens or pencils.

18. Examples of Accommodations Worksheets • Use large type.  Keep page format simple. Include no extraneous pictures or visual destructors that are unrelated to the problems to be solved.  • Provide only one or two activities per page. Have white space on each page. Use dark black print. (Avoid handwritten worksheets or tests.) • Use buff-colored paper rather than white if the room's lighting creates a glare on white paper. • Write clear, simple directions. Underline key direction words or vocabulary or have the students underline these words as you read directions with them. Draw borders around parts of the page you want to emphasize. • Divide the page into sections and use a system to cover sections not currently being used. If possible, use different colors on worksheets or tests for emphasis, particularly on those involving rote, potentially boring work. Have the students use colored pens or pencils.

19. Accommodation Considerations Environmental and Instructional Considerations • Task duration To accommodate to the student's short attention span, academic assignments should be brief and feedback regarding accuracy immediate. Longer projects should be broken up into manageable parts. Short time limits for task completion should be specified and can be enforced with timers. • Direct instruction Attention to task is improved when the students are engaged in teacher-directed as opposed to independent seat-work activities. Also, the teaching of note-taking strategies increases the benefits of direct instruction. Both comprehension and on-task behavior improve with the development of these skills. • Peer tutoring Class-wide peer tutoring provides many of the instructional variables known to be important in setting up students for success. For example, it provides frequent and immediate feedback. When combined with a token economy, peer tutoring has been found to yield dramatic academic gains. • Scheduling Based on evidence that the on-task behavior of some students progressively worsens over the course of the day, it is suggested that academic instruction be provided in the morning. During the after-noon, when problem solving skills are especially poor, more active, nonacademic activities should be scheduled. • Novelty Presentation of novel, interesting, highly motivating material will improve attention. For example, in-creasing the novelty and interest level of tasks through use of increased stimulation (e.g., color, shape, texture) reduces activity level, enhances attention and improves overall performance.

20. Accommodation Considerations Environmental and Instructional Considerations • Structure and organization Lessons should be carefully structured and important points clearly identified. For example, providing a lecture outline is a helpful note-taking aid that increases memory of main ideas. Students with ADHD perform better on memory tasks when material is meaningfully structured for them. • Rule reminders and visual cues The rules given to students with ADHD must be well defined, specific and frequently reinforced through visible modes of presentation. Well-defined rules with clear consequences are essential. Relying on the student's memory of rules is not sufficient. Visual rule reminders or cues should be placed throughout the classroom. It is also helpful if rules are reviewed before activity transitions and following school breaks. For example, token economy systems are especially effective when the rules for these programs are reviewed daily. • Auditory cues Providing students with auditory cues that prompt appropriate classroom behavior is helpful. For example, use of a tape with tones placed at irregular intervals to remind students to monitor their on-task behavior has been found to improve arithmetic productivity. • Pacing of work When possible, it is helpful to allow students to set their own pace for task completion. The intensity of problematic ADHD behaviors is less when work is self paced, as compared to situations where work is paced by others.

21. Accommodations and Differentiation Strategies Think back to the Differentiated Instructional Strategies and Practices that you have read about and researched in this course so far…. Stations Agendas Complex Instruction Orbital Studies Centers Entry Points Tiered Activities Think about how some of these differentiated instructional strategies can support accommodations for your students in your classroom. On the following slides, we will introduce you to a differentiation instructional strategy that supports accommodations – Math Stations! Learning Contracts Compacting Problem-Based Learning Group Investigation Independent Study Choice Boards 4MAT

22. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link The use of Manipulatives + Stations Math Stations One accommodation that a teacher can use in the classroom is to use manipulatives to illustrate math rules and problem solving. It is difficult to use manipulatives with a large group. The differentiated strategy of using Stations would be a great tool for the use of manipulatives. Stations could be implemented in a Math classroom teaching two-digit addition. The teacher could set up a variety of Math Stations. Math Stations is a strategy for differentiating instruction. Students only need to visit stations that will move them towards mathematical proficiency. All students need dedicated time with the teacher.

23. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link The use of Manipulatives + Stations = Math Stations • Math stations serve many purposes. Not only do they provide opportunities to differentiate curriculum according to student needs, but they also give the teacher a chance to work with smaller groups and better assess progress and understanding. This not only benefits gifted and talented students, but students who are struggling as well, because planning is well thought out to help each group achieve. • Before beginning, the teacher should put students into four different groups according to their needs and level of understanding (e.g., one advanced group, two medium groups, and one group with students who need more instruction and practice). I put students names on business card magnets (so I can use and rearrange them all year) and put them on the board under the station that they will be starting at. The following stations can be used as four rotations in one day or two one day and two the next. • Also, stations should be generally be self-correcting so that the teacher is freed up to work with the teacher team station. Answer sheets could be made available so that when students are finished, they can check their own work. This requires a high-level of trust and an independent-working classroom atmosphere that must be established prior to doing stations.

24. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link Math Stations Explained…. • There are five or six "math stations" in the room, and on each day that they're available, groups of children work at one of them. The class has math stations two days a week, so after three weeks everyone has had a turn at every station and new ones are readied. • Each day that math stations are scheduled, the teacher reviews with the whole class the activities at the stations before the children begin to work, so they remember what to do. This preparation also serves as an efficient review lesson, and by the end of the cycle for a set of stations, she asks children to do most of the re-explaining. Those who have already been to a table readily describe it for those who haven't.

25. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link Math Stations: • The Teaching Station: Students receive direct instruction from the teacher on two-digit instruction. This can be enrichment or remediation. Students work at the board or in pairs on the floor or at the table on focus lessons, guided practice, or reteaching opportunities. • Proof Place: Students use concrete or pictorial representations to explain and defend their work. They may work individually or with a partner. When the task is completed, students may fill out “audit cards” to document their work. Students use manipulatives like digit-blocks or tens and ones blocks to simulate two-digit addition. • Practice Plaza: Students practice with concepts on which they need additional experience. They check their work with a calculator or answer key. Students complete a self-evaluation and leave signed and dated work at the station. The students can use traditional paper and pencil two-digit addition on worksheets (Those worksheets could have large type for some learners – an accommodation!) • Critical Thinking Station: Students work to solve word problems that involve two digit regrouping (There could be a range of worksheets; easier ones for the struggling readers and more challenging ones for the highly able readers) • Game Room: When students have finished their station, they can go to the “game room.” Two-digit addition games using dice or cards can be ready here.

26. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link Math Station Background: • The Math Stations strategy is based on the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson. She differentiates between centers and stations. Centers are areas in the classroom where students refine a skill or extend a concept. Stations are different places in the classroom where students work on tasks simultaneously, and whose activities are linked. • During Math stations students do not rotate round-robin style; instead, the teacher carefully plans which students will visit which stations, and when. In this way, the station tasks will support meeting the instructional needs of individual students.

27. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link Math Station Management: • A chart can be set up with each Math Station and colored clothespins with each student’s name. Students can choose their math station. • Math station work can be set up in folders – a blue folder for highly able students, a yellow folder for average students, and a red folder for enrichment and acceleration. The students can each be assigned a color – when they visit the station, they know which folder to access. Teaching Station Proof Place Critical Thinking Game Room Practice Plaza Clothespins with student names

28. The Accommodation and Differentiation Link Math Station Online Resources: • http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=6164 • http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/enriched/giftedprograms/mathstations.shtm • http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/2570.html • http://www.ncrel.org/mands/docs/3-2.htm