Dawn Dos Santos University of New England Differentiation Theory and Strategies EDU 610

1. Dawn Dos SantosUniversity of New EnglandDifferentiation Theory and StrategiesEDU 610 This power point presentation will be used to introduce members of the Science Department of my school to Differentiated Instruction. June 18, 2009

2. IT’S REVOLUTIONARY!! CORRECTING THE CHAOS: A DIFFERENTIATED APPROACH!!!!!

3. Observation Students are Failing Frustrated Fighting Dropping out of school

4. Why? • Students are bored during the lesson • They lack interest, motivation and purpose • They are not given enough opportunities to succeed • They do not understand the concept and when given a task don’t know what is to be done • They do not enjoy their school experience

5. Problem • Teachers fail to recognise that every student’s brain works differently to accomplish the same outcome • Students have multiple intelligences which are not recognised • Students exhibit different learning styles and these are not acknowledged • Students are at different positions of readiness and the teacher does not try to find it

6. Hypothesis • The strategy of Differentiated Instruction can raise students’ interests by meeting their diverse needs and improve their overall academic performances

7. What is Differentiated Instruction? • It is the means by which teachers ensure that good curriculum is a good fit for each learner.

8. What is Differentiated Instruction about? • Assessment is the root of DI– before, during and after the learning session • It is about flexible grouping • It is about content, process, product and the learning environment • It is about knowing your students, their interests, their learning profiles, their readiness • It is about effective learning for all students, the advanced learner, the slow learner and the learner in-between.

9. SPACIAL REPRESENTATION OF DIassessment

10. Advantages of Differentiated Instruction It is an effective teaching strategy because • Students learn at their own pace • Instruction is orderly • Instruction is student centered • Students learn by a method that best suit their learning style • Students learn in a flexible grouping environment • Students sometimes have the opportunity to select learning tasks

11. Learning: Points to note • There is no teaching if there is no learning • Teacher must do whatever it takes to make learning happen • Students show learning when there is a change in behaviour

12. Another Look at DI • Differentiation is making sure that the right student gets the right learning task at the right time (Lorna Earl, 2003) • Offering multiple and varied avenues to learning is a hallmark of the kind of professional quality that denotes expertise. (Carol Tomlinson, 2001)

13. What can be differentiated?

14. A: Differentiation by content • Compacting the curriculum Better students work ahead independently and cover content faster than their peers

15. B: Differentiation by Process • Varying the learning activities to provide appropriate methods for students to explore concepts • Providing alternative paths to manipulate the ideas embedded in the concept

16. C: Differentiating the product • Varying the complexity of the product • Giving students a choice of project/task

17. D: Differentiation by manipulating the environment • Accommodating different learning styles • Using various teaching strategies for different learning styles

18. Implementing DIStep 1: Get to know your students This comes through pre-assessment. Their interests, learning styles, previous knowledge and positions of readiness can be determined

19. Implementing DIStep 2: Grouping Students may be placed into groups according their interests, positions of readiness or learning styles. These groupings are not fixed. Students grouping can be flexible according to their competency in a particular topic or subject.

20. Implementing DIStep 3: Students are given tasks (note: giving students the opportunity to choose their task is good, but doing this too frequently make strengths stronger and weaknesses weaker) At this point teacher may want to vary the strategy by which students learn or vary the complexity of the tasks which students are given. Faster students may be given the opportunity to work ahead. Slower learners will work at their pace.

21. Implementing DIStep 4: Students show what they have learnt This requires some form of assessment. Formal or informal. Students must be given the opportunity to demonstrate what he/she has learnt as a result of completing the task or project. Remember – one tool does not fit all. The assessment must be tailored to suit the learning style of that student.

22. Support • To implement DI successfully the teacher requires the support of the school’s administration, the parents and colleagues. • DI requires resources and technical support. Students and their teacher require the support of the parent to ensure that home based assignments are completed

23. Additional support • Teachers can find additional support to help them know their students and understand more about differentiated instruction on many different websites. • A few are found listed here : http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/kolb_learning.htm http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.html http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/

24. Expected Results through DI • Students will be challenged and develop interest in their work. As a result they will participate in class activities with purpose which will result in learning. • They will enjoy success more frequently and will be motivated to produce better work • The tasks will not seem difficult. They will better understand the concepts. • There will be more focused and independent students in a classroom without chaos. No fights, less drop outs.

25. TIP: Technology and Differentiated Instruction • Computers and the internet are very effective in implementing differentiated instruction. The use of technology by a teacher, particularly the computer, can be used in a variety of ways to support the multiple intelligences identified by Howard Gardner. As a results it is suitable for every learning style that a student exhibits resulting in a rewarding learning experience for that student.

26. Differentiated Instruction in the science class Miss Peets, plans to engage her grade 7 students in learning about energy. She must be guided by the general objectives found in the Science curriculum guide provided by the Ministry of Education, Education and Planning Unit.

27. General Objectives Students must be able to • list the forms of energy • Describe energy conversion • Describe energy resources • Discuss electricity and its uses • Describe heat energy

28. Did someone say pre-assessment? • YES!!! • The students must be pre-assessed to determine their position of readiness for this topic • The more advanced students can skip the basics for this topic • The not so ready students may have to start with the basics.

29. Pre-assessment exercise • What is energy? • Name three forms of energy. • Draw a flow chart showing how one form can be converted to another and then to another and name a situation for when this happens. • What is renewable energy? • Name a non-renewable source of energy.

30. How to differentiate the teaching of energy • In a grade 7 class setting with students of mixed ability the choice board is most suitable to engage students in the learning activity and assessment. Students can work independently in groups or individually. This strategy is student centred. The choice board allows for differentiation of content or product.

31. What are choice boards? • These are grids of different sizes depending on the amount of choices to be given • Grids could be 3x3 for nine choice, 4x4 for sixteen choices, or 5x5 for twenty-five choices.

32. A simple choice board that can be used by Miss Peets

33. How to use the choice board? • Students can be divided into groups and allowed to work on one box at a time until the entire grid is complete, or teacher would give the students the choice of doing 2 boxes. • With a larger choice board students may be asked to complete 3 odd number and 2 even number boxes. The type of choice will be decided by the teacher. • Students may use their text books, encyclopaedias from the library or the internet as their source of information. • Teacher can assess students work after each box is completed • After each group completes the assigned work groups can be given an end of unit assessment

34. A more suitable choice board for energy

35. Final assessment This can take the form of • a written assessment • an oral presentation by group on energy • Building a device which uses at least 3 forms of energy, with consideration of energy conservation • a poster about some aspect energy e.g. conservation of energy, alternative sources of energy

36. Simple Rubric for Evaluation of group work

37. End of Unit • With this plan Miss Peets will successfully complete the unit on energy since all the objectives will be completed and most importantly all the students will be able to demonstrate their understanding about energy, its types, forms and sources, uses, effects on the environment, advantages and disadvantages of it use and so much more.

38. Other models for the science class of mixed ability students • The problem based model • cubing • The project based model • The contract model can all be used in Differentiated Instruction of a science class

39. Additional Points to note about Differentiated Instruction • It is not individualized instruction • It is proactive • It is qualitative • It provides multiple approaches to content, process and product • It is dynamic

40. When working with advanced learners remember to • Raise the ceiling of expectations and the support system to allow students to reach their goals • Make clear what would constitute excellence • Balance rigor with joy of learning

41. When working with the struggling learner remember to • Affirm positives. Let student know you believe in him • Don’t dilute the goals but build scaffolds to lead him to accomplish them successfully • Plan learning that will allow students to connect ideas and skills to their life experiences.

42. Before wrap- up • Any questions?

43. References • Tomlinson, Carol Ann (2001) How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. (2nd ed.). Virginia: ASCD • Chapman, C and King, R (2005) Differentiated Assessment Strategies – One too Doesn’t fit all. California : Corwin Press. • Hall, T. (2002). Differentiated instruction. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [6/2/09] from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.html • Armstrong, Thomas (2000) Multiple Intelligences www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm • Kolb, D.A. (1984) Kolb’s Learning Styles http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/kolb_learning.htm • Overbaugh, R.C. Bloom’s Taxonomy http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm