Learning Environment in the Differentiated Classroom

1. Learning Environment in the Differentiated Classroom Presented by Kathy Marks, M.Ed.

2. Characteristics of an Effective Learning Community • Everyone feels welcomed and contributes to everyone else feeling welcomed. • Mutual respect is non-negotiable. • Students feel safe in the classroom. • There is a pervasive expectation of growth. • The teacher teaches for success. • A new sort of fairness is evident. • Teachers and students collaborate for mutual growth and success.

3. Paving the Way to Respect and Success • Continually coach students to be contributing members of a group. • Watch your students work in group and determine functional vs dysfunctional traits. • Create tasks and directions to guide them toward the functional. • Involve students and groups in goal setting, reflection, and problem solving. • Make sure expectations and clear, and that everyone has to contribute for the group to be successful. • Plan with flexible grouping in mind. • Can match students with tasks and assess in a variety of situations.

4. All of This Requires Good Management • Research shows a direct relationship between the ability to manage complex activities in the classroom and the ability to teach intellectually challenging material. • Teachers afraid to allow for varied groups, paces, and approaches tend to use passive approaches that ends up “dumbing down” the curriculum

5. To Get Started With Your Learning Environment • Get to know your students with learning profiles, get to know you games, surveys, family visits, journals, etc • Continuous assessment is central: • Develop informal ways to check understanding throughout the year. • Don’t get fixed on past judgments or data for a child, think about the possibilities. • Make sure your students see that what you learn about them is used to help them work smarter and better. • Expect growth and change. Use what you know about them. • Let students tell or show you how they are doing.

6. Build A Community • Lead students to create a common vision of the class where everyone belongs, supports each others in learning, and participates democratically. • Show that diversity is a strength. • Model interest in and respect for each student, and encourage them to do the same. • As a class, identify and clarify goals to aspire to.

7. Use Groups • Grouping is highly motivating, and allows for sharing of ideas and support. • Use flexible grouping. • Teach up. • Use multiple ability tasks with more than one answer or way to solve a problem so everyone can contribute. • Assign individual roles within groups. • Make content accessible to everyone. • Affirm competence when you see an honest and worthy contribution, especially for those of lower status among peers.

8. Develop a Physical Environment to Support Learning • Provide structure, predictability, and flexibility. • Use tables or groups of desks. Arrange for easy traffic flow and observation. Position teacher desk out of the way. • Plan for multiple furniture arrangements for different tasks, and think about specialty areas. • Designate wall space that regularly houses for information about key assignments. • Create a hint board or hint cards with reminder directions on how to do things.

9. Develop a Physical Environment to Support Learning • Post high-quality exemplars from past students with varied levels of complexity as well as current high-quality work. • Store student materials with organization, easy access, and within your view. • Have places to turn in work and folders for “in process” work. • Designate a place for anchor activities.

10. Reflect • What do you already do or have in place in your classroom? • What do you want to add? • What do you need help with?

11. References • Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASDC. • Tomlinson, C.A. & Imbeau, M.B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASDC.