EFFECTIVE DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

1. EFFECTIVE DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION PRESENTATION BY STEPHANIE PLAZEK, MEGAN VALOIS AND KEITH COOPER ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

2. Trigonometry Critical Skills

5. Learning Goals Participants will experience a quick journey through the St. Pius X High School D.I. plan • Areas of consideration; • The promotion phase • Activities used to inform staff • What was promoted • The essential information required to understand Differentiated Instruction • Lessons learned from our project • The most critical component of effective Differentiated Instruction • Assessment (Incorporating the ‘Observe’ phase of the PLC)

6. Implementing Differentiated Instruction at st. pius x • Start with committed staff members • Look for existing resources • Share / promote these resources with the staff • P.D. sessions • Coffee House • D.I. Drop in Day • D.I. Idea of the Week • Booklet of D.I. strategies • Ubdexchange.org • Gradual process • Start with one or two strategies. • Share strategies with D.I. Team / Staff • Department meetings • Share experiences at Board level • Incorporate P.L.C. into existing knowledge of DI • Specific consideration to ‘Observe Phase’

7. Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Additional Considerations • Teacher support • Professional learning • Adequate planning time

8. Classroom Steps to Success • Data Collection • Creating Classroom Environment • Relationship Building • Explicit Teaching of Skills for a Differentiated Classroom • Collegial Support • Administrative Support

9. Key Components of Differentiated Instruction

10. D.I. Puzzle activity • Take 1 piece of a puzzle from the manila envelope • The puzzle is arranged according to colour • To determine the specific ‘Key Component’ of D.I., find other individuals with the same colour of puzzle pieces • Put the puzzle together • For this ‘Key Component’ discuss… • How it relates to D.I. • 2 important aspects of this ‘Key Component’

11. What is differentiated instruction? • Key information that must be implemented in the school’s D.I. plan • Proactive • Qualitative • Rooted in assessment • Student centered • A blend of instructional methods • Presentation / Content • Process • Product

12. PROACTIVE • The teacher should provide a variety of learning activities based on student readiness and learning style. • This should be prepared in advance, NOT done on the fly. • For students to truly benefit from differentiated instruction, teachers MUST plan. • Plan lessons utilizing the ‘Design Down Model’. • D.I. strategies need to address the specific aspect of the curriculum that is being addressed. • Teachers can plan instruction using the model of multiple intelligences to provide instruction that fits each students’ learning preferences.

13. QUALITATIVE • Instruction should focus on depth and quality of learning • not on quantity of work completed. • All learners should be given support to reach the same learning goals as their peers. • All students should be provided the support and materials to dig deeper into concepts and make connections between new learning and prior learning.

14. ROOTED IN ASSESSMENT • PRE-ASSESS • PRE-ASSESS • Instruction must be based on assessment results • Pre-assessment should be utilized to find each students’ readiness level. • A focus on assessment for learning is essential – not just assessment of learning. • assessment should take place throughout the learning segment not just at the end. • **Assessments should drive instruction and inform the teacher as to what adjustments need to be made to ensure student understanding of skills and concepts** • Incorporates the Professional Learning Cycle (Observe Phase is the critical component in determining D.I. strategies)

15. STUDENT CENTERED • Learning activities should be planned with the students in mind. • ASK: • Will my students be interested in this? • Will this activity engage my students? (avoid worksheets!!!) • Is this learning activity relevant to my students? (relevant means they can use this NOW!) • Know your learners: Take time to learn about your students, their hobbies, the way in which they learn best (learning profile), their background and culture.

16. What can be differentiated? • What can be differentiated? A blend of instructional methods • Presentation / Content • Process • Product • Each of these three can be approached by looking at student readiness, interest and learning profile

17. Differentiating by Content / Presentation • Content may be differentiated by interest. • Students can look at concepts from the view of different subgroups. • Content may be differentiated by readiness. • Students should work with materials that are at their independent level • Content may be differentiated by student learning profile. • This would entail providing content in a variety of modalities so each student receives material in the way they learn best. This could include but is not limited to auditory, visual and kinesthetic.

18. Presentation

19. Differentiating by Process • The process by which students make sense of their learning is usually in the form of a task or activity (sense making activities) • Sense making activities can be differentiated by readiness when the complexity of the task reflects the skill level of the students. • Sense making activities can be differentiated by interest when students are allowed to choose a facet of a topic or concept to become experts in • Sense making activities can be differentiated by learning profile (the teacher should provide activities that allow the student to make sense of information using a variety of modalities). • Examples of sense making activities that are easily differentiated are: literature circles, cubing, journals, graphic organizers and learning centers.

20. Differentiating by Product • Differentiating by product would include use of multiple intelligences and allowing students the use of a variety of modalities • Allowing student to utilize his/her strength to demonstrate understanding

21. Product Examples

22. Lessons Learned From Our Project

23. St. Pius X Ministry Project • DI committee has existed for three years at SPX. • This year, we are part of a Ministry Project based on the Professional Learning Cycle. • Our own personal goal was to encourage more teachers to incorporate DI strategies into their daily practice. • Existing team members approached another teacher and asked them if they would be interested in working through a Professional Learning Cycle in a unit or module as a team.

24. Our 5 pairings • Trigonometry Grade 10 Applied and Academic Math • Islam Grade 11 Open and Mixed World Religion • Chemistry Grade 10 Academic Science • Genetics and Grade 11U Biology and Chemistry Grade 10 Applied Science • World War II Grade 10 Immersion and Academic History

25. Teacher Readiness • Every teacher is at a different level of readiness and at a different comfort level with DI . • Some teachers will start by implementing basic DI strategies which allows them to become accustomed to these strategies • Others will be ready to use student work and data to drive his/her practice.

26. Collaboration between Teachers • Difficulties • goal to collaborate with another staff member was not without challenges • given many single sections and our given timetables, we could not find a pairs to teach the same unit in the same course • co-planning needed release time or occurred after school given lack of shared prep time • release time became critical (half day blocks worked very well) but is not ideal as teachers are out of the classroom

27. Collaboration between Teachers • Benefits • similar strategies • assessments used regardless of level or content • very effective • mentorship • mutual learning

28. Student Reaction • Students were far more engaged in the lesson • Students were given much more feedback than usual and appreciated it • Students enjoyed the variety of activities and varied instruction • Every student showed significant improvement / success.

29. Resources • Materials: chart paper, stickies, markers, card stock, laminator, etc • Good, varied professional learning / reference materials • Ongoing professional learning

30. assessment The cornerstone of differentiated instruction – without it, we are blindly leading our students.

31. Pre-Assessment (Diagnostic) • Teachers pre-assess their students prior to starting a learning unit • results can be factored into planning. • Pre-assessment should be simple. • Develop creative and interactive ways to ask students about their prior experience and attitudes towards a concept or topic

32. Assessment during Learning • Need to assess students learning during a learning unit. • Exit Cards or other assessment for learning strategies can be used to assess student learning during a learning segment. • Is a written response the ONLY way my students can show me they know this concept? • gives the teacher a great insight into where each student is in their mastery of skills and concepts. • The results of assessment for learning strategies determine the next steps in terms of differentiated instruction strategies

33. professional learning cycle – emphasis on observe PLAN REFLECT ACT OBSERVE • Observe • Examined student work and assessed student responses (on an ongoing basis) • Determined what strategy could be used to further develop student learning • Kept a class record where we noted what level students performed at for each task. • We spoke to individual students for feedback. • Instructional practice was shared through DI team meetings. • Determine next steps and decide on areas of improvement in the program where DI strategies could be beneficial next time through.

34. Smartboard response

35. Graffiti – Gallery walks

36. TRAFFIC LIGHTS

38. Assessment OF Learning • Contracts • A list developed with teacher and student that gives specific tasks to complete in a specific timeline. • Project Based • A project based assessment incorporates several learning goals into one product that demonstrates the students mastery of interconnected concepts and skills. • Projects are often assessed using a co-constructed rubric created by teacher and students. • R.A.F.T.s • Choice Boards • Cubing • Each side of a cube has one term on it, • Students roll the cube and choose a favorite way to respond to the term rolled.

39. Dinner Menu – Photosynthesis • Appetizer (Everyone Shares) • Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis. • Entrée (Select One) • Draw a picture that shows what happens during photosynthesis. • Write two paragraphs about what happens during photosynthesis. • Create a rap that explains what happens during photosynthesis. • Side Dishes (Select at Least Two) • Define respiration, in writing. • Compare photosynthesis to respiration using a Venn Diagram. • Write a journal entry from the point of view of a green plant. • With a partner, create and perform a skit that shows the differences between photosynthesis and respiration. • Dessert (Optional) • Create a test to assess the teacher’s knowledge of photosynthesis.