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Achievement for All Implementing Differentiation. “When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, “chances are, one-third of the kids already know it; one-third will get it; and the remaining third won’t. So, two-thirds of the children are wasting their time.”
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“When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, “chances are, one-third of the kids already know it; one-third will get it; and the remaining third won’t. So, two-thirds of the children are wasting their time.” Lilian Katz ASCD Wilis, S., “Teaching Young Children: Educators Seek Developmental Appropriateness.”
What is Differentiated Instruction? Differentiation is consistently using a variety of instruction approaches to modify content, process, and/or products in response to learner readiness and interest of academically diverse students.
Differentiation is NOT... • The “Individualized Instruction” of the 1970’s • Just another way to provide homogeneous grouping • Chaotic • Just “tailoring the same suit of clothing” • One traditional assessment for all students
Deciding What to Differentiate • What are the most important concepts, ideas, and skills for my students to learn? • How and when do I differentiate instruction so that I can meet my students’ individual learning needs and promote growth?
Differentiation should respond to learner needs through…. • Content – what a student learns • Process – opportunities through which the students process, or make sense of, understandings and skills; and • Products – how students demonstrate and extend what they have learned
Content • Does the level and pace of the content match the student’s ability and interest? • Does he or she fall behind in any area? • Does he or she finish assignments quickly and well?
Process • Does the student learn more by doing (through experiments, building, constructing, designing, etc.), or by listening to information? • Does the student show his or her greatest gifts in creative processes such as open-ended assignments?
Product • Does the student have a hard time relating to the materials, the products needed to express what he or she knows?
Principles of Differentiation • Based on diagnosis of student readiness, interests, and learning profile • Students doing engaging and challenging work • Continual progression for every learner • Flexible use of time and space • Use of a variety of instructional strategies • Adaptation of materials and resources
Instructional and Management Strategies for a Differentiated Classroom • Curriculum Compacting • Independent Projects • Interest Centers or Learning Centers • Tiered Assignments/Scaffolding • Flexible Skills Grouping • Learning Contracts
Curriculum Compacting • Assessing what the student knows about the material to be studied and what the student still needs to master • Plans for learning what is not known and excusing the students from what is known • Plans for freed-up time to be spent in enriched or accelerated study • In discovery learning and inquiry based instruction, curriculum compacting may not be appropriate
Independent Study • Process through which student(s) and teacher identify problems or topics of interest to the student • Student(s) and teacher plan a method of investigating the problem or topic and identifying the type of product the student will develop • The product should demonstrate the students’ ability to apply skills and knowledge to the problem or topic • Discourse and collaboration should be embedded in the study
Learning Centers • Can be “stations” or collections of materials learners can use to explore topics or practice skills • Can be to provide study in greater breadth and depth on interesting and important topics • Can have learning-center tasks that require transformation and application • Should provide a balance between student and teacher choice about centers to be completed
Tiered Assignments/Scaffolding • Prescribing particular assignments based on particular needs of groups of students • Can be tiered by challenge level (starting with application based on Bloom’s taxonomy), complexity, resources, outcome, process or product • Tiering means creating different work, not simply more or less work and assignments should be equally active, interesting, and engaging
Flexible Skills Grouping • Students are matched to skills work by virtue of readiness, not with the assumption that all need the same task, drill, writing assignment, etc. • Movement among groups is common, based on the readiness on a given skill and growth in that skill • Students are exempted from basic skills work in areas where they demonstrate a high level of performance
Learning Contracts • An agreement between student and teacher • Teacher grants certain freedoms and choices about how a student will complete tasks • The student agrees to use the freedoms appropriately in designing and completing work according to specifications • Contracts should focus on themes, concepts, or problems and integrate skills into the required product or project • Should be in writing and have clear and rigorous standards for success
Resources • Bertie Kingore, Differentiation: Simplified, Realistic and Effective • Susan Winebrenner, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom • Differentiated Instruction, Joan Franklin Smutny • Carol Tomlinson, ASCD Association for Supervisrino and Curriculum Development • Dr. Denise Pupillo, Parkway School District Gifted Coordinator
