Focus for the Year

1. Focus for the Year

2. What is this Differentiation Study Group all about? What the Group Does 1st Read through the sheet your Group has. (5 min) Group 1 2nd Discuss what you read and Come to a cohesive understanding. The Content We Cover Group 2 3rd If there is any uncertainty on what You read, ask Dan 2 clarifying Questions. What you Will Produce 4th Be ready to share and be an expert On your sheet. Group 3

3. Jigsaw your knowledge . . . What the Group Does The Content We Cover Share with each other so that all 3 of you know about all 3 topics. What you Will Produce If there are further questions that need to be clarified in front of the whole group, get ready to ask them . . .

4. Our Goals around Differentiation – Why we would bother to have this group . . . • Becoming a More Student Centered Teacher. The deeper the work becomes in your classroom, the more your focus will shift from thinking about what you are doing for each lesson, to thinking about what your students will be doing. • Adding to your Skill-set. There are many strategies, techniques, and practices we will go over this year. The point is to take them in, figure out how to adapt them to your classroom, and make them your own. The skills from this year should help you better close the gap between teaching and learning in your classroom. • Becoming More Creative with your Content. We will not spend much time on specific content area teaching, however, everything we do cover will allow you to more creatively deliver your content, as well as set up the room for your students to decide how to download the content.

5. Our Essential Questions for the Year • What does a differentiated classroom look like for teachers and students? • How do I best implement methods necessary for a differentiated classroom? • How does a differentiated lesson effect other aspects of the classroom?

6. Defining Differentiation If we are going to spend a whole year together learning about Differentiation, let’s take the first step to define it . . . . 1st Take 2 minutes to jot down your definition of what differentiation is. 2nd Everyone goes around the table and just shares their definition. No Commenting or judgment, just sharing. (1 min) 3rd Weave together a definition of Differentiation of less than 20 words As a table that you all can reasonably agree upon. Be ready to share. (5 min) 1 person should jot down the definition, with all of your names on the index card to turn into Dan.

7. Essential Understanding 1: Tomlinson’s Framework What We Differentiate Content Process Product Why We Differentiate Student Readiness Student Interest Student Learning Profile Think Multiple Intelligences

8. Essential Understanding 2: Mindset Differentiation is a mindset that acknowledges the diversity in your classroom, and addresses that diversity by creating multiple paths for learning when necessary. So we will delve into the nuts and bolts Of how to create multiple paths for Learning when necessary

9. Essential Understanding 3: The Ripple Effect Choosing to differentiate a lesson will have profound effects on your classroom’s community, your management style, how you assess, and how you plan. Your Lesson Change & Complicate how you plan for lessons Change the community dynamics of your class Change & Complicate how you assess for learning Demand more management on your part

10. Essential Understanding 4: You & The Kids Your student’s needs, as well as your growth as a professional, will determine the speed and depth of adaptations you make to create a differentiated classroom. Progress Report Readiness Principal You The Kids Learning Style Dan Quality Review Interest Find Your Speed Take the Long View

11. Focus for our 1st Session Creating a Differentiated Community

12. Building a Differentiated Community in Your Classroom Focus on Growth. As a teacher it is your moral obligation that all students have improved in your class regardless of where they started. 1st Pillar 4 5 6 Performance 1 3 7 Based on your Values as a teacher and outside pressure. 2 8 But don’t worry, I have never realized this goal, only gotten better at managing towards 100%.

13. Two ways to get students focused on and believing in “growth” Malleable Intelligence Praising Effort, Not ability • Take 3 minutes as a table to discuss amongst yourselves about these two points – • What do you already know about recent research in neuroscience and what • Carol Dweck has done on praising effort? • 2) Let’s share the understanding we have now as a group. How can our current understanding help us create a classroom focused on Growth?

14. Malleable Intelligence – A brief run down . . . • The Brain can grow more neurons and dendrite connections • throughout its lifespan. • New & enriching experiences provide the opportunity for the • brain to grow and change. • Constant, deliberate practice of a skill or piece of knowledge • make the dendrite connections stronger in time. Effective Effort Neuroscience Research

15. Carol Dweck’s Work – A brief run down . . . How Students Think About Intelligence Has A Dramatic Effect on Their Work Habits When You Praise their Intelligence, or Ability They Think of It as Fixed When You Praise Their Effort, They Think of Intelligence as Malleable The Effects The Effects • Students with this fixed mind-set become excessively • concerned with how smart they are seeking tasks that • will prove their intelligence and avoiding ones that • might not. The desire to learn takes a back seat. • Students that think this way tend to . . . . • Care a lot about whether people think they are • smart or not smart. • 2) Avoid learning challenges where they might • make mistakes. • 3) Try to hide mistakes rather than trying to correct • them. • 4) Believe that if they have the ability, they shouldn’t • have to try hard. • 5) Believe that needing to apply a lot of effort means • they’re dumb. • 6) Not deal well with frustration and setbacks, • sometimes giving up or cheating. • When students believe they can develop their • intelligence, they focus on doing just that. Not worrying • about how smart they will appear, they take on • challenges and stick to them. They don’t necessarily • believe that anyone can become an Einstein or a • Mozart, but they do understand that even Einstein and • Mozart had to put in years of effort to become • who they were. • Students that believe in this growth model tend to . . . • 1) Care about and invest themselves in learning. • 2) Believe that effort is a positive thing, causing their • intelligence to grow. • 3) Try hard in the face of frustration and failure. • 4) Look for new learning strategies.

16. Two More Differentiated Community Pillars . . . If students are to “grow” in your class, how are you including their interests so they want to work hard for you and are engaged in what you ask them to do? Student Interest Three Quick Ideas on how to pull off an interest survey with lots of data for you to move forward . . . Index Cards Gallery Walk Interviews If students are to “grow” in your class, how are you activating other intelligences beyond verbal/linguistic to engage them and give them multiple ways to “grow”? Student Learning Styles Now we will have a simple contest . . . with a prize for the winning table . . .

17. Your 1st Two Tasks (short term) for Creating a Differentiated Community . . . For at least 1 class, or every single class you have, choose how you want to share the insights you gained on your students in your digital portfolio, (will be explained in more detail later), from conducting an interest survey. Conduct an student Interest survey Conduct a survey on the learning styles you use in your class For one week in your classroom track the intelligences you allow your students to tap into during your lessons. Share the result in your digital portfolio. Think multiple intelligences

18. Setting up the Community for Differentiation Turn & Talk to the Person Next to You What would be your response, a public response to the entire class, when one student asks . . . “Why are we working on different things?” How can you use . . . . Rituals Ceremonies Traditions Histories & Stories Signs & Symbols Living Logos To proactively create a classroom community focused on growth.

19. Using Stations to Delve Deeper . . . 2nd Brainstorm some ideas that fall into those categories that you could Implement in your classroom to focus On growth . . . 1st Identify and briefly describe examples from your own School & Classroom Rituals & Ceremonies Traditions & Histories/ Stories Signs/ Symbols & Living Logos Malleable Intelligence Praising Effort, Not ability

20. Some examples from last year’s group . . . Teaching is the Art of Theft – any ideas you want to take and make it your own?

21. Your 3rd Task (Long Term) to creating a Differentiated Community Come back with a plan on how you will proactively promote a classroom community focused on “growth.” Use Deal & Peterson’s Framework to pick and choose what you will do . . . . For Next Session Rituals Ceremonies Traditions Histories & Stories Signs & Symbols Living Logos After October 20th, I will be in your classroom for the 2nd time – have the beginning of your plan up and running to coincide with and support 1st Differentiated Lesson I will observe. The rituals and traditions Or whatever you choose don’t have to occur in the lesson I see – rather Your focus on growth should be evident in the room already. By the 2nd Observation I’m not going to give you a template for this one, everyone plans differently.

22. Picture Pause . . . 5 Minutes

23. Methods of Differentiation 1 2 3 4 Scaffolding for Support Multiple Paths at 1 Point Distinct Lessons to create multiple paths Multiple Paths throughout the lesson Target Interest and/or Intelligences We spend our year implementing methods 2 - 4

24. Sample Method 1 Lesson Review Does a lesson involving soda get student’s interested? Mini Lesson Do the three different versions provide support for multiple types of students? Does drawing the “atoms” provide a strong visual model for all students? Guided Practice Does the experiment help students learn because it is hands-on and interactive? Independent Practice Does having an extension activity help students move at their own pace if needed? Does my description of a Method 1 Differentiated Lesson Make Sense?

25. Coming Up with Anchor Activities 1) Even during “normal” lessons students move at different paces – so how can you best manage this? 2) Once we try our 1st differentiation strategy, there will be lots of activity in the room, and students moving at different paces, on different tasks – How will you manage them? An Anchor Activity is a management support you have in your room to ensure that students can always be learning, no matter how fast they move on the daily tasks. You can have them on a daily, weekly, unit, or yearly basis in your room. However, once they are set up, they should not be a management hassle for you.

26. The Book

27. The Area

28. The Ongoing Task

29. Brainstorming Anchor Activities Break into subject specific groups and . . . • Consider the three types I just showed you • Brainstorm variations on them • Come up with entirely new ideas But make sure the anchor activities you come up with are . . . Relevant So that students that students see the point in trying the tasks you give them . So it is not busy work, and you are helping your students grow more neurons in your class . Rigorous So they actually want to do the work for you and be “done” with the day’s tasks and lessons. Engaging 4th Task – Be ready to share your idea for your Anchor Activity when we debrief after the 1st observation.

30. House Keeping Items What we need to do to move forward . . .

31. The Calendar Sept. 29nd Oct. 27th Observation of Your Classroom Oct. 25th 1st Task – Student Interest Survey results posted in Digital Portfolio by Oct. 25th 2nd Task – Multiple Intelligence Survey of your lessons - Results posted in Digital Portfolio by Oct. 27th 3rd Task – Bring back your plan for Building a community Focused on Growth 1st 4rd Task – Be ready to discuss your Anchor Activity plan with Dan on site after 1st observation observation

32. 1st Observation Relax, don’t worry – just do the lesson you planned. I don’t make judgements, I just collect data to share with you . . . . Lesson Flow Intelligences Activated Community of Your Classroom I will gather examples of what you and the students do and say that best capture the environment you have created with your students. I will record, of the 8 types of intelligences, which were available during the lesson. I am going to sketch the parts of the lesson and track engagement

33. Tentative Dates for 1st Observation Kurt Hahn October 14th Dreamyard October 18th BELHS October 18th Validus October 22nd Univ. Heights October 22nd Bread & Roses October 21st Bronx Health Sciences October 20th

34. Digital Portfolio – Its Easy . . . 1) Go to our groups wiki page . . . https://sites.google.com/a/nycempowerment.org/implementing-effective-differentiated-instruction/ 2) Click on the “Digital Portfolios” Link on the left. 3) Then click on the “Middle School Digital Portfolios” – then find your specific link. All you have to do is hit the “Add” button to put the information on your site. All the pictures will be posted by the end of this week for you to use.

35. Resources for you moving forward . . . Videos There are 16 Videos from last year’s group that I will Put on a “data disc” for you all to access for the entire year. On the wiki site, as well as on the data disc, you can find about 40 lessons organized by the Methods, that can give you insight and ideas on how to carry out strategies in the future. Lessons I have many pictures on “Signs & Symbols” that can get students focused on growth in terms of malleable intelligence, as well as classroom set up, and other management strategies. Ask when you need ideas . . . Pictures I have many many books that go into a lot more detail then our workshop time, so if you want to delve further let me know and I can bring the books with me when I visit. Books

36. The final Pre-Assessment & Feedback How many times in today’s session did I conduct a pre-assessment on you all today? What the study group is and does Define Differentiation Malleable IQ & Carol Dweck So please let’s end this session with you all letting me know what Level of familiarity you have with the following topics before next session So I can plan more effectively, and differentiate. Choice Board Think Dots Plan for Help RAFT Cubing Fred Jones