Great Minds do NOT think Alike…

1. Great Minds do NOT think Alike… A closer look at differentiating in your classroom! Presented by : GT Department

2. A Few Thoughts for Today… • The district is taking steps to increase the rigor in the middle school honors program. • Teachers will be asked to incorporate the State Department Honors Framework as well as begin using various instructional strategies aimed at differentiating learning for the honors student. • Today is all about giving you the foundation and the information you would need to begin implementing these changes.

3. Vacation Time… Which spot appeals to you? Bergen, Norway Phuket, Thailand Rocky Mountains, Colorado Paris, France

4. “THE BIGGEST MISTAKE…IN TEACHING HAS BEEN TO TREAT ALL CHILDREN AS IF THEY ARE VARIANTS OF THE SAME INDIVIDUAL AND THUS TO FEEL JUSTIFIED IN TEACHING THEM ALL THE SAME SUBJECTS IN THE SAME WAY.” HOWARD GARDNER

5. “Summer’s over kids! Now, all you round pegs get back into your square holes!”

6. Objectives for today…. • I can define differentiation. • I can use tiered assignments, choice • boards, and project based learning to • add rigor and depth to the curriculum • for Honors students. • I can label the types of differentiation • and TEAM components within a given • lesson plan.

7. I can define differentiation.

8. Test Your DI Knowledge…. Sorting Activity

9. Differentiation is NOT…. • Doing only the harder problems • Doing MORE of the same • Grouping where all students complete the same activities • Designed for students with the highest achievement/grades • Teaching standards as separate, individual learning components • Another way to provide homogeneous grouping • Chaotic • Expecting less of struggling learners • A substitute for specialized services

10. Differentiation IS… • Different styles and multiple approaches of content, process, product, environment and assessment • Qualitative… Provides rigor and relevance, as well as respectful tasks • Blended instructional techniques (some whole group, small groups, and individual) • Choice • Maximizing learning for ALL students • On-going assessment and using pre-assessments to group students • Flexible grouping • Student centered

11. So…how does differentiation work?

12. Differentiation is NOT a replacement for high quality curriculum, but is instead an extension of it.Effective teachers focus on BOTH students and content.

13. Content, Process, and Product • CONTENT • Options for EXPLORING the information to varying degrees • What in the world do you want them to understand? (at a deeper level) • PROCESS • Options for ACCESSING information • How do you want them to organize their “stuff”? • PRODUCT • Options for EXPRESSINGwhat they know • How do you want them to prove to you they know their “stuff”?

15. What do you need in order to differentiate? • Accommodations for multiple learning styles and needs within regular units • Safe classrooms in which students feel valued • No “fuzzy” curriculum or busy work • Multiple forms of assessment • Flexible groupings • Rigor ~ something students do WITH effort – there needs to be a certain amount of struggle for ALL students • Strategies are ALIGNED with instructional objectives. This is how you separate creative thinking from “fluff”.

16. What should come first? “Have some students already achieved some of my learning goals?”“How and when might I differentiate the curriculum for these students so they remain challenged and engaged?” Pre-Assessment is the key! • Pre-assessments help you know who needs differentiation. • Pre-assessments can be both formal and informal. Informal sweeps of your class, Ticket in/out the Door Formal tests, DE

17. Multiple ways to skin a cat!

18. Take A 15 Minute Break!

19. “HOW IS MY HONORS CLASS DIFFERENT THAN MY FRIEND’S NON-HONORS CLASS?”

20. THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT WHAT WE TEACH BUT HOWWE TEACH.

21. What is Rigor? • “Rigor is the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging.” • Strong, Silver, and Perini • Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement • Rigor is high engagement, cognitive dissonance, probing questions, depth not coverage, student choice, reflection, flexible grouping, scaffolding, purposeful, critical thinking instruction…..

22. HONORS LEVEL EXPECTATIONS-TDOE (Tennessee Dept. of Education) • “Substantially exceed the content standards, learning expectations and performance indicators….” • Teachers- “model instructional approaches that facilitate maximum interchange of ideas among students: independent study, self-directed research and learning, and appropriate use of technology.” • Multiple assessments (e.g. constructed-response prompts, performance-based tasks, and higher order responses)

23. an honors course shall include a minimum of five of the following components:

24. (i) Extended reading assignments that connect with the specified curriculum.

25. (ii) Research-based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum.

26. (iii) Projects that apply course curriculum to relevant or real-world situations. These may include oral presentations, power point, or other modes of sharing findings. Connection of the project to the community is encouraged.

27. (iv) Open-ended investigations in which the student selects the questions and designs the research.

28. (v) Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles. (a) Examples of mode include narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository, and expressive. (b) Examples of purpose include to inform, entertain, and persuade. (c) Examples of style include formal, informal, literary, analytical, and technical.

29. (vi) Integration of appropriate technology into the course of study.

30. (vii) Deeper exploration of the culture, values, and history of the discipline.

31. (viii) Extensive opportunities for problem solving experiences through imagination, critical analysis, and application.

32. (ix) Job shadowing experiences with presentations which connect class study to the world of work.

33. Now It’s your Turn… • Find 2 – 3 people from your grade level • Using your content area curriculum and Honors Framework choose a standard or objective for which you would like to implement a component of the Honors Framework. • Work with your group to create possible ways to implement the Honors Framework within the first 9 weeks.

34. Time for lunch!! See you back here at 12:30. Enjoy!

35. How many times have you felt like this?

36. Project-Based Learning

37. I can use project-based learning to differentiate the Honors curriculum.

38. What Is Project-Based Learning? Project-Based Learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students participate in projects and practice an interdisciplinary array of skills from math, language arts, fine arts, geography, science, and technology. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying.

39. Project-Based Learning • Two Perspectives: • Teacher Facilitated – student emphasis • Students involved in complex, real-world projects through which they develop and apply skills and knowledge • Significant learning taps into students' inherent drive to learn, ability to do important work, and the need to be taken seriously • Curricular outcomes are identified up-front, but keep in mind that all • outcomes may not be fully predetermined • Experiences are provided through which students learn to manage and allocate resources such as time and materials • Students are required to draw from many information sources and disciplines in order to complete their project

40. Project-Based Learning Two Perspectives: 2. Teacher Guided – accountability is placed on the teacher • Pick the different skills and content you will teach • Identify the essential knowledge you want all students to learn (key objectives) • Craft a question that will focus the project and engage your students (essential question) • Decide how students will demonstrate what they have learned (products/performances) • Choose or create assessment tools to clarify expectations and evaluate student work (rubrics)

41. Keys to Implementing Project-Based Learning • Begin with the end in mind • Focus on standards, but not too many • Start small when you’re new to the process • Test-drive a final product BEFORE starting • Hooks – Even project-based learning needs a hook • Topics should be relevant to student interest as well as academics

42. Keys to Implementing Project-Based Learning • Set clear guidelines and deadlines – expectations should be clear • Have an assessment plan – rubrics, etc. • End with a BANG! • Allow student choice when possible • Conference with students/groups at certain points • This is not ADDED work…it should be their classwork ~ This is HOW you teach the curriculum

43. Project-Based Learning Sample

44. Project-Based Learning Samples Reading Projects ~ Number the Stars http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00065/ Project-Based Learning Lesson Plans http://kidseducationalwebsites.blogspot.com/2011/01/project-based-learning-lesson-plans.html http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/MainMenu.cfm?tsele1=4&tsele2=0

45. Differentiated Strategies…Contract for Project

46. Ok….Your Turn! • Break into groups based upon geographic areas • Use your content curriculum and Honors Framework to choose a topic • Brainstorm ideas for Project-Based Learning that could be used for the first 9 weeks • Write your ideas on your blank Project-Based Learning Planning Sheet

47. Take A 15 Minute Break!

48. Choice Boards

49. I can use choice boards to differentiate the Honors curriculum.

50. What Are Choice Boards? Choice boards are organizers with a collection of curricular problems, questions, assignments, activities, or projects from which students are allowed to choose their tasks. Students may choose one or more of the activities and/or may be required to complete a teacher specified task in addition to choosing tasks to complete the assignment. Choice boards are only differentiated if they are designed with learning differences in mind.