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Differentiated Learning Strategy Instruction. Anna Uhl Chamot National Capital Language Resource Center The George Washington University Washington, DC. OBJECTIVES. Suggest guidelines for teaching language learning strategies.
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Differentiated Learning Strategy Instruction Anna UhlChamot National Capital Language Resource Center The George Washington University Washington, DC
OBJECTIVES • Suggest guidelines for teaching language learning strategies. • Explain how to identify and expand students’ learning strategies. • Suggest ways to differentiate instruction for diverse learners.
DIVERSITY IN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND LEARNING STRATEGY KNOWLEDGE/ USE • Low to high language proficiency levels. • Low to high levels of learning strategy knowledge/ use (how to learn skills). • Means at least four combinations of language proficiency + learning strategy knowledge/ use.
LANGUAGE AND STRATEGY CONTINUA Low Strategy Knowledge/ Use 1 (LLP + LSKU) 3(HLP + LSKU) Low Language Proficiency (LLP) High Language Proficiency (HLP) 4 (HLP + HLSKU) 2 (LLP + HLSKU) High Strategy Knowledge/ Use
UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’ VARIED APPROACHES TO LEARNING • Ask students how they complete specific tasks. • Ask students' other teachers how your students learn in their classes. • Have students identify favorite subjects, interests, special abilities. • Identify students’ learning strategies for both language and content tasks.
WHAT ARE LEARNING STRATEGIES? • Students’ thoughts and actions that assist their learning. • Ways to understand, remember, and recall information. • Ways to practice skills more efficiently (Chamot, 2009).
IDENTIFY STUDENT’S CURRENT LEARNING STRATEGIES • Class discussions about strategies. • Interviews with students. • Learning strategy journals. • Student think-alouds. • Questionnaires and checklists.
EXPAND STUDENT’S CURRENT LEARNING STRATEGIES • Model how to use the learning strategy. • Name the strategy in the target language. • Tell when and how to use it. • Students tell how they use it (if they already do). • Make strategies concrete with visuals and realia! • Have students practice and evaluate their use of learning strategies.
DEVELOP STUDENTS’ METACOGNITION • Model metacognitive awareness. • Ask students to describe their thinking processes. • Have students take increasing responsibility for their own learning.
WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION? • Provides instruction for diverse learners; • Builds on learners’ prior knowledge; • Addresses students’ interests and needs; • Provides alternate paths to achievement; • Assesses important concepts and skills; • Uses varied rates of instruction; and • Organizes the classroom into collaborative learning teams.
WHY DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION? • Provides access and success for all students. • Increases student motivation. • Leads to more efficient learning.
WHEN TO DIFFERENTIATE • When students are unmotivated, bored, or struggling. • As a reward for accomplishment. • When teaching a combination level class. • When disparity exists in students’ language proficiency and their content knowledge. • When the teacher needs to work with one group.
PLANNING DIFFERENTIATED TASKS Low Strategy Knowledge/ Use 1 3 SCAFFOLDED TASK (LLP +LSKU) ANCHOR TASK (MLP + MSKU) Low Language Proficiency High Language Proficiency INDEPENDENT TASK (HLP + HSKU) 2 4 High Strategy Knowledge/ Use
PLANNING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT - 1 • Identify important concept or “big idea” – enduring understanding all students should achieve (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006). • Identify language proficiency and learning strategy knowledge/ use of each student and use to group students. • List different ways you could teach the concept (listening, reading, Internet search, demonstration, video, role play, game, project, oral and written reports, etc.).
PLANNING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT - 2 • Develop language, content, and learning strategy objectives and assessments for mid group (Anchor Task). • Plan learning activities to achieve Anchor Task objectives. • Identify scaffolding needed by LLP and LSKU students to achieve the same objectives (Scaffolded Task); plan assessment.
PLANNING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT - 3 • Plan expansion and independent activities for HLP and HSKU students to achieve the same objectives (Independent Task); plan assessment. • Assign LLP + HLSKU and HLP + LSKU students to one of the three groups, depending on the task.
EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENTIATED ACTIVITIES • Complexity Ladder • Individual Agendas • Learning Contracts • Group Folders • Learning Stations
COMPLEXITY LADDER • Select major concept/skill all students need to learn. • Identify each student’s language level, interests, talents, prior content knowledge. • Create activity to develop concept/skill. • Situate activity on Complexity Ladder. • Create more and less complex versions. • Match students to appropriate version.
INDIVIDUAL AGENDAS • Personal list of tasks. • Can be done in any order. • Completion date (2-3 weeks). • Teacher provides class time to work on agendas. • Frees teacher for direct instruction to small group.
LEARNING CONTRACTS • Specifies task(s) to accomplish. • Sets time line for completing each part. • Establishes criteria for success. • Can be varied to meet individual needs (Anchor, Scaffolded, Independent). • Signed by student and teacher.
GROUP FOLDERS • Teacher prepares folders with differentiated tasks. • Teacher presents topic of lesson. • Students work in their groups. • Each student assigned a role. • Groups work on their tasks. • Teacher provides assistance as needed.
LEARNING STATIONS • Classroom spots with independent tasks. • Signs: Stories and Poems; Think and Write; Drama; Words I Need; Solve This!; Science Lab; History Mysteries. • Teacher/student chooses task. • Clear directions for each task. • Monitoring system for work completed. • Teacher provides assistance as needed.
SUMMARY: PLAN THREE LEVELS OF DIFFERENTIATION • Identify an important concept to teach (a “big idea”). • Develop objectives for content, language, and learning strategies. • Identify an assessment for each objective. • Plan 3 learning tasks (Anchor, Scaffolded, Independent) to teach concept. • Modify the assessment for each task.
REFERENCES and RESOURCES • Chamot, A. U. (2009). The CALLA handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach, (2nd Ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson-Longman. • National Capital Language Resource Center (2007). Sailing the five Cs with learning strategies.www.nclrc.org • Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design, Second edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.