Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction Language Arts Presentation and Workshop By Robin Knutelsky and Cara Russo May 23, 2013

On post-it notes answer the following questions: 1. What am I most passionate about? 2. What do I like to teach the most? How is this linked to my passion? 3. What concerns me the most in the “leveling up” model? 4. What concerns me the most in a differentiated classroom? 5. What questions do I have? Post your post-its… Do Now-Interest Survey

You shall: • Be able to describe district expectations for “leveling up” • Be able to explain what Differentiated Instruction is and how it works • Have successfully mapped one differentiated unit. Today’s Agenda

If there are levels within levels, levels do not truly matter if we are meeting students where they are and taking them where they need to be • All students must achieve common core curriculum content standards • Issue of compliance • Raising the bar for all students to achieve success • Supports for all learners still in place “Leveling UP”

Thinking about levels, within levels, choose a metaphor to work in groups to discuss and draw…yes, I said draw! • Teaching is like coaching because: • Teaching is like being a director of an orchestra because: • How can this metaphor guide our work? Metaphor Study-Understanding DI

Carol Ann Tomlinson on the intricacies of • Readiness • Interest • Profile • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvCd5Xafag Understanding why we must differentiate in ALL Classes

DI Is Not… • Individualization—it isn’t a different lesson plan for each student each day. This would be too time consuming. • Giving easier work to some students so they never reach the standard. • Assigning more reading at the same level to higher achieving students. • Giving all students the same work most of the time so each student is treated “fairly.” • Requiring students to teach material they have mastered to other students who have not. • Focusing on student weaknesses and ignoring student strengths What Differentiated Instruction is not…

DI Is… • Providing multiple assignments within each unit, tailored for students of different levels of readiness interest and learning style. • Having high expectations for all students. Aim high and differentiate down as needed. • Permitting students to opt out of material they know and progress at a different pace through new material (compacting) • Allowing students to choose, with a teacher’s guidance, ways to learn and to demonstrate what they have learned • Implementing flexible grouping strategies that cluster students by a particular subject area, interest, learning style, choice or ability • Focusing on student strengths so that each student can experience and strive for excellence. Differentiation Instruction Defined

Product • What students create as a result of the lesson to demonstrate mastery of the common core curriculum standards. • Process • What students do to meet the objective/goal/standard to achieve the common core curriculum standards. • Content • What students learn in the curriculum to achieve the common core curriculum content standards How can I differentiate?

The use of assessment to inform instruction (formative!) • Pre-assessment • Teaching for understanding • Flexible grouping • Danielson’s Frameworks for Teaching • Special education and gifted education – both inclusion and support programs • Challenge and accountability • Acceleration – yes, acceleration! • Response to Interventions (i.e. Pyramid of Intervention) • Tiered Assignments SOME BestPractices that “fit” differentiation

Know your students • Know your curriculum • Plan • Plan to differentiate content, process and product • Take students from where they are to where they need to be • Flexible grouping • Whole class • Pairs • Independent Where to start…

Tiered by Complexity - Address needs of students who are at introductory level and those ready for more abstract or advanced work. • Tiered by resources : Choose materials at various reading levels and complexity of content. • Explore various print options: • Newspapers • Magazines • Newsletters • Primary sources • Diaries/journals • Tiered by Outcome (Product): • Use same materials but prepare differentiated outcomes. • All students are building on the same understanding concept but producing different products to demonstrate understanding. Tiered Product and Process

Just begin… • Ideas for Differentiating Content, Process and Product (hand out) • Use those you have already mastered and work! • Low Prep • High Prep • Instructional Strategies for Differentiation (hand out) • Use those you have already mastered and work! • Low Prep • High Prep • Viable curriculum • Mapping How should we begin this work?

Mapping of the first unit (marking period) • Closure: Revisit the “Gallery” of Post-its, take down those that are no longer of concern • We will address your other concerns through • Continual professional development • Monthly department meetings • PLC • Monthly DI Continuous Learning (optional) Where We Will End Today, We Will Begin…

Differentiated Instruction