Technology In Support of Differentiated Instruction

1. Technology In Support of Differentiated Instruction Willa Spicer Jennifer Hunsinger

2. Definition “Differentiating instruction is not an instructional strategy or a teaching model. It’s a way of thinking about teaching and learning that advocates beginning where individuals are rather than with a prescribed plan of action, which ignores student readiness, interest, and learning profile.” - Tomlinson

3. Differentiated Instruction Teacher’s Response to Learner’s Needs Assumptions Guided By General Principles Learning Environment Flexible Groups Respectful Tasks Ongoing Assessment Teacher Can Differentiate: Content Process Product According to Student’s Readiness Interests Learning Profile Through A Range of Instructional Strategies -Tomlinson

4. Assumptions • The information can be useful for your purposes. • Students and teachers have access to the Internet. • Teacher knows the 21st Century Skills and wants to teach them. • Search strategies • Ability to evaluate information on the basis of what you want to know • Ability to recognize bias, falsehoods, propaganda

5. The Learning Environment The Teacher Click here to view “How People Learn” The Student The Content

6. BALANCED ASSESSMENT Teaching Policy Learning Formative Summative

7. Content Facts, Principles, Concepts, Generalizations, Skills Which are Relevant, authentic, usable, essential * Content doesn’t often change because we differentiate!!

8. Learning Styles -Lens on the Learners • Multiple Intelligences • Jung - Myers-Briggs • 4MAT • Gender • Cultural

9. Readiness • Prior Knowledge and/or skill set • Speed of Learning NCREL’s Critical Issue: Promoting Children's Readiness to Learn

10. Respectful Tasks

11. Guiding Principles • Classroom is flexible • Instruction stems from ongoing assessment • Flexible grouping • All learners have tasks that are interesting, engaging and moderately challenging. • Students and teachers are collaborators in learning

12. Process: Activities

13. Tests Interviews Survey Performance and Exhibition Portfolio PowerPoint Presentations Newsletters, Publications Podcasts Blogs, Wikis Movies (YouTube) Inspiration Maps Product: Demonstrating Learning

14. Anchoring Activities Jigsaw Literature Circles Tiered Lessons Learning Contracts Cooperative Learning Independent Learning Orbital Studies Questioning Strategies Interest Groups Varied Homework Compacting Group Investigation Varied Supplementary Materials Varied texts Instructional Strategies

15. Task • Find a strategy that relates to the needs of your students. • Write one or two sentences on that relationship.

16. CBC Kids - from Canada CBBC - from the UK for kids Channel One Discover Earth & Sky Radio Show Environmental News Network Kid's Castle from Smithsonian KidsNewsroom LA Youth - by youth for youth Newz Crew from PBS National Geographic Kids National Geographic News National Geographic Today - great list of stories; leads to other stories Nature.com News Hour Extra from PBS NOAA.com NY Times Student Connections Scholastic News Zone - listen to scholastic radio Student News Net Time for Kids Washington Post for Kids - registration required Weekly Reader - subscription based Why Files World Wildlife Federation Newsroom Yahooligans News News Sources

17. Your Task Find what interests you the most within the context of the technology shared in this presentation. Write one or two sentences that explain why you found this topic most interesting.

18. What Differentiation is Not • A set of strategies, but a way of thinking about teaching and learning. • Individualization of learning • More work at the same level • All the time differentiation, whole group activities continue to have role • Group work without accountability • Limited to acceleration

19. Differentiation into Practice

20. Thank you Willa Spicer at wspicer@njpsa.org Jennifer Hunsinger at jhunsinger@njpsa.org Materials available on www.njelite.org