DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

1. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Bethany A. Rayl

2. Overview • What is differentiation? • Why should we differentiate? • How do we differentiate? • Implementing differentiation

3. Think of a Time… • Turn to a partner at your table and talk about a time when you were really engaged in learning… • What did that look like? • What did that sound like? • Why do you think you were so engaged?

4. What is differentiation? • Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. • Tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.

5. “Differentiation is not so much the ‘stuff’ as the ‘how.’ If the ‘stuff’ is ill conceived, the ‘how’ is doomed.” Carol Ann Tomlinson

7. What is the intent ? • The intent of differentiating instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is, and assisting in the learning process.

9. When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, chances are, one-third of the kids already know it; one-third will get it, and the remaining third won’t. So two-thirds of the children are wasting their time. Lillian Katz

10. What differentiation is not! • Developing a separate lesson plan for each student • A program • “Watering down” the curriculum • Hard questions for some and easy questions for others • A chaotic classroom • Just homogenous grouping

11. Why should we differentiate? • Not all students are alike. • Differentiation provides all students access to all curriculum. • All students can learn. • Students learn in different ways at different times.

13. The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same subjects in the same way. Howard Gardner

15. Comparing Traditional and Differentiated Classrooms • Consideration of student differences • Use of assessment • Use of student interest and learning styles inventories • Instructional format • Assignment options • Factors guiding instruction

16. Traditional Classroom • Assessment takes place at the end of a unit of study • Dominance of whole class instruction • Textbooks are the main instructional resource • Teacher is the main problem solver

17. Traditional Classroom • There is a quantitative focus on assignments • Commercially designed worksheets are used to practice skills • Convergent questions dominate – single correct answers are rewarded • Instruction time is predetermined and inflexible

18. Devastating Conclusion of 30 years of Research • “Little evidence of instruction of any kind was observed in the classes.” • What was/is happening? • Teachers spend most of their time — • Assigning activities. • Monitoring to be sure the pupils are on task. • Directing recitation sessions to assess how well children are doing. • Providing corrective feedback in response to pupil errors. J.W. Lloyd, E.J. Kameanui, and D. Chard (Eds.) (1997) Issues in educating students with disabilities.

19. Differentiated Classroom • Assessment is ongoing, diagnostic, and influences instruction • Variety of instructional strategies and arrangements • Multiple types of materials are used as resources • Students engage in problem solving

20. Differentiated Classroom • Qualitative focus to assignments • Students use multiple methods to practice skills • Questions are frequently asked by students as well as the teacher • Questions are open-ended to spark divergent thinking • Assessment determines time spent on tasks

21. Obstacles • I Long to return to the Good Old Days • I thought I was differentiating • I teach the way I was taught • I don’t know how • I have too much content to cover • I’m good at lecturing • I can’t see how I would grade all those different assignments Kathie F. Nunley, Differentiating in the High School, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2006.

22. Obstacles • I thought differentiation was for the elementary school • I subscribe to ability grouping • I have real logistic issues • I want my classroom under control • I don’t know how to measure my student’s learning styles • I have neither the time nor the funding for all that Kathie F. Nunley, Differentiating in the High School, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2006.

23. Obstacles • I’ve been teaching this way for years and it works • There’s no support for it at my school • My district requires me to follow a prescribed text • Parents expect lecture format in high school for college prep • The bottom line – if they are learning, you are teaching Kathie F. Nunley, Differentiating in the High School, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2006.

25. Differentiation Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs Guided by general principles of differentiation Quality Curriculum Flexible grouping Building Community Respectful Tasks Assessment for Instruction Teachers Can Differentiate Through: Affect/Environment Content Product Process According to Students’ Readiness Interest Learning Profile Through a range of strategies such as: Multiple intelligences…Jigsaw…4MAT…Graphic Organizers…RAFTS Compacting…Tiered assignments…Leveled texts…Complex Instruction… Learning Centers

26. Between Teacher and Child I have come to a frightening conclusion. Iam thedecisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I canhumiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized. HaimGinott

27. Differentiation must be an extension of not a replacement for high quality curriculum.

28. Differentiating for Content • Using several elements and designs • Leveling materials/varying materials • Providing choice • Focusing on depth and complexity of concepts • Targeting readiness levels of students • Meeting with small groups to reteach/enrich content • Using selective abandonment What Students Learn!

30. Content Readiness: • Reteach for students having difficulty • Use text and highlight key portions • Provide organizers to guide note-taking • Provide key vocabulary list • Use reading buddies or reading partners to work on text

31. Content Interest • Provide opportunities for further explanation of the topics • Provide additional materials • Use students questions and topics to guide lectures and materials • Use examples and illustrations based on student interest

33. Content Learning Profile • Present in visual, auditory and kinesthetic modes • Use application, examples and illustrations from a wide range of intelligences (Garner/Sternberg)

34. Foundations of Differentiated Instruction:KNOW YOUR LEARNER Learner Profile Factors Learning Environment quiet/noise warm/cool still/mobile flexible/fixed “busy”/”spare” Group Orientation independent/self orientation group/peer orientation adult orientation combination Gender & Culture Cognitive Style Creative/conforming Essence/facts Expressive/controlled Nonlinear/linear Inductive/deductive People-oriented/task or Object oriented Concrete/abstract Collaboration/competition Interpersonal/introspective Easily distracted/long Attention span Group achievement/personal achievement Oral/visual/kinesthetic Reflective/action-oriented Intelligence Preference analytic practical creative verbal/linguistic logical/mathematical spatial/visual bodily/kinesthetic musical/rhythmic interpersonal intrapersonal naturalist existential

35. Content • Linguistic intelligence ("word smart") • Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart") • Spatial intelligence ("picture smart") • Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart") • Musical intelligence ("music smart") • Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart") • Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart") • Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")

37. Content • Use applications, examples, and illustrations from both genders and a range of cultures/ communities • Teach with whole to part and part to whole approaches • Use wait time to allow for student reflection

38. Students in a differentiated classroom do not need to work the system . . . . . because the system works for them!

39. Differentiating for Process • Use of flexible grouping • Use of tiered activities (varied level of support and complexity) • Varying the pace of instruction • Coaching or facilitating learning • Providing interest centers • Developing personal agendas • Offering manipulatives or hands-on activities • Varying the level of time a student takes to complete a task How students go about making sense of the what!

40. Process • Allow multiple options for how students express learning • Encourage students to work together or independently • Balance competitive, collegial, and independent work arrangements • Develop activities that seek multiple perspectives

42. Differentiating for Product • Giving students options of how to express learning • Using rubrics that match and extend skill levels • Allowing students to work alone or in small groups • Encouraging students to create their own product containing required elements How students go about making sense of the what!

43. KNOW(facts, vocabulary, dates, rules, people, etc.) ecosystem elements of culture (housing/shelter, customs, values, geography) UNDERSTAND (complete sentence, statement of truth or insight – want students to understand that . . . ) All parts of an ecosystem affect all others parts. Culture shapes people and people shape culture. DO (Basic skills, thinking skills, social skills, skills of the discipline, planning skills --- verbs) Write a unified paragraph Compare and contrast Draw conclusions Examine varied perspectives Work collaboratively Develop a timeline Use maps as data Tomlinson * 02

45. Differentiating the Environment • Make sure there are places to work quietly • Make sure there are places that encourage collaboration • Provide materials from various cultures and home settings • Set out clear guidelines for independent work • Develop routines • Help students understand the needs of other learners

46. Keys to Differentiation • Get to know your students • Identify areas of your curriculum that could be adapted to differentiated instruction • Examine your role as a teacher in a differentiated classroom

48. CRIME • Curriculum: content, difficulty, standards • Rules: explicit, implicit, written • Instruction: teaching style, individual & group work pace, teacher & student directed • Materials: textbooks, trade books, tests, homework, equipment, supplies • Environment: furniture, seating, space, doors, windows, barriers Mary Anne Prater, “She Will Succeed!: Strategies for success in Inclusive Classrooms, Council for Exceptional Children