Differentiated Instruction: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners

1. Differentiated Instruction:Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners Rina Iati Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12

2. How do you address the diverse needs of your learners?

3. Why Differentiate Instruction? • Dealing with the reality of diverse learners

4. Assumptions about DI • All students differ as learners • To maximize learning, all learners need to meet with appropriate challenges and experience success. • Differentiation is not a strategy; it is a philosophy—a way of thinking. • Differentiation is an evolutionary process.

5. One way to think about differentiation… Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning.

6. Brainstorm the ways in which your students differ…

7. Students differ in many ways… • Learning style, skills, and rates • Language proficiency • Background knowledge and experiences • Motivation • Ability to attend • Social and emotional development • Levels of abstraction • Physical needs

8. Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction “Even though students may learn in many ways, the essential skills and content they learn can remain steady. Students can take different roads to the same destination.” --Carol Ann Tomlinson

9. CREATING AN OPTIMAL MATCH Too Difficult Causes Frustration TASKDIFFICULTY Flow of Instruction Too Easy Can Cause Boredom READINESS LEVEL

10. CREATING AN OPTIMAL MATCH Supports Challenges Respectful Activities

11. CREATING AN OPTIMAL MATCH Too Difficult Causes Frustration Respectful Activities TASKDIFFICULTY Flow of Instruction Too Easy Can Cause Boredom READINESS LEVEL

12. Differentiation of Instruction Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needsguided by general principles of differentiation Respectful tasks Flexible grouping Continual assessment Teachers Can Differentiate Through: Process Product Content According to Students’ Readiness Interest Learning Profile

13. Achievement is… • 25% IQ • 25% Opportunities and Experience • 50% Self-efficacy and Self-Esteem Competent and Confident

14. How the teacher plans instruction Assessment of content • Flexible grouping • Tiered assignments • Learning centers • Vary questions • Emphasize critical and creative thinking • Learning contracts and menus • Verbal mode • Written • Construction • Technology • Vary expectations and requirements We Differentiate: Content Process Product What the teacher plans to teach • degree of difficulty • Single concept, but vary the topic • Curriculum compacting • Vary the resource materials • Mini-lesson, then remediate or enrich • Scaffolding

15. READINESS LEARNING PROFILE INTEREST • Areas of • Strength/Growth • M.I. • Learning styles • Surveys • Centers • Self-Selection Content Knowledge Skills Concepts We Differentiate By:

16. Creating MultipleAvenuesFor Learning Key Concept or Understanding Activity 1 Activity 3 Activity 2

17. INITIATING ACTIVITIES USE AS COMMON EXPERIENCE FOR WHOLE CLASS GROUP 1 TASK GROUP 2 TASK GROUP 3 TASK IDENTIFY OUTCOMES WHAT SHOULD THE STUDENTS KNOW, UNDERSTAND, OR BE ABLE TO DO? THINK ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS PRE-ASSESS READINESS, INTEREST, OR LEARNING PROFILE

18. Vary Input Same Input Some Differentiation Models Vary Input Vary Output Vary Output Same Output

19. A Comparison of Three Classes

20. Traditional Vs Differentiated Classrooms Differentiated Traditional

21. KUD

22. KUD K now U nderstand D o

23. Know These are the facts, vocabulary, dates, places, names, and examples you want students to give you. The know is massively forgettable. “Teaching facts in isolation is like trying to pump water uphill.” Carol Tomlinson

24. Understand Major Concepts and Subconcepts These are the written statements of truth, the core to the meaning(s) of the lesson(s) or unit. These are what connect the parts of a subject to the student’s life and to other subjects. It is through the understanding component of instruction that we teach our students to truly grasp the “point” of the lesson or the experience. Understandings are purposeful. They focus on the key ideas that require students to understand information and make connections while evaluating the relationships that exit within the understandings.

25. Able to Do Skills These are the basic skills of any discipline. They include the thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing. These are the skills of planning, the skills of being an independent learner, the skills of setting and following criteria, the skills of using the tools of knowledge such as adding, dividing, understanding multiple perspectives, following a timeline, calculating latitude, or following the scientific method. The skill portion encourages the students to “think” like the professionals who use the knowledge and skill daily as a matter of how they do business. This is what it means to “be like” a doctor, a scientist, a writer or an artist.

26. Creating MultipleAvenuesFor Learning KUD Activity 1 Activity 3 Activity 2

27. Names and values of coins. • Develop a profile of a character • Identify the effects of psychoactive drugs • The knowledge of the solar system has changed over time. • Present a monologue with dramatic movement • Participate in a classroom debate • Three branches of government • There are tools that composers use to change the mood of a piece of music • Voice reflects the author • Appropriate use of art material Directions: Decide how each of the following is part of Know. Understand or Do. Write K, U, or D in front of each item.

28. Key Principles of a Differentiated Classroom • The teacher is clear about what matters in subject matter. • The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences. • Assessment and instruction are inseparable. • The teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interests, and learning profile. • All students participate in respectful work. • Students and teachers are collaborators in learning. • Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum growth and individual success. • Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated classroom. Source: Tomlinson, C. (2000). Differentiating Instruction for Academic Diversity. San Antonio, TX: ASCD

29. When planning for Differentiation, consider… • Readiness levels • Student interests • Multiple Intelligences • Blooms Taxonomy • Learning styles and modalities • Developmental Stages

30. Multiple IntelligencesBlooms TaxonomyLearning Styles

31. Anchor Activities

32. RAPID ROBIN The “Dreaded Early Finisher”

33. “I’m Not Finished” Freddie “It takes him an hour-and-a-half to watch 60 Minutes.”

34. One premise in a differentiated classroom: “ In this class we are never finished--- Learning is a process that never ends.” -Carol Ann Tomlinson

35. Anchor Activities Anchor activitiesare ongoing assignments that students can work on independently throughout a unit, a grading period or longer. “Ragged time” is a reality in a differentiated classroom. It is not your goal to have everyone finish all tasks at the same time…” --Carol Ann Tomlinson

36. Using Anchor Activities to Create Groups 1 Teach the whole class to work independently and quietly on the anchor activity. 2 Flip-Flop Half the class works on anchor activity. Other half works on a different activity. 3 1/3 works with teacher---direct instruction. 1/3 works on anchor activity. 1/3 works on a different activity.

37. Anchor Activities are… • Curriculum based. • Engaging, meaningful tasks. • Activities that everyone will have a chance to do. • Differentiated to meet the needs of the learner.

38. ANCHOR ACTIVITIES Can be: • used in any subject. • whole class assignments. • small group or individual assignments. • tiered to meet the needs of diverse learners. • Interdisciplinary for use across content areas or teams.

39. Some Anchor Activities • Learning Centers • Extensive Reading • Vocabulary or Word Work • Research Questions or Projects • Webquests • Journals or Learning Logs • PSSA or SAT Work

40. More Anchor Activities • Create a brochure about the topic. • Write letters/emails to obtain more information. • Collect pictures from a magazine on the topic for a bulletin board. • Edit a rough draft.

41. Planning for Anchor Activities • What anchors, standards or concepts will be emphasized? • What will the students be expected to complete independently or will the activity be part of a group project? • How is the activity differentiated or tiered to address various ability levels? • What instruction must happen so all student understand how to do the task? • What aspects of the project can be worked on at irregular (ragged) times? May any of the task be worked on at home? Just at school? • What materials will be needed for completing the task? • At what point must the activity be totally completed? • Where and what kind of checkpoints might be used? Feedback? --Martha Kaufeldt, “Teachers Change Your Bait! Brain-Compatible Differentiated Instruction”

42. Planning for Anchor Activities Subject/Content Area: Name and description of anchor activity: How will activity be introduced to students? How will the activity be managed and monitored? -Points - Percentage of Final Grade - Rubric - Portfolio Check - Checklist - Teacher/Student Conference - Random Check - Peer Review - On Task Behaviors - Other _______________

43. Project Life Cycle

44. Anchor Activities pp. 9 -18 LIU #12 Educational Solutions That Make a Difference.

45. Work Time

46. Tiered Assignments

47. TIERED INSTRUCTION “When somebody hands you a glob of kids, they don’t hand you a matched set.” --Carol Tomlinson • Provides teachers with a means of assigning different tasks within the same lesson or unit. • The tasks will vary according to: Readiness Interest Learning Profile

48. CREATING AN OPTIMAL MATCH Too Difficult Causes Frustration TASKDIFFICULTY Flow of Instruction Too Easy Can Cause Boredom READINESS LEVEL

49. Creating MultiplePathsFor Learning Key Concept or Understanding Concrete Learners Grade level Learners Advanced Learners READINESS LEVELS

50. Grade Level Learners Students need: • Some concrete information provided • Incorporate some abstract concepts • Appropriate pacing on instruction • Guided practice