Beginning Our Journey

1. Beginning Our Journey • Welcome to our Differentiated Instruction journey. As a way to begin please: • Reflect on 1-2 of the most powerful learning experiences you’ve had in your life, from your earliest memories, through your years as a student and teacher. • Record a short description of each of your experiences on the note card provided. • Place your note card on the appropriate place on the timeline. • When you are finished, take a few moments to share your reflections with a partner, and hear their stories. We will meet as a whole group to complete our discussion.

2. The Ten Principles of Successful Classrooms Listed below are four of The Ten Principles of Successful Classrooms. 1.) Connected Learning 2.) Individual Learning Path 3.) Student Responsibility for Learning 4.) Focus on Higher-Order Open-Ended Problem-Solving Discuss what you think each principle means with a small group.

3. Connected Learning Students see learning as being connected, both across the disciplines and to their lives. Technology Infusion Technology is used as a tool and a resource to support learning and not seen as a goal unto itself. Individual Learning Path Teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of each individual learner. Working Well Collaboratively Students engage in collaborative problem-solving on open-ended problems with peer, working independently on subtasks. Global Citizenship Students understand their role as contributors to a global society and make strides to contribute to the betterment of their world. The Ten Principles Of Successful Classrooms High Social Capital Students have strong, consistent relationships with adults in school; parents are involved as partners in the learning process. High Academic Standards All students are expected to achieve at high levels utilizing the teacher, peers, and other resources to meet with success. Learning from a Felt Need Students are presented with meaningful, higher-order activities that create the context for learning and build a “felt need” to learn the lower-order skills. Student Responsibility for Learning Students take responsibility for setting goals, scheduling time, utilizing resources, and making other decisions. Focus on Higher-Order, Open-Ended Problem-Solving Problem solving activities are the focus of the learning environment, setting a context within which to learn lower-order skills.

4. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

5. What is Differentiated Instruction? It means changing the pace, level, or type of instruction provided in response to an individual learners’ needs, learning style or interests

6. 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

7. How Does Research Support DI? • Differentiated Instruction is the result of a synthesis of a number of educational theories and practices. • Brain research indicates that learning occurs when the learner experiences moderate challenge and relaxed alertness –readiness • Psychological research reveals that when interest is tapped, learners are more likely to find learning rewarding and become more autonomous as a learner.

8. Agenda June 26,2009 • Beginning our Journey • 10 Principles of a Successful Classroom • Differentiation Overview – power point • Centers – How to sheets, Exit Cards, Special Child, Totally Ten, Powerful Facilitation, Instructional Strategies, Differentiation Grid, Student Responsibility • Gum Drop Houses • Rubrics • Assessment

9. OPTIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION To Differentiate Instruction By Readiness To Differentiate Instruction By Interest To Differentiate Instruction by Learning Profile CA Tomlinson, UVa ‘97

10. Planning Lessons • Foundational to Transformational • Concrete to Abstract • Simple to Complex • Single Facet to Multiple Facets • Small Leap to Great Leap • Structured to Open-Ended • Dependent to Independent • Slow to Fast Readiness

11. Planning Lessons • Interest Areas-Fine arts, athletics, travel, hobbies, etc. • Modes of Expression- oral, written, designed/built, artistic, service to community Student Interest

12. Planning Lessons • Intelligence Preferences • Culture-Influenced Preferences • Gender-based Preferences Learning Styles

13. Assessing Your Students Differentiating in the Classroom By: *Readiness *Student Interest *Learning Styles

14. Concept-based Teaching Curriculum Compacting Using Varied test and resource Materials Learning Contracts Mini-lessons Varied Support Systems: Audio/Video/DVD CDs/CD-ROMS Note-Taking /Graphic Organizers Study Guides Peer and Adult Tutors Differentiating By Content

15. Learning Logs Literature Circles Journals Graphic Organizers Role Playing Think-Pair-Share Learning Contracts Jigsaw Model Making Choice Boards Labs Centers Differentiating By Process

16. Tiered Assignments Totally Ten Design a Web Page Design a Game Present a Mock Trial Present a Radio Program Make a Video Design and Make Costumes Write Letters to the Editors Develop a Collection Create Authentic Recipes Differentiating By Product

17. Tiered Instruction Tiered Activities are important when we want to ensure that students with different learning needs work with the same essential ideas and use the same key skills Tiered Instruction is a stairway providing access within the large building of learning. Bottom Floor – Students with less readiness & fewer Skills. We move students UP the stairway to reach the appropriate challenge level. Within each tier there can be multiple small-group activities presenting different ways to learn. On certain floors there can even be multiple stairways or elevators as our students access higher learning levels differently and at different rates.

18. Center Tips • Expectations -Make sure students know how they are to move from center to center. • Students should know what to do with finished work. • System for what students should do when they are have a question • Students should know if they can talk quietly or must be silent • Clearly communicate expectations for their center tasks • Always let students know you trust them to be responsible, active learners during centers. Organizing Centers • We need to be clear about where materials are located. • Centers can be in a specific location or just in folders. • Noisy centers should be away from where students are working quietly.

19. A Student who UNDERSTANDS Something can… • Explain it clearly, giving examples • Use it • Compare and contrast it with other concepts • Relate it to other instances in the subject studies, other subjects and personal life experiences • Transfer it to unfamiliar settings • Discover the concept embedded within a novel problem • Combine it appropriately with other understandings • Pose new problems that exemplify or embody the concept • Create analogies, models, metaphors, symbols, or pictures of the concept • Pose and answer “what-if” questions that alter variables in a problematic situation • Generate questions and hypotheses that lead to new knowledge and further inquiries • Generalize from specifics to form a concept • Use the knowledge to appropriately assess his or her performance, or that of someone else. Adopted from Barell, J. (1995) Teaching for thoughtfulness: Classroom Strategies

20. Exit Cards Exit cards are.. • A quick and efficient way to informally assess whether students understand a concept that has been taught. • Written student responses to questions posed at the end of a class, learning activity, day or unit. • used at any grade level and every subject area • A vehicle for students to express in writing some of their thinking. • Help students condense or summarize. • Encourage deeper processing of the material. • Facilitate review of key ideas.

21. Exit Cards Continued • Exit Cards are useful to: • Act as a part of ongoing assessment • Reveal important information about student understanding of a concept • Diagnose misconceptions early in the learning process when an intervention would have the greatest impact • Provide regular review of major concepts of a curriculum • Tap into higher level thinking on a regularbasis Exit Cards are not: • Formal Evaluation (not for marks) • A one correct answer proposition • Long and drawn out (5 minutes to complete)

22. What conclusions can we draw about learning in a Differentiated Classroom? There is a great variation in how are students learn There is no substitute for high quality curriculum and instruction. We will never help students reach their goals unless we build a bridge between the learner and learning.

23. New Home Builder Seeks Answer to Your Dreams A local Builder will be creating a new home development based upon his vision of geometry and art, But he needs your help. While his vision is important, he believes that every family should live in the house of their dreams, but for every family the dream is different. Unfortunately, he can’t build a different home for each family, but he can incorporate many different dream in each one. Help him to understand your dreams by constructing a model dream house with your team members that reflects aspects of each individuals dreams! You will have about 15 minutes to design the model using the materials provided: gumdrops and toothpicks! Each team will present their “Dream Home”

24. Comparison of Types of Assessment

25. Checking for Understanding • Completes the circle of assessment, planning, and instruction • Provides teachers with real evidence of learning • The results of formative assessment are used to modify and validate instruction • Ongoing reviews and observations in a classroom

26. Checklists Student Journals Student Folders One Sentence Summary Do Now Facilitation Grid Exit Cards Self-Assessment Peer Evaluation Notebook Check Portfolio Check Higher Order Questions Conferences Types of Formative Assessment

27. Exit Card • Which strategies that were presented can you use in your classroom in September?