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Differentiated Instruction

• An Overview

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0 10 20 30 40 50
60 70 80 90 100
Using one red dot per chart, indicate your
current level of understanding on a scale of 0 -
100
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• Use the following questions to analyze our
  consensogram data
• What question are we trying to answer?
• What do the data seem to tell us?
• What dont the data tell us? What else might we
  want to know?
• What good news is here for us to celebrate?

From Getting Excited About Data, Edie
Holcomb www.corwinpress.com
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Differentiated Instruction

• Topics for Today
• The What and Why
• Ideas for How
• Classroom Considerations
• Sample Activities
• Additional Resources

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The fact that students differ may be
inconvenient, but it is inescapable. Adapting to
that diversity is the inevitable price of
productivity, high standards, and fairness to
kids.

• DI is NOT
• Individualized instruction of the 70s
• Chaotic
• Just another way to provide homogeneous grouping

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Differentiated Instruction IS

• Proactive
• Qualitative
• Rooted in assessment
• Provides multiple approaches to understanding
• Student centered
• A blend of whole-class, group, and individual
  instruction
• Organic

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Why Differentiate

• One size fits all instruction does not address
  the needs of many students.
• Kids come in different shapes and sizes as well
  as interests, learning profiles, and readiness
  levels.

Differentiated Instruction is not simply giving
a normal assignment to most students and
different assignments to students who are
struggling or advanced.
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Potential Issues of Advanced Learners

• Can become mentally lazy, even though they do
  well in school
• May think grades are more important than ideas
• May become perfectionists
• May fail to develop a sense of self-efficacy
• May fail to develop study and coping skills

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Addressing Struggling Learners Needs

• Look for the positives and build upon them
• Dont let whats broken extinguish what works
• Pay attention to relevance
• Go for powerful learning (big ideas, key
  concepts, governing principles)
• Teach up (a little beyond what you think they can
  accomplish)
• Use many avenues to learning

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• Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same.
• Fairness means everyone gets what he/she needs.

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Principles of a Differentiated Classroom

• Respectful work for all
• Continual engagement challenge for each learner
• Flexible groupings
• Flexible time use
• Variety of management strategies
• Clear criteria and assessments

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Sample Activity for Differentiating by Content
Readiness

• Famous Inventors Activity (SS.B.2.4 The student
  understands the interactions of people and the
  physical environment.)
• Individually read your article, highlighting
  important facts.
• As a group, create a chart like below on your
  inventor. All group members must contribute at
  least one item to the chart.
• Each group will present chart to class.
• Each student will complete the Famous Inventors
  Fact Sheet.
• Test on Famous Inventors on Tuesday.

Inventors Name
Name of Invention Year Invented
Interesting biographical facts Why this invention was important or had an impact
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Lets Debrief

• Differentiated by content readiness (of reading
  level)
• Everyone can participate and be successful
• Peer support/teaching is evidenced
• All students held to same expected outcome
  (SS.B.2.4 and take test)

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Tiered Lesson Plans are one tool for Planning
Differentiated Instruction

• Readiness (Each layer represents a level or depth
  of study on a topic)
• Tier 1 - Basic knowledge, understanding
• Tier 2 Application, problem solving
• Tier 3 Critical thinking, analysis
• Interests (Each layer represents a different
  topic)
• Tier 1 - Observing Siamese Fighting Fish
• Tier 2 Getting Antsy
• Tier 3 Analyzing a Mountain Gorilla Family
  Tree
• Learning Profile (Each layer represents a
  different activity)
• Tier 1 research paper
• Tier 2 persuasive speech
• Tier 3 web site

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Classroom Considerations

• Time for Planning and Assessments
• Grading
• Classroom Management (transitions)
• Classroom Environment (coaching, mutual respect,
  fairness)

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Grading!

• The secretrubrics!!
• Points vary by complexity of assignment
• Students can choose any number of assignments for
  any combination of points
• OR
• Teacher determines how many assignments at which
  levels based on student needs

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Steps to Initiating DI
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A Traditional Classroom Compared with A
Differentiated Classroom

• Sort the cards into two (2) piles, one for
  characteristics of a traditional classroom and
  one for characteristics of a differentiated
  classroom.

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Activities

• Can be High Prep such as
• Tiered Products
• Multiple texts
• Reading passages by readiness
• Interest centers
• Choice Boards
• Think-Tac-Toe

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Think-Tac-Toe
Complete a character analysis for the main character of your story. Complete a character report card. Name draw a person who is like one of the characters from the book.
Build a miniature stage setting for your story. Draw a picture describing at least 3 settings from the story. Make up a limerick or cinquain poem about the setting of your story.
Use a sequence chart or timeline to describe at least 7 events. Write a new beginning or ending to the story. Make a game board about your story. Include key events (in order).
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Activities

• Can be Low Prep such as
• Choices of books
• Homework option
• Varied journal prompts
• Varied computer programs
• Explorations
• Roulette
• Response cards
• Exit cards

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ROULETTE

• DIRECTIONS
• Each person in a group picks out one word about
  the famous person
• Each person writes a sentence using that word to
  appropriately describe the famous person
• The group passes one sheet of paper around and
  each time it is passed the person adds her/his
  sentence
• Read aloud to the group

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RESPONSE CARDS

• Cards or small boards that are simultaneously
  held up by students in a class that indicate the
  answer to a question posed to the class. Each
  student is expected to answer every
  question---rather than to sit throughout the
  class period waiting for the one or two times he
  or she may be called upon to respond to the
  teachers question.

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Benefits of Response Cards
Increases
Also . . .

• Assists teachers in monitoring student progress
• Provides immediate feedback to teacher and
  students
• Is highly motivating and fun

• Participation level of all students
• Opportunity for students to learn from each other
• On-task behavior
• Learning

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RESPONSE CARDS

• Lets do an activity using response cards
• Directions
• Pass out response card and clothes pin to each
  person
• Use the clothes pin to mark your answer as the
  facilitator shows you various fraction pictures
  (notice there is no need for verbal response)

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RESPONSE CARDS

• The teacher is able to quickly survey the room
  and see who understands and who doesnt
• Cooperative groups can first discuss an answer
  and students learn from each other in teachable
  moments
• The teacher is interacting with the whole group
  by NOT calling on one student at a time to give
  an answer

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Features of Technology that Support
Differentiated Instruction

• For Teachers
• TONS of web resources (articles, tiered plans)
• Time savers (software)
• For Students
• Collaboration, communication, organization skills
• Learning styles and sensory learning
• Choices
• Authentic Learning

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Sample Web Resource

• Sample Tiered Lesson Plans
• http//ideanet.doe.state.in.us/exceptional/gt/tier
  ed_curriculum/welcome.html
• K-12
• Differentiated byReadiness, Interest, and
  Learning Styles
• In Math, Science, and Language Arts

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Ideas for Using Software

• Word or excel to create response cards,
  tic-tac-toe boards, choice boards, etc.
• Powerpoint to create e-centers
• Access for creating test banks
• EdGate to create websites for teacher to post
  and/or students to post, share products
  information

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• 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

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ABCs of Teaching Students with Diverse Academic
Needs

• A positive ATTITUDE that says ALL students in my
  class will be actively engaged in learning
• A BELIEF that it is appropriate to make
  instructional accommodations for ALL students who
  need it
• A COMMITMENT to high (NOT same) expectations for
  ALL learners

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At times, learning a new concept can look as
intimidating as the beltway looks for a new
driver.
Teachers have the task of providing a variety of
paths for learning not every student will be
ready for the beltway.
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Educators should not decide on a single path of
learning for certain students.
At any time a learner may desire a change of
pace.
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Some may prefer the fast paced beltway, while
others take the scenic route. Both drivers reach
the same place.
As learners we all have different preferences for
paths of learning, but we can all achieve the
same understanding
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No two zebras have patterns that are exactly
alike. The same is true for students. No two
approaches to learning are ever exactly the same!
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We do not know of a single standard student, why
do we develop a single standard way of teaching?
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If two students can reach the same
understanding.
..what does it matter if one student takes the
shortcut and another takes the long road?
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Sometimes students are equipped with the prior
knowledge that prepares them for the fast track
toward understanding.
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We all had moments in our learning experiences
in which we needed
To take the long road toward understanding.
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0 10 20 30 40 50
60 70 80 90 100
Using one blue dot per chart, indicate your
current level of understanding on a scale of 0 -
100
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Exit Cards

• Exit cards (AKA Tickets Out The Door) are used
  to gather information on student readiness
  levels, interests, and/or learning profiles.
• The teacher hands out index cards to students at
  the end of an instructional sequence or class
  period. The teacher asks the students to respond
  to a pre-determined prompt on their index cards
  and then turn them in as they leave the classroom
  or transition to another subject.
• The teacher reviews the student responses and
  separates the cards into instructional groups
  based on present criteria.

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Can sort into Readiness Groups
Group 1 Students who are struggling with the
concept or skill
Group 2 Students with some understanding of the
concept or skill
Group 3 Students who understand the concept or
skill
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Sample Exit Cards
We have been learning about the Greenhouse
Effect. Explain your understanding of this
important environmental issue. What questions do
you have about this project?
Explain the difference between simile and
metaphor. Give some examples of each as part of
your explanation.
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Exit Cards for Todays Course

1. What is Differentiated Instruction?
2. How (in what ways) can teachers Differentiate
   Instruction?
3. Give an example of how technology can be used to
   assist with Differentiated Instruction (to assist
   the teacher or students).
4. What additional information/resources would you
   like on Differentiated Instruction?

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References Resources

• Nunley, Kathie F., Six Simple Steps to Layered
  Curriculum
• http//help4teachers.com (free and
  copy-right free resources for layering the
  curriculum, mostly middle and high school levels)
  
• http//www.smcm.edu/academics/EdStudy/d72DProj/Pr
  ojects/ResearchSites/acbrowning/index.htm (
  beltway to learning story)
• Florida Inclusion Network www.floridainclusionnet
  work.com
• Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How To Differentiate
  Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms, 2nd
  Edition.
• Benjamin, Amy. Differentiated Instruction Using
  Technology.