Differentiated Instruction

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Differentiated Instruction

• South OBrien
• January 14, 2008

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So, how did it go?

• Small Group Sharing

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In your small groups . . .

• Share one lesson that you remodeled and then
  implemented in the classroom.
• Make sure to share the learning goal(s) of the
  lesson and how it was differentiated.
• How did the students respond?
• What were your perceptions of the lesson?
• Use the concept map to help with your explanation.

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Differentiation
Is a teachers response to learners needs
Guided by general principles of differentiation
Respectful Tasks
Quality Curriculum
Flexible Grouping
Assessment for Instruction
Building Community
Teachers can differentiate through
Affect/ Environment
Content
Process
Product
According to students
Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
Through a variety of instructional strategies
such as
Graphic Organizers . . . Physical Models . . .
Mental Pictures . . . Pictures/Pictographs . . .
Kinesthetic Activity . . . RAFT . . . Curriculum
Compacting . . . Learning Contracts . . . Tiered
Instruction . . . Learning/Interest Centers . . .
Web Quests . . . Assignment Menus . . . Etc.
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Readiness Levels

• Pre-assessment of content
• Pre-requisite skills or knowledge
• Reading level

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Assessing Student Readiness Activity

• Remediate the skill
• Work with the current skill level
• Work around the current skill level

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Break

• Please watch the time on the screen so that we
  may reconvene in 15 minutes.

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A Differentiated Lesson on Life Cycles

• Read pages 6-16 of your selected animal book. As
  you read, complete the top row of the Share
  Learning grid.
• Meet with others who have read about the same
  animal as you (your expert group). Add to your
  notes as needed.
• Meet with your base team (4 members, with each
  animal represented). In turn, present your notes
  to each other, so that all team members can
  complete the grid.
• As a team, answer the questions on the back of
  the grid.

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A major goal of this lesson was to focus all
students on the same essential knowledge, while
providing readings on different topics (content).
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This lesson was tiered.
By keeping the focus of the activity the same,
but providing routes of learning, the teacher
maximizes the likelihood that 1) each student
comes away with the same essential skills
understandings, and 2) each student is
appropriately challenged at their level.
Tiered assignments are differentiated tasks and
projects that you develop based on your diagnosis
of students needs.
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Creating Multiple Paths For Learning
Key Concept or Understanding
Advanced readiness level
Limited readiness level
Expected readiness level
READINESS LEVELS
Reaching Back
Reaching Ahead
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So what made it tiered?

• Describe what you would consider the essential
  understandings of this lesson. Would all
  students have opportunity to learn these
  concepts?
• How many versions of todays task were made
  available? Which version would be the standard
  version?
• In a classroom setting, what would provide the
  basis for assigning students to each group?
• Describe how students could be fairly assessed
  relative to this lesson.

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Making tiering invisible

• Make flexible grouping the norm in your
  classroom.
• Introduce all tiered activities in an equally
  enthusiastic manner and alternate which activity
  is introduced first.
• Strive for different work, not simply more or
  less work.
• Strive for tasks that are equally active, equally
  interesting and engaging.
• Strive for tasks that are fair in terms of work
  load.

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Developing workcards for a tiered lesson

• Begin with a classroom task that you have used in
  the classroom. Select a task that most students
  have found to be engaging and appropriately
  challenging. Record this task on a work card.
• Develop enough versions of the original task to
  challenge the range of learners. You may need to
  create one, two, or three additional versions.
• Consider how you will make this tiering
  invisible to your students.

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Lunch

• Please watch the time on the screen so that we
  may reconvene in 40 minutes.

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Gatekeeper SkillsGatekeeper Skill 1 Become a
student of your students.Gatekeeper Skill 2
Developing clarity about your student learning
goalsGatekeeper Skill 3 Develop a repertoire
of instructional strategiesGatekeeper Skill 4
Manage for flexibility
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Introducing a DI lesson planning template

• that integrates all four gatekeeper skills
• Being very clear about a units learning goals
• Becoming a student of your students
• Selecting appropriate differentiated strategies,
  deciding whether to differentiate content,
  process, or product.
• Keeping flexible classroom management in mind

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Planner - Part 1Establish a very clear curriculum

• Start with Good Curriculum
• Planning a focused curriculum means clarity
  about what students should KNOW, UNDERSTAND and
  BE ABLE TO DO

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Planner- Part 2Studying Your Students

• Consider student interests as they relate to the
  unit topic. (see separate planning guide)
• Consider student readiness as it relates to this
  unit. (see separate planning guide)
• Consider student learning profiles, and how they
  can be addressed in this unit (see separate
  planning guide)

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Planner - Part 3

• One lesson that has the potential for remodeling
• Description of original format
• What would I typically do?

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Planner - Part 4Develop a repertoire of
instructional strategies

• What options do I have when sharing new
  information with students?
• In what ways can I honor students varied
  preferences for learning?
• What instructional approaches best serve the
  goals of this particular unit?
• What choices for learning might I offer students?
• What options can I provide students for
  demonstrating their learning?

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Planner- Part 5Managing for flexibility

• How will I give directions?
• What will I do if students finish early?
• Will the differentiation be by student choice or
  teacher choice?
• How am I encouraging student responsibility?
• If the work is tiered, how can I make it as
  invisible as possible?
• Do rubrics need to be developed?
• What problems might arise?

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Differentiated Instruction and UbD
Should not be differentiated
What are the big ideas?
Evidence of learning may be differentiated, but
not key assessment criteria
Whats the evidence?
Should be differentiated
How will we get there?
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Using UbD to Plan Tiered Assignments
Clarify your essential learnings, and how they
will be assessed. Create the on-level task
first. Then adjust up and down as needed.
Below-Level Task
On-Level Task
Above-Level Task
Adjusting the Task
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Work Time
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Wrap-up of the day . . .
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See you next time!February 15

• Bring one Tiered lesson. Be prepared to share
  your classroom experience with this lesson.