Differentiated Instruction: Change Classroom Practice with Sustained Professional Development

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Differentiated Instruction Change Classroom
Practice with Sustained Professional Development

• Judy Butler
• Carol Hendlmyer
• Toni Peterson

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Philosophy

• The Special Education Department in Williamson
  County Schools is committed to providing
  appropriate, meaningful, and sustained
  professional development opportunities for
  teachers and administrators.

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Goals of Professional Development for
Differentiated Instruction

• Teachers will use differentiated instruction to
  meet the academic and social needs of their
  diverse learners.
• Administrators will support teachers in using
  differentiation strategies in their classrooms.
• Students will have respectful work that
  challenges them at an appropriate level.

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Structure of WCS Professional Development for
Differentiated Instruction

• 90 hours of activities within one year
• The workshop series consists 90 hours of
  activities on four sequential topics with a total
  of 68 hours of instruction and 22 hours of
  follow-up activities (homework, reading,
  discussions)

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The Nature and Needs Gifted and High Ability
Learners

• Summer June
• 21 hours of instruction and follow-up

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The Causes of Underachievement In Bright Students

• Fall Semester
• 13 hours of instruction and follow-up

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Balanced Assessment

• Spring Semester
• 13 hours of instruction and follow-up

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Problem Solving Strategies

• Summer July
• 21 hours of instruction Follow-up

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First 5 Years

• Three year sequence for participants to complete
  the rotation of 90 hours.
• Now participants complete 90 hours in one year.
  This means missing 2 days of school with subs.

All other work sessions are after school
(400-700 with dinner provided)
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10th Year AnniversaryWhy did we do it?

• In 1993
• Gifted education staff of 4 itinerant teachers
  and 5 SE and General Ed. Teachers (part of
  caseload)
• Itinerant caseloads ranged 4-6 schools with
  150-200 students each
• Students were receiving about 50 minutes of
  service per week in large groups
• Needs of gifted/high ability learners not being
  met

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Inclusion Movement

• Our staff frustration coincided with the
  inclusion movement in special education
• We experimented with our staff going into the
  general education classroom
• We did not know how to differentiate--we had to
  learn before we could teach others

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We Build the Wagon Rolling Down the Hill

• Started workshops and used the trial and error
  method for developing our curriculum
• Then the books on differentiation started to
  appear!
• Yippee!

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In Tennessee This is Special Education

• Gifted services are part of special education
• Students eligible for Individual Educational
  Plans as intellectually gifted must show
  eligibility and need.
• We used special education funds and general
  education funds to support the differentiation
  workshops
• This is a school system effort financially.

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How do you get teachers to come?

• Build it well and they will come!
• It is all about
• Quality professional development
• Credibility
• Fun while you learn
• Perks

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TN State Department of Education
CertificatesMajor Perk

• All Participants
• Tennessee State Department of Education
  Employment Standards As a Teacher of the Gifted
• Principals
• TASL Credit--Tennessee Administrators
  ??Leadership?

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Other Recruiting Incentives

• Credit for 5 days paid professional development
  or 75 per day Stipend
• Books, journals, teaching materials

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Workshop Staff

• Gifted Education Staff
• 17 fulltime and 2 part time??
• General Education Teacher Presenters

• COMPENSATION
• Paid for work beyond the school day
• (after school and summers)
• Funds from SE budget and General Ed. Budget
• Working with a great TEAM

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Team Building Class Building Is Essential For
This To Work
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Instructional Materials

• Teachers receive books
• Teaching Kids with Learning Difficulties In the
  Regular Classroom By Susan Winebrenner
• Teaching gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom By
  Susan Winebrenner
• Teaching Young Gifted Children By Smutny, Walker
  and Meckstroth
• How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability
  Classrooms by Carol Tomlinson
• Reviving Ophelia
• Educators in Connecticuts Pomperaug Regional
  School District 15. Performance Based Learning
  and Assessment Association for Supervision and
  Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia.
• An Introduction to Using Portfolios In The
  Classroom by Charlotte Danielson and Leslye
  Abrutyn
• Use Problem Based Learning in the Classroom by
  Robert Delisle

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Video Taped Materials

• Video Tape Materials
• Assessment in Math and Science Whats the Point?
  a Workshop Series for K-12 teachers. The
  Annenberg/CPB Channels Interactive Teacher
  Workshop on Assessment.
• Tomlinson Tapes?
• Contemporary Movies
• Ferris Bulers Day Off
• Harry Potter
• Excerpts from movies on how gifted students are
  portrayed
• Apollo 13

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Participant Outcomes

• Discuss how governmental and social institutions
  interact with each other and with individuals in
  the referral, identification, and delivery of
  service for gifted students.
• Recognize the needs of gifted students when
  designing differentiated curriculum, modified
  instruction, and varied materials.
• Discuss social, psychological, intellectual,
  legal, and educational implications of providing
  individualized educational programs (IEPs) for
  gifted students.
• Interpret IEPs and follow through with indicated
  modifications.
• Implement the referral and screening process for
  gifted students.
• Use major curriculum models for delivery of
  service for gifted students.Design lesson plans
  for gifted students who have a pattern of
  academic underachievement

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SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES ADDRESSED

• Participants will demonstrate the ability to
• Recognize the needs of all students when
  designing differentiated curriculum, modified
  instruction, and varied materials.
• Use major curriculum models for delivery of
  service for differentiated instruction.
• Design lesson plans for students that
  differentiate by readiness, interest, and
  learning profile.
• Develop management systems for flexible grouping
  and tiered assignments.
• Develop questioning strategies and activities
  that differentiate instruction.
• Share lesson plans and units of instruction that
  include a variety of methods for differentiating
  instruction in a regular classroom.

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Standards for Staff Development NSDC

• The National Staff Development Council has
  developed a set of high standards for
  implementing professional development that views
  high quality staff development programs as
  essential to creating schools in which all
  students and staff members are learners who
  continually improve their performances.
• be ongoing and job-embedded
• results in changes in classroom practice
• includes strategies for facilitating planning and
  learning during the school day
• develops a study group at each school to learn
  about the change process in gifted education
• promotes strategies that demonstrate high
  expectations for all students
• focuses on the schools goals, classes, and
  curriculum with special attention to in school
  and community based opportunities to enhance
  student achievement

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Participant Outcomes

• Develop management systems for flexible grouping.
• Develop creative problem solving strategies
• Provide independent research opportunities for
  gifted students.
• Develop questioning strategies and activities
  that differentiate instruction especially as they
  relate to the use of Socratic Seminars.
• Use alternative assessment strategies that
  support differentiated instruction.
• Share lesson plans and units of instruction that
  include a variety of methods for differentiating
  instruction in a regular classroom.
• Use computer technology to differentiate
  instruction for students in mixed ability
  settings.

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Book Studies
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Inquiry--Field studies
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Program Evaluation
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Journals

• For Teachers
• Professional Practice
• For Students

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Journals of Discovery Examples of Published
Journals For Example Lewis and Clark Expedition
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Testimonial Start/Stop

• We feel as though the test scores were higher
  from the year when we differentiated our math
  classes. All students were challenged beyond
  their independent level of learning, as well as
  instructional level taken to deeper skills
  levels. Our team felt that we needed to focus
  more on the gifted Ed student and raising their
  tests scores as we do the lower students. We
  agreed so much, that we are differentiating in
  reading as well this year. Within our classroom
  we will have different literary circle using
  reading books.
• We differentiated one year, skipped the next year
  and are returning again to this way of teaching
  due to the federal, state and county mandates of
  No Child Left Behind. Our team feels as though
  we can meet this requirement of growth with this
  way of teaching.
• Christy Green
• Grassland Elementary
• 5th Grade

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Tennessee TCAP Scores Value AddedShowing a
years growth in a yearNational, TN, WCS
District Gain Scores
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Tennessee TCAP Scores Value AddedShowing a
years growth in a yearNational, TN, WCS
District Gain Scores Teacher Score Before the
Differentiation Workshop 2001
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Tennessee TCAP Scores Value AddedShowing a
years growth in a yearNational, TN, WCS
District Gain Scores Teacher Score After the
Differentiation Workshop 2002
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Why do we do it?