Oberon HS – 2011

Learning intentions To gain a deeper understanding of learning,

guided by current learning theories

To consider how to meet the needs of the individual students you teach through differentiation

To plan your actions to deliver differentiated instruction to meet the learning needs of the students you teach

Success Criteria

Demonstrated knowledge of learning theories and how they influence your teaching

Have a plan for how you will differentiate learning in your classes to meet the individual learning needs of the students you teach

Task One – think/pair/share Learn to Sail - Part 1.mp4

Think about one of your recent learning experiences -

what did you learn?

how did you learn it?

As learners we are not all the same…

Current learning theories guide our teaching practices

1. Zone of proximal development

2. Social constructivism

3. Prior knowledge

4. Developmental continuum of learning

5. Triangulating learning data

6. Differentiation

1. Zone of proximal development

The difference between what someone can do with guidance and what they can do independently, guides the development of quality tasks

2. Social constructivism

We construct our own understanding and knowledge of the world. When we encounter something new, we reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, changing what we believe, or discarding the new information as irrelevant.

Social constructivism views each learner as a unique individual with unique needs and backgrounds. (Wertsch 1997)

3. Prior knowledgeStudents come to formal education with a range of prior knowledge, skills, beliefs and concepts that significantly influence what they notice about the environment and how they organise and interpret it. This, in turn, affects their abilities to remember, reason, solve problems, and acquire new knowledge. When teachers pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, they can use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds.

Bransford et al, 2000

4. Developmental continuum of learning

The notion of “development” is perhaps the single most important concept in education. We use other terms to describe development – including growth, progress, learning, and improvement – but regardless of the term we use to describe it, the concept of individual development is the central idea underlying all teaching and learning.

Masters, 1998, P3

Taking a data informed and evidence based approach to - knowing where students are at …- knowing the impact of teaching; the learning

On Demand

VELS

NAPLAN

5. Triangulating Data

6. Differentiation

In a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest and learning needs.

(Tomlinson, 2001, P7)

Task Two – think/pair/share

Identify some information so far that has been new for you …

How will this new knowledge influence your actions as a teacher?

Teaching practices in general classrooms are often driven by the need to reach most students rather than each student.

Jitendra, 2002Differentiated instruction- scaffolding model.mp4

From groups to individual learners…

Looking more closely at Differentiation

Differentiation is …

teaching with student variance in mind, starting where students are at rather than adopting a standardized approach to teaching that presumes all learners of a given age or grade are essentially alike

“responsive” teaching rather than “one-size-fits-all”; a teacher proactively plans varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they can express what they have learned to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as they can

Planning different tasks for every student in the class

Using groups that never change

Isolating struggling students within the class

Never engaging in whole-class activities where all students participate in the same task

Assigning more work at the same level to high-achieving students

Differentiation is not …

Meaningful?We must look deeply at what we do in class – everything from the warm-up, to class exercises, to homework. Is every task we offer meaningful? Is the purpose to become more literate, a deeper thinker and gain greater understanding? Or is the purpose simply to maintain order and control? Do we have the courage to re-examine our practices – our own thinking, leading and teaching?”

The right to Literacy in Secondary Schools, P151

Ways to plan to meet the individual needs of

students in your classes …

How? Know where your students are at in their

learning

Know what they need to learn next

Belong, participate and contribute to a team and plan together

Planning method 1 … Through rich tasks-

a specific activity designed for all students to demonstrate knowledge with multiple entry and exit points, scaffolded for both support and extension

Identify the learning outcomes that students need to demonstrate

Design a rich task

How could this work for your subject?

Planning method 2 …

Choose 3 focus students with different learning needs from one of your classes

Plan for each one of these focus students What do they need to know next? What task will help them learn this? How will you know when they are successful?

How could this work for your subject?

Plan the specific actions you will take to use a differentiated model of instruction to inform your actions in your classroom?

next week next month next term

Task Three – think/pair/share

Making your commitment real

Share your actions with a critical friend

Plan how you will help each other take action

Plan how you will share your success in differentiating instruction by celebrating your student’s learning successes

0.73 effect size Feedback is information provided by an agent (teacher, peer, book, Parent, one’s own experiences) about aspects of one’s performance or understanding. (Hattie p.174)

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

Reflection and Feedback