Differentiating Instruction

Prepared by Kathy Deisley

Essential Questions

What is differentiated instruction?How does differentiated instruction benefit students?How does differentiated instruction fit into LFS?

Differentiated Instruction means students have

multiple options…

for taking in informationfor making sense of ideasfor expressing what they learn

“In other words, a differentiated classroom

provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products.”

~Carol Tomlinson

What Differentiated Instruction is NOT:

Differentiated Instruction is NOT individualized instruction as

popularized in the 1970s. D.I. does not assume a separate level for each learner. It does focus on meaningful learning or powerful

ideas for all students.

What Differentiated Instruction is NOT:

Differentiated Instruction is NOT just another way to provide homogeneous

grouping. D.I. does use flexible grouping which accommodates

students who are strong in some areas and weaker in others. The teacher

uses many different group configurations over time, and students

experience many different working groups and arrangements.

What Differentiated Instruction Is:

Differentiated Instruction is PROACTIVE. The teacher plans lessons assuming that different learners have different needs.Differentiated Instruction is more QUALITATIVE than quantitative. If writing one book report is “too easy” for the advanced reader, doing “twice as much” of the same thing is not only unlikely to remedy the problem, but it could also seem like punishment.

What Differentiated Instruction Is:

Differentiated Instruction provides MULTIPLE approaches to content (input, what students learn), process (how students learn), and product (output, how students demonstrate what they learn).Differentiated Instruction is STUDENT CENTERED.Differentiated Instruction is a BLEND of whole-class, group, and individual instruction.

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Differentiating Instruction for all students

Differentiated Instruction Respectful and meaningful task Flexible grouping Teacher/students collaborate Teachers value student difference Content critical

Accommodations Modifications

Changes the “what” Changes what a student is expected to learn Students may be taught grade level academic standards or the alternate standards Students may be assessed with PSSA-M or PASA

Changes the “how”

Does not change what a student is expected to learn. Curriculum remains the same

Students are taught to the grade level academic standards

Students are assessed by the PSSA with accommodations

Key Principles

Readiness

Interest

Learning style

Process

Product

Content

Students VaryStudents Vary Teachers VaryTeachers Vary

“...provides varied learning options in a classroom to make curriculum and instruction the best possible fit for learners who, though they have many things in common, differ in some important ways from one another.” (Tomlinson, 1998)

Differentiated Instruction

SummaryWhip Around: Write one noun, one adjective, and one verb going through your mind right now about differentiated instruction on sticky notes. Think-Pair-Share: What are the differences among differentiated instruction, accommodations, and modifications?

Tips for Teachers on Differentiated

Instruction

Be clear on the key concepts and

generalizations or principles that give

meaning and structure to the topic, unit, or lesson

you are planning.What is it that you want ALL students to know from this unit? What are the most

important concepts of what you are teaching? Take the time to analyze

what you are teaching and why you are teaching it.

Lessons for all students should

emphasize critical thinking.

Whenever possible, give students the opportunity to understand and apply

what they are learning.

Balance student-selected and teacher-

assigned tasks and working

arrangements.

Choice gives students a feeling of empowerment. Teacher assigned work and groups enable students to meet the

overall goals of lessons and units.

Key Concepts for planning with Differentiated

Instruction

All students need lessons

that are coherent, relevant, powerful,

transferable, authentic, and

meaningful.

A curriculum that is good for students

pushes them a bit beyond

what they find easy or

comfortable.

Plan to encourage your students to “work up” --that is be ready to match students to

tasks that will stretch them. A good task for a given student is one that is just a bit too hard and through which the teacher

ensures the presence of support required

for success.

Differentiating ContentVaried Tests and Resource MaterialsLearning ContractsVaried Support Systems

Varied Texts and Resource Materials

Use old text books, have classroom sets of texts on varying reading levels, find magazines, books, internet sites…

Learning Contracts

Vary student work by creating

contracts that include skill and content components.

Varied Support Systems

1. Study Buddies2. Reading

Partners3. Audio/Video

Recorders4. Online Tutorials5. Peer and Adult

Mentors

Differentiating Process

All classroom activities should…

Have a clear purposeFocus on a few key ideasGuide them in understanding the ideas and the relationships among themOffer opportunities to explore through varied modes (multiple intelligences)Help them relate new information to previous understandingsMatch their level of readiness

Examples of Differentiating Strategies:

Learning logsJournalsGraphic organizersCreative problem solvingCubingThink-pair-shareMind mapping

Two-sided debatesPMI (pluses, minuses, and interesting points)Role playingModel makingLabsTiered assignments

Differentiating Product

Tips for Differentiating Product

Incorporate key concepts and relevant skills into product designEncourage student choiceIncorporate various learning stylesUse multiple criteria to assess the productAfter product completion, encourage students to reflect on their learning

DI and LFS

If you are clear on what you want ALL students to KNOW, UNDERSTAND, and DO at the end of a unit, it is much easier to differentiate.

K-U-D organizer

KNOW(concepts)

UNDERSTAND(big ideas)

DO(competencies)

Facts

Vocabulary

Formulas

Concepts

Generalizations

Principles

Skills such as literacy, numeracy, and thinking strategies

K-U-D organizerKNOW(concepts)

UNDERSTAND(big ideas)

DO(competencies)

Written as noun phrases such as

“the components of a persuasive essay”

“the difference between fact and option.”

Written as complete sentences such as

“Persuasive writing is used to influence the thoughts and actions of the reader.”

Written beginning with action verbs such as

“Write a persuasive essay”

“Revise for word choice”

Category A Questions1) Using examples from the book, how old is Tom?2) Would Tom Sawyer be a good friend?3) How is Becky’s personality and character like

Tom’s?4) Why is Tom Sawyer still read in schools today?Category B Questions1) What makes one character more prone than

another to believing a superstition?2) How are Mark Twain’s life lessons supported by

events in the book?3) Does Tom mature from the beginning of the book

to the end?4) How is social class division portrayed in the

book?Category C Questions1) What ways does conscience affect the behaviors

of characters?2) Would the book have been better if written from

Tom’s point of view rather than in third person?3) In what ways is Tom Sawyer a satire of people’s

desire for power and money?4) How is Tom’s vanity significant to the plot?

KNOW: -structure of an essay-main themes and characters of the book

UNDERSTAND:-Themes are classic literature relate to modern times.

DO:-Write a 5-paragraph essay to answer one of the questions using specific examples from the text to demonstrate your understanding of the book.

Tom Sawyer5-paragraph essay

Whole Class Study of Content: read, lecture, video

Differentiated Product (Select 1):

1. Practical (must see usefulness, contextual) – Look for examples in your world of analogies to the cell; present comparisons to show interrelationships. Ex. How is a cell like a family? An orchestra?

2. Analytical (school house intelligence) – Create a cause and effect chain that shows the functions of the parts of a cell.

3. Creative (problem solvers – what if?) A. Hands on – Use unlikely stuff and depict

the structure and function of a cell (baggies, erasers, paper clips…)

B. Minds on – Tell a story that helps us understand a cell as a system with interdependent actors or characters, a plot to carry out the functions, an setting in which is all takes place (ex. Use Harry Potter’s world as a place in which it all takes place.)

KNOW: -names of cell parts (label on diagram)-functions

UNDERSTAND:-A cell is a system of interrelated parts

DO:-Analyze the inter-relationships of cell parts/functionsPresent understanding in a clear, useful, and interesting way

Biology:Parts of a Cell

Differentiating Reading

Whole –Group Instruction Differentiated Reading

All read the same book Different books on the same theme

Whole-class learning Study guides with extensions menu

Students do the same tasks Students do different learning tasks

Skill work by direct instruction Compact and contracts for skill work

Theme-based literature circles with teacher-directed learning

Self-selected literature with study guides and extension / activity menus

Standards and regular curriculum are taught directly to students

Students have direct instruction only on content not mastered

Character Map ADescribe how the character looks:

Describe how the character thinks and acts:

Explain the most important thing the reader needs to know about him or her:

Character Map BWhat does the character say and do?

What does the character really mean to say and do?

What does the character mostly want others to know about him or her?

Character Map CDescribe clues the author gives us about the character:

Tell what the author really wants the reader to understand from the clues:

What does the author want the reader to know about the character?

Summary

Tell about shapes…