Don’t Worry!

The first 30 years of

teaching are the hardest!

Mega Conference

July 17, 2008

Enrollment – 785Free/Reduced Lunch – 41%Teacher Units – 51.5Ethnicity –Caucasian (66%)

African American (33%)Other (1%)

Suburban SchoolThree Elementary Feeder Schools

What is Differentiated Instruction?

◦ Take a couple of minutes and write your own definition of Differentiated Instruction. Give an example of DI that is used in your school.

◦ Share your definition at your table.◦ Using the chart paper, write one definition of DI from your

table and display on wall.

It’s teaching so that “typical” students; students with disabilities; students who are gifted; and students from a range of cultural, ethnic, and language groups can learn together, well.

Not just inclusion, but inclusive teaching!

10% of what they read 20% of what they hear 30% of what they see 50% of what they see and hear 60% of what they study 70% of what they speak 90% of what they do 95% of what they sing

Students who enter school from family backgrounds of poverty◦Begin behind◦May never catch up◦Have most difficulty with reading◦Reading difficulty carries over to literacy difficulty in other subjects

Cumulative Vocabulary◦Children from professional

families 1100 words◦Children from working

class families 700 words◦Children from welfare

families 500 words

Vocabulary in Beginning Reading

Actual Differences in Quantity of Words HeardIn a typical hour, the average child would hear:

Welfare: 616 words

Working Class: 1,251 words

Professional: 2,153 words

Actual Differences in Quality of Words Heard

Professional: 32 affirmations, 5 prohibitions

Working Class: 12 affirmations, 7 prohibitions

Welfare: 5 affirmations, 11 prohibitions

(Hart & Risley, 1995)

At a recent gathering at the Capitol here in Madison, a number of ledgusilaiteive yshoos wur dhyscust. All dellt with tuhrizuhm in Wisconsin. Klyph Kharlsuhn, who onze a small phische pharm nier Wabeno, lead the phyte for tacks braxe for stayt bisnusmuhn hooze prauphutz halve bin sclascht beakuz uv the enuhrjee chrysesse. Other cimullerlee kuhnsyrnde sytazunze joined hymm in demanding immediate rheleaph phor such pursonze.

At a recent gathering at the Capitol here in Madison, a number of legislative issues were discussed. All dealt with tourism in Wisconsin. Cliff Karlson, who owns a small fish farm near Wabeno, lead the fight for tax breaks for state businessmen whose profits have been slashed because of the energy crisis. Other similarly concerned citizens joined him in demanding immediate relief for such persons.

Little Big League

Case Study #1Case Study #3Case Study #4Case Study #5Case Study #6Case Study #7

“One-size-fits-all”

instruction is not a good fit

for many learners

in an academically

diverse classroom.

– but at varying degrees of abstractness, complexity, open-endedness, problem clarity, and structure.

Choose a standard/topic/activity from your subject area and develop a lesson plan using the template provided for differentiation.

CONTENT ACTIVITIES PRODUCT

•Tape recorded text material•Reading buddies•Multiple texts•Multiple supplementary materials•Small group direct instruction•Varied graphic organizers to support reading comprehension•compacting

•Activity choice boards•Varied journal prompts•Tiered activities•Multilevel learning center tasks•Similar readiness groups•Students choice of work arrangement•Learning contracts•Mixed readiness groups with targeted roles for students

•Tiered products•Student choice of mode of demonstrating learning•Interest-based investigation•Independent study•Varied rubrics•Mentorships•Criteria for success generated by or for individuals

StudentsClassroom NormsGradingParents

Traditional Classroom Differentiated Classroom

Traditional Classroom Differentiated Classroom

Traditional Classroom Differentiated Classroom

Traditional Classroom Differentiated Classroom

21 3 4

5 6 7

8 9

10