Differentiated InstructionMiddle School

CoachesFebruary 3, 2011

Yoly McCarthyCurriculum Support

The teacher will be able to-Know: What differentiated instruction is and how it can

change the way a classroom is taughtUnderstand: The look of a differentiated class and how

to implement a few of the strategiesDo: Develop an activity using differentiated strategies

based on a subject specific benchmark.

If you always doWhat you’ve always done

You’ll always getWhat you’ve always got

Welcome: What is differentiation? Quiet Share (Pre-Assessment)

Classroom building/ Research for DI Having clear objectives (KUD) Pre-Assessment

Writing samples, concept map, surveys, data How to differentiate learning activities through

Content Process

How to differentiate homework in class Product

Multiple Intelligence Inventory Create a Think-Tac-Toe Writing choices: RAFT Anchor Activities Learning Centers Reviewing and Assessing: Exit Cards

Develop a metaphor, analogy, or visual symbol that you think what differentiation is to you.

Explain to a new teacher what you think differentiation is in terms of what he/she would be doing in the classroom and why. The definition should help the new teacher develop an image of what you think differentiation looks like in action.

Write a definition of

what you thinkDifferentiation Instruction is.

QUIET SHARE… 1. Pick a column 2.Write or think silently 3. Be

ready to share when time is up

“What we call differentiation is not a recipe for teaching. It is not an instructional strategy. It is

not what a teacher does when he or she has time. It is a way of thinking about teaching and

learning. It is a philosophy.”Carol Tomlinson, September 2000

Differentiation, according to Sprenger (2003) is “offering students multiple ways of taking in and expressing information”

Educators focus on “content, process, product, and environment” while addressing three basic tenets that students and teachers are both teachers and learners; everyone can learn, and that learning can be enjoyable (Sprenger, 2003, p.2).

• Respond to variations in students’

readiness• Respond to the

myriad of students’interest• Respect the various

students’ learningprofiles

Or differentiate according to

The content within a benchmark

The process in which a student may learn

The product the student may produce

All of this depends on a safe, secure environment where students feel that they can share their interests, abilities, and opinions

Kids need to know that they can let their misconceptions be known without ridicule

1. How do teachers begin and end class time with their students?

2. In what ways do students assume ownership of their learning?

3. How do teachers understand and celebrate students’ similarities? Differences?

4. How do teachers know that each student feels included in the community? What actions do they take to ensure this?

Talk at the door Early interest

assessments Small group instruction Dialogue journals Student conferences Open room days Ask for student input Invite examples,

analogies, experiences Elicit input from

students

Listen Seek varied perspectives Share own interests,

questions, plans Start class with kid talk Go to student events Watch before & after

school, at lunch Keep student data cards

with interests and talents Take notes during class Use Socratic or student-

led discussions

1. Build a climate of trust that allows students to express themselves in an open, non-judgmental, non-threatening manner

2. Ensure that respect is mutual3. Create a sense of safety4. Facilitate the building of supportive and accepting

relationships

Differentiated Instruction is the result of a synthesis of a number of educational theories and practices about teaching and learning modalities…to include: child psychology, behavior management, learning styles, multiple intelligences, assessment, .......

Brain research indicates that learning occurs when the learner experiences moderate challenge and relaxed alertness –readiness

Psychological research reveals that when interest is tapped, learners are more likely to find learning rewarding and become more autonomous as a learner.

Because learning styles change slowly it is harder to change a child's way of learning than to adapt instruction to their learning style (Yilmaz-Soylu, & Akkoyunlu, 2009).

When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, chances are… 1/3 of the kids already know it1/3 of the students will get it1/3 of the kids won’t get it

SO, 2/3 of the students are wasting their time.

Lillian Katz

When I feel lost in class… I play with my hair. I wish the teacher would know how I feel and would help me. I want to go home and watch TV. I get mad. I feel scared. Sometimes I try to listen harder but mostly it

doesn’t work. I get some much needed rest

When classes move too slowly… I color my nails with a pen. I listen to music in my head or to think back to a movie, to its

funny parts.

All students participate in respectful work.

Teacher and students work together to ensure continual engagement & challenge for each learner.

The teacher coordinates use of time, space, and activities.

Flexible grouping which includes whole class learning, pairs, student-selected groups, teacher selected groups, and random groups.

Is this a student in your class?

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half-German, half-Italian, and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf, he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.

I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.

K.U.D. Know:Topic you want the student to know Understand:Characteristics of the topic you want the student

to understand Be Able to Do:Objectives and skills you want the student to be

able to complete or become proficient at(McTighe and Wiggins, 2005)

Choose any benchmark from the item specifications and write a KUD that would form a lesson (Backwards Design with the end in mind)

Know Understand DoExample from Social Science: Know: Facts, Definitions, Dates, Names, Places-The Holocaust occurred from 1938-1945; genocide, concentration

camps; Hitler Understand: Concepts, Abstract Big Ideas, Makes learning

meaningful to students, Connects topic to other topics-Tolerance, Injustice, Survival Do: Skills, Actions, Performance Analyze Elie Wiesel’s choices during his experiences in the Holocaust

Readiness (Pre-assessments, Diagnostic assessments)– Refers to readiness for a given skill, concept, or way of thinking Use data and pre-assessments to determine this and guide instruction

Interests and Attitudes – Have to do with those things that learners find relevant, fascinating, or worthy of their time

Done through surveys and discussions

Learning Profiles and Need – Refer to things such as learning styles, intelligence preferences, and how the learner sees himself in relation to the rest of the world

Need to pre-assess, assess, and re-assess throughout the curriculum Writing samples Concept Maps Surveys Data Intelligences Formative assessment probes Free form maps/ group drawing Listening in on student talk

With your group, DRAW everything you know about this topic to show us your understanding of it

Objects in the Universe

Content (What) Varied texts, learning contracts, mini-lessons, pre-

highlighted learning materials, note-taking organizers, high interest topics within the content

Process (How) Multiple intelligence inventory with an activity for each

kind (Sternberg), interest groups, flexible grouping, Jigsaw, Think-Pair-share, dialogue journals, math journals

Product Process Logs, Writing samples, Exit Cards, Concept

Maps, 3-2-1 summarizer

It doesn’t have to be difficult

Students complete the Multiple Intelligence Inventory independently

After they have determined their multiple intelligence level, they can draw or describe their profile on their class folder, journal, etc

Intelligences can change and be strengthened

Linguistic Logical/

Mathematical Spatial Bodily/

Kinesthetic

Musical Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalistic

Make a story about an imaginary character

who is a simple machine. Including

properties of it.

Make a poster advertising a new

simple machine you invented. Include cost

and use for it.

Name and draw 5 examples of simple

machines.

Build a miniature model of a simple

machine

Draw a picture describing at least 3 characteristics of a

simple machine

Make up a rhyming song or poem about

simple machine properties and

examples.

Use a sequence chart or timeline to describe

the invention of simple machines

throughout history.

Invent a new simple machine and draw a

plan for it with a description of its

purpose.

Make a matching game for children based on simple machines with

descriptions on the back of each card.

– Students should pick three according to three in a row

Steps:1. Identify the outcomes and instructional focus of a unit of study.2. Use assessment data and student profiles to determine student readiness,

learning styles, or interests.3. Design nine different tasks.4. Arrange the tasks on a choice board.5. Select one required task for all students. Place it in the center of the board.6. Students complete three tasks, one of which must be the task in the middle

square. The three tasks should complete a Tic-Tac-Toe row.Adaptations:

• Allow students to complete any three tasks—even if the completed tasks don’t make a Tic-Tac-Toe.

• Assign students tasks based on readiness.• Create different choice boards based on readiness. (Struggling students work with

the options on one choice board while more advanced students have different options.)

• Create choice board options based on learning styles or learning preferences. For example, a choice board could include three kinesthetic tasks, three auditory tasks, three visual tasks.

• Meet with your group choose a Florida standard and come up with nine varied activities students can do to learn the content.

Anchor activities are ongoing assignments that

students can work on independently,

throughout a unit, grading period, or longer.

Provide meaningful work for students when they…

•Finish an assignment or project

•When they first enter the class

•When they are “stumped”

Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction.

Free up the classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals

Brain busters Learning packets Activity box Learning / interest centers Vocabulary work FCAT Explorer Investigations FCAT Practice activities Magazine articles Jason Project Research questions or projects Commercial kits and materials Journals or Learning Logs Silent reading; Discovery articles Websites; GIZMOS, Discovery Learning

Role- You as a teacher leader Audience- Science teachers in your

school Format- Your choice Topic- Changing what we do to

ensure all our kids succeed

Should contain materials that promote the individual growth of the individual students

Include activities that vary from simple to complex, concrete to abstract

Provides clear directions for the students Uses materials and activities which address a wide

range of reading levels, learning profiles and student interests

Example: Cell Structure and FunctionCenter (Creative) 1: Draw a cell and label all its organelles and

their functions. Now make up your own cell with its own “organelles”.

Center (Analytical) 2: Develop a metaphor for the cell using an organization in real life such as a city, school, etc. Draw and describe all parts and what each one does.

Center (Practical) 3: Write a RAFT for the cell in which -the roles are the major organelles of the cell -the audience is the cell-the format is a plea -the topic is the reasons they should keep their job and why

Center (Teacher) 4: Listen to a mini lecture about the structure of the cell and be able to ask questions of the teacher. Fill out an exit card of what you learned and why it is important.

Center (Technology) 5: Use a Gizmo to learn the parts of the cell and the purposes for each.

With your partner create 5-10 centers that students can do (remember not all centers should be needed to learn the topic) based on a science topic to be learned

For each center determine and describe: Specific goals Way it is differentiated A “HOT” activity to be included Materials needed at each

Can be used to pre-assess or review about a topic in science

Wonderful tool to review vocabulary Fun game that incites interest and healthy

competition Used at the end of a unit in order to review and

assess concepts learned Pair up and face each other with one partner facing

away from the board

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Nitrogen

Sulfur

Neon

Magnesium

Mercury

Carbon

Adenine

Cytosine

Hydrogen bonds

Nucleus

Double Helix

Chromosome

Deoxyribose

General rubrics for differentiated assignments Response cards Exit cards Group quizzes Checklists of objectives Formal assessments Student writing samples

Response cards are another form of quick assessment. Each student has a card and indicates their understanding of a topic by holding up the appropriate response.

Response cards:1. Increase participation level of all students2. Increase on-task behavior3. Provide immediate feedback4. Are highly motivating and fun!

Just Think... If response cards were used instead of

hand raising for just 30 minutes a day, each student would make more than 3,700 additional academic responses during the school year.

Preprinted Student-made Write-on boards

LIVING NON LIVING

EXO ENDO TRUE FALSE

1. No two children are alike. 2. No two children learn in the identical way.  3. An enriched environment for one student is

not necessarily enriched for another.  4. In the classroom we should teach children

to think for themselves.  5. There are only three styles of learning.

Exit Cards (A.K.A. “Tickets out the Door”) are used to gather information on student readiness levels, interests, and/or learning profiles. They can be used as quick assessments to see if the students are “getting it.”

The teacher hands out index cards (or has them use half-sheets of paper) to students at the end of an instructional sequence or class period.

The teacher asks the students to respond to a predetermined prompt on their index cards, and then turn them in as they leave the classroom or transition to another subject.

The teacher reviews the student responses and separates the cards into instructional groups based on preset criteria or achievement.

Group 1Students who are struggling with the concept or skill

Group 2Students with some understanding of concept or skill

Group 3Students who understand the concept or skill

READINESS GROUPS

Explain the difference between living and non-living.

Give some examples of each as part of your explanation

A mushroom is an example of:(CIRCLE THE CORRECT RESPONSE)

Living Non-Living

Notice how these exit cards have been differentiated by readiness. Each student is still expected to know about living things, but their individual questions are based on

their skill level and their degree of knowledge.

Here are some more specific strategies you can do as a teacher that will help meet the needs of ALL the students in your class

–Use cds, computer games, etc. as a means for students to receive information or as a means for students to demonstrate knowledge.

–Use graphic organizers such as flowcharts, Venn Diagrams, semantic mapping, concept (mind mapping), etc.

–Have students underline or highlight key words or phrases.

–Use texts that are tailored to the students’ reading levels.

–Use questions on assessments that are tailored to the students’ reading levels. (Bloom’s Taxonomy)

–Collect topic related supplementary materials such as comic books, newspaper articles, magazines, etc.

Provide word walls for students to reference while reading/writing.

Encourage different forms of expressing learning such as drawing, acting, poetry, etc.

Use flexible grouping, peer tutoring, learning buddies, etc. Use ongoing assessment of students progress so that

intervention can quickly occur (exit cards, response cards…). Use student diaries, learning logs, journals, prediction logs Shorten or lengthen assignments while still maintaining the

objective of the lesson. Rewrite problems using less/more complex language.