York Curriculum DevelopmentModule 8: Differentiation

Toby BossLenny VerMaas

Jen MadisonApril Kelley

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Differentiation

June 21, 2011

Different Kids…

Different Ways

One Description

"Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students' varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests. Therefore, the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to 'get at' and express learning."

--Carol Ann Tomlinson

Or…

• The teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interests, and learning profile.

What Can Be Differentiated?

ContentWhat we teach

ProductThe end result of

learningHow students

demonstrate their learning

ProcessHow students

come to understand

Affect & Learning EnvironmentHow students link

thought and feeling

How the classroom looks and feels

+ Varying Content• Concentrate on relevant, essential

learning• Pre-assess students’ skills and

knowledge• Offer choice about topics to explore in

greater depth• Match resources to students’ current

level of understanding (i.e. accessible texts) or provide scaffolds (i.e. graphic organizers, marked texts)

what we teach & how students access it

Content Examples• Learning Contracts• Curriculum Compacting• Graphic Organizers• Manipulatives, Demonstrations• Varied Texts• Varied Methods of Accessing Text/Information

– Audio recordings of passages– Supplementary materials (e.g. in native language)

A Few Specific Examples

flexible student groups based on readinessOne group tells the time on the quarter-hour and half-hour (e.g. quarter after 11, 7:30, two forty-five).

One group works on telling time at 5-minute intervals (e.g. 4:25, twelve fifty).

One group works on telling time to the nearest minute (e.g. 5:53, nine twenty-nine).

What is the opposite of -6? Name an integer that has no opposite.

What is the opposite of the absolute value of -7?

Varied & Accessible Texts• Provide varied and

accessible texts

Graphic Organizers• Support students as they read, study, take

notes, plan, and complete other tasks with graphic organizers.

• Match the organizer with the purpose!

• Not every student benefits from the same organizer. Match to student need.

+Scaffolding: Earth

Science

Sedimentary Igneous Metamorphic

You may see small particles of rock…

You may see large crystals in some of…

These rocks may have layers…

Students are asked to sort rock samples with varying levels of support.

Adjusts content based on readiness

Graphic OrganizersProblem / Solution Outline Compare / Contrast Pattern

HOW ALIKE?

HOW DIFFERENT?

WITH REGARD TO

+ Varying Process• Engage student learning modes (i.e.,

visual, auditory, kinesthetic)• Require students to think about

ideas, grapple with content, and use information

• Consider critical or creative thinking activities

how students engage with the content to understand

Process Examples

• Flexible Grouping• Interactive Journals• Graphic Organizers• Cubing• Centers

• Choice Options• RAFT• Jigsaw• Varied

Resources

Varied Journal Prompts:Math

• Write a step-by-step set of directions, including diagrams and computations, to show someone who has been absent how to do the kind of problem we’ve worked with this week.

• Write a set of directions for someone who is going to solve a problem we’ve studied this week. Be sure the directions address their problem, not just the computations.

Adjusts process based on readiness

Flexible GroupingWriting, topic generation

Group 1• Meet with teacher• Group brainstorm• Web ideas• Develop essential

word bank• Develop

storyboard, etc.• Begin writing

Group 2• Develop topic

alone/pairs• Brainstorm

“power ideas”• Meet with

teacher to “ratchet”

• Begin writing

Adjusts content / process based on readiness

Some Examples:Earth Science

• Understanding cause-and-effect relationships helps us to make more accurate weather predictions.

• Assignment:– Describe a time when you experienced/witnessed a

cause-and-effect relationship using one of the following formats: short story, poem, song, cartoon, or detailed drawing with captions.

• Adjusts process based on profile

Varied Practice(Vocabulary in Any Subject)

• Choose one way to rehearse your understanding of the essential vocabulary:– Write the word, text definition, own

definition, and nonlinguistic rep.– Make flashcards and quiz with a

classmate for 20 minutes– Put each word and your definition

in a song/rap & rehearseAdjusts process based on learning profile

Reach the Objective(Any Subject)

• Choose (or assign) 2 of the 3 ways to learn the objective (know, understand)– Participate in class lecture– Read the chapter in the text (listen to

companion CD)– Research the key concepts and report

essential facts, examplesAdjusts process based on readiness, interest, & learning profile

R.A.F.T ResponseUse writing to help students explore a concept from different perspectives and through different formats.

RoleAudienceFormatTopic

Differentiate:Let students choose one or more components.Raise Complexity – choose items farther from natural fitModerate/Lower Complexity – choose items closer to natural fit

(Wormelli, 2007)

Cubing• Students are grouped and provided cubes with

level appropriate questions/tasks on each side to prompt practice or deep processing of content

• Allows students to look at an issue/topic from a variety of angles

• Allows differentiation by readiness, interest, and/or profile

• Allows for differentiation in less obvious way.

(Gregory & Chapman, 2002, p.12)

Cubing• Create cubes

for groups of students with appropriate questions or tasks based on readiness, interest, and/or profile.

+ Varying Product Vary when end results of learning allow for different

ways to demonstrate learning Hold students accountable for the essential

skills/information Encourage challenge and choice

Readiness: Bloom’s Taxonomy, Webb’s Depths of Knowledge

Profile: Multiple Intelligence Theory, Learning Styles Theory Interest: Menus, Student Choice

Allow students to generate product ideas when appropriate

assessments or demonstrations of learning

Product Examples• Choice (Tic-Tac-Toe) Board• RAFT• Tiered Tasks• Variety of Format Choices

– Traditional test– Portfolio– Demonstration– Essay– Blog, brochure, presentation…

Tic-Tac-Toe

• Provide product options that focus on key ideas and skills.

Nutrition Extensions Menu

Locate studies that have been done with babies who are allowed to choose their own foods from a high-chair tray. Discover the results and hypothesize the reasons for them. Should parents insist that their children eat balanced meals at all times?

Research the history of nutrition in the last millennium or over several millennia. Notice how the attitudes toward what people eat have changed over time. Hypothesize the reasons for these changes.

Investigate eating disorders. Discover the similarities and differences in overeaters and undereaters. Find information about treatment programs and their rates of success. Which “cures” seem to last for 5 years or longer?

Dietary supplements (for general health, weight control, and muscle strength) have become very popular in recent years. Investigate supplements and hypothesize reasons for their popularity. Discover some negative effects of various supplements.

Student Choice

Invite a panel of professionals from local agencies that offer physical fitness programs to speak to your class. Help students prepare questions to ask at the end of the panel’s presentation. Moderate the panel.

Investigate the attitudes and behaviors of Americans and Europeans toward regular exercise and physical fitness from 1950 to the present day. Hypothesize reasons for the similarities and differences you find.

Design a menu of fitness activities that you think would appeal to people who are reluctant to exercise.

Project the eating habits of Americans in the year 2025. Include futuristic sources of food, such as products from aquaculture (food grown in oceans) and complete meals that are available in nontraditional formats.

+ Product MenuProvide product options that focus on key ideas and skills.

Main Course:Choose 1 of these:

Side Dish:Choose 2 of these:

Dessert:Choose as many as you would like:

Layered Curriculum(Any Subject)

• Layer C: gather information– What basic new knowledge do I need them to

know/learn?

• Layer B: apply/manipulate information– How can they apply this new information to

previous information?

• Layer A: critically evaluate the issue– What debatable issue in the real world deals

with this topic?

Layered Curriculum(Any Subject)

• Layer C: gather information– Watch the DVD on bacteria. Take notes.

Include information on bacteria shape and arrangement…

• Layer B: apply/manipulate information– Does hand-washing reduce bacteria numbers?

Prove your hypothesis using fingerprints…

• Layer A: critically evaluate the issue– What issues are we currently facing due to the

overuse of antibiotics?

Layered Curriculum• http://www.help4teachers.com/

• A basic overview: http://www.help4teachers.com/how.htm

The Easiest Way to Start• Occasional Student Choice (esp.

product)• Pre-Assessment (screening,

diagnostic tools)• Advice from Tomlinson:

– http://www.differentiationcentral.com/videos.html#journey

Homework Another dirty word…!

• Should every student have the same homework assignment? Explain your reasons.

• What problems might emerge?

• How could these be solved?

Keep in Mind…• Goal is not to lower standards, but to

provide scaffolds to reach essential learning.

• Example: Homework is adjusted, but follow-up quiz over essential target is same for all.

Description

"Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students' varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests. Therefore, the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to 'get at' and express learning."

--Carol Ann Tomlinson

Your task…

• Use the template to begin a differentiation plan for one of the units you teach.