Differentiated Instruction

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Differentiated Instruction
Created and Presented by Crissie Stephens October
2006 and November 2007
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What kind of year are you having?

• Color your flower to symbolize the kind of year
  you have had thus far. When you introduce
  yourself, be ready to share about your flower.

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What kind of year are you having?
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UnderstandingDifferentiated Instruction
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What will we be doing?

• Taking a closer look at the building blocks of
  differentiated instruction.
• Exploring ways we can incorporate differentiated
  instruction into our classrooms.
• Examining the different MAP test reports that can
  be used for analysis in the classroom.
• Examining our own MAP scores to guide
  differentiation.
• Exploring possible avenues of differentiation on
  the Internet.

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From Mrs. Spitzers Garden
She knows that different plants need different
things. And that each plant has its own
shape. A few are like wildflowers and will
grow anywhere you put them. And some need gentle
care, a special watching-over.
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What is differentiated instruction?
It is...
It is NOT...

• Giving each student what he/she needs, even if it
  is not the same for everyone
• Planning for the diverse needs of ALL students.
• Student-Centered
• A blend of whole-class, group, and individual
  instruction

• Giving every student the exact same thing
• A one-size-fits-all classroom
• Chaos
• Free time

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The Meaning Behind DifferentiationUnevenFairFa
ir is not giving each student the same thing, but
giving each student what he or she needs.
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Brain Research

• No two children are alike.
• No two children learn in the same identical way.
• An enriched environment for one student is not
  necessarily enriched for another.
• In the classroom, children should be taught to
  think for themselves.

Marian Diamonds Professor of Neuroanatomy at
Berkeley


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What else do we know?

• Learning environments must feel emotionally safe
  for learning to take place.
• To learn, students must experience appropriate
  levels of challenge.
• Each brain needs to make its own meaning of ideas
  and skills.
• Schools that have been using differentiated
  instruction in the classroom have seen great
  gains in student achievement. (state website)

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Our Students are each DIFFERENT!
Think-Pair-Share Activity
The teacher must consider such differences as the
students Learning styles, skill levels, and
rates Learning difficulties Language
proficiency Background experiences and
knowledge Interests Motivation Ability to
attend Social and emotional development Various
intelligences Levels of abstraction Physical
needs
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It's not how smart you are, it's how you are
smart!" Howard Gardner Interview, "Common
Miracles" ABC 1993
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The Building Blocks of Differentiated Instruction

• Knowing the Learner
• Quality Teacher
• Quality Curriculum
• Classroom Learning Environment
• Instructional Delivery and Best Practices
• Assessment/Evaluation/Grading
• Flexible Teaching and Learning Time Resources

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Brainstorm Around the Room
Quality Teacher What are characteristics of a
quality teacher? Knowing your Learner How do
you get to know the students? Quality
Curriculum What are characteristics of a
quality curriculum?
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Classroom Environment

• Consistent and Firm Discipline set in place
• Procedures
• Make sure your students know the procedures and
  what is expected of them. In doing that, make
  sure they know the consequences if they do not
  follow the rules. Avoid show-downs!
• Student-Centered and Safe Environment

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Classroom Environment

• Classroom set-up
• Furniture arrangement promotes group work.
• Create student traffic patterns with furniture
  arrangement.
• Have an adequate amount of supplies.
• Have supplies and materials accessible to
  students.

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Instructional Delivery and Best
PracticesandAssessment, Evaluation, and Grading
Everyone Share Group Brainstorming Around the
Room
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Instructional Delivery and Best Practices

• Quality curriculum materials
• Standards-based teaching
• Anchor activities
• KWL to Interest Groups for research
• Jigsaw projects
• Literature circles
• Text response journals
• Contracts
• Tiered Assignments - Leveled Practice
• Learning Centers
• Learning Stations
• Cooperative Learning
• Think-pair-share

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Instructional Delivery and Best Practices

• Technologyweb quests
• Conferencing and Discussions one-on-one with
  teacher
• Graphic Organizers
• Benchmark tests
• Enrichment packets
• Project choices
• Essays, compositions
• Music
• Videos
• Hands-on activities
• Service Learning Projects
• Power Point Presentations
• United Streamlining
• www.Brainpop.com

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Assessment/Evaluation/Grading

• Skills checklists
• Quizzes and tests
• Standardized testing
• MAP testing
• Running records
• Samples or work
• Conferences and conferencing forms
• Questioning and answering
• Rubrics
• Small group performances and observation sheets
• Journals
• On-going assessment is extremely important to
  make differentiation work!

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Flexible Teaching and Learning Time Resources
Flexible grouping is a MUST!
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All students can learn and succeed, but not all
on the same day or the same way. William G.
Spady
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How do we differentiate?There are three main
ways we differentiate.

• Differentiate content
• Differentiate process
• Differentiate product

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Differentiate Content

• Differentiate in response to a students
  readiness level.
• Matching the content to the students ability to
  read and understand it
• Ex. IRA (Independent Reading Activities),
  Enrichment Packets based on students independent
  levels
• Differentiate in response to a students
  interests.
• Ex. Use of KWL charts or Interest Inventories to
  form Interest Research Groups
• Differentiate based on students learning styles.
• Uses several strategies to reach all learners.
• Examples
• Visual Charts, Diagrams, United Streamlining
  videos, power point presentations
• Auditory Books on tapes, songs to fit content
• Bodily Acting/Improvisations, scavenger hunts
• Incorporate Technology into the Classroom Task
  Cards, Internet Searches, Webquests
• Use games in reinforcing content Power Point
  games such as Jeopardy, Frog Games

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Differentiate Process

• use student likes/dislikes to make the lesson
  interesting to the students
• incorporate activities to make students think at
  a higher level
• vary the amount of teacher or student support
• vary the way the activities are done
  whole-class, small group, partners, individual
• differentiate process according to interest by
  allowing students choices

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IDENTIFY OUTCOMES WHAT SHOULD THE STUDENTS KNOW,
UNDERSTAND, OR BE ABLE TO DO?
THINK ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS PRE-ASSESS READINESS,
INTEREST, OR LEARNING PROFILE
INITIATING ACTIVITIES USE AS COMMON EXPERIENCE
FOR WHOLE CLASS
GROUP 1 TASK
GROUP 2 TASK
GROUP 3 TASK
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How does it look? Play on Multiple Intelligences
to Reach all Learners
Storytelling
Artistic/Crafts
Improvisation/Acting
Visual Video clips
Native American Unit
Auditory analyzing songs
Small Group Discussions
Writing descriptive and informative pieces
Researching
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Differentiating Using Centers
Literacy Centers
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How does it look?
Math Small Groups
Teachers Group
Math Project
Games
Technology
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How does it look? Reading Partnership
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Differentiate Product

• Provide choices in final products
• Contracts
• Leveled practice (tiered activities)
• Project choices

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Differentiating a Lesson or ProductGiving
Students Choices
Drawing
Fact-Finding
Technology
Singing
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Students at work create various kinds of noise.
They talk and measure and puzzle out and make
audible messes that an assistant principal is
suppose to abhor. Their activity also exposes
the inconvenient truth that some kids do the work
faster than others. Theodore Sizer
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Making it Work! Tips for Success

• Provide clear directions
• Clarify the purpose for instruction by asking
  essential questions
• Keep students on taskmeaningful work will do
  that
• Provide clear expectations for qualityShow
  examples!
• Point students to worthy sources for help and
  informationHave an expert if you are with a
  group.
• Have a wrap-up procedure.
• Ex. When timer goes off, it is our 2-minutes
  warning. Begin putting your works-in-progress in
  your projects bags, clean up, and make your way
  back to your seats.

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RAPID ROBIN
Most Importantly Have Early Finisher Procedures
set up and clear!
The Dreaded Early Finisher
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One premise in a differentiated classroom

• In this class we are never finished---

Learning is a process that never ends.
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Getting Started

• Start small.
• Ex. anchor activity/ small group
• Add slowly.
• Dont try to jump in all at once! Get your
  students use to small groups, collaboration, and
  making choices.
• Envision your expectations.
• Picture the final product in your head then
  decide how you want the students to get there.
• After a lesson, reflect.
• What went well? What needs to be changed for
  next time? What procedures were confusing? How
  can you make adjustments to make the lesson even
  better?

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Using Anchor Activities to Create Groups
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Teach the whole class to work independently
and quietly on the anchor activity.
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Flip-Flop
Half the class works on anchor activity.
Other half works on a different activity.
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1/3 works with teacher---direct instruction.
1/3 works on anchor activity.
1/3 works on a different activity.
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Getting Started

• Stay aware. Continually assess.
• Before-During-After
• Stay organized.
• Dont let a great lesson fall apart because you
  dont have your supplies or resources ready and
  available for student use.
• Discuss procedures and expectations with your
  students.
• Know your students! Analyze data to determine
  best use of differentiation.

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Getting Started
Make sure you have learning supplies clearly
labeled for the students easy access!
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Getting Started
Make sure you have supplies ready, available, and
clearly labeled for the student use!
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Point to PonderYou always struggle in reading
and writing. In fact, you are always relieved
when the Language Arts classes are over for the
day. Now, your teacher begins your Social
Studies class and announces to the class that
everyone will be reading independently then
writing about what they read. How do you feel
about Social Studies?
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Point to PonderThe first nine weeks just
ended. You are starting your second nine weeks
in Mrs. Olivers class. The only problem is
everyday in Mrs. Olivers class you do the same
exact thing come in, read todays reading
selection, create the graphic organizer to tell
about what you read, and work on early finisher
questions until the class shares their answers.
How do you feel?
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Point to PonderYippee! Its time for Mr.
Moores class. Itll be a cinch. You always
make 100 in his class and never even have to
listen to a thing going on. Good thing you are
an advanced student. At least it gives you some
time to relax and think about all the other
important stuff in your life. Whats wrong with
this picture?
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It doesnt take a superstar teacher to do
differentiated instruction, just a teacher who
thinks the kids are superstars. Jack Esformes
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Making your Groups...Utilizing MAP data to
differentiate your classroom
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Data has no meaning except that which we make of
it.
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MAP testing

• Our teachers finally feel empowered to make
  adjustments to their instruction based on data
  for each student.
• Ginger Hopkins, Assistant Superintendent of
  Academics Accountability from Beaufort County,
  SC
• MAP samples reports (see packet)
• Dynamic Reports Demo
• http//www.nwea.org/support/dynamicreporting.asp

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MAP Reports

• The big benefit to students is how MAP helps
  teachers learn how to differentiate instruction.
  There's no better tool for teachers than
  DesCartes. We know right away where to start
  teaching.
• Jana Beth Slibeck-Francis, Director of
  Assessment, Research and Development from Daviess
  County, KY
• DesCartes Demo
• http//www.nwea.org/classroom/descartes.asp

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Let Try Making Small GroupsThink about the
following questions as you work on making your
small groups

• Which students are having the same challenges as
  seen in my MAP data?
• Which skills do I need to work on with this group
  of students?
• How many groups would I have?

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If there is anything we wish to change in the
child, we should first examine it and see whether
it is not something that could better be changed
in ourselves. Carl Jung
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Traditional Teacher

• LECTURES while standing at the front of the
  classroom
• WRITES on the blackboard
• ASKS students questions about the assigned
  reading or handouts
• WAITS while students finish their written work

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Differentiated Teacher reaches all the students!

• LECTURES and WRITES on the whiteboard at the
  front of the room or the overhead
• BUT ALSO shifts methods of presentation from
  linguistic to spatial to musical and so on, often
  combining intelligences in creative ways such as
• Drawing pictures on the whiteboard
• Showing a videotape to illustrate an idea
• Playing music at some time during the day
• Providing hands-on experiences
• Having students interacting with each other in
  different ways
• Utilizes flexible small groups

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3-2-1 on Differentiation
3... things you think are positive about
differentiated instruction 2... challenges 1... g
oal you have for making differentiation more a
part of your classroom instruction
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A few are like wildflowers and will grow
anywhere you put them. And some need gentle
care, a special watching-over.