Why Throw Out the Baby with the Bath Water Transform Favorite Lesson Plans into Differentiated Ones

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Why Throw Out the Baby with the Bath Water?
Transform Favorite Lesson Plans into
Differentiated Ones

• Julia Roberts and Tracy Inman
• The Center for Gifted Studies Western Kentucky
  University
• julia.roberts_at_wku.edu
• tracy.inman_at_wku.edu
• www.wku.edu/gifted

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What is Differentiation?

• Differentiation is classroom practice that
  looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that
  kids differ, and the most effective teachers do
  whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids
  on learning. Association for Supervision and
  Curriculum Development

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Questions Leading to Appropriate Differentiation
of Instruction

• PLANNING What do I want students to know,
  understand, or to be able to do?
• PREASSESSMENT Who already knows and understands
  the information or can do it?
• DIFFERENTIATION What can I do for them so they
  can make continuous progress and extend their
  learning?

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Principles of Differentiation

• A Differentiated Classroom Respects Diversity
• A Differentiated Classroom Maintains High
  Expectations
• A Differentiated Classroom Generates Openness

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Teachers Can Differentiate...

• CONTENT
• What do you want the students to know?
• PROCESS
• What do you want the students to do cognitively
  with what they know?
• PRODUCT
• How can students demonstrate what theyve
  learned?
• ASSESSMENT
• How do you assess what has been learned?

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Where Do We Get

• the Content?
• Standards
• State
• National

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Where Do We Get

• the Process?
• Blooms Taxonomy of Cognitive Skills -- revised
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills

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Where Do We Get

• the Product?
• Karnes, F. and Stephens, K. (2000). The ultimate
  guide for student product development and
  evaluation. Waco, TX Prufrock Press.
• Visual Products
• Oral Products
• Performance Products
• Written Products
• Multi-Categorical Products

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Basic Questions Leading to Appropriate
Differentiation

• PLANNING What do I want students to know,
  understand, or to be able to do?
• PREASSESSMENT Who already knows and understands
  the information or can do it?

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Preassessment Possibilities for Bloom's Taxonomy

• For the next three minutes, jot down ideas about
  Blooms Taxonomy. (brief writing)
• What do you know about Blooms Taxonomy?
  (discussion)
• What do you know about Blooms Taxonomy? What do
  you want to know? How do you want to learn? (KWL)

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Preassessment Possibilities for Bloom's Taxonomy

• Identify the Blooms Taxonomy level of each task
  (five hardest questions)
• 1. Justify Martin Luther King, Jr..s use of
  persuasive language in his I Have a Dream Speech.
• 2. Analyze the plot elements of the story.
• 3. Predict what would happen to the earth if
  the moon were hit by an asteroid.
• 4. Underline all proper nouns.
• 5. Translate this passage into Spanish.

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Remember...

• Gifted kids needs stem from their strengths --
  not their deficiencies.
• Differentiation for gifted children is one way to
  meet their needs -- cognitive needs as well as
  social and emotional needs.

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Remember...

• Children may be identified in five areas
• General Intellectual
• Specific Academic
• Leadership
• Creativity
• Visual and/or Performing Arts
• Needs must be met in all of these areas!

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Differentiation Strategy Bloom Chart

• Differentiating the process dimension of learning
  experiences works to keep all students studying
  the same concept but at levels matching their
  readiness.

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What Is It?

• Very simply, you offer a variety of learning
  experiences on the same topic or concept by
  varying the process (verb), content (basic or
  complex), and/or product choices.
• No one skips over essential concepts or skills
  however, students who have mastered the content
  or skills engage in learning experiences that are
  matched to what they know and are able to do.
• It is this match you make that allows each
  student to make continuous progress.

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A Revision to Bloom

• Recently a small group of cognitive
  psychologists, curriculum theorists,
  instructional researchers, and testing and
  assessment specialists worked together to
  reexamine the original taxonomy.
• switched the descriptors of the categories from
  nouns to verbs (verbs tie right into the
  cognitive process)
• rearranged levels remember (formerly knowledge),
  understand (formerly comprehension), apply,
  analyze, evaluate, and create (formerly
  synthesis).

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When Do I Use It?

• In-class Activity
• The learning experiences may last for a class
  period or for a two- to three-day time period.
  The more engaging the learning experience, the
  more motivated the students will be. Our goal
  isnt easy reviewing of material we already know
  our goal is continuous progress for each student.
  So student choice comes into play only among
  learning experiences that will challenge the
  student. Thats where the intent comes in you
  only design your Bloom Chart with options
  appropriate for continuous progress. Then you
  limit those choices depending on the
  preassessment.

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When Do I Use It?

• Centers
• When using a Bloom Chart in centers, the actual
  learning experiences may be written in file
  folders and laminated to be used again and again.
  Centers also can house both the materials and
  technology needed to complete the learning
  experiences. The teacher contracts with the
  student about which of the activities she should
  do (according to the results of the
  preassessment).

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When Do I Use It?

• Optional Learning Experiences
• Students can learn to challenge themselves with
  learning experiences when they find that what
  they are being asked to do is not challenging to
  them. Keeping a large chart of the new and
  revised Cognitive Taxonomy on the wall will keep
  you and your students tuned in to the need to
  think at various levels while planning and being
  engaged in learning experiences. Tell your
  students that designing their own learning
  experiences around the content you determine
  would be great however, they must get your
  approval before starting. Once again, information
  from the preassessment will guide you in the
  decision you make.

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When Do I Use It?

• Unit Assessment
• The learning experiences in a Bloom Chart also
  can be the blueprint for the final assessment of
  a unit. The goal is learning about a specific
  concept or topic, so working at different
  learning experiences is not a problem. In fact,
  it adds interest for you the teacher when you
  arent grading 24 or 120 of the same product. It
  works well for the students, too, because each is
  working on products at levels of cognitive
  challenge at which he will be stretched
  cognitively but also at which he can be
  successful.

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How Do I Use The Strategy?

• Ask yourself What is it that I want everyone to
  know, understand, or be able to do when they walk
  out the door?
• Develop respectful, engaging tasks for each
  level.
• Divide tasks into choice options then purposely
  assign options.
• Distribute rubrics or scoring guides for each.

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How Can I Begin?

• An excellent way to begin differentiating is to
  choose a favorite unit then remove your
  blinders that dictate this method youve designed
  is the only design. Take those main concepts, a
  handy resource with lots of products listed, plus
  an open mind and then reconfigure that unit into
  a Bloom Chart. The results just might surprise
  you.
• Renee Watkins, a high school mathematics teacher,
  did just that with a lesson entitled AIDS and
  Exponential Growth Experiment. Suitable for both
  math and science classrooms, her original lesson
  follows.

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How does Renee feel about her revamped unit?

• I love the AIDS Exponential project because it
  is so real world, but the reality is that every
  student doesn't relate to it in the same way. I
  have learned that by giving students choices on
  the connections they can make, it will be much
  more interesting and challenging for them.
  Students have made connections to Hepatitis B and
  other communicable diseases, gossiping,
  population growth in India, and population growth
  in our school district. They now do a better job
  of hypothesizing about the causes of the
  exponential spread and how to stop it or be
  prepared for it. Because they have choice now in
  their topic of writing, their papers have more
  depth and better reasoning.

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How Do I Manage My Classroom and Keep My Sanity

• Create a total point value that is the same for
  all products (e.g., 100 points).
• Create generic rubrics for student products and
  distribute them to students as they begin their
  work.
• Use the Developing and Assessing Product Tool
  (DAP Tool).
• Use websites that allow easy creation of rubrics.
• Allow students to help design their own rubrics.

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Rubrics Resources

• Karnes, F. and Stephens, K. (2000). The ultimate
  guide for student product development and
  evaluation. Waco, TX Prufrock Press.
• www.curriculumproject.com
• www.school.discovery.com/ schrockguide/assess.html

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Learning Process Verbs

• CREATE
• predict hypothesize design construct
  create compose
•  
• EVALUATE
• interpret judge justify criticize decide
  verify conclude
• ANALYZE
• compare contrast take apart specify
  dissect deduce determine differentiate
  distinguish

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• APPLY
• organize group collect apply order
  classify model use construct relate
• UNDERSTAND
• explain translate restate connect
  conclude summarize describe show
  paraphrase
• REMEMBER
• list observe describe uncover recognize
  tell recall

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• Today, Mommy, I learned an inch, but I want to
  learn fifteen miles every day.
  
  Chelsea, age 7

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Resources and Sources

• Coil, C. (2004). Standards based activities and
  assessments for the differentiated classroom.
  Marion, IL Pieces of Learning.
• Consortium of National Arts Education
  Associations. (1994). National standards for
  arts education What every young American should
  know and be able to do in the arts. Reston, VA
  Music Educators National Conference.
• Developing units for primary students. (1994) J.
  Curry J. Samara, Eds. Bowling Green, KY KAGE
  Publications.
• Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating instruction
  in the regular classroom. Minneapolis, MN Free
  Spirit Publishing.
• Kanevsky, L. (2003, Summer). Tiering with Venn
  diagrams. Gifted Education Communicator, 42-44.

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• National Council for the Social Studies. (1994).
  Curriculum standards for social studies.
  Washington, DC National Council for the Social
  Studies. www.ncss.org
• National Council of Teachers of English
  International Reading Association. (1996).
  Standards for the English language arts. Urbana,
  IL National Council of Teachers of English
  International Reading Association. www.ncte.org
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  (2000). Principles and standards for for school
  mathematics. Reston,VA National Council of
  Teachers of Mathematics. www.nctm.org
• National Research Council. (1996). National
  science education standards. Washington, DC
  National Academy Press. www.nsta.org/standards
• Roberts, J. (2004). Enrichment opportunities for
  gifted learners. In The Practical Strategies
  Series in Gifted Education, F. Karnes K.
  Stephens, Eds. Waco, TX Prufrock Press.

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• Roberts, J. L. Inman, T. F. (2007). Strategies
  for differentiating instruction Best practices
  in the classroom. Waco, TX Prufrock Press.
• Tomlinson, C. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of
  the differentiated classroom Strategies and
  tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA
  Association for Supervision and Curriculum
  Development.
• Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated
  classroom responding to the needs of all
  learners. Alexandria, VA Association for
  Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching gifted kids in
  the regular classroom. Minneapolis Free Spirit
  Publishing.
• www.engine-uity.com
• www.nagc.org
• www.nmsa.org
• www.school.discovery.com/