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An Introduction to Differentiation…

Reaching ALLStudents

Florida Inclusion NetworkBroward County Public Schools

June 16- 19, 2008

Cooper City High School

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• To review basic principlesof differentiated instruction

• To examine and analyzeselected strategies thatshow how teachersdifferentiate

• To identify ways todifferentiate YOURinstructional practices inyour classroom

Agenda & Learner Objectives

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Getting to Know You!Please use an index card

• In the CENTER, write your name• In the UPPER LEFT corner, write your dominant

learning style…– Visual/Spatial Auditory– Tactile Kinesthetic

• In the UPPER RIGHT corner, write 1 or 2 areas ofinterest

• In the LOWER LEFT corner, choose the shape thatmost fits you.

• In the LOWER RIGHT corner, list your years ofexperience in education, subject/grade area + ifgeneral ed or ESE educator

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Psycho-Geometric ActivityWho are you?

•Choose the shape that most fits your personality or thatmost appeals to you.

•Share with your table-mates why that shape bestrepresents you.

•Determine how your shape correlates to one of the fourlearning styles.

•Share one strategy that flexes your dominant shape toallow you to appeal to the other 3 learning styles.

By Dr. Susan Delling er

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With a partner, rank thefollowing strategies frommost effective (#1)to least effective(#7).Place the mosteffective itemat the bottomof the pyramidand workup:

Effective Instructional Strategies

Practice by doingDemonstrationTeach anotherAudio/visuals

DiscussionReadingLecture

Directions:

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Professional Development

A set of uniquedecisions the

teacher makes tobring learning

within the grasp ofall students.

Differentiating Instruction

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How do youmeet the needsof the diverselearners in yourclassroom?

The Million Dollar Question:

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• is organic

Differentiated Instruction

• is proactive• is more qualitative than quantitative

• provides multiple approaches to content, process, and product• is student-centered

• is a blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction

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• is NOT just another way to provide homogeneous grouping

Differentiated Instruction

• is NOT the individualized instruction of the 70’s

• is NOT chaotic

• is NOT new… it is what reflectiveteachers always do

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“In differentiatedclassrooms, teachersbegin where studentsare, not the front of a

curriculum guide.”

Teachers in differentiatedclassrooms are students

of their students.

Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Key Principles of aDifferentiated Classroom

1.The teacher is clear about essentials incurriculum.

2. Create a classroom sense of Community.

3. Assessment & instruction are inseparable-continually assess student progress.

4. All students participate in respectful, meaningfulwork.

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Key Principles of aDifferentiated Classroom

5. Implement multiple instructional strategies andknow which-when-why!

6. Use Flexible Grouping.

7. Teacher adjusts the content, process andproduct based on readiness, interest and learningprofile.

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Framework for Differentiated Instruction

based on a student’s

teachers can differentiate

Differentiated Instruction isa teacher’s response to a learner’s needs

Clarity ofLearning

Goals

Respectful Tasks

Flexible Grouping

OngoingAssessment &

Adjustment

Positive Learning

Environment

Content Process Product

guided by general principlesof differentiation, such as

Adapted from the work ofCarol Ann Tomlinson ASCD

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Ways to Differentiate:

Content:What is taught

Process:How it is taught

Product:How learningis assessed

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According to students’

Readiness –Readiness for a given skill, concept, or way ofthinking.

Interests and Attitudes –Those things that learners find relevant,fascinating, or worth of their time.

Learning Profile & Need –Learning styles and preferences, how thestudent processes information, and how thelearner sees him/herself in the relation to therest of the world.

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• Kids come indifferent shapes and sizes as wellas interests, learning profiles, and readinesslevels.

• Looking at the classroom through many eyes.We need to meet the needs of advancedlearners as well as struggling learners.

Why Differentiate?

• One size fits all instruction does not address the needs of many students.

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• Fairness does notmean everyone getsthe same.

• Fairness meanseveryone gets what heor she needs.

Fairness

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K.U.D.Know, Understand and Be able to Do

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K.U.D.Know, Understand and Be able to Do

• KNOW:– Facts, vocabulary, dates, places, names,

examples.– The know is massively forgettable. Keep in

mind that the brain does not know thedifference between useful and uselessinformation.

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K.U.D.Know, Understand and Be able to Do

• UNDERSTAND:– Major Concepts and Sub-Concepts– These are written statements of truth, core

meanings of the lesson or unit. Theyconnect the parts of a subject to thestudent’s life and to other subjects. Theyoccur across the content area, gradelevels, have lasting meaning.

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K.U.D.Know, Understand and Be able to Do

• DO:– These are the basic skills of any discipline.

Including thinking skills: analyzing, evaluating,synthesizing. These are the skills of planning, orbeing an independent learner, and of setting andfollowing criteria.

– The skill portion encourages students to “think”like the professionals who use the knowledge andskills daily. This is what it means to ‘be like’ adoctor, scientist, writer or artist.

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Low Prep

• Lectures• Student or Adult Mentors• Cubing• Exit Cards• Task Cards• Response Cards• Three Before Me• Mini-Lessons• Interest Surveys

Strategies for Differentiation

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High Prep

• Assessment & Diagnosis• Flexible Grouping• Tiered Activities• Technology• Anchor Activities• Differentiated Learning Centers• Text Sets• Learning Contracts• Adjusting Questions• Independent Study

Strategies for Differentiation

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Concept Attainment

• Instructional strategy that uses a structuredinquiry process.

• Compare/contrast examples that contain theconcept with those that do not.

• Designed to clarify ideas and makeconnections between what students knowand what they will be learning.

• Based on the work of Jerome Bruner.

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Cubing

• 6 sides - put a prompt on each side

• Differentiate activities on the basis ofstudents’ readiness

• Differentiate activities based on students’interests or learning profiles

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Cubing

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to DifferentiateInstruction

• Knowledge• Comprehension• Application• Analysis• Synthesis• Evaluation

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Cubing

• Motivates students

• Helps students tothink about a topicfrom different angles

• Eliminates boredom

• Reinforces, extendsor demonstrateslearning

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Cubing Review Directions

1. Determine student groups.2. Prepare questions based on content and Bloom’s

Taxonomy (use the questions at the end of yourtext chapters).

3. Provide question worksheets for each group.4. Color code worksheets and cubes if necessary.5. Give each group one die or a numbered cube.6. Set time limits for groups to complete questions

Round Robin style.7. Debrief

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“Lecturettes”

• Feedback Lecture• Guided Lecture• Responsive Lecture• Demonstration Lecture• Pause Procedure Lecture• Think-Write-Discuss Lecture

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“Lecturettes”

Guided Lecture

Provide students with a list of lectureobjectives ahead of time. Deliver a 10minute lecture. Students are not to takenotes until the end of the lecture when theywrite down everything they can rememberfor 5 minutes. Then students work withpartners to fill in any missing information.

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“Lecturettes”

Responsive Lecture

Students generate questions of their ownwhich form the content of the lecture thatlasts from 10 to 20 minutes.

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“Lecturettes”

Demonstration Lecture

Give a lecture for approximately 20minutes that focuses on an interactivedemonstration of information to bepresented.

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“Lecturettes”

Pause Procedure Lecture

Give a lecture for approximately 20minutes, pausing after the first 10 minutesof information. Give the students 2minutes to share their notes with a peer tofill in any gaps.

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“Lecturettes”

Think ∼ Write ∼ Discuss Lecture

Give the students 3 questions during alecture of 20 minutes – 1 question before,during, and after the lecture. Have studentswrite a response to each question and sharethe results with a peer. Collect papers at theend of the lecture for personal comments orfeedback.

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Another Great Idea

EXIT C

ARDS

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Exit Cards (AKA “Tickets Out The Door”) are used to gatherinformation on student readiness levels, interests, and/orlearning profiles.

The teacher hands out index cards to students at the end ofan instructional sequence or class period. The teacher asksthe students to respond to a pre-determined prompt on theirindex cards and then turn them in as they leave theclassroom or transition to another subject.

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

Exit Cards

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Today you beg an to learnabout decim al fractions

• List three thing s youlearned

• W rite at least one questionyou have about this top ic

W e have been learning aboutThe Greenhouse Effect.Exp lain or depict yourunderstanding of thisim portant environmental issue.W hat questions do you have

about this top ic?

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Explain the d ifferencebetween prim e andcomposite numbers.You m ay w ish to g ive

some examples of eachas part of yourexp lanation.

Exp lain the d ifferencebetween sim ile andmetaphor. Give someexamples of each aspart of yourexp lanation.

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After reading over my rough draft…

3 revisions I can make to improve my draft.

2 resources I can use to help improve mydraft.

1 thing I really like about my first draft.

3 – 2 – 1 Summarizer

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Students whoare

strug g ling w iththe

concept or skill

Students w ithsome understand ingof concept or skill

Students whounderstand theconcept or skill

Group 1Group 2

Group 3

Readiness Groups

Exit Cards Groupings

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• Initially use whole group for instruction• Divide group for practice or

enrichment• Not a permanent arrangement• Use for hour, day, week, etc.

Flexible Grouping

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• Gives students and teachers a voice inwork arrangements.

• Allows students to work with a variety ofpeers.

• Keeps students from being “pegged” asadvanced or struggling.

When does grouping benefit students?

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• Readiness• Interest• Reading Level• Skill Level• Background Knowledge• Social Skills

Group Membership

Can be determined by:

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Using Response Cards toIncrease Student Participation

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What are Response Cards?

Cards or small boards that are simultaneouslyheld up by all students in a class that indicatethe answer to a question posed to the class.Each student is expected to answer everyquestion -- rather than to sit throughout theclass period waiting for the one or two timeshe or she may be called upon to respond to

the teacher’s question.

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Types of Response Cards

• Preprinted cards (available fromeducational publishers or preprinted bythe teacher)

• Student-Made Cards (made fromsimple cardboard or any heavy paperstock)

• Write-on Cards (laminated cards, chalkboards, white boards)

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Response Cards vs. Traditional Hand Raising

270 responsesper child

3700 responsesper child180 days

1.5 responsesper child

22 responsesper child

30 minutes

Hand RaisingResponse CardsTime Used

Source: Hewett, Gardner III, Cavanaugh, Courson, Grassi, and Barbetta,Teaching Exceptional Children, 1996.

Additionally, ALL students scored higher on thequiz and the end of the unit test.

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Benefits of Response Cards

• Everyone participates• Higher achievement levels• Social skill development• Easy, quick assessment• Builds community• Motivating & FUN!

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Think-Tac-Toe

Another Strategy forDifferentiating Instruction

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Think-Tac-Toe

• The chart consists of nine activities thatmove from simple to complexhorizontally

• Each horizontal row contains threeactivities that show proficiency on onestandard.

• Students choose one activity from eachrow.

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Think-Tac-Toe requiresstudents…

• To choose a series of activitiesdesigned to…Appeal to different learning stylesRequire thinking at high levelsShow mastery of one or more

standards

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Think-Tac-Toe requires teachers…

• To create a series of activities that allowstudents to show mastery of a standard atseveral different levels of complexity andthrough different learning styles.

• To develop a standard of evaluation (usually arubric) at three levels of complexity.

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ForecastHow your topic will change in

the next ten years.

DramatizeSomething to show what you

have learned.

SurveyOthers to learn their opinionsor feelings about some fact,

idea, or a feature of yourstudy.

DemonstrateSomething to show what you

have learned

GraphSome part of your study to

show how many or how few.

Photograph,videotape, or film

part of your presentation.

CompareTwo things from your study.Look for ways they are alike

and ways that they aredifferent.

TeachA lesson about your topic toour class. Include at least one

visual aide.

CollectFacts or ideas which are

important to you

Think Tac Toe Example:

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Choice Board Strategies

• Tic-Tac-Toe or BINGO• Even #’s easier/Odd #’s

more difficult• Allow students to

choose or assignspecific items

• Use a crucial skill in the“free space” and makeit a required square Compare 1

popular and 1slave song.Write anexhibit cardexplaining thesimilarities.

Write a poemor compose asongconveying thefeelings of afreed slave.

Imagine aconversationbetweenAdams andJefferson andturn it into aradio play.

Create a bargraphreflecting adata base thatportrays thecosts of thewar.

FreeSpace

Create acollage whichillustrates theeconomicconditions ofthe North &South

Create a mapwhich showsthe South andits territory atits greatestsize.

Make a reliefmap of the USdepictinghistoricalsignificancebefore, orduring the war.

Create a seriesof 5 statemaps, whichinclude a keythat illustratesmajor eventsof the war.

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Make a gameboard about yourstory. Include key

events(in order)

Write a newbeginning or

ending to the story.

Use a sequencechart or timeline todescribe at least 7

events.

Make up a limerickor cinquain poem

about the setting ofyour story

Draw a picturedescribing at least3 settings from the

story.

Build a miniaturestage setting for

your story.

Name & draw aperson who is like

one of thecharacters from

the book.

Complete acharacter report

card .

Complete acharacter analysis

for the maincharacter of your

story.

Think-Tac-Toe

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Locate 2 popular songsand 1 slave song. Writean exhibit card explaininghow the songs reflect thelives and times of thesingers.

Write a poem or composea song conveying thefeelings of a slave whohas just won freedom.

Imagine a conversationbetween Grant and Leeand turn it into a radioplay.

Create a bar graphreflecting a data basethat portrays the costs ofthe war for the North andthe South.

Generate an alternativeeconomic system whichwould have enabled theSouth to have a viableeconomy without slavery.

Create a collage whichillustrates the economicconditions of the North &South-rich & poor.

Create a map whichshows the South and itsterritory at its greatestsize as the result ofvictories in key battles.

Make a relief map of U.S.depicting places ofhistorical andgeographical significancebefore, during or after thewar.

Create a series of 5 statemaps, which include akey that illustrates majorevents of the war.

Civil War – Grade 7

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Gallery Walk

In your assigned small group:• Choose a recorder• Walk to your assigned poster• Recorder writes the response to the poster• Statement or question• Continue to move clockwise until you finish

all posters• One person remain at the last poster to share

out with the large group

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• Everyone feels welcomed and contributes toeveryone else feeling welcomed.

• Mutual respect is nonnegotiable.• Students feel safe in the classroom.• There is a pervasive expectation of growth.• The teacher teaches for success.• A new sort of fairness is evident.• Teacher and student collaborate for mutual

growth and success.

Characteristics of an Effective Learning Community

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• Examine your philosophy about individualstudent needs.

• Start small. Access your resources• Grow slowly.• Envision how an activity will look.• Step back and reflect.• Talk with students early and often.• Continue to empower students.• Continue to be analytical, i.e., who’s learning

what and how.

Getting started:On the road to a Differentiated Classroom

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“Creating adifferentiated

classroom is not ayes/no proposition

but rather a continuumalong which teachers

move as they developskills of responsive

teaching.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

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How can you learn moreabout strategies to

differentiate instructionin your classroom?

We’ve hit only the tip of the iceberg

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How to Differentiate Instructionin Mixed-Ab ility Classrooms

2 nd Ed it ion

By Carol Ann TomlinsonUniversity of Virginia

Learning Communities: Studygroups apply D.I. directly to YOUR

classroom!

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Your Ticket Out the Door

EXIT C

ARDSComplete theExit Card on yourTable

•How would you describe DI to anotherteacher or parent?

•What strategy will you apply in yourclassroom?

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• ideanet.doe.state.in.us/gt/tiered_curriculum/welcome.html

• www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/eii/eiimanagepracticespage.html

• www.Help4teachers.com

• www.teachervision.com

• www.ascd.org

• www.KaganOnline.com

• www.weac.org/kids/1998-99/march99/differ.htm

Websites

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• www.readplease.com

• www.enchantedlearning.com

• www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/

• www.k8accesscenter.org

• www.onionmountaintech.com

• www.caroltomlinson.com

More Websites

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• www.howtodothings.com/education

• www.union.k12.sc.us/ems/Teachers-Forms--Student%20Interest%20Survey.htm

• www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/

• www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm

More Websites

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W hat we share incommon makes us

human.

How we d ifferm akes usind ividuals.

Carol Ann Tomlinson

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The Florida Inclusion Network

www.FloridaInclusionNetwork.com

Barbara KrakowerFlorida Inclusion Network/Broward754 321-2230barbarakrakower@browardschools.com

For more information about DifferentiatingInstruction, contact us: