Chapter 12:

Strategy Cards

Michele Nunnelley

ED751A

27 October 2015

For Differentiated Instruction

Strategies forDifferentiated Instruction

1. Flexible Grouping

2. Learning Stations

3. Planning Pyramid

4. Curriculum Compacting

5. Parallel Curriculum Model

6. Differentiated Instruction & Reading (FLIP chart)

7. Differentiated Instruction & Reading Adaptations (Text Highlighting & Multiliteracies)

8. Adapt content-area textbooks

1. Flexible Grouping

• Group size and membership should be flexible with formats that change according to the goals of the lesson.

• A variety of grouping can be called “multiple grouping formats.”

• Groups may be: whole class, small group, pairs, and single student.

• Group composition may be: homogeneous (same-ability levels) or heterogeneous (mixed-ability levels)

• Cooperative learning is a great strategy for successful group work. This is when a mixed-ability group works toward a common goal.

2. Learning Stations

• Learning stations can be used for differentiated instructions in both elementary and secondary levels of schooling.

• It provides students with the opportunity to explore, practice, and create independently or cooperatively.

• Successful learning stations depend upon clear expectations for student behavior, directions, and academic goals/products.

• Stations can be routine or topical and may utilize technology.

3. Planning Pyramid Example procedure for the Planning Pyramid:

1. Examine your state and district curriculum to identify key standards to be taught.

2. Decide what essentials go into the base of the pyramid. All students must learn these.

3. Decide what information most students should learn for the middle of the pyramid.

4. Decide what information will enhance or add depth/breadth to the topic. Only some students will learn this.

5. Identify what grouping patterns would facilitate learning and what accommodations are necessary for individual learners.

6. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of you and your co-teacher before, during, and after the lesson.

• The planning pyramid is a tool used to prioritize course content and clarify expectations for student learning. Through using this, teachers plan for differentiated instruction at the start of lesson planning rather than implementing it as an afterthought.

4. Curriculum Compacting

For Gifted Students

• General education teachers should compact the curriculum for gifted students.

• This provides students with the opportunity to show what they already know about the subject. Teachers can eliminate content that is repetitive or review; thus replacing it with advanced learning experiences.

3-Step Identification Process

1. What the student already knows about a topic.

2. What a student needs to learn.

3. What adaptations or activities are appropriate to facilitate student learning.

5. Parallel Curriculum Model

• PCM is a framework for differentiated instruction that was developed by Tomilson in 2001.

• PCM considers 4 components of curriculum design:– 1. Core curriculum: Key concepts to be learned– 2. Curriculum of Connections: Making interdisciplinary linkages– 3. Curriculum of Practice: Supporting students in learning to think

like a practitioner– 4. Curriculum of Identity: Helping students make personal meaning

and clarification of what they are learning

Like the Planning Pyramid, PCM forces teachers to prioritize content and how to facilitate instruction for all learners.

6. FLIP Chart

• When considering reading materials, you should consider how to supplement it. You are the ultimate judge of readability and friendliness to the reader.

• The FLIP Chart strategy helps students learn to evaluate text on their own.

• FLIP = Friendliness, Language, Interest, Prior Knowledge

• Students learn to identify what texts are comfortable for them. Thus, they learn how to talk about assigned reading and if they have any difficulties with it. This informs a teacher about if adaptations need to be made & which will be the most effective.

7. Reading Adaptations: Text highlighting & Multiliteracies

• Text highlighting assists students who have difficulty drawing out important information from a text. This is an intermediate step for students until they learn to do this on their own. Cooperative learning can also be useful with difficult texts.

• Students need multiliteracy (skills needed to deal with the many forms of text and information available) in today’s digital age.

8. Adapting Content-Area Textbooks• Audiotape

• Read textbook out loud

• Work with students individually or in small groups

• Provide chapter outlines or summaries

• Use a multilevel or multimaterial approach

• Provide students with a purpose for reading

• Structure opportunities for students to activate prior knowledge before reading

• Introduce key vocabulary

• Develop a study guide to direct learning

• Reduce assignment length

• Slow down the pace of reading assignments

• Demonstrate/model effective reading strategies

• Use comprehension-monitoring techniques

• Teach students to use graphic organizers to understand text information

• Structure port-reading activities for retention

• Teach memory strategies to improve retention