DifferentiationPresented by

Redwood Teachers

Differentiation in a Nutshell

Differentiation involves making curriculum modifications for every student all of the time.  It is about planning students’ learning experiences in response to what the teacher already knows about the students’ prior knowledge and learning style.

Differentiation is a fantastic model for teaching not only gifted students, but students of all ability levels, in the same classroom.

Characteristics of a Differentiated Classroom (paraphrased from Carol Ann Tomlinson’s book The

Differentiated Classroom

• The teacher concentrates on the essential concepts, principles, and skills of each subject students who are struggling will focus on understanding, accelerated students will work with more complex issues dealing with the essential concepts.

• The teacher understands that students aren’t all the same - they don’t all have the same preferred methods of learning.

• Assessment (formal and informal) happens continually – observations the teacher makes today will help to modify tomorrow’s instruction.

Assessment has more to do with helping students grow than with cataloging their mistakes.

• The teacher modifies content, process, and products – not all students are being asked to do the same thing at the same time.

• The teacher uses methods of instruction that help him or her focus on small groups rather than the whole class.

Additional activities and clubs we offer at Redwood for our GATE studentsJournalism ClubMath/Art ClubReflectionsChess clubStudent CongressThinking Cap (6th grade)

(motivate your kids to do this please, its amazing!)

Knowledge Master Open (7th/8th grade)(motivate your kids to do this please, its amazing)

Differentiation Categories

1.   

Independent Reading Projects

that reflect choice and are

offered appropriate to the individual’s reading level.

  Use of Multiple Modalities

Alternative activities i.e..

stations, tapes, computers,

manipulatives

Flexible Grouping-Think/Pair/Share-Cooperative-Lab groups-Two teams/Debate

Extension/Challenge Problems

Leveling or Scaffolding Groups and

creating tiered assignments

VariedProducts/

Expectations

Supplemental Assignments

Alternative Problem Solving /Student Demonstration

General examples of differentiation at Redwood that one might observe in any

classroom on any day.

Debates and solve complex problems in a group Independent Reading Projects that reflect Use of Multiple Modalities Alternative activities Flexible Grouping: think, pair,

share, lab groups, partner reviews, brainstorming, 3-5-7 student groups

Extension/Challenge ProblemsLeveling or Scaffolding GroupsVaried Products/Expectations

From the English department

Invention assignment (create a time saving gadget and create a design, along with an advertising campaign --slogans etc. This goes with two standards:  technical documents and persuasive techniques in the media

Cross curricular unit on the Holocaust ----math (pie charts and figuring out percentages), social studies (history lesson to give background)English--reading Anne Frank

Museum of Tolerance trip with a debriefing which includes research on modern day civil rights issues.

From the English Department

End of the year multi-media research report to explore one concept from their 8th grade year.

Read advanced supplemental literature in addition to the grade-level core literature

Match ideas/characters from the book Animal Farm to the major players in the Russian Revolution

Differentiated self select vocabulary Choices for appropriate reading books encouraged

using a five finger test.Project connecting Multiple Intelligence theory and

Flowers for Algernon increasing IQ

From the SS Department

Expository research papers writing Products presented in a variety of waysSocratic seminars to prepare for the questions for We

The PeopleProblem solving activitiesDebatesapplication of current events/primary source documents

to topics in the textMap/graph analysesEssay writing and preparation for follow up questions

(public speaking strategies)Writing connected with the curriculum in World History

From the Math Department

Math Art/ClubKey math vocabulary is defined, discussed and applied

dailyAdvanced word problem interpretations involving writing

and deductive reasoning (all levels)Challenge problems on testsGeometry Honors in 8th grade at RedwoodGeometry/Algebra ConnectionsConnecting math to everyday lifeMaking math connections across the curriculumUsing literature to teach math concepts

From the Science Department

Bridge building and design projectBridge building Computer design programTrebuchet projectExtended Lab ProjectsResearch Papers3D projects and power pointsBill Nye the Science Guy and other DVD’sInteractive notebooksSongs and rhymes used to memorize vocabulary

rules, concepts and ideas

From the Strings Program

Flexible grouping –Student conductors are select eighth grade students.  They conduct regularly in class and apply critical thinking and analysis skills to help small and large groups of students improve their performance.

Varied product within the same product Worksheets with three sections and students are

required to complete two of them, based on their level of musicianship. 

 

Costa’s Three Levels of Inquiry

Level one “It’s Right There” Define, Describe, Observe, List, Identify,

Level two “Search & Find It” Analyze, Contrast, Classify, Sort, Infer, Compare

Level three “Out there on your own” Evaluate, Judge, Imagine, Predict, Hypothesize,

The use of the Kaplan’s Icons provides a forum for creating depth and complexity during class discussion through student questioning.Kaplan's Icons

Language of the Discipline

Details

Patterns

Trends

Unanswered Questions

Rules

Ethics

Big ideas

Over Time

Different Perspectives

  Types of Questions

Inferential Questioning

Higher level Questioning/Discussions

Cross Curricular Questions and Analogies

Open ended Questions

Conceptual Questioning

Integrated Questioning 

Some AVID inspired strategies that have become concrete curriculum components at Redwood that

support differentiation. 1. Cornell Notes

Basic questioning and intro into Costa’s InquiryMore complex questioning processes Costa, Bloom and Kaplan RelationshipsSummarization and deductive conclusions writing

2. WICR Writing Inquiry Collaboration ReadingDifferentiation Strategies embedded into group work.Dialectical journals writingInteractive Notebooks writingWeekly Reflections writingQuick writes writingFour Corners Debate Literature

3. How to create and implement successful Socratic Seminars in the classroom.

What can you do to stimulate your child?

Read and discuss newspaper and magazine articles Field trips (anywhere!)Help them make connections across the subject areasExpand and discuss vocabularyTeach them how to summarizeDeepen their research with them.Read, discuss, read, discuss, read…………Help them learn how to ask higher level questionsMake them compute everyday math problems, %, statistics,

money markets, conversions, geometry problems etc.Speak to them about your career and college experienceGet a large world map and have fun with it.

What do you do to promote critical thinking?

Extend the Social Studies with discussion, films, and internet searches

Answer their questions with a question and if they don’t know the answer have them find it.

Relate all subjects to real lifeSuggestions?

Differentiation Described…..

Within the content area representative topics are explored and webbed, with open ended questions “Curriculum must allow for students to discover the bridges between ideas and fields of study and the paths to new learning”

Slocumb and Monaco (1986)