dr. kristi james director of special education, resa 2 courtney pritchard technical assistance...
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Kristi James
Director of Special Education, RESA 2
Courtney Pritchard
Technical Assistance Support Specialist, RESA 2
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Know: A def ini t ion of Di fferent iated Instruct ion What DI is and is not Defini t ions of content, process, product based on student readiness,
interests, and learning prof i les Strategies that can be used to di fferent iate instruct ion
Understand: DI is a way of thinking about teaching & learning and a model for guiding
instruct ional planning that responds to student needs Students’ varied needs are the reason for di fferent iat ion Teachers can di fferent iate content, process, and product based on students’
readiness, interests, and learning prof i les Instruct ional strategies can help teachers implement DI in manageable ways
GOALS FOR SESSION:
Do: Explore characteristics of DILearn key elements of a differentiated classroomAnalyze a differentiated lessonReflect on your own practices and beliefs
KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND DO
DIFFERENTIATION IS…
Individualization
Learning Styles
Instructional Approach
Planned Instruction
Differences among
Learners
Student Interests
Readiness Levels
Personalized Learning
Just for students with labels Every student has part icular interests
and learning preferences, as wel l as
readiness levels that varies over
t ime and context. Each learner needs
appropriate support.
Something extra in the DI is not something you do when the
curriculum real lesson is f inished. I t ’s integral to
ensuring that each student has
access to success with content goals .
Individualization Although i t is the aim of DI to focus
on individuals, i t is not a goal to
make individual lesson plans for each
student.
WHAT DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IS NOT…
EXPLANATION
WHAT DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IS NOT…
EXPLANATIONSomething that happens everyday all day
Whole class instruction is important and effective. Teachersneed to build community as well as attend to students’ individual small group needs.
An approach that “mollycoddles” students or makes them dependent
Effective differentiation always enables a student to do more that a student would be able to without it
All or mostly based onlearning style preference.
Attention to learning style is helpful for some students, but students’ readiness, interest, and learning profiles cannot be left out.
An approach to teaching that advocates active planning for student differences in classrooms, in the context of high quality curriculums.
Carol A. Tomlinson
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IS
It means we proactively plan varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they will show what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he/she can, as effi ciently as possible.
How do we know what our students need?
AS A TEACHER, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO ME?
Elements of Differentiation
Content: (The What) Tiered lessons with varied task complexity, learning contracts, learning centers, wide range of texts
Process: (The How) Learning centers, learning contracts, varied time allotments, assorted grouping structures , varied levels of support
Product: (The End) Variation of homework, journal prompts, quizzes or tests, assignment options
Environment: Seating arrangements, heat, light, culturally and linguistically responsive visuals
Examples of modifying content:
Using reading materials at varying readability levels
Presenting ideas/concepts through both auditory and visual means
Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
Tomlinson, 2000
CONTENT: THE WHAT
Examples of modifying process:
Using activities with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity
Interest centers Manipulatives Varying the length of time
Tomlinson, 2000
PROCESS: THE HOW
The purpose of small-group instruction is to meet the needs of all students in your classroom in a powerful way that will accelerate their learning.
Debbie Diller, Making the Most of Small Groups, 2007
SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION/CENTERS
Examples of modifying the learning environment:
Creating places to work quietly and places that invite student collaboration
Providing materials that refl ect a variety of cultures and home settings
Clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs
Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students
Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly
Tomlinson, 2000
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Examples of modifying the product:
Rubrics that match and extend students’ varied skill levels
Menus Allowing students to work alone or in small
groups on their products Encouraging students to create their own
product assignments as long as the assignments contain required standards.
Tomlinson, 2000
PRODUCT: THE END
How students’ emotions and feeling impact their learning… they impact motivation to learn, ability to work with others, and ones self-concept as a learner.
Positive affects toward learning opens the door to academic growth and negative affects does the opposite.
AFFECT
ReadinessInterestsLearning Profiles
STUDENT NEED & VARIANCE
Teaching Channel
New Teacher Survival Guide: DI Science
9-12
VIDEO
The Ultimate Vacation
EXAMPLE OF DI LESSON
Mix and MatchExit SlipsCup StackingPass the PlateWikki StixText Message SummaryWindow PaneFour Corners
DI STRATEGIES
SPL is a system of support designed to meet the needs of ALL WV students ranging from those exceeding State-approved grade-level standards to those not meeting grade-level standards. Curriculum based on the State standards and high quality instruction are essential for maximizing student success. SPL is a framework for suggested best practice and supports collaborative decision-making as a process for meeting an individual student’s needs by providing a multi-level configuration of support: CORE, TARGETED, INTENSIVE and SPECIAL EDUCATION.
Source: http:/ /wvde.state.wv.us/spl/curriculum.html
SUPPORT FOR PERSONALIZED LEARNING
As with all other human characteristics, learning is diverse and different for each learner. It is a function of heredity, experience, perspectives, backgrounds, talents, interests, capacities, needs, and the unpredictable flow of any particular life.
Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroomby: Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau
