TRUMBULL COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER

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TRUMBULL COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER

• LEADING FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

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Differentiated InstructionMines Elementary
October 18, 2007

• Dale Lennon
• Director of Pupil Services
• Trumbull County Educational Service Center
• Niles, Ohio

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2006-07 Building Report Card

• Designation Excellent
• Indicators Met 10/10
• Performance Index 102.1
• AYP Met
• School Improvement Status OK

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2006-07 District Report Card

• Designation Excellent
• Indicators Met 29/30
• Performance Index 99.9
• AYP Not Met
• District Improvement Status At Risk

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AYP Summary
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District Consequences
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District Consequences
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District Consequences
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Building Subgroup Status (Reading)
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Building Subgroup Status (Math)
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2007-08 AYP Targets
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AYP The Perfect Storm

• AYP target for students with disabilities not
  met.
• Higher annual targets.
• Increasingly severe consequences each year a
  district or building remains in school
  improvement.
• Lack of information about how to increase
  achievement of students with disabilities.

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Options

• Hope the law changes and do nothing .
• Advocate for changes in the law.
• Improve the performance of all students.
• Develop a strategic plan for improving the
  performance of students with disabilities.
• Implement effective, evidence-based instructional
  practices for all students, with emphasis on
  students in subgroup(s) that do not meet AYP.

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Evidence-based Practice Differentiated
Instruction

• Supported by empirical evidence.
• Applicable across all grades and content areas.
• Designed to promote the achievement of all
  students and all subgroups.
• Does not require specialized training or
  materials.
• May be implemented incrementally.

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Differentiated Instruction
Differentiation is a teaching concept in which
the classroom teacher plans for the diverse needs
of students. The teacher must consider such
differences as the students

• Learning styles, skill levels, and rates.
• Learning difficulties.
• Language proficiency.
• Background experiences and knowledge.
• Interests.
• Motivation.

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What Is Differentiation?

• A teachers response to learner needs.
• The recognition of students varying background
  knowledge and preferences.
• Instruction that appeals to students
  differences.

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Differentiated Instruction Is Based on the
Following Beliefs

• Students differ in their learning profiles.
• Classrooms in which students are active learners,
  decision makers and problem solvers are more
  natural and effective than those in which
  students are served a one-size-fits-all
  curriculum and treated as passive recipients of
  information.
• Covering information takes a backseat to making
  meaning out of important ideas.

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What It Isnt

• The same as individualization.
• Just another way to group kids.
• Expecting less of struggling learners than of
  typical learners.
• A substitute for specialized services.
• A separate lesson plan for each student.
• New.

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Comparing Classrooms

• Traditional Differentiated
• Single definition of Excellence defined by
• excellence. individual growth.
• Whole class instruction Many instructional
• dominates. arrangements used.
• Student differences masked/ Student differences
  used
• acted on when problematic. as a basis for
  planning.
• Teacher directs student Teacher guides students
  to
• behavior. be self-reliant learners.

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Comparing Classrooms

• Traditional Differentiated
• A single text prevails. Multiple materials
  provided.
• A single assessment form Students assessed
  multiple
• used. ways.
• Coverage of curriculum Student readiness,
  interest,
• guides texts shapes learning profile shape
• instruction. instruction.
• Assessment at end of Assessment is ongoing and
  learning to see who diagnostic to understand how
• got it. to make instruction better.

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Teachers Can Differentiate
Content
Process
Product
According to Students
Interest
Learning Profile
Readiness
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom
Responding to the Needs of All Learners
(Tomlinson, 1999)
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Why Differentiate?

• Required by Ohio Operating Standards.
• All kids are different.
• One size does not fit all.
• Differentiation provides all students with access
  to all curriculum.

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Hallmarks Of Differentiated Classrooms

• Teachers begin instruction where students are,
  not at the beginning of the textbook or
  designated curriculum starting point.
• Teachers ensure that students compete against
  themselves rather than each other.
• Teachers use time flexibly, employ a variety of
  instructional strategies, hold all students to
  high standards (relative to their individual
  starting points).

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Assessment In Differentiated Classrooms

• Underlying Beliefs
• Everything a student says and does is a potential
  source of assessment data.
• Assessment should be an ongoing process should
  maximize the opportunities for each student.

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Dimensions Of Differentiation

• Differentiating Content
• Content refers to the concepts, principles, and
  skills that teachers want students to learn.
• Teachers should address the same content with all
  students but adjust the degree of complexity.
• Teachers may direct advanced students who think
  abstractly to more complex texts and web sites
  while providing less accomplished students with
  reading buddies, videos, demonstrations, etc.

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Differentiating Content

• Examples of differentiating content
• using reading material at varying readability
  levels.
• using multiple spelling or vocabulary lists.
• meeting with small groups of students to extend
  or reteach curriculum.

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Dimensions Of Differentiation

• Differentiating Process
• Process refers to the activities that help
  students make sense of the ideas skills being
  taught.
• Teachers can provide some students with more
  complexity, others with scaffolding (step-by-step
  directions, reteaching, additional models)
  depending on the students level of readiness
  relative to the topic.
• Process can be varied by student interest and
  learning preferences.

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Differentiating Process

• Examples of differentiating process
• hands-on support such as math manipulatives.
• interest centers.
• tiered activities.
• using personal agenda (task lists based on
  individual goals).

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Dimensions Of Differentiation

• Differentiating Product
• Products refer to culminating projects that allow
  students to demonstrate and extend what they have
  learned.
• Products reveal whether students can apply
  learning beyond the classroom to solve problems
  and take action.
• Different products can be assigned based on
  readiness levels, interests, learning
  preferences, etc.

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Differentiating Product

• Examples of differentiating product
• options to demonstrate learning (write a letter,
  create a diorama).
• rubrics that match differing readiness levels.
• individual versus group products.

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Dimensions Of Differentiation

• Differentiating the learning environment
• Learning environment is the way the classroom
  works and feels.
• Examples of differentiating learning environment
• making sure there are places in the classroom to
  work quietly, without distraction and places that
  invite student collaboration.
• providing materials that reflect a variety of
  cultures and home settings.

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Example 4th Grade Reading

• Establishing a Point of View in Narratives
• Benchmark D Differentiate between the points of
  view in narrative text.
• Indicator 4 Identify the speaker and recognize
  the difference between the first and third-
  person narration
• Sample differentiations
• Use a variety of selections that reflect the
  reading levels and interests of students in pre
  and post assessments.
• Read story aloud, allow oral responses.

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Example 5th Grade Reading

• Plot Connections
• Benchmark C Identify the elements of plot and
  establish a connection between an element and a
  future event.
• Indicator 3Identify the main incidents of a plot
  sequence and explain how they influence future
  action.
• Sample differentiation
• Have students describe cause/effect relationships
  from everyday life.
• Have students identify similar connections in
  other works like movies, television shows or
  video games.

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Example 3rd Grade Science

• Properties of Soil
• Benchmark C Describe Earths resources including
  rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and
  the ways in which they can be conserved.
• Indicator 5 Investigate the properties of soil
  (e.g., color, texture, capacity to retain water,
  ability to support plant growth).
• Sample differentiation
• Make extra copies of completed webs or graphic
  organizers to assist students who have difficulty
  organizing information.
• Provide a partner or scribe for students who have
  difficulty writing observations.

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Example 4th Grade Math

• Data Analysis and Probability
• Benchmark C Construct charts, tables and graphs
  to represent data, including picture graphs, bar
  graphs, line graphs, line plots and Venn
  diagrams.
• Indicator 2 Represent and interpret data using
  tables, bar graphs, line plots and line graphs.
• Sample differentiation
• Provide pre-made forms to create the graphs.
  These would have blank lines for axis labels and
  for the title, and preset intervals.
• If students are having difficulty creating
  questions, provide example interpretation
  questions for them to use when creating the ones
  for their own graphs.
• s.

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Example 5th Grade Social Studies

• Our Heritage.
• Benchmark B Describe the cultural patterns that
  are evident in North America today as a result of
  exploration, colonization and conflict.
• Indicator 4 Describe the lasting effects of
  Spanish, French and English colonization in North
  America including cultural patterns evident today
  such as language, food, traditions and
  architecture.
• Sample differentiation
• Pair or group students to collaborate on the
  collection, organization and presentation of
  information about their topics of interest.
• Pre-select resources for students who may have
  difficulty locating information.
• s.

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How To Differentiate And Keep Students On The
Same Page?

• The teacher must be clear about what he/she wants
  the students to learn as a result of this segment
  of learning.
• The teacher should focus on a key concept or big
  idea as well as a key skill that helps the
  students work with that concept.

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How To Keep Students on the Same Page

• Designs activities that aid all students in
  understanding this same big idea.
• Use the same basic skill at different levels of
  simplicity vs. complexity or concreteness vs.
  abstractness.
• All students have the opportunity to make sense
  of the essential understandings at a level that
  provides the appropriate degree of challenge.

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Instructional Strategies
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Instructional Strategies
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Downside Experiences of Some Teachers

• Modifications were improvised or reactive.
• Too much to cover made modifications ineffective.
• Modifying materials, changing instructional
  strategies, making long range plans, and adapting
  assessment/grading criteria too overwhelming.
• Unable to address ways culture and race impact
  student interest and learning preferences.

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Current Status Of Differentiation In Classrooms

• Without a pre-assessment process many teachers
  operate under the assumption that all students
  need the same instruction.
• Most instructional variations that are made use
  tailoring (keeping content, activities, products
  the same for all learners making small
  adjustments) but not differentiation.

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What Do We Know?

• That instruction that is responsive to student
  readiness, interest, and learning profiles
  promotes the achievement of AYP.
• That many teachers need to reconstruct their
  understanding of how students learn, how learning
  varies and how students should be taught to
  promote student achievement.
• That consistent, reflective, proactive teacher
  attention to differentiation makes a difference.

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Differentiating Instruction How To Begin

• Start small try a differentiated task for a
  small block of time.
• Take notes take notes so you know what works and
  what doesnt for various learners.
• Assess before you teach a new topic and use
  results to guide the differentiation.

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Starting

• Envision how an activity will take place write
  out procedures,think about what might go wrong,
  plan alternative options.
• Reflect were all students engaged in learning?
  Did grouping (size, arrangements) work? Note what
  to keep as well as what requires modification.

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Begin Slowly Just Begin!
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Resources

• National Center on Accessing the General
  Curriculum
• http//www.cast.org/ncac/
• Access Center
• http// www.k8accesscenter.org

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References/resources

• Differentiation
• http//www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/elementary.html
  
• Carol Tomlinson on Differentiation
• http//www.education.pitt.edu/leaders/FAQ/differen
  tiatedinstruc.htm
• Differentiation site with helpful links to
  components of Differentiation
• Assessment
• Curriculum-based measurement
• http//www.studentprogress.org
• Ohio Instructional Management System (IMS)
• https//ims.ode.state.oh.us/ode/ims/rrt/research/
  Content/grouping_what_this_means.asp

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Differentiated Instruction

• For additional information, please contact
• Dale Lennon
• Director of Pupil Services
• Trumbull County Educational Service Center
• Niles, Ohio
• [phone], Ex. 133
• Dale.Lennon_at_neomin.Org
• PowerPoint Presentation available from
• http//www.trumbull.k12.oh.us/departments/sped/web
  res.htm

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TRUMBULL COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER

• LEADING FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE