Differentiated Instruction

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Differentiated Instruction
product
content
process
readiness
interests
strategies
assessment
Flexible grouping
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What is differentiation?

• Differentiation is a philosophy that enables
  teachers to plan strategically in order to reach
  the needs of ALL diverse learners in the
  classroom.
• Differentiation is NOT a set of tools but a
  philosophy that a teacher embraces to reach the
  unique needs of every learner.

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Differentiated Instruction

• Differentiated instruction is a teaching
  philosophy based on the premise that teachers
  should adapt instruction to student differences.
  Rather than marching students through the
  curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their
  instruction to meet students varying readiness
  levels, learning preferences, and interests.
  Therefore, the teacher proactively plans a
  variety of ways to get at and express
  learning.
• Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Why differentiate?

• All kids are different
• One size does NOT fit all
• Differentiation provides all students with access
  to all curriculum

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Beginning the Journey
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Key Principles of a Differentiated Classroom

• The teacher is clear about what matters in
  subject matter.
• The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds
  upon student differences.
• Assessment and instruction are inseparable.
• The teacher adjusts content, process, and product
  in response to student readiness, interests, and
  learning profile.

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More Key Principles

• All students participate in respectful work.
• Students and teachers are collaborators in
  learning.
• Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum
  growth and individual success.
• Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated
  classroom.

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

• There are four student traits that teachers must
  address to ensure effective and efficient
  learning
• Readiness
• Interest
• Learning Profile
• Affect

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Readiness

• Students knowledge, understanding, and skill
  level
• Influenced by prior learning, attitude about
  school, and work habits
• NOT the same as ability

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Interest

• Topics that evoke curiosity and passion
• Some interests will be brought with them to the
  classroom, but it is also important to provide
  opportunities to discover and explore new
  interests.

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Learning Profile

• How students learn best
• Learning style, intelligence preference, culture,
  and gender

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Affect

• How students feel about themselves, their work,
  and the classroom
• Positive student affect will help students become
  more fully engaged and successful in learning

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Classroom Elements

• As teachers respond to student traits, there are
  also classroom elements that can be modified in
  response to variations among students
• Content
• Process
• Product
• Learning environment

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Content

• What teachers teach
• How students gain access to the essential
  knowledge
• Both of these are varied in the differentiated
  classroom

• In a differentiated classroom, students could
  gain access through
• Visual and graphic organizers while lecturing
• Manipulatives or role playing
• Taped passages of text

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Process

• How students make sense of, or understand, the
  information, ideas, and skills
• Examples
• Classroom activities (there are examples of
  differentiated activities in your packet)
• Homework assignments

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Product

• Assessments or demonstrations of what students
  know, understand or are able to do as a result of
  learning
• Examples
• Student projects
• Authentic assessments
• Tests
• Solutions to problems
• Portfolios

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Learning Environment

• The operation and tone of the climate
• The weather that affects everything in the
  classroom (Tomlinson)
• Examples
• Rules
• Furniture arrangement
• Guidelines for how to get help with work
• Procedures

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Linking Student Traits and Classroom Elements

• In differentiated classrooms, teachers
  continually assess student readiness, interest,
  learning profile, and affect. Teachers then use
  what they learn to modify content, process,
  product, and the learning environment to ensure
  maximum learning for each member of the class.
• Tomlinson
• Figure 1.1 provides examples of how a teacher
  might modify classroom elements based on student
  traits, or needs.

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Five Key Needs of Learners

• Affirmation
• Contribution
• Power
• Purpose
• Challenge
• Figure 2.2 shows what students need to know

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Five Key Teacher Responses

• Invitation
• Opportunity
• Investment
• Persistence
• Reflection
• Figure 3.1 examines our responses to student
  needs

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Five Key Characteristics of Effective Curriculum
and Instruction

• Important
• Focused
• Engaging
• Demanding
• Scaffolding
• Figure 5.1 examines what each of these
  characteristics mean

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Scaffolding techniques include

• Varied modes of teaching to reach varying
  learners
• Teacher modeling, organizers, and a variety of
  instructional strategies
• Small group and whole group instruction as well
  as individual coaching
• Varied materials

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Scaffolding Techniques, cont.

• Flexible use of time in response to students
  varied rates of learning
• Peer support mechanisms
• Specific criteria for quality work and coach
  students in achieving those criteria
• Involving learners in establishing personal goals

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Strategies for Important, Focused, Engaging
Curriculum and Instruction

• Focus student products around significant
  problems and issues
• Use meaningful audiences
• Help students discover how ideas and skills are
  useful in the world
• Provide choices that ensure focus
• Look for fresh ways to present and explore ideas
• Share experiences and invite students to do the
  same

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More Strategies

• Use tiered approaches
• Use a variety of rubrics to guide quality
• Provide learner contracts, when appropriate
• Aim high
• Take a no excuses stance
• Become computer savvy

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Even more

• Help students realize success is the result of
  effort
• Use small group instruction
• Establish peer networks
• Promote language proficiency
• Cue and coach student responses
• Team with resource specialists

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Where do I go from here?

• Start slowly, you cant create a differentiated
  classroom in one day
• Organize your classroom space
• Start student files, portfolios, learning logs,
  and/or interactive notebooks
• Use your technology

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Physical Facilities

• From
• Set-up for teacher-centered instruction (separate
  desks)
• Rows of desks
• Bare, unadorned space
• Textbooks and handouts

• To
• Set-up for student-centered instruction (tables
  or groupings)
• Clusters, centers, etc.
• Student work, friendly
• Purposeful materials

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Classroom Climate / Management

• From
• Punishment and rewards
• Teacher-created and enforced rules
• Passive learning
• Solely ability grouping
• Rigid schedule

• To
• Engagement and community
• Students help set and enforce norms
• Purposeful engagement
• Flexible grouping
• Flexible time based on activity

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Activities and Assignments

• From
• Teacher presentation
• Whole-class instruction
• Uniform curriculum
• Short-term lessons
• Memorization and recall
• Short responses, fill-in-the-blank
• Same assignments

• To
• Students experiencing concepts
• Centers, groups, variety
• Topics by students needs or choice
• Extended activities
• Application and problem solving
• Complex responses, evaluations and writing
• Multiple intelligences, cognitive styles

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Language and Communication

• From
• Forced constant silence
• Short responses
• Teacher talk
• Focus on facts

• To
• Noise, conversation alternates with quiet
• Elaborated discussions
• Student-teacher, student-student
• Skills, concepts, synthesis, evaluation

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Student Work and Assessment

• From
• Products for teacher / grading
• No student work displayed
• Identical, imitative products
• Feedback scores or grades
• Seen / scored only by teacher
• Teacher grade book
• Standards set during grading

• To
• Products for real events / audience
• High quality / all students
• Varied and original products
• Substantive, varied, formative feedback
• Public displays and performances
• Student-maintained portfolios, assessments
• Standards co-developed with students

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For more information

• We have several differentiated instruction books
  in our library
• How to Differentiate Instruction
• Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated
  Classroom
• The Differentiated Classroom

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Bibliography

• Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated
  Classroom
• The Differentiated Classroom
• Differentiated Instructional Strategies One Size
  Does Not All

• wvde.state.wv.us/reading/documents/DifferentiatedR
  eadingInstruction11
• internet4classrooms.com
• Photos clip art and personal pictures