LOSING SIGHT OF THE SHORE

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LOSING SIGHT OF THE SHORE

• DIFFERENTIATING CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
• Heartland Curriculum Network
• Mary Schmidt
• School Improvement Consultant
• Heartland AEA 11
• mschmidt_at_aea11.k12.ia.us

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WHAT ARE YOU?

• Enthusiast?
• Explorer?
• Sightseer?
• Vacationer?
• Prisoner?

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SHARING MY PASSION
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You cannot discover new oceans unless you have
the courage to lose sight of the shore.
G
You cannot discover new oceans unless you have
the courage to lose sight of the shore.
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IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

• What is differentiation?
• Why is it important?
• How is it accomplished?
• Where does collaboration fit in?
• How does one assess the success of efforts to
  differentiate?
• What are the recommendations for instructional
  leaders in schools ready to differentiate?

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GUIDING ASSUMPTIONS

• A teach to the middle or one size fits all
  classroom is less responsive to and less
  effective in meeting the needs of the diverse
  populations in our classrooms than a classroom
  which offers various learning opportunities
  designed to meet different learning needs.
• A differentiated classroom offers different
  approaches to what students learn, how they learn
  it, and how they demonstrate what theyve learned.

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GUIDING ASSUMPTIONS

• Flexible grouping enables teachers to match
  student with learning experience.
• Developing a differentiated classroom takes time,
  support, and commitment.

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WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATION?
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DIFFERENTIATION ala...

• WEBSTER
• to make unlike to develop specialized
  differences in
• TOMLINSON
• shaking up what goes on in the classroom so
  that the curriculum is a better fit for all.

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DIFFERENTIATION ala...

• WINEBRENNER
• ...giving kids stuff their age peers cant
  handle and wouldnt want to.
• PASSOW
• SHOULD all kids do it?
• COULD all kids do it?
• WOULD all kids want to?
• If the answer to any of these questions is yes
  then it isnt differentiated.

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DIFFERENTIATION ala...

• MAKER
• Quality changes rather than quantity, and they
  must build upon and extend the characteristics
  (both present and future) that make the children
  different from other students.

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DIFFERENTIATION ala...

• BORLAND
• a course of study that is in some manner
  different from the one to which students in the
  mainstream are exposedDifferentiation is not
  enough. To be appropriate, a curriculum
  forstudents must be defensible as
  wellDefensibility in this context implies that
  the curriculum is not only different from the
  norm, but educationally right forstudents.

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DIFFERENTIATION INVOLVES...

• creating specialized differences in curricular
  experiences
• creating multiple options for knowledge
  acquisition, sense-making, and product creation
• providing different work, not more of the same
• building on the characteristics which create
  differences
• providing what is educationally right for learners

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WHY DIFFERENTIATE?
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ITS THE LAW!

• 12.5(12)Provisions for gifted and talented
  students. Each school district shall incorporate
  gifted and talented programming into its
  comprehensive school improvement plan as required
  by Iowa Code section 257.43. The comprehensive
  school improvement plan shall include the
  following gifted and talented program provisions
• valid and systematic procedures, including
  multiple selection criteria for identifying
  gifted and talented students from the total
  student population
• goals and performance measures
• a qualitatively differentiated program to meet
  the students cognitive and affective needs
• staffing provisions
• an in-service design
• a budget
• qualifications of personnel administering the
  program.
• Each school district shall review and evaluate
  its gifted and talented programming. This subrule
  does not apply to accredited nonpublic schools.

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REDUCE RISK OF UNDERACHIEVEMENT

• Smart children soon learn that what is important
  in school is one thing--and what is important in
  life is another, and they live in this
  schizophrenic existence satisfactorily. Many,
  however, do not. Everything we learn doesn't have
  to be relevant. But if some of our school
  learning isnt meaningful, we may get turned off
  enough so that we dont want to learn anything
  anywhere. We may simply drop out.
• William Glasser
• Schools Without Failure

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ALLEVIATE DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS

• DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS REFLECT A COLLISION WITH
  INAPPROPRIATE CURRICULUM.
• --Susan Winebrenner

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INCREASE MOTIVATION

• TWO MOTIVATIONAL STATES INTERFERE WITH LEARNING.
  ONE IS ANXIETY THE OTHER IS BOREDOM. ANXIETY
  OCCURS WHEN TEACHERS EXPECT TOO MUCH, BOREDOM
  WHEN THEY EXPECT TOO LITTLE.
• Mihaly Csikezentmihalyi
• Flow the Psychology of Optimal Experience

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ADDRESS LEARNER READINESS

• WHEN WE TEACH THE SAME THING TO ALL KIDS AT THE
  SAME TIME,
• 1/3 ALREADY KNOW IT,
• 1/3 GET IT, AND
• 1/3 NEVER WILL.
• SO 2/3 OF THE KIDS ARE WASTING THEIR TIME.
• --Scott Willis

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BUILD SELF ESTEEM

• THE SUREST PATH TO POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM IS TO
  SUCCEED AT SOMETHING WHICH ONE PERCEIVED WOULD BE
  DIFFICULT. EACH TIME WE STEAL A STUDENTS
  STRUGGLE, WE STEAL THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO
  BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE. THEY MUST LEARN TO DO HARD
  THINGS TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES.
• --Sylvia Rimm

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NORMAL IS ONLY A SETTING ON THE WASHING MACHINE
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THAT STUDENTS DIFFER MAY BE INCONVENIENT, BUT IT
IS INESCAPABLE. ADAPTING TO THAT DIVERSITY IS THE
INEVITABLE PRICE OF PRODUCTIVITY, HIGH STANDARDS,
AND FAIRNESS TO THE STUDENTS. --Theodore Sizer
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WAYS IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS CAN DIFFER

• Prior knowledge or skill expertise
• Learning rate
• Cognitive ability
• Learning style preference
• Motivation, attitude, and effort
• Interest, strength, or talent

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THE GRADE LEVEL CURRICULUM

• exposes all students to the same skills and
  content
• sets predetermined completion times
• stresses a single activity
• expects all students to achieve all objectives

• provides most instruction in large groups

• bases instruction on the average student

• uses limited single resources

• provides few student decision making opportunities

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WHAT CAN BE DIFFERENTIATED?
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• CONTENT--What students learn
• PROCESS--How they learn it
• PRODUCT--How students show what theyve learned
• LEARNING ENVIRONMENT--The conditions under which
  learning takes shape

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DIFFERENTIATING CONTENT INCLUDES

• Modification of the rate of learning including
• The point at which learners are allowed to begin
  study
• The rate at which they are allowed to learn
• The point at which they leave an area of study
• Opportunities for student-selected areas of study
  within and across disciplines.
• The modification of the complexity in the area of
  study.
• A multidisciplinary approach to learning.

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DIFFERENTIATING PROCESS INCLUDES

• Learning and using higher order thinking skills
• creative thinking
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• Application of abstract thinking skills to
  student-appropriate content resulting in products
  at a level of sophistication appropriate for the
  student
• Integration of basic skills and abstract thinking
  skills

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DIFFERENTIATING PRODUCT INCLUDES

• Learning and using multiple forms for
  communicating learning
• The opportunity to present information to diverse
  and appropriate audiences
• The opportunity for learners to participate in
  the assessment of learning activities and the
  resulting product forms

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DIFFERENTIATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT INCLUDES

• Groupings which are fluid and flexible and
  approximate real-life situations
• Access to various materials and resources
• An atmosphere which encourages expression of new
  ideas, acceptance of diversity, and exploration
• Experiences reflecting learner interests and
  ideas
• Honoring the dignity of all learners

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IN DIFFERENTIATED CLASSROOMS, TEACHERS...

• begin where students are, not at the front of the
  curriculum guide.
• build upon the premise that learners differ in
  important ways.
• engage students through different learning
  modalities, by appealing to different interests,
  and by using varying rates of instruction and
  degrees of complexity.
• ensures that students focus more on individual
  growth than on competition with other students.
• recognize that each students roadmap to learning
  differs from that of others.
• believe that students should be held to high
  standards.

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IN DIFFERENTIATED CLASSROOMS, TEACHERS...

• ensure that struggling, advanced, and in-between
  learners think and work harder than they meant
  to achieve more than they thought they could
  and come to believe that learning involves
  effort, risk, and personal triumph.
• help students learn that success is achieved
  through hard work.
• use time flexibly.
• employ a range of instructional strategies.
• become partners in learning with their students.
• accept, embrace, and plan for the commonalities
  and differences learners bring to their
  classrooms.

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INDICATORS OF DIFFERENTIATION

• Consistent use of pretesting
• A decrease in the frequency of large group
  activities
• An increase in
• Small group teaching activities
• Flexible small group learning activities
• An increase in individual alternatives
• Centers
• Homework
• Contracts

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THE DIFFERENTIATION PROCESS

• Objective
• Introduction
• Initial instruction
• Pretesting
• Diagnosis

Branching Out
Managing Flexible Small Groups
Alternative Activities Adjusting the Breadth
Tiered Assignments Altering the Depth
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OFFERING ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIESTo Increase the
Breadth of a Lesson

• MISSION CONTROL (The Teacher)
• PROVIDES
• Whole Group Introduction and Instruction and
  Launches Satellites (small groups) on Alternative
  Activities

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TIERED ACTIVITIESTo Alter the Depth of a Lesson
INCREASE/DECREASE

• KEY FEATURES

• Abstraction

• Whole Group Introduction

• Extent of Support

• Whole Group Initial Instruction

• Sophistication

• Complexity

• Identification of Developmental Differences

of Goals/Resources/Activities/ Products
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DIFFERENTIATION AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
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COLLABORATION IS...

• THE DIRECT INTERACTION BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO
  EQUAL PARTIES WHO VOLUNTARILY ENGAGE IN SHARED
  DECISION-MAKING AS THEY WORK TOWARD A COMMON GOAL.

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HOW DO GIFTED STUDENTS SPEND THEIR TIME?
(Starko, 1986)
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COLLABORATIVE DIFFERENTIATION REQUIRES...

• the input of teachers, parents, learners,
  mentors, gifted/special education specialists,
  counselors, administrators, and any other parties
  with an interest in the education of the
  individual
• a knowledge of the learners interests, learning
  styles, level of motivation, social-emotional
  needs, and cognitive ability
• time for collaboration to occur
• individualization for the learner under
  consideration

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• careful selection of the appropriate programming
  option or strategy tailored to meet the
  identified needs of the learner
• construction of the IEP/PEP designed for the
  learner
• monitoring of learner needs, progress, and goal
  attainment
• regular communication among all parties with an
  interest in the learners progress

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INSTRUCTIONAL QUESTIONS FOR COLLABORATIVE
DECISION MAKING

• What skills/concepts/behaviors/strategies does
  the learner currently have?
• What skills/concepts/behaviors/strategies does
  the learner need to learn?
• How does the learner learn best?
• How will all parties know when the learner is
  progressing?

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WHEN ALL THOSE WITH AN INTEREST IN MEETING THE
COGNITIVE, CONATIVE, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS
OF STUDENTS

• A. WORK AS A TEAM
• B. PURSUE A COMMON GOAL
• C. DISPLAY MUTUAL RESPECT
• D. SHARE RESPONSIBILITY AND
• ACCOUNTABILITY
• E. SUBLIMATE THEIR OWN INTERESTS

THEN
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STUDENTS WILL FLOURISH AS THEIR NEEDS ARE MET
THROUGH A COLLABORATIVELY DIFFERENTIATED
CURRICULUM.
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HOW DO I KNOW ITS WORKING?

• LISTEN TO AND OBSERVE THE KIDS
• MONITOR AND MEASURE ATTAINMENT OF GOALS
• DEVELOP BEHAVIORIAL CHECKLISTS
• YOU SEE MOTIVATED, ENGAGED, SELF-DIRECTED
  LEARNERS ABLE TO FUNCTION AND THRIVE WITHIN AN
  ENVIRONMENT WHICH CHALLENGES THEM.

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WHERE DO WE BEGIN?THE POLICY LEVEL

• DEVELOP BOARD, DISTRICT, AND SCHOOL GOALS
  CENTERED ON MAXIMIZING EACH STUDENTS LEARNING
  CAPACITY.
• DEVELOP STEADY AND CONSISTENT LONG-TERM GOALS FOR
  FUNDING, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, HIRING, TEACHER AND
  ADMINISTRATOR ASSESSMENT, AND POLICY MAKING.
• STUDY AND PLAN FOR THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THE
  CHANGE PROCESS IN REGARD TO DIFFERENTIATION.

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WHERE DO WE BEGIN?THE BUILDING LEVEL

• BEGIN SMALL. TRY A FEW PILOT TEACHERS AND
  CLASSROOMS.
• BEGIN WITH TEACHERS WHO HAVE THE SKILL AND WILL
  TO CHANGE.
• CREATE TEAMS OF TEACHERS. COLLEGIALTIY, NOT
  ISOLATION, NOURISHES NEW IDEAS.
• GO FOR ACTION AND APPLICATION.
• ADJUST SCHOOL SCHEDULES TO PROVIDE TEACHERS
  LARGER BLOCKS OF UNINTERRUPTED TIME.

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WHERE DO WE BEGIN?THE BUILDING LEVEL

• CONSIDER ADOPTING MULTIPLE TEXTS INSTEAD OF ONE
  FOR A GIVEN SUBJECT AND GRADE LEVEL.
• CONSIDER MODIFIED REPORT CARDS TO PROVIDE A LOOK
  AT PERSONAL GROWTH INSTEAD OF, OR IN ADDITION TO,
  GROUP COMPARISONS.
• CONSIDER NARROWING THE RANGE OF LEARNERS IN SOME
  CLASSROOMS.
• DEVELOP COTEACHING AND COLLABORATIVE
  RELATIONSHIPS.

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EFFECTIVE LEADERS WILL...

• make time for teachers to plan differentiated
  lessons.
• provide opportunities to visit differentiated
  classrooms.
• give access to a wide range of learner materials.
• create an environment where teachers feel safe
  trying a new approach w/o fear of judgement.
• give meaningful, targeted feedback about
  teachers work with differentiation.
• provide support networks.

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YOUVE EITHER GOT TO SEE THE LIGHT OR FEEL THE
HEAT.
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REMEMBER THAT NOTHING THATS GOOD WORKS BY ITSELF
JUST TO PLEASE YOU. YOUVE GOT TO MAKE THE DAMN
THING WORK.--Thomas Edison
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If you want to feel safe and secure, continue to
do what you have always done.If you want to
grow, go to the cutting edge of our
profession.Just know that when you do, there
will be a temporary loss of sanity.So know when
you dont quite know what you are doingYou are
probably growing! --Madeline Hunter
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T.T.T.

• Put up in a place where its easy to see,
• The cryptic admonishment,
• T.T.T.
• When you feel how depressingly slow you climb
• Its well to remember that
• THINGS TAKE TIME.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION...

• http//www.aea11.k12.ia.us/curriculum/differentiat
  ed.html