Leveraging DI Through Curriculum Implementation

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Leveraging DI Through Curriculum Implementation

• Ron Ballentine
• Cindy Cosentino
• Halton District School Board

cosentinoc_at_hdsb.ca ballentiner_at_hdsb.ca
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2007-2010
DLP Differentiation Learning Plan

• Pre-implementation
• Implementation
• Building Capacity
• Sustaining Capacity

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DLP Differentiation Learning Plan

• Strengths
• Allowed teachers to self-evaluate and select the
  session that best met their learning needs
• Allowed SPD leadership team to develop expertise
• Provided a foundation of understanding in the
  system
• Participants felt well-prepared to implement DI
  in their classroom

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DLP Differentiation Learning Plan

• Areas to improve
• Participants were often isolated, difficult to
  develop a culture of collaboration
• Challenging to provide ongoing support and
  follow-up
• Difficult to ensure the learning was job-embedded

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Science Curriculum Implementation Plan

• Use the implementation of the
• revised science curriculum as a
• context for the
• learning

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Year 12008-2009

• Winter Prepare the way
• Planning team (department heads) developed to
  look at new curriculum and to begin planning for
  roll-out

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Year 12008-2009

• Spring Set the Stage
• Regional sessions each science department was
  brought to a training session
• Goals
• introduce the new curriculum
• frame it within the philosophical shift in
  structure

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Year 22009-2010
Build Leadership Capacity
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Year 22009-2010

• Leaders meetings-5 full day sessions
• Differentiated Instruction
• Literacy
• Assessment and evaluation
• Backward Design
• Facilitation skills

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Year 22009-2010

• Release time provided for in-school
• department time
• Department initiatives
• Cross-school meetings
• Differentiated to meet the needs of the
  department

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Year 22009-2010

• Lesson writing
• Development of teacher-developed lessons that
  model
• Differentiated Instruction
• STSE focus of curriculum
• A E practices

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DI Planner
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Sharing teacher developed resources
Developing a culture of collaboration
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Evaluation
How did it go?
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I felt better prepared to use differentiated
instruction while I worked to implement the new
curriculum.
NA 1 2 3 4 5
Not applicable Strongly disagree Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly Agree
95
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The learning from Science Leaders Sessions has
had a positive impact on the work I do in my
classroom.
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The learning from Science Leaders Sessions has
had a positive impact on the work I do in my role
as a department head.
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The learning from these sessions has had a
positive impact on the work of the other teachers
in my department.
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Year 32010-2011
Consolidate and Sustain Capacity
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Year 32010-2011

• Leaders meetings-4 half days
• Development of department goals to support SIPs
• Sharing of successes and challenges

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What supports would be of assistance to you?

• More specific examples
• Exemplars that I could use in class
• More examples for academic/senior classes
• Demos of lessons
• More continued exemplars of what has worked well
  for other teachers
• Could we see some classes engaged in a
  differentiated lesson to see what it looks like
  in practice

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Sharing of Ministry Resources
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DI and Growing Success

• Using DI as a
• context for all
• the work we are
• doing

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Next steps?

• Looking at the DI planner, what areas in
  KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENT
• and
• INSTRUCTIONAL RESPONSE
• Are you most interested in focusing on next?
• 50 chose PROCESS
• 68 chose READINESS

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Year 32010-2011

• April PD day
• Subject based, used to introduce Growing Success
• Science leaders are planning organizing work
  sessions
• DI is at the core of the work

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Year 32010-2011

• Work Groups
• Continued use of differentiated lesson planner
• Develop strategies to meet the needs of different
  learners (Vernier)
• Smarter Science-differentiation in inquiry
• Focus on learning skills and community building

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Would you recommend this model of department
leader support for other curriculum areas?

• Yes, time to reflect and grow throughout the year
  (better than just a one time thing).
• Yes, it has allowed the Board to become smaller.
  What is happening in Acton is also occurring at
  Burlington Central.
• Absolutely, it enhances student learning through
  teacher professional dev. In specific areas i.e.
  science.

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Would you recommend this model of department
leader support for other curriculum areas?

• I would recommend this model for all curriculum
  areas because it forms a more focused time and
  the opportunity for sharing among leaders.
• Yes, to build consistency (with curriculum, AE,
  DI) between Halton schools, this is very useful.

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Administration Perspective?

• The rollout of the revised science curriculum
  provided Halton the opportunity to simultaneously
  embed differentiated instruction into science
  courses. The evidence of our science teachers
  implementing a differentiated approach is readily
  apparent.

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Administration Perspective?

• "They provided more choice in products and
  process, adapt their delivery to student's
  readiness to learn and frequently rely on
  assessment practices to adjust their lesson
  delivery."
• " Our science teachers are adjusting very well to
  the implementation of the Growing Success policy
  document. The learning introduced through the
  revised curriculum rollout is again showing its
  value.

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Administration Perspective?

• Our science teachers are adjusting very well to
  the implementation of the Growing Success policy
  document. The learning introduced through the
  revised curriculum rollout is again showing its
  value.

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Moving forward

• This 3-year plan is being used by other
  curriculum areas as their documents are revised.

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Questions?