Differentiation A SelfGuided Presentation Jennifer Frisch Patrice Jones

Differentiation: A Self-Guided Presentation Jennifer Frisch Patrice Jones CCSD Lead Teachers

Link to the sections which meet your needs: Basic Principles of Differentiation Methodology Classroom Practices Strategies and Sample Lessons References and Resources

SECTION 1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DIFFERENTIATION

Elements of Differentiation • • The teacher focuses on the essentials The teacher attends to student differences Assessment and instruction are inseparable The teacher modifies content, process, and products • All students participate in respectful work

Elements of Differentiation (continued) • The teacher and students collaborate in learning • The teacher balances group and individual norms • The teacher and students work together flexibly From: Tomlinson, Carol Ann The Differentiated Classroom

Comparing Classrooms • • TRADITIONAL Student differences are masked Assessment comes at the end of learning Narrow sense of intelligence Learning styles not considered • • DIFFERENTIATED Student differences used as basis for planning Assessment ongoing and diagnostic Multiple forms of intelligence are considered

Comparing Classrooms • • TRADITIONAL Student interest infrequently tapped Few learning profiles taken into account Whole-class instruction dominates Coverage of curriculum drives instruction • • DIFFERENTIATED Students make interestbased learning choices Many learning profiles provided for Many instructional arrangements used Student readiness, interest, and learning profile shape instruction

Comparing Classrooms TRADITIONAL DIFFERENTIATED • Few assignment options • Multi-optioned assignments frequently • Time is inflexible used • Teacher uses single text • Teacher directs student • Time is used flexibly according to student learning need • Single form of • Many materials used assessment used • Teacher facilitates student learning • Students assessed multiple ways

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SECTION 2 METHODOLOGY

Differentiation is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs guided by : Flexible Grouping Respectful Tasks Ongoing Assessment Main Menu

Respectful Tasks Are • Clearly understood by students • Relevant to students, and connected to the world they know. • Authentic, offering real connections, not just paper and pencil exercises • Conceptual by nature • Challenging but not overwhelming to the learners • Adjusted to student readiness, interest, and learning profile

Flexible Grouping • Whole group instruction has a place in a differentiated classroom, albeit small. The majority of times students should work independently or in small groups. The groups should vary depending on the task.

Assessment Formative Summative Return

Formative Assessment: Formative assessment is ongoing and diagnostic. Its goal is to provide teachers with day-to-day data on students readiness and skills, as well as their interests and styles of learning. Assessment is used to modify instruction. It may come from a myriad of sources such as whole class discussion, small group discussion, skill inventories, pretests, and homework assignments.

Summative Assessment – Performance Based At benchmark points in learning such as the end of a unit, teachers may use assessment to formally record student learning growth. Again, a variety of types of assessment may be used. Summative assessment should require specific performance objectives of which students are informed well in advance.

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Section 3 PUTTING DIFFERENTIATION INTO PRACTICE

Teachers Can Differentiate by: Content Process Product Main Menu

Content is what a student should know, understand, or be able to do as a result of the study. All students should be held accountable for the basic standards, but teachers direct students who show mastery of the content toward deeper understandings or alternative curriculum connections.

Examples of Content Differentiation: • Providing supplemental resources on a reading level more appropriate for students • Breaking down understandings into simpler concepts • Adding depth to a student’s learning by providing online resources

Process means the activities or strategies used in class to help the student make sense of or “own” the content. Processes may vary according to student learning styles and interests. For example, kinesthetic learners may find making a clay model or building a three dimensional representation a more interesting way of learning content.

Examples of Process Differentiation • • • Tiered Assignments Learning centers Multiple intelligences assignments Graphic organizers Learning logs Concept attainment

Product A product is a vehicle through which a student shows what he or she has come to understand can do as a result of a unit of learning. It is not about pieces of work students produce from day to day. This could be a test or a performance-based assessment which requires applying information in a different context.

Types of Products • • • Unit tests Visual displays Narrated Power Points Plays Research projects And many more

Teachers Can Differentiate by: Readiness Interests Learning Profile

Readiness Assessing a student’s understanding prior to instruction is vital to differentiating based on readiness or prior knowledge. Instruction and learning activities must be structured then to be more suitable to the students’ current understandings. Students with less-developed readiness may need help identifying and making up the gaps in their learning, more opportunities for direct instruction, more structured activities, and a more deliberate pace of learning. Students with advanced skills and understandings may need to skip practice with previously mastered skills, more complex activities, and the pace of work may need to be more brisk or slowed to allow for greater exploration of a topic.

Interests Interest refers to a child’s curiosity or passion for a topic. If a student has had a prior learning experience or life activity that relates to what is being learned in the classroom, then he/she may be more interested in a topic. If teachers focus on students’ interests from time to time and make an effort include them in instruction, then students will be more open to new topics in which they are not particularly interested.

Learning Profile Learning profile has to do with how a person learns. There are many measures such as learning style and multiple intelligence profiles which tell teachers about student learning preferences. A student’s culture and gender also affect how they learn and should be considered when planning appropriate instruction. For example, some students might prefer to work alone and write about their learning while others would learn better by being able to talk about what they are learning and voice their understandings.

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Section 4 Differentiation Strategies and Sample Lessons

Differentiation Strategies Beginning classroom differentiation requires sharing the ideas with students and explaining the reasoning behind the changes you are making. There are simple, day-to-day strategies which help differentiate lessons and also methods of differentiating entire lessons. Beginners may want to start with the less Main complex differentiation techniques. Menu Assessment Day to Day Strategies Unit Strategies

Assessment Strategies There are two basic types of assessment. Most teachers are very familiar with summative assessment, measuring learning at the end of a unit. However, for differentiated classrooms, the formative or ongoing assessment of student learning throughout the teaching and learning process is likely the most critical. Formative Summative

Types of Formative Assessment Pre. Assessements: • Vocabulary Exposure • Scavenger Hunts • Anticipation Guides • Tickets out of the Door Main Menu Assessment Strategies Checklists: • Teacher • Student • Frame of Reference Consensus: • Four corners • Consensogram • Facts in Five • 1 -3 -6

Vocabulary Exposure • Six Levels of Vocabulary Development: • Learning to read words already in oral vocabulary • Learning new meanings (content specific) for known words • Learning new words for known concepts • Learning new words representing new concepts • Clarifying and enriching meanings of known words • Using words currently in the students’ receptive vocabulary in their expressive or productive vocabulary. Types of Formative Assessment

Scavenger Hunt • Prepare a set of questions on a topic • Group students • Each student read the questions and chooses one to be the expert on. • Answer the question on their sheet • Students then use other students and resources to get answers to other questions • When time is called students return to groups Types of to verify answers and complete Formative Assessment

Anticipation Guide • Prepare a series of statements related to the reading or other input source • Have students indicate whether they think the statement is true or false before reading. • Students then read selection, watch video or demonstration. • Students then answer same questions again after material is given. • They discuss any information that made them change their thinking. Types of Formative Assessment

Ticket out the Door • Used at the end of period, have student write response to stem on index cards • Select an appropriate stem for students to response to • Stand at the door and collect the “tickets” as they leave. – Example of Stem: List the most interesting thing you learned today and tell why you chose it. Types of Formative Assessment

Teacher Checklists • Developing a checklist in advance of assigning a task helps the teacher determine exactly what his/her objectives for that task will be. This minimizes subjectivity in grading and can easily be used to develop an assessment rubric. Checklists eliminate the mystery of assessment criteria. Note: See link in resource section Types of Formative Assessment

Student Checklists • Students can develop checklists of the requirements to complete tasks. They encourage students to self-monitor their progress which affects their learning.

Sample Student Checklist Types of Formative Assessment

Frame of Reference • Topic or Subject is placed in the center of the frame where a picture would be. • Words or phrases are written by students in “mat” area to tell what comes to mind when they think about at the topic • In the “frame” area, students write down how they know what they know: sources, people, events that influenced their thinking Sample Frame Types of Formative Assessment

Four Corners • Pose a question that has multiple answers or asks to rank order options • After thinking about their answers, student move to the corner of the room that is designed for that response. • Students in their corners why they chose the answer • Volunteers from each corner share the groups consensus Types of Formative Assessment

Consensogram • Write the list of percentages 0 -100 in increments of ten on the board. • Students place a post-it-note next to the percentage that represents how much they think they currently know about the subject or topic Types of Formative Assessment

Facts in Five • Student write what they think are the five most important concepts or facts on topic • Group student in fives and groups generate a consensus of five concepts • Share with class Types of Formative Assessment

1 -3 -6 • Follow as format of facts in five, they work individually first, then group students in threes then sixes Types of Formative Assessment

Types of Summative Assessment Performance Tasks Unit Tests Learning Contracts Extended Essays To Strategies

Performance Tasks Performance tasks are complex challenges which range in length from short-term to long-termed projects, and require a production or performance. They should feature a real-world setting that is real or simulated. Typically performance tasks require the student to address a particular audience and are based on a specific purpose. These tasks allow the student greater opportunity to personalize the learning. An understanding of the learning should be essential to performing the task. Criteria and standards should be given to students in advance to guide the student's work.

Day-to-Day Strategies • • • Anchor Boxes Five Hardest First Two by Two Adjusted Questioning Graphic organizers for students who need structure • RAFT • Numbered Heads Together • Tiered Assignments • Scaffolding by providing necessary vocabulary in advance of lesson • Using web resources for practice or extension activities To Strategies Main Menu

Anchor Boxes The Purpose of an Anchor Activity is to: • Provide meaningful work for students when they finish an assignment or project, when they first enter the class or when they are "stumped". • Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction. • Free up the classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals. Anchor boxes are places in the classroom where extension activities are kept. Advance students who finish work regular classroom can go to an anchor box for extension activities. Students struggling with class work can go to an anchor box to get scaffolding activities which would help them understand concepts better. Teacher prepare these activities in advance of the lesson, based on what they think the students might need.

Vocabulary Strategies • • Word Splash Word Walls Frayer Model Word Sorts Graphic Organizers Inside-Outside Circles Three Column Charts

Five Hardest First is a simple method of finding out which students understand the depth of a concept. The teacher simply tells the students to do the five hardest problems or answer the five hardest questions first. Students who can answer these quickly and easily obviously have mastered the material and can go on to an extension activity. Those who cannot will work on other less difficult problems or questions that will scaffold their learning.

Two by Two • Correct two papers simultaneously. • Mark only those questions that both students answered correctly. • Return the papers for the two students to go over. • They have to discover if they are both incorrect or which one is correct and submit new consensus answers to the unmarked problems. • Decide in advance what resources they will be allowed to use. • Student groupings may vary, but pairing students with those whose skills are similar is recommended.

R. A. F. T. • Role of the Writer - Who are you as the writer? Are you a Trojan warrior? A proton? An integer? The endangered bald eagle? • Audience - To whom are you writing? Is your audience the American people? A friend? The nucleus? An equation? Readers of a newspaper? A local bank? • Format - What form will the writing take? Is it a letter? An advertisement? A speech? A poem? A song? • Topic + strong Verb - What's the subject or the point of this piece? Is it to persuade the jury to spare your life? To describe your relationship to electrons? To call for stricter logging laws?

Why RAFT Works: • Integrates reading and writing in a non-traditional way • Asks that students take what they have read and create a new product that illustrates their depth of understanding • Incredibly flexible and offers limitless opportunities for creativity for both you and your students • Easy differentiation; teachers can develop any number of possible RAFTs based on the same text that can be adjusted for skill level and rigor.

Numbered Heads Together • • Have students form teams of 4 or 5. Have students within each team count off from 1 -4 or 5. The teacher asks a question. Students put their heads together and collaboratively generate an answer. Members of the team make sure each member can answer the question. The teacher calls a number at random. All students assigned that number stand supply an answer to the question. When a student gives a partially correct answer, another person with that number can supply the missing or incorrect information. You may want to try this as a team competition activity

Tiered Assignments • A tiered assignment should focus on a key concept. Student learning tasks are adjusted to the students ability levels. The adjustment may be according to learning style, readiness, or interest. To develop a tiered assignment, the teacher has to know the ability range of the students and keep all activities focused on the expected outcomes. • Sample Lesson

Adjusted Questioning During discussion and written activities, teachers direct the higher level questions to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for student with greater needs. All students are answering important questions that require them to think about the standards, but the questions are targeted towards the student’s ability or readiness level. Teachers are cautioned not to use only comprehension/knowledge level questions. With written quizzes the teacher may assign specific questions for each group of students. They all answer the same number of questions but the complexity required varies from group to group. Students should have the option of answering more questions if they would like.

Unit or Procedural Strategies Cooperative Grouping In cooperative grouping, students are placed in groups of varying ability and each student is given a separate assignment. The group members are dependent on each other to complete their individual tasks in order for the entire group to get all the necessary information. Students work both independently and in the group. Students are given specific tasks. There are many ways that cooperative grouping can be set up in a differentiated classroom. It is advised that behavior norms and processes be taught in advance in order for cooperative grouping to be effective. Anchor Boxes Although anchor boxes can be used for day-to-day supplemental activities, they can also be used as a process of covering an entire unit. Activities are grouped by box, or set of skills. Each box should contain activities of varying levels. When students are pretested and skill levels and weaknesses are determined, then students are assigned work in only those anchor boxes that pertain to the gaps in their knowledge. The teacher serves as a facilitator during class, answering questions and guiding students. Students complete and check their own work. Note: See Resources for Anchor Boxes link Main Menu

Cooperative Groups For effective cooperative grouping teachers must: 1. Establish behavior norms 2. Create interdependent high-challenge tasks 3. Expand student thinking through discussion and learning from others 4. Build power lessons which suit student learning needs 5. Keep students thinking by challenging them appropriately 6. Promote transfer of knowledge and self-direction Excellent Resource: Blueprints for Achievement in the Cooperative Classroom, by Robin Fogarty and James A. Bellanca

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Section 5 References and Resources for Further Study

References • The Differentiated Classroom – Carol Ann Tomlinson • Why Didn’t I Learn This in College? – Paula Rutherford • Cobb County Schools website – PICASSO • Blueprints for Achievement in the Cooperative Classroom, by Robin Fogarty and James A. Bellanca

Differentiation Resources for Teachers • • • Learner’s Link on Differentiation http: //www. learnerslink. com/curricul um. htm Learning Style Inventories http: //www. ldpride. net/learningstyles. MI. htm Albemarle Public Schools Differentiation Information http: //k 12. albemarle. org/Technology /DI/ Technology on Differentiation http: //www. teachnology. com/tutorial s/teaching/differentiate/planning/ RAFT Construction http: //www. writingfix. com/WAC/Writi ng_Across_Curriculum_RAFTS_Mat h. htm • • • General links for Differentiation http: //www. frsd. k 12. nj. us/rfmslibraryl ab/di/differentiated_instruction. htm Florida State University Differentiation Information http: //tst 116035. k 12. fsu. edu/mainpage. html Anchor Boxes http: //www. mcps. k 12. md. us/curricul um/enriched/giftedprograms/docs/a nchor. ppt Assessment http: //teacher. scholastic. com/profes sional/assessment/indexbk. htm Checklist http: //www. cobbk 12. org/sites/ALT/tr aining/checklists. htm

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