Differentiation The good the bad and the ugly
Differentiation The good, the bad, and the ugly Dena Konneker May 25, 2010 Sandanona Conference
Differentiation: a Definition “Striving to do whatever it takes to ensure that struggling and advanced learners, students with varied cultural heritages, and children with different background experiences all grow as much as they possibly can each day, each week, and throughout the year. ” (Tomlinson, 1999)
To-Do: History of Grouping Talk about Tracking Examples of untracked (heterogeneous) classrooms Hetero-classrooms: the bad, the good Caveats Encouragement Q&A + Feedback
History of Grouping 1800’s One-room Schoolhouses 1880’s Industrial Revolution + Immigration: Job-orientation, Massive Tracking Post WWI Intelligence Tests 1965 -80 “Differentiated” curriculum within subjects (leveled classes) Today Mix of tracking, leveled classes, and modern differentiated instruction
Tracking Rationale Problems “Does a bricklayer really need to know Shakespeare? ” Efficient and rational use of resources (Leveled Classes) Teachers target instruction to the particular learning deficiencies of low-ability students Education for democracy? Inequality of instruction Self-fulfilling expectations Perception of self “Tracking is not just a bad idea, but is a practice linked to the legitimation and maintenance of deep social inequality” (Bigelow, 1994)
Example Time Go to the tables.
Hetero-Classrooms (Jasper) Rationale Problems High standards for all Racial equity Alternative conceptions of intelligence (not fixed) System of tracking internal to each classroom Inflexible ability groupings If no scaffolding: “the results of untracking will replicate the results of tracking, and many educators will lean back in their chairs and say, “I told you so. ” (Bigelow, 1994)
Differentiated Classrooms (Cunningham) Rationale Problems Better equity Individual differences— standardization doesn’t make sense Multiple intelligences, learning styles All students deserve to grow as much as possible Brain plasticity Time consuming Needs expertise When will the gap close?
Principles of Differentiation Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum growth and individual success Flexibility Teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences Teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interests, and learning profile
Principles of Differentiation Assessment and instruction are inseparable Teacher is clear about what matters in subject matter All students participate in respectful work Students and teachers are collaborators in learning
Caveats “We can’t truly untrack schools without untracking society. Thus an anti-tracking pedagogy should equip educators and students to recognize and combat all inequity. Its organizing principle should be justice— in the classroom, in school, and in society at large. ” (Bigelow, 1994)
Caveats “Even when schools adopt norms reflecting confidence in all students’ capabilities, schools are still confronted with the reality that some students need more time and instructional support than others. ” (Oakes and Lipton, 1996)
Caveats “Parents and educators also worry that top students end up playing teacher to their under-prepared peers in an untracked class—and unfortunately this is sometimes true, but it shouldn’t be. ” (Christensen, 2000)
Encouragement- Take Heart! “The teacher does not try to differentiate everything for everyone every day. That’s impossible, and it would destroy a sense of wholeness in the class. Instead, the teacher selects moments in the instructional sequence to differentiate, based on formal or informal assessment. ” (Tomlinson, 1999)
Encouragement- Take Heart! “[Rich and complex lessons] will raise concerns regarding teacher training, curricular coverage, planning time, class size, acceptance of interactive, noisy classes, and much more. Even so, the payoff in terms of students’ deep and lasting understanding warrants the concerns and costs. ” (Oakes and Lipton, 1996)
Encouragement- Take Heart! “…The more diligently [a teacher] works to know her students and match her instruction to their needs, the more likely it is that the year will be successful for the broad range of learners and the more satisfied she will feel as a professional. ” (from Differentiation as Practice, Tomlinson, 2003)
Encouragement- Resources Bigelow, Bill. “Getting Off the Track: Stories from an Untracked Classroom. ” Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice. Ed. Bill Bigelow, Linda Christensen, and Bob Peterson. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, Ltd. , 1994. Christensen, Linda. “Untracking English: Creating Quality Education for All Students. ” Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching about Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, 2000. Darling, Sandra K. and Donna Walker Tileston. Closing the Poverty and Culture Gap: Strategies to Reach Every Student. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, 2009. Lucas, Samuel Roundfield. Tracking Inequality: Stratification and Mobility in American High Schools. New York: Teachers College Press, 1999. Oakes, Jeanine and Martin Lipton. “Developing Alternatives to Tracking and Grading. ” Educating a New Minority: Transforming America’s Educational System for Diversity. California: Jossey-Bass Inc. , 1996. Ravitch, Diane. “Introduction. ” School: The Story of American Public Education. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001. 63 -70. Tomlinson, Carol Ann. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1999 Hollifield, John. “Ability Grouping in Elementary Schools. ” ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL. 1987. May 24, 2010. <http: //www. ericdigests. org/pre 927/grouping. htm. >
Q&A
Feedback What questions still remain for you? What did you find most valuable? Suggestions? Comments?
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