Differentiated Instruction Fitting the Lesson to the Learner

Differentiated Instruction Why Differentiated Instruction makes sense in a Middle School Setting

The National Middle School Association believes that successful schools for young adolescents provide the following:

Curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory

The National Middle School Association believes that successful schools for young adolescents provide the following: Curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory Multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to their diversity.

The National Middle School Association believes that successful schools for young adolescents provide the following: Curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory Multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to their diversity. Assessment and evaluation programs that support quality learning.

Relevant “Curriculum is relevant when it allows students to pursue answers to questions they have about themselves, content and the world. …. Student generated questions may lead to more demanding study, particularly when the prescribed curriculum is too often preoccupied with answers to questions young adolescents never ask.”

Challenging “Using their good judgment in consultation with students, teachers select ideas for in- depth study from the vast range of information and materials that are genuinely important and worth knowing. ….Both the content and methods must be diversified and individualized.”

Integrative “Curriculum is integrative when it helps students to make sense of their lives and the world around them and when students learn how to make significant, meaningful decisions about their learning. ….Middle level schools must provide experiences, courses and units … that are specifically designed to be integrative; for that is how young adolescents learn best.”

Exploratory “The Middle School is a finding place. Exploration is an attitude and an approach, not a classification of content.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle” Risk Taking – “We should not be afraid to innovate, experiment, confront, dump “sacred” lessons, or reach out to others in an effort to improve our practice.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Empathetic – “Try to experience the lesson from the perspective of your student.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Organized – “Organization helps us be more creative, flexible, impulsive and confident.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Flexible – “If its not working then drop it and try something else. Successful Middle school teachers respond to the teachable moment instead of being glued to the lesson plan.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Tenacious – “They set rigorous goals and show students how to reach them. They know that hard work is motivating as long as students consider it important.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Fleet of Foot – “Teachers who use differentiated instruction effectively take whatever steps are necessary to make ideas clear to their students.”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Resourceful – “Such teachers have an ever-ending repertoire of instructional strategies. They are aware of the differences in learners and they know how to engage them. They never stop looking for new ideas….”

Characteristics of Successful Teachers of Differentiated Instruction: Rick Wormeli: “Meet Me in the Middle”. Able to Collaborate – “They know they make better decisions in collaboration with others than they would if they acted alone.”

Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom Many strategies we use in the classroom are elements of differentiated instruction.

Strategies Flexible grouping Books on tape Stations Learning or Interest Centers Learning contracts Independent studies Choral reading Open Ended Activities Cooperative learning Multiple intelligence options Learning styles Multi-level lessons Assignment choice Small group instruction Student interest activities

What is and isn’t Differentiation IS -A technique used to create a learning environment -Requires a variety of materials, experiences, and assessment tools -Focuses on change within the context of a lesson or unit that maximums the learning for students ISN’T -Creating a different lesson for each student -Ensuring each student has an IPP

Teachers Can Differentiate by:

When Planning Try to Consider Learning Profile Depicts how a child learns Interests The students area of appeal or curiosity Readiness The students skill development level

Sample Lesson Ideas Variety is the Key!!

LA Grade 7 Responding to Text – Novel Study

Characterization Simple 1.Write a full description of a character in the book and draw a portrait to accompany your description 2.Write a complaint letter to the main character of the book about one specific action in the story you did not agree with More complex 1.Create life-sized models of two characters in the book; prepare a dialogue between them and act it out 2.Read the classifieds and find something the main character would like; write a paragraph explaining why he/she needs the item and determine whether or not it is a good buy

Biology 20 Students Teaching Students

The Respiratory System Students given 5 key questions (objectives to be met by end of section) Students choose question they would most like to answer Group students accordingly Students prepare lesson(s) for and evaluation of peers according to their own interests and abilities Subject is taught through various strategies using a variety of evaluation tools

Sample Lesson Plan for: Settling the West—Immigration in Canada Insert link here

Other Sample lesson Plans: Insert link here:

Using Technology for Differentiated Instruction Three things that a teacher can differentiate: content, process and product. For example, differentiating instruction by process may look like some students using a traditional print encyclopedia to complete a research task in a classroom as some students use Internet bookmarks collected by the teacher and still other students use a multimedia encyclopedia that provides audio support.

Webquests WebQuests are a wonderful means of differentiating instruction based on interest. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.

Sample Webquests The Webquest Portal Top Webquests for Middle Years –Tailing the Samurai’s Tale (Japan - Humanities) stale.htm stale.htm –Bones and the Badge (Science 6 ) –Too Hot Too Handle (Science & Health) ndex.html ndex.html –Units of Measure (Math) sure.htm sure.htm

Additional Projects (not Webquests) Humanities: –Unlikely Heroes 0web/Unlikely%20Heroes%20Website/index.htm 0web/Unlikely%20Heroes%20Website/index.htm –New News 1.html 1.html

Additional Projects cont. Sciences –Robotics –Structures

SMART Board Projects Lessons and Activities s/index.aspx s/index.aspx

Online Resource Links MHCBE Resources Links Albemarle County Public Schools - Technology and Differentiated Instruction Web Resources Technology and Multiple Intelligences

SAPDC has planned some professional learning opportunities. November 10, 2004 Middle Schools and Differentiated Instruction - author and renown workshop presenter Rick Wormeli will be returning to Lethbridge upon the request of teachers who heard him in May, 2003 April 27, 2005 Middle Schools Part II with Rick Wormeli