Dare to Differentiate Deborah Espitia Coordinator of World Languages & ESOL Leslie Grahn World Language Resource Teacher Howard County Public Schools, Maryland

Warm-up: Interest groups On a colored index card, write the name of your two favorite television shows. Find three or four other people who have at least one show/type of show in common with you. Sit together in a group.

Differentiation Foldable

How much background knowledge do I have about differentiation? What kinds of differentiation have I already tried? What are some of the barriers to incorporating differentiation?

Workshop Choice Board

Dare to Differentiate Outcomes Participants will:  Build background knowledge of research and application of differentiation strategies.  Participate in simulations of differentiation strategies.  Create differentiation activities for immediate use in their classrooms.  Receive a packet full of differentiation activity templates and examples.

DIFFERENTIATION: What is it?

Differentiation based on research and writings of: Carol Ann Tomlinson Professor of Educational Leadership University of Virginia

Essential Principles of Differentiation 1. Good curriculum comes first. 2. All tasks should be respectful of each learner. 3. When in doubt, teach up! 4. Use flexible grouping. 5. Become an assessment junkie. 6. Grade for growth.

The Cogs of Differentiation Tomlinson, 2003

Differentiation is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs guided by general principles of differentiation, such as respectful tasks ongoing assessment flexible grouping Teachers can differentiate according to students’ through a range of instructional and management strategies ProcessContent Product Interests Learning Profile Readiness

Differentiation concepts Classroom elements Content Process Products Learning Environment/ Affect Assessment

Content Process Product Environment Assessment Differentiation

Content Process Product Environment Assessment Differentiation

Content Process Product Environment Assessment Differentiation

Content Process Product Environment Assessment Differentiation

Content Process Product Environment Assessment Differentiation

How do I know how to DIFFERENTIATE?

Differentiation Concepts Student characteristics Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Differentiation Concepts Learning Profile Grouping Preferences Cognitive Style Learning Environment Needs Information Processing

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES Bodily-Kinesthetic Naturalist Verbal-Linguistic Intrapersonal Musical- Rhythmic Interpersonal Visual- Spatial Logical- Mathematical

Style inventories in the target language Vark-learn.com - Multiple languages French - Quel est mon profil d’apprentissage?

Differentiation Concepts Readiness & Interests Pre-assessments Every Student Response Surveys ??

Digging deeper into DIFFERENTIATION

Differentiation Strategies Learning Centers R.A.F.T.s Choice Boards Tiered Assignments WebQuests Flexible Grouping

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES: Learning Centers

What are Learning Centers? Areas set up in the classroom with learning activities directed at a specific: –Interest –Skill –Extended study of essential concept

Learning Centers (random groupings) ABCDEABCDE

Reflection on Learning Centers How can I transform the learning centers I just experienced to ones I can use for my classroom?

Learning Centers A = Picture prompt B = Color coding activity C = Experience with/not D = Highlight words that relate E = Choose from lists

Time for a break!

Form a team with four different “fuel levels”

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES: RAFT Assignments

RAFT Assignments Focus on: Writing and reasoning Ideas around a topic Student choice, interest Learning styles, preferences

R = ROLE A = AUDIENCE F = FORMAT T = TOPIC What does RAFT mean?

Let’s build a RAFT

RAFT Assignments As a group, choose a topic for your RAFT. Individually, on a long strip of paper, create one row including role, audience, format, and topic. Glue your team’s RAFT strips to the grid and create a copy for yourself.

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES: Choice Boards

CHOICE BOARDS Students choose from a menu of options Tasks vary by process and interest Some anchor activities can be required of all students Can be used for homework, projects, and assessment

Build Your Own Choice Board Look through the CHOICE BOARD section of your binder for ideas. Now, review your CHOICE BOARD to note how the activities address interests, readiness, and learning profile.

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES: Tiered Assignments

Tiered Assignments What are they? Tiered assignments are parallel tasks at varied levels of complexity, depth and abstractness with various degrees of scaffolding, support, or direction. Students work on different levels of activities, all with the same essential understanding or goal in mind.

Tiered Assignments What are they? Tiered assignments accommodate mainly for differences in student readiness and performance levels and allow students to work toward a goal or objective at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and encourages continued growth.

Tiered Assignments Why use them? One of the main benefits of tiered assignments is that they allow students to work on tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. They are highly motivating because they allow students to be successful at their level of readiness. Tiered assignments also allow students to work in their specific learning styles or preferences.

Analyzing a Tiered Assignment  Parallel tasks  Varying levels of complexity  Various degrees of scaffolding, support, or direction  Different levels of activity with same essential goals  Builds on prior knowledge and encourages continued growth

The Equalizer

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES: Flexible Grouping

How did we group you today? Interest (TV shows) Random (colored index cards) Readiness (fuel gauge groups)

Dare to Differentiate Wiki daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com

Reflection Time On the back of the foldable you created at the beginning of today’s session, reflect on what you have learned today about DIFFERENTIATION.

Differentiation Buddies

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Dare to DIFFERENTIATE Take the dare.

Dare to DIFFERENTIATE