Complete the DI Self-Assessment Ticket In Can be completed ahead of time Complete the DI Self-Assessment

Upper Dublin School District February 2015 Enhancing Teaching & Learning Through Differentiated Instruction (DI) Upper Dublin School District February 2015 Welcome participants Explain that training was designed for “turn-around” MCIU trained us, we train you

Session Objectives Recognize and respond to differences among learners Identify techniques and processes that teachers can use to adjust instructional delivery to meet their students’ needs Actively engage learners Plan for Differentiation Revisiting – Why it is important to differentiate, what differentiated instruction is, and identify strategies that support differentiation Common Language – Vocabulary and terminology for collaborative conversations around differentiated instruction Focus on Choice – As an engagement strategy and supports needed/available to expand the ways in which we differentiate Next Steps - Ticket Out- focal areas/goals for future PD for your teams

Today’s Agenda Honor/Assess Current Knowledge and Expertise Set Personal Learning Goals Establish a Culture of Engaged Learning Anchor Activities Parking Lot of Engagement Strategies Develop Common Language around DI Know the Learner Provide Student Choice Apply Strategies in Personal Practice Varied levels of prior knowledge and expertise- learn from one another Personalize the learning- what is your need/interest for enhancing practice Engagement is key- Maximizing instructional time (anchor activities) and involving all learners (parking lot of strategies) Common understanding and language for collaboration You need to know your students before you differentiate your instruction Choice is a powerful motivator Take today’s learning from theory to practice

Regular /Frequent Practice Collaboration Line-Up Checking In Your DI Self-Assessment Getting Started Along the Way Regular /Frequent Practice Participants line up in order according to day of birth. Ex: Birthday is July 9 Line up as a number 9 Collaboration Line-Up (day of birth)

In pairs, share the evidence you based your self-assessment on. 2 minutes Encourage each partner to share one of each and WHY they assessed themselves at that level: Getting Started Along the Way Regular/Frequent Practice

Processing the Activities… What did we do? Why did we do it? How does it support differentiation? Go to Parking Lot Model first time: List all strategies used so far Discuss

for this Session (one per post-it) Wish 1 - What do you want to learn to do better or differently with regard to differentiation? Wish 2 - What aspect of teaching or learning do you hope to enhance? Wish 3 - What question/clarification do you have/need regarding differentiation? Provide 3 Wishes Handout Participants complete following directions on slide Participant keeps in front of them during learning Needed to exit

Norms for Working Together Equity of Voice Active Listening Respect for All Perspectives Safety and Collegiality Norms are important in creating a culture for differentiated learning. Establish norms: Respect and encourage the rights of all members to learn at all times Be actively engaged in the learning process; ask questions, collaborate, and seek solutions Be responsible and accountable for yourself, your choices, and your ideas Demonstrate behavior that is considerate of our learning community This is also a good time to remind participants to either turn off their phones or place them on vibrate.

Anchor Activities Characteristics Role Independent learning level Meaningful Respectful Supportive Routine based Introduced gradually Limited preparation time Varied Supports small group instruction Permits differentiation Fosters self-regulatory behaviors Teaches time management Provides additional practice What are anchor activities? specified ongoing activities on which students work independently ongoing assignments that students can work on throughout a unit self-directed include aspects that can be completed on an ongoing basis relate to the concepts and the content being learned engaging, meaningful tasks, not busywork or packets of worksheets activities that everyone in the class will have a chance to do Why use anchor activities? provide a strategy for teachers to deal with “ragged time” when students complete work at different times they allow the teacher to work with individual students or groups provides ongoing activities that relate to the content of the unit provide differentiation due to student choice of activities allow the teacher to develop independent group work strategies

Potential Anchoring Activities Just a few- Journals/Learning Logs Student Reflection Writers Workshop Vocabulary Work Independent Reading Computer-Based Activities Listening/Video Center Content specific ideas: Independent Reading Problem/Question of the Week Research Mini-labs

Today’s Anchoring Activity Text passage – The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom Differentiating Instruction: Rules of Thumb Explore the Rules of Thumb – “general guidelines that make differentiation possible.” Use the graphic organizer, or create your own, to help you process the reading. Provide article and graphic organizer to participants

Processing the Activities… What did we do? Why did we do it? How does it support differentiation? Go to Parking Lot Ask for/List all strategies used so far Discuss

Let’s recall… What is Differentiated Instruction? Quick Write 5 words or ideas that come to mind Turn and Talk Think-Write-Pair-Share 3 minutes to write 2 minutes to talk

What Is DIFFERENTIATION? Differentiation is… “…a process which teachers can use to increase achievement by improving the match between learner's current unique characteristics and curriculum components. - Dr. Deborah Burns, University of Connecticut “…planning instruction in a variety of ways to meet the needs of a variety of learners.” - Dr. Kathie F. Nunley, Differentiating the High School Classroom Discuss the concept of one size fitting all. Would you buy a size 8 shoe if you wear a 10? In education, differentiating instruction prevents us from taking the “one size fits all” approach. Classrooms everywhere offer a diversity of faces and shapes and sizes, but underneath the diversity there are fundamental elements that all learners need in order to succeed and to feel positive about their experiences in school. Therefore, as with shoes or clothing, so with lessons: one size does not fit all. …an approach to lesson planning so that one lesson is taught to the entire class while striving to meet the individual needs of each child. Many researchers have their own definition of differentiation. Here are two similar definitions, yet each one brings a slightly different perspective to the meaning of differentiation. Differentiation is NOT individualizing every assignment for every child every day.

Differentiated Instruction is… Engaging instruction that is - Challenging and grounded in essential learning Responsive to students’ varying background knowledge and learning preferences/needs Varied and flexible Challenging- beyond independent level to stretch thinking, but appropriate to avoid frustration Grounded in essential learning- CURRICULUM Responsive- Recognition of diverse learners: The students we teach have diverse levels of expertise and experience with reading, writing, speaking, thinking, and problem solving. Ongoing assessments enable teachers to develop differentiated lessons that meet every students’ needs. ASSESSMENT- Need knowledge of student readiness, interests and learning profiles. You can’t challenge, respond, or offer variety without collecting information along the way… Varied- INSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT Flexible, multiple methods and styles of delivery, offering choice

Why Differentiate? All kids are different Best practice One size does not fit all Best practice Effective instruction Maximize potential Growth and access DI is a compilation of educational theories and best-practices. It is a philosophy or way of practicing your craft that recognizes the differences among our students. Differentiated instruction is effective instruction. The same importance is put on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and management with an added layer of recognizing students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, learning styles, and interests and responding to that. The intent of differentiated instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is and designing instruction that matches students’ needs.

Why Differentiate? Standards-based classrooms High expectations for ALL children Multicultural diversity Student diversity Research on human learning Rapid technological change Additional reasons Targeted expectations set by districts, states and nation Growing English Language Learner (ELL) populations - children with little or no communication skills or competencies in English Unique learning styles and different levels of multiple intelligence New research on the brain and how it processes memory and makes meaning Technological breakthroughs, societal changes that influence what and how learning takes place

“Not all students will make the same journey as they learn, but this diversity of learning styles enriches the classroom community.” - Jennifer, Student Teacher Adapted from Touch the Future…Teach!, 2006 As educators in classrooms we need to consider each child within the learning community based on his/her needs, readiness, preferences and interests. Using differentiated instruction increases student engagement, facilitates learning and most importantly increases the chances that all learners in our classroom will succeed.

Differentiated Instruction means… Following the DI Rules of Thumb Curriculum Clarity Ongoing Assessment Critical and Creative Thinking Engagement Choice Focusing on key concepts and ideas ensures that all learners gain powerful understandings that serve as building blocks for creating meaning and accessing other knowledge. Assessment should be used as a teaching tool to extend versus merely measure instruction. Assessment should occur before, during, and following instruction, and help to pose questions regarding student needs and optimal learning. Teachers need to diagnose students in terms of readiness, interest, and learning profile to know where to begin. They need to conduct formative assessments so that instruction is constantly being adjusted to meet students where they are. Critical and Creative thinking- The tasks, activities, and procedures for students should require that students understand and apply meaning. Instruction may require supports, additional motivation, varied tasks, materials, or equipment for different students in the classroom. Scaffold and tier when appropriate. Students presented with problems, issues, dilemmas, and unknowns become engaged in the learning process. Vary tasks within instruction as well as across students for motivation. Teachers guide choice and choices must match readiness, interests and learner profile. Provide a balanced working structure that ties back into assessment.

Differentiated Instruction requires… Flexibility of Teaching Learning Ongoing assessment Formal Informal Explicit and systematic teaching and learning will best occur when teachers follow the process articulated by the teaching and learning cycle. The teaching and learning cycle represents the four stages that occur in the design and delivery of classroom instruction. The cycle has no start or end point, with each step informing the next. It is the process of gathering data and reflection that dictates where in the cycle you need to be operating. Review types of assessments- Formal : end of unit tests, essays, state assessments, products Informal: pre-assessments, exit cards, informal writing prompts and review questions, short quizzes, KWHL, surveys (thumbs up/down)

Check and Perfect What is DI? Add/Adjust/Extend Turn and Talk – Someone Different! Participants return to quick write Give 1 minute to Add/Adjust/Extend response Turn and Talk to Someone Different!

Processing the Activities… What did we do? Why did we do it? How does it support differentiation? Go to Parking Lot Ask for/List all strategies used so far Discuss

Student Learning Profiles Knowing the Learner Student Learning Profiles Learning profile refers to ways in which we learn best as individuals. Each of us knows some ways of learning that are quite effective for us, and others that slow us down or make learning feel awkward. Common sense, experience, and research suggest to us that when teachers can tap into routes that promote efficient and effective learning for students, results are better. The goals of learning-profile differentiation are to help individual learners understand modes of learning that work best for them, and to offer those options so that each learner finds a good learning fit in the classroom.

Stand-Up & Team-Up Numbered Heads Together Numbered Heads Together: students number off in a group from 1 to 4 teacher poses a question group discusses the answer teacher selects a number from 1 to 4 and asks all students who represent that number to raise their hand teacher calls on a non-volunteer or uses a random method to generate a number such as rolling die teacher provides feedback Numbered Heads Together

What powerful differences exist among students? Prior Knowledge or Skill Expertise Learning Rate Cognitive Ability Learning Style Preference Motivation, Attitude, Effort Interest, Strength, Talent Gender Culture Language Economics 2 minutes of brainstorming Show list Ask 1s and 3s – did we miss any that may have been mentioned in your group?

As a result, which groups of students may have a learning gap? Low income Culturally diverse English language learners Special education Disengaged Male or female students Career and technical education students American students (NAEP/TIMSS) Gifted education 2 minutes of brainstorming Show list Ask 1s and 3s – did we miss any that may have been mentioned in your group?

The Roots of Student Differences FAMILY SCHOOL COMMUNITY ACADEMIC SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL COGNITIVE Student Differences Nature Nurture GENETICS Achievement gaps occur when one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant (that is, larger than the margin of error). Closely related to achievement gap and learning gap, the term opportunity gap refers to the ways in which race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English proficiency, community wealth, familial situations, or other factors contribute to or perpetuate lower educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment for certain groups of students.   These gaps occur in nearly all schools, including low-, middle-, and high-achieving schools. Some factors affecting achievement are controllable within the teaching and learning cycle.

Critical Components of Differentiation Get to know your students Build Community in your classroom Assess students regularly Formal/Summative end of unit tests, essays, product) Informal/Formative pretests, exit cards, KWHL, student surveys (thumbs up/down, questioning) Other Get to know your student ideas: Welcome letters, letter from teacher to student and student writes letter to teacher Multiple intelligences bingo Interest inventories Introductory speeches Student and parent questionnaires

Learning Styles Understanding how students learn is essential to being able to create a lesson plan that reaches all of them. Learning style is one of the keys to differentiating. Therefore, it is important to spend time noting the learning styles of your students and to also help them understand their learning styles so they can be successful.

Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences provides us with another frame through which we can observe students and understand how they learn and process information. He offers us 8 ways of being smart. As you become more aware of your students’ unique learning styles and intelligences, you will become more able to design learning experiences that appeal your students’ different needs and interests. Note: A study conducted by Howard Gardner (1993) found that teachers tend to teach in the way that they learn.

Learning Styles vs. Multiple Intelligences This visual represents the differences between Learning Styles and MI. Learning Styles (LS) can be defined as the way human beings prefer to concentrate on, store and remember new and/or difficult information. LS give insight into students’ reflective or impulsive thinking styles, sequential or simultaneous brain processing and overall tendencies for either analytic or holistic brain dominance. MI is a theoretical frame work for defining/understanding/assessing/developing people’s different intelligence factors. MI must be understood more as the ‘OUTPUT’ function of information intake, knowledge, skills and ‘talent’ FYI Other senses: Smell (olfactory) & Taste (gustatory) An “in time” person is someone who lives more in the moment. A “through time” person is always conscious of what is coming up next.

Your Profile Card Once you know your students well enough you can develop student profiles - a helpful way to keep track of who needs what. Students might be categorized by learning styles, multiple intelligences, reading/other readiness level, extra supports received, areas in which they excel, special interests inside and outside of school, etc. Have participants follow directions on slide and try to develop a profile card of one of the students they teach/interact with on a regular basis.

Quick Check How comfortable were you completing this task? Very NOT So-So What more might you seek to learn about your students? Check to see the level of challenge experienced by group. Thumbs Up, Down, Sideways. Close segment by sharing useful guidelines for establishing classrooms responsive to a wide range of learning preferences: Remember that some, but not all, of your students share your learning preferences. Help your students reflect on their own preferences. Use both teacher-structured and student-choice avenues to learning-profile differentiation. Select a few learning-profile categories for emphasis as you begin. Be a student of your students

Processing the Activities… What did we do? Why did we do it? How does it support differentiation? Go to Parking Lot Ask for/List all strategies used so far Discuss

Engaging through Choice Learning Menus Teachers who work to differentiate instruction for their students often provide students some choice in learning activities, which also leads to greater student motivation and increased student achievement.

What is a Learning Menu? A learning menu is an array of independent learning activities presented in a ‘choice’ or ‘menu’ format to provide students with options for extending or enriching the essential curriculum. Like anchor activities, learning menus must be engaging, meaningful tasks that are grounded in essential learning.

Why use a Learning Menu? Satisfies “Rules of Thumb” by promoting engagement, allowing choice and offering challenge Increases motivation- Students’ choices reveal their interests, abilities and learning styles Allows teachers to provide for students at varying degrees of readiness Learning menus outline a variety of instructional options targeted toward important learning goals. Students are able to select the choices which most appeal to them. Key - Empowering students through CHOICE while ensuring adherence to important LEARNING GOALS The teacher directs the menu process, but the student is given control over his/her choice of options, order of completion, etc.

Advantages of Learning Menus Strategy spans all curricular areas Can target specific learning activities for an individual student or small group Promotes higher level thinking skills Encourages the development of independent thinking Menus offer flexibility. They can be as simple or as complex as teacher/students are ready for.

Many Different Names for Learning Menus… Dinner Menu Choice Board Think-Tac-Toe Agendas Must Do – Can Do Extension Menu Lots of different names/approaches/formats for the same idea. Many age/content specific examples are available – just search on internet.

Classroom Uses of Learning Menus Follow-up activity Culminating activity Anchoring activity Learning center Independent activity Extension activity A menu offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A menu could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study. Once the teacher has decided on what the essential understanding and/or skills are, she/he can begin to create a menu.

Menu by Content Fractions Decimals Percents Example: A choice board focusing on 3 important concepts

Menu by Readiness Basic Mid Advanced Example: A choice board focusing on 1 or more concepts applied at different levels of difficulty

Menu by Learning Profile Visual Auditory Kinesthetic-tactile Example: A choice board focusing on 1 or more concepts and allowing for demonstrations of understanding based on different learning styles

Guidelines for Development & Use (What and How) Informed choice Vary offerings (based on intent) Structure accountability Discuss the process and develop management guidelines Provide early feedback Helpful tips for successful implementation of choice activities

You Choose Differentiated Instruction Choice Board Provide Choice Board to participants. Have them choose which activity they would like to do. Provide as much time as available (based on timeline/schedule) for participants to get started

Who… Did the same as you! Share your product (30 seconds each) Be prepared to share your partner’s with the larger group (Random Reporter) Have participants move to different areas of the room matching up with those who chose the same activity. Orient the room according to the choice board for management. For example: those who chose acrostic poem, go to far left corner of room, poster to far right corner of room, etc. Participants share with one another. Call on Random Reporters to report out to the larger group. Use numbers/day of birth from birthday line-up to select reporters.

Processing the Activities… What did we do? Why did we do it? How does it support differentiation? Go to Parking Lot Ask for/List all strategies used so far Discuss

Planning to Differentiate The Purposeful Design of Learning Differentiated instruction is purposeful, respectful, high quality curriculum and instruction, designed to meet student needs. In differentiated classrooms, teachers purposefully plan instruction that will match as many learners as possible, as often as possible, in order to maximize growth for all learners (academically, mentally, socially, and emotionally).

Let’s recall… Why must I plan to differentiate? Not all students are alike. Based on this knowledge, differentiated instruction applies an approach to teaching and learning that gives students multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and demonstrating understanding. Planning for student differences is a core component of differentiated instruction. Planning that is purposeful and engaging also requires a great deal of ongoing assessment in order to be meaningful.

Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional design should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2001). The model of differentiated instruction requires teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum. Differentiated instruction is a method of helping more students in diverse classroom settings experience success.

Before you begin, ask yourself… Am I clear about what I want students to know, do and understand in this unit? What pre-assessments and formative assessments will I use? What instructional strategies will actively and cognitively engage the learners? How will I balance student-selected and teacher-assigned tasks and groupings? Guiding questions for planning strategic ways to modify the content, process, and product for students in your classroom. Observable, measurable learning goals and outcomes Inventorying, tapping prior knowledge, making connections for transfer, Checks for Understanding, questioning and discourse, entry slips, tickets out Familiar strategies: Kagan cooperative learning, think-alouds, graphic-organizers, note-taking, reciprocal teaching, etc. Teacher is expert, guided and informed choice when appropriate

One Possible Instructional Sequence: Class Meeting, Overview, or Introduction Pre-assessment Large Group Teaching and Learning Activities Small Group Activities Small Group Instruction Differentiated Learning Activities Anchoring Activities (Differentiated and Independent) Large or Small Group Problem Solving and Application Activities Debriefing and Reflection Extension Activities Differentiated Instruction offers a framework for addressing learner variance as a critical component of instructional planning. Your planning approach also should consider: the levels of difficulty at which curriculum outcomes can be interpreted the materials, resources and tasks needed to support varied interests, aptitudes and abilities the scaffolding or supports required to facilitate student learning how to include varied approaches to assessment and evaluation time requirements

Next Steps What do I do now? Focus/Plan Apply – Choose from: Anchor Activities Learning Profiles Choice Board/Menu Engagement Strategies from Today Share (February 26th half-day PD) See “Sharing of Application” Handout Try again… Start Slowly – begin with one subject and one technique – use it for a while then add more It will take students, as well as the teacher, time to adjust to a new way of learning. A little bit of careful and strategic planning…goes a long way! For February 26th

My 3 Wishes What personal wishes were you granted? As a result of our learning, what aspects of your teaching and student learning will be enhanced through differentiated instruction? What wish remains for follow-up? Participants revisit their three wishes. Make any necessary edits.

Tear and Deposit dgaffney@mciu.org Tear and deposit in one of three piles as listed above. These responses are then compiled and used to focus future professional development. dgaffney@mciu.org

Parking Lot Running Record of Engagement Strategies Ticket In Parking Lot Collaboration Line-Up Self-/formative Assessment Self-Directed Learning Group Norms Anchor Activity Think-Write-Pair-Share 10-2 Check & perfect Numbered Heads Graphic Organizer Choice Options Find Someone Who Random Reporter Exit Slip These strategies, or variations of these strategies, along with many others, engage learners and support a differentiated learning environment.