Differentiated instruction work session Special Education Teacher Institute

Who are you? Make a creative name tag/tent You will have 10 minutes to make your own name tag. Make sure you list hobbies, draw a picture or two, give a self profile,etc. Don’t forget your name, years of teaching experience, and what you teach. Introduce yourself and share out with the your table. Make a name tag tent to display on your table. Fold a corner to make the tent stand better.

Please silence your cell phones Ground Rules Please silence your cell phones Please take breaks as needed. Due to our short time together we will not have a scheduled break. Be open minded! 

Think of a Time… Turn to a partner at your table and talk about a time when you were really engaged in learning… What did that look like? What did that sound like? Why do you think you were so engaged? Give them about 8-10 mins to discuss. Share with others at your table. Share out.

What is differentiation? Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning. -Tomlinson (2001)

Teachers Can Differentiate Content Process Product According to Students’ Go through and talk about each box. Content – What is being taught. You can differentiate the actual content being presented to students. Process – How the student learns what is being taught. For example, some students need to interact with the material physically, some might prefer to read a book. Product – How the student shows what he/she has learned. For example, students can write a paper or they can present information orally. Readiness – Skill level and background knowledge of child. We try to stay away from the word “ability” because you don’t always know the ability level of a child if their readiness level is low. Interest – Child’s interest or preferences – these can be interests within the curricular area (for example, they might be interested specifically in learning about folklore in a unit on volcanoes) or in general (for example, knowing a student’s favorite cartoon character could allow you to tie that into an example and might motivate the student) Learning Profile – This includes learning style (is the student a visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learner), as well as preferences for environmental (such as level of distraction, exposure to light or noise) or grouping factors (small group, large group, or individual) Readiness Interest Learning Profile Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999)

So two thirds of the kids are wasting their time. Did you know… When a teacher tries to teach something to the whole entire class at the same time, chances are, one-third of the kids already know it; one-third will get it; and the remaining third won’t. Lillian Katz So two thirds of the kids are wasting their time. Very interesting statistic. Emphasize the numbers…one-third know it, one-third will get it, and the remaining third WILL NOT Willis, S (November 1993). “Teaching Young Children: Educators Seek ‘Developmental Appropriateness.” Curriculum Update, 1-8.

Pyramid of Learning 10 % READING 20% HEARING 30% SEEING 40% DISCUSS WITH OTHERS 70% 90% TALK/WRITE OR DO/APPLY

We also know… People learn differently—we have various learning styles, learning strengths, abilities, and interests. We also learn alike in that we need to find meaning and make sense of what we study. We learn best from work that demands we stretch ourselves, but does not intimidate us.

We know from research… Students learn 90% of what they say or discuss as they complete an activity. Drawing figures helped improve critical thinking skills in learning-disabled children. Play is the brain’s link from the inner world to reality and the foundation of creativity. Mind mapping engages all the brain’s functions and captures the total picture. Laughter and humor maintain students attention, reduce mental and physical tension, relieve stress and make the school day shorter.

Differentiated or Different? Have them read the article from Reading Rockets. Discuss at their tables

Flexible Grouping Should be purposeful: Implementation: Cautions: may be based on student interest, learning profile and/or readiness may be based on needs observed during learning times geared to accomplish curricular goals (K-U-D) Implementation: purposefully plan using information collected – interest surveys, learning profile inventories, exit cards, quick writes, observations, etc. list groups on an overhead; place in folders or mailboxes “on the fly” as invitational groups Cautions: avoid turning groups into tracking situations provide opportunities for students to work within a variety of groups practice moving into group situations and assuming roles within the group. Talk about how groups are not just random. There should be purpose in your grouping.

GRAFITTI FACTS Discuss at your table for 2 minutes what is differentiated instruction. Pick someone from your table to go Graffiti on the chart what you agree to share.

Curriculum should be differentiated in three areas: The Key The Key to a differentiated classroom is that all students are regularly offered CHOICES and students are matched with tasks compatible with their individual learner profiles. Curriculum should be differentiated in three areas: 1. Content: Multiple option for taking in information 2. Process: Multiple options for making sense of the ideas 3. Product: Multiple options for expressing what they know

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES Logical- Mathematical Naturalist Musical- Rhythmic Visual- Spatial Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Verbal-Linguistic Intrapersonal Learning Styles VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC 15

-CHOICE- The Great Motivator! Requires children to be aware of their own readiness, interests, and learning profiles. Students have choices provided by the teacher. (YOU are still in charge of crafting challenging opportunities for all kiddos – NO taking the easy way out!) Use choice across the curriculum: writing topics, content writing prompts, self-selected reading, contract menus, math problems, spelling words, product and assessment options, seating, group arrangement, ETC . . . GUARANTEES BUY-IN AND ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING!

Choice Boards Choice Boards are a great way to have the students have choices in there learning.

Purpose of Choice Boards Homework After Reading or Problem Solving Learn a vocabulary word Projects for a certain topic or book Presentation or Demonstration Independent Work Demonstrate a Skill

Primary Consideration: What is your learning target? What must ALL students: Know Understand be able to Do

Fractions Choice Board Learning Goals: Students will… KNOW: Fractions show parts of a whole and can be expressed numerically. UNDERSTAND: Fractions represent equal sized portions or fair shares. Be able to DO: Use different materials to demonstrate what the fraction looks like. Turville, J. (2007) Differentiating by Student Interest

Turville, J. (2007) Differentiating by Student Interest

Insects Choice Board Learning Goals: Students will… KNOW: The characteristics of insects. UNDERSTAND: Insects have particular characteristics and parts and are different from other kinds of bugs. Be able to DO: Create a product that demonstrates an understanding of characteristics that are particular to insects. Turville, J. (2007) Differentiating by Student Interest

Turville, J. (2007) Differentiating by Student Interest

THINK-TAC-TOE Book Report Differentiation Strategy: STUDENT CHOICE Draw a picture of the main character. Perform a play that shows the conclusion of a story. Write a song about one of the main events. Write a poem about two main events in the story. Make a poster that shows the order of events in the story. Dress up as your favorite character and perform a speech telling who you are. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the introduction to the closing. Write two paragraphs about the main character. Write two paragraphs about the setting.

Structures, Processes and Responses of Plants Tic-Tac-Toe for Student Choice Activities 1. Draw some type of visual that differentiates the two types of reproduction in flowering plants 2. Write a short essay explaining the structures flowering plants have for defense. 3. Search the Internet for information about a plant’s response to external stimuli. Print out what you find and summarize your information into your own outline. 4. Create a lesson plan on the life cycle of a flowering plant and teach this lesson to the class. 5. Write a newspaper article highlighting the poisonous plants common to South Carolina (i.e. Mississippi) 6. Write a short story about the life cycle of an apple seed. 7. Create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting vascular and nonvascular plants. 8. Design a poster shows the parts of a flowering plant that function for survival. 9. Make a collage of various organisms from the five kingdoms. Label and give the characteristics of each kingdom. Name: ________________________ I/We choose activities #____, #____, #____. Today’s Date _________________________ Due Date ___________________

TIERED ACTIVITIES

WHAT CAN BE TIERED? ASSIGNMENTS ACTIVITIES CENTERS & STATIONS LEARNING CONTRACTS ASSESSMENTS MATERIALS EXPERIMENTS WRITING PROMPTS HOMEWORK With a little thought, almost any classroom activity can be tiered. Two or three tiers is usually best for implementation. However, a teacher who is experienced and comfortable with the strategy may have more tiers if it facilitates the instruction or better meets the needs of the students.

What is Tiered Instruction? By keeping the focus of the activity the same, but providing routes of access at varying degrees of difficulty, the teacher maximizes the likelihood that: 1) each student comes away with pivotal skills & understandings 2) each student is appropriately challenged. Teachers use tiered activities so that all students focus on essential understandings and skills but at different levels of complexity, abstractness, and open-endedness. No student should look at the task and say to themselves, : I guess I’m in the dumb group.” The key to developing good tiered activities is to design them so that they are just above the level of the learner. This helps students stretch and build from where they are. Challenging and supporting students at their levels of understanding will help them become successful learners.

OPTIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION To Differentiate Instruction By Readiness To Differentiate Instruction By Interest To Differentiate Instruction by Learning Profile equalizer adjustments (complexity, open-endedness, etc. add or remove scaffolding vary difficulty level of text & supplementary materials adjust task familiarity vary direct instruction by small group adjust proximity of ideas to student experience encourage application of broad concepts & principles to student interest areas give choice of mode of expressing learning use interest-based mentoring of adults or more expert-like peers give choice of tasks and products (including student designed options) give broad access to varied materials & technologies create an environment with flexible learning spaces and options allow working alone or working with peers use part-to-whole and whole-to-part approaches Vary teacher mode of presentation (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, concrete, abstract) adjust for gender, culture, language differences. useful instructional strategies: - tiered activities Tiered products compacting learning contracts tiered tasks/alternative forms of assessment interest centers interest groups enrichment clusters group investigation choice boards MI options internet mentors multi-ability cooperative tasks Triarchic options 4-MAT CA Tomlinson, UVa ‘97

Just a different approach Think dots Just a different approach

STUDENTS USE THINKDOT’s Students begin ThinkDots by sitting with other students using activity cards of the same color. Students roll the die and complete the activity on the card that corresponds to the dots thrown on the die. If the first roll is an activity that the student does not want to do a second roll is allowed. Teachers can create an Activity Sheet to correspond to the lesson for easy recording and management.

THINKDOTS Suggestions: Use colored paper to indicate different readiness levels, interests or learning styles. Have students work in small groups. Let students choose which activities- for example: choose any three or have students choose just one to work on over a number of days. After students have worked on activities individually, have them come together in groups by levels, interest or learning style to synthesize.

Differentiated Lesson Plan

We do not want our students to feel like this…

Let’s Get to work! You have time now to work as you please. Take this time to work on Choice Boards, Tiered Activities, a Differentiated Lesson Plan, or whatever will benefit you the most. There are some examples for you to look at around the room and supplies for you to use.

Walkaway thought… - Carol Ann Tomlinson “In the end, all learners need your energy, your heart, and your mind. They have that in common because they are young humans. How they need you, however, differs. Unless we understand and respond to those differences, we fail many learners.” - Carol Ann Tomlinson

Instructional Facilitators with the Exceptional Education Department Thanks for your time and attention! We hope you enjoyed the presentation and learned something you can take back to your classroom/school! Instructional Facilitators with the Exceptional Education Department

Kristi Coggin kristi. coggin@mnps. org www. mnpsteacher Kristi Coggin kristi.coggin@mnps.org www.mnpsteacher.org http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/Choice+Boards