Differentiated Instruction An introduction - part 2

Agenda Differentiation strategies A closer look at anchoring activities and tiered assignments

Differentiated Instruction: Instructional and Management Strategies Introduction Teaching students about differences and about how to participate in differentiated (fair) instruction Examples of self-assessment activities Strategies for differentiation (not new, may need modification) Anchoring activitiesFlexible grouping Adjusting questionsCurriculum compacting Tiered assignmentsLearning centers Learning contractsIndependent study Reading buddies

Brainstorm! Think/Pair/Share: How would you define the strategies listed? What examples of these strategies did you see in the video?

A Closer Look at 2 Strategies Anchoring Activities Tiered Instruction Small group “practice” with these two strategies

Purpose of an Anchor Activity is to: Provide meaningful work for students when they finish an assignment or project. Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction. Free up classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals.

Use Anchor Activities to Create Groups Teach the whole class to work independently and quietly on the anchor activity Half works on the anchor activity Other half works on a different activity

Anchor Activities Work best: –When expectations are clear and the tasks are taught and practiced prior to use. –When students are held accountable for on-task behavior and completion.

Some Anchor Activities Brain Busters Learning packets Activity Box Learning/Interest Centers Vocabulary Work Accelerated Reader Investigations Listening Stations Research Questions or Projects Journals or Learning Logs Content Related Silent Reading

WHAT IS TIERED INSTRUCTION? “Tiered instruction is like a wedding cake; all one flavor; same color icing but multi-layered.”

WHAT CAN BE TIERED? Assignments Activities Homework Centers Experiments Materials Assessments Writing Prompts

PURPOSE FOR TIERED INSTRUCTION To build multiple avenues to content Focus on key concepts and understanding of lesson or unit To provide optimal learning experiences Task difficulty and skill level are slightly above student level

THE CHALLENGE OF THE TEACHER Developing “Respectful Activities” Interesting Engaging Challenging

REAL LEARNING OCCURS... when the task difficulty and skill level are slightly above the student level.

PLANNING TIERED ACTIVITIES Step 1Select the activity and identify key concepts or skills. What should students know, understand, or be able to do? Step 2Think about students and use assessment to determine: Readiness Levels Interests Learning Profile

Step 3 Create activity that is: Interesting Challenging Step 4Adjust activity along the ladder of complexity using the “equalizer” Step 5 Match the tasks to students based on skill complexity

WHAT CAN YOU ADJUST? Materials Level of Complexity Amount of Structure Number of Steps Time Level of Dependence

Small Group Practice Decide whether you’d like to practice developing an anchor activity or a tiered activity. (Choice groups) Choice groups will count off to form work groups of 3-4 In your work group, select a grade level and content area. Select a group “scribe” who will type up your product and attach it to the instructor to include in a resource document to share with all members of all TLCI 340 sections.

Small Group Practice Anchor Activity: Create the student directions and one activity (writing prompt, vocabulary task, brain buster, etc.) for one form of anchor activity. Tiered Activity: Create the student directions for two tiers of activity based on readiness.

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