One Size Does Not Fit All Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction

"Teach me my most difficult concepts in my preferred style. Let me explore my easiest concepts in a different style. Just don't teach me all the time in your preferred style and think I'm not capable of learning.” A story and a comment from Virleen M. Carlson, Center for Learning and Teaching, Cornell University, USA.

Definitions Differentiated instruction : involves structuring a lesson at multiple levels so that each student has an opportunity to work at a moderately challenging, developmentally appropriate level.Differentiated instruction : Multiple Intelligence: ways to demonstrate intellectual ability.Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: preferred mode of taking in new informationLearning Styles Teaching Style: preferred mode of deliveryTeaching Style

VARK preferences Visual: diagrams, pictures, use of color, symbols and spatial arrangements Aural: listening and discussing Read/Write: reading written materials, making detailed written notes or lists Kinesthetic: learning by doing

What we’ve always known... " No two children are alike. An enriched environment for one is not necessarily enriched for another. " Marian Diamonds: Professor of Neuroanatomy at Berkeley

What we’ve always known... “So our environment, including the classroom environment, is not a neutral place. We educators are either growing dendrites or letting them wither and die. The trick is to determine what constitutes an enriched environment.” Pat Wolfe and Ron Brandt

Universal Design Multiple means of representation – to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge, Multiple means of expression –to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, Multiple means of engagement – to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

Four Ways to Differentiate 1. Content/Topic –Content can be described as the knowledge, skills and attitudes we want children to learn. 2. Process/Activities –Differentiating the processes means varying learning activities or strategies to provide appropriate methods for students to explore the concepts. 3. Product –Differentiating the product means varying the complexity of the product that students create to demonstrate mastery of the concepts. 4. Individual Learning Styles –Varying teaching strategies and approaches

Adapting Lessons for Every Learner Big Ideas Conspicuous Strategies Mediated Scaffolding Strategic Strategies Judicious Review Primed Background Knowledge *Excerpted from Toward Successful Inclusion of Students with Disabilities: The Architecture of Instruction by Edward J. Kameenui, and Deborah Simmons(1999).

Differentiation Strategies Anchor Activities Learning Contracts Tiered Lessons

Developing Tiered Lessons 1.Identify the standard that you are targeting. 2.Identify the key concept and generalization. 3.Assess whether students have the background necessary to be successful in the lesson. 4.Select what you will tier. –For example, decide whether to tier the content, process, or product. 5.Decide how you will tier –by student readiness, interest, or learning profile. 6.Based on the above decisions, determine how many tiers you will need and develop the lesson.

Visual Learners Videos Images for writing/discussion prompts Maps/Globes Graphic Organizers

Auditory Learners Songs Videos Background music Discussions (in class and online)

Read/Write Learners Journaling/blogging Lists Handouts/notes Essays/Research projects

Kinesthetic Learners Labs Drama/oral reports Songs with movement Hands on activities/manipulatives

Technology Helps Motivating factor of using technology Flexibility of the medium Preparing students for the real world Decreases amount of time required by teachers to create differentiated content

Basic DI Toolkit

Multimedia Resources Archive.org

Online Tools

More DI Tools

Heather Blanton, ITRT Wise County Public Schools For more information check out my wiki:

Big Ideas Focus on essential learning outcomes Capture rich relationships among concepts Enable learners to apply what they learn in varied situations Involve ideas, concepts, principles, and rules central to higher-order learning Form the basis for generalization and expansion

Conspicuous Strategies Planned Purposeful Explicit Most important in initial teaching of concept

Mediated Scaffolding Varied according to learner needs or experiences Based on task (not more than learner needs) Provided in the form of tasks, content, and materials Removed gradually according to learner proficiency

Strategic Integration Combines cognitive components of information Results in a new and more complex knowledge structure Aligns naturally with information (i.e, is not "forced") Involves meaningful relationships among concepts Links essential big ideas across lessons within a curriculum

Judicious Review Sufficient Distributed over time Cumulative Varied Judicious, not haphazard

Primed Background Knowledge Aligns with learner knowledge and expertise Considers strategic and proximal pre skills Readies learner for successful performance