Layered Curriculum English Language Arts Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools

Agenda  Overview  Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy  Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences  The Matrix  The Model  Practice

“Here is what I want you to learn. I don’t care how you learn it, just learn it.”

Overview: The Purpose  Encourage higher-level thinking  Bloom’s Taxonomy  Ensure student engagement  Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences  Increase student accountability  The Model  THE RESULT: A DIFFERENTIATED CURRICULUM

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy  What is it?  A classification of learning objectives used by educators set by Benjamin Bloom  How do I use it?  To determine the level of thinking required by a student to complete a task  How does it work?  The more complex the thinking, the higher the task on the taxonomy

Bloom Bloom’s Revised Remember Apply Understand Analyze Evaluate Create Evaluation Analysis Synthesis Application Comprehension Knowledge

Bloom’s Revised: Remember  Cognitive processes: Recognizing, Recalling  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  What happened after...?  How many...?  What is...?  Who was it that...?  Can you name...?  Find the definition of….  Describe what happened after….  Who spoke to...?  Which is true or false...?

Bloom’s Revised: Understand  Cognitive processes: Interpreting, Exemplifying, Classifying, Summarizing, Inferring, Comparing, Explaining  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  Can you explain why…?  Can you write in your own words?  How would you explain…?  Can you write a brief outline...?  What do you think could have happened next...?  Who do you think...?  What was the main idea...?  Can you clarify…?  Can you illustrate…?  Does everyone act in the way that … does?

Bloom’s Revised: Apply  Cognitive processes: Executing, Implementing  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  Do you know of another instance where…?  Can you group by characteristics such as…?  Which factors would you change if…?  What questions would you ask of…?  From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about…?

Bloom’s Revised: Analyze  Cognitive processes: Differentiating, Organizing, Attributing  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  Which events could not have happened?  If…happened, what might the ending have been?  How is...similar to...?  What do you see as other possible outcomes?  Why did...changes occur?  Can you explain what must have happened when...?  What are some of the problems of...?  Can you distinguish between...?  What were some of the motives behind…?  What was the turning point?  What was the problem with...?

Bloom’s Revised: Evaluate  Cognitive processes: Checking, Critiquing  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  Is there a better solution to...?  Can you defend your position about...?  Do you think...is a good or bad thing?  How would you have handled...?  What changes to… would you recommend?  Do you believe...? How would you feel if…?  How effective are…?  What are the consequences of …?  What influence will…have on our lives?

Bloom’s Revised: Create  Cognitive processes: Generating, Planning, Producing  Question stems (Pohl 2000):  Can you design a...to...?  Can you see a possible solution to...?  If you had access to all resources, how would you deal with...?  Can you devise your own way to...?  What would happen if...?  How many ways can you...?  Can you create new and unusual uses for...?  Can you develop a proposal which would...?

Bloom’s Revised  Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification of thinking organized by level of complexity.  It gives teachers and students an opportunity to learn and practice a range of thinking.  It provides a simple structure for many different kinds of questions and thinking.

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences  What is it?  A theory that attributes varying degrees of different types of intelligence to individuals  How do I use it?  Students should be motivated to learn by tapping into their intelligences  Providing options that address multiple intelligence types will engage students  How does it work?  Curriculum design must take into account students’ intelligence strengths in order to put the theory into practice

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences VERBAL- LINGUISTIC MUSICAL BODILY- KINESTHETIC NATURALIST INTERPERSONAL INTRAPERSONAL LOGICAL- MATHEMATICAL VISUAL- SPATIAL

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence  Most popular  Ability to mentally process logical problems  Archetypal intelligence, raw intellect of Western culture  Aptitude for numbers, reasoning, problem solving  Fit well in today’s classrooms

Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence  Ability to construct an comprehend language  All people from all cultures (including young children and deaf culture) possess the ability to utilize language  Learn by speaking, writing, reading, listening  Successful in traditional classrooms because of consistency with traditional instruction

Visual-Spatial Intelligence  Comprehend shapes and images in three dimensions (puzzles, sculptures, navigation)  Ability to perceive and interpret that which we may or may not physically see  Learn by visually organizing (charts, graphs, maps, tables, illustrations, costumes)

Musical Intelligence  Music comes “naturally”  Ability to perform and comprehend musically seems to work independently from other forms of intelligence  Learn through songs, patterns, rhythms, instruments and musical expression

Interpersonal Intelligence  Ability to interact with others, understand them, interpret their behavior  How we notice distinction among others (mood, temperaments, motivation, intentions)  People-oriented, outgoing, learn in groups, cooperatively  Talkative, “too concerned about social activities”

Intrapersonal Intelligence  Ability to understand and sense our “self”  Tap into being – who we are, what feelings we have, why we are this way  Leads to strong self-esteem, self-enhancement, and strength of character to solve internal problems  Conveyed in rage or joy, poem or painting  Tend to be more reserved, intuitive about what is learned and how it relates to self

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence  Possess a certain control over movement, balance, agility, and grace, even before formal training  Natural sense of how the body should act and react  Learn though activity – games, movement, hands- on tasks, building

Naturalist Intelligence  Ability to identify and classify patterns in nature  Ability to relate to surroundings and the role each part of the environment plays  Can distinguish nuances between large numbers of similar objects  Learn in the context of outdoors, animals, field trips  Love subtle differences in meanings (Non-traditional) What are the subtle differences in these organisms?

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences  Good Uses  Cultivating desired abilities  Approaching a concept, subject mater, discipline in a variety of ways  Personalizing education  Misuses  Trying to teach all concepts or subjects using all intelligences  Forcing the use of a particular intelligence  Direct evaluating or even grading of intelligences without regard to context

The Matrix Let’s put it all together: By combining Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (ensuring higher-order thinking) and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (increasing student engagement), teachers can improve student accountability through differentiation.

The Matrix  Assignments are placed in the matrix according to the thinking level and intelligence type  Units are designed to incorporate a range of thinking and variety of intelligence options  Planning is the key: What do you want students to LEARN? How many ways can students demonstrate their LEARNING?

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Remember: tell, list, define, label, recite, memorize, repeat, find, name, record, fill in Understand: locate, explain, summarize, identify, describe, report, discuss, review, paraphrase, restate Apply: carry out, implement, use, convert, demonstrate, differentiate, discover, examine, experiment, prepare, produce, record Analyze: compare, contrast, clas­sify, critique, categorize, solve, deduce, examine, differentiate, appraise, distinguish, experiment, question, investigate, categorize, infer Evaluate: judge, predict, verify, assess, justify, rate, priori­tize, determine, select, decide, value, choose, forecast, estimate Create: compose, hypothesize, design, formulate, create, invent, develop, refine, produce, transform Verbal/Linguistic: poetry, debate, story­telling, essay, checklist, journal, lecture Visual/Spatial: drawing, model, poster, photograph, storyboard, illustration, board game, graphic organizer, timeline Logical/Mathematical: diagram, outline, timeline, chart, critique, graph Naturalist: classification, collection, solution to problem, display, observation, forecast, investigation, simulation, exhibit, identification Musical: song, rap, lyrics, composition, jingle, slogan, melody Bodily/Kinesthetic: role play, skit, pantomime, dance, invention, lab, improvisation, prototype Intrapersonal: journal, log, goal statement, belief statement, self-assessment, editorial Interpersonal: discussion, roundtable, service learning, conversation, group activity, position statement, interview C BA

The Model  Which benchmarks of the SCOS are to be addressed during a unit?  How will students demonstrate their understanding of those benchmarks?  What major concepts will be taught during the unit?

The Model: Level C  Concept 1: Low-thinking skill (Remember, Understand)  Monitor comprehension  Summarize  Extend vocabulary knowledge  Choose language that is appropriate BAC

The Model: Level B  Concept 2: Medium-level thinking skill (Apply, Analyze)  Comparing and/or contrasting information  Drawing inferences and/or conclusions  Recognizing bias  Analyzing literary devices  Analyzing literary elements  Analyzing themes  Analyzing genre specific characteristics BAC

The Model: Level A  Concept 3: High-level thinking skill (Evaluate, Create)  Generate a learning log or journal  Create an artistic interpretation  Construct a book review  Design and develop informational materials  Study and create arguments that evaluate  Create a critical response/review of a work/topic  Create products for different purposes within various contexts  Analyze what impact literary elements have on the meaning of text BAC

The Model: Design  Mandatory Activities  Layered Activities  Multiple Intelligences  Point Values  Options: Offer at least 3 options for every 1 task you want students to complete  Rubrics?  Transparency

The Model: Design  Review the sample units.  What do you see that makes sense?  What do you like that you see?  What does not make sense?  What still confuses you?  Are you ready to practice your own unit?

The Model: Practice  What benchmarks are going to be assessed in the unit?  What concepts are you going to address?  Level C  What low-level skills are going to have assignments?  What options will students have for meeting that skill/benchmark expectation?

The Model: Practice  Level B  What medium-level skills are going to have assignments?  What options will students have for meeting that skill/benchmark expectation?  Level A  What high-level skills are going to have assignments?  What options will students have for meeting that skill/benchmark expectation?

Conclusion  If you  Use Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy well  Address Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences  Allow for student choice  Become the Teacher-as-coach instead of the Sage-on-the-Stage  A Layered Curriculum can  Ensure higher-order thinking  Increase student engagement  Improve student accountability

References   Nunley, K. F. (2003). Layered curriculum brings teachers to tiers. Educational Digest, 69 (1): Retrieved from EBSCOhost Educational Database 29 September  Pohl, M. (2000). Teaching Complex Thinking: Critical, Creative, Caring. Cheltenham, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow.