A Diverse-ability Classroom will have Four Basic Types of Students TYPE 1: Students where the grade-appropriate curriculum is simply not appropriate - needs parallel, developmentally appropriate curriculum (e.g., students with substantial MR) TYPE 2 : Students where the grade-appropriate curriculum is appropriate, given use of both robust kinds of instruction and, as needed, specific accommodations TYPE 3: Students where the grade-appropriate curriculum is appropriate TYPE 4: Students where the grade-appropriate curriculum is appropriate, but not sufficient (e.g., very bright, gifted, etc.) CHALLENGE IS PLANNING FOR EACH TYPE OF STUDENT

Keys to success in diverse-ability CONTENT classrooms Make instruction more ROBUST Make information more Learnable Meaning-based Differentiating Curriculum Reduce information processing demands Make information more memorable WATER-UP, NOT WATER-DOWN

Characteristics of Differentiated CONTENT instruction Developmentally appropriate in terms of student’s background knowledge Focuses on understanding of key ideas rather than memorizing facts & trivia

Knowledge is recursively scaffolded so students build deeper understandings Characteristics of Differentiated CONTENT instruction Developmentally appropriate in terms of student’s background knowledge Focuses on understanding of key ideas rather than memorizing facts & trivia Students learn to distinguish big ideas from details

Characteristics of Differentiated CONTENT instruction Developmentally appropriate in terms of student’s background knowledge Focuses on understanding of key ideas rather than memorizing facts & trivia Students learn to distinguish big ideas from details Results in student elaboration of ideas Real-world connections, applications, impact Summarizing, Visualizing, Questioning, Organizing, Predicting

Characteristics of Differentiated CONTENT instruction Developmentally appropriate in terms of student’s background knowledge Focuses on understanding of key ideas rather than memorizing facts & trivia Students learn to distinguish big ideas from details Results in student elaboration of ideas Results in relational understanding Social / cultural treads & patterns connecting ideas Results in organized conceptualizations

Doesn’t get it! Gets it! Ability to elaborate one’s relational understanding Superficial, Erroneous, Incomplete Sophisticated, Accurate, Complete One’s understanding of an idea will fall somewhere on a continuum

Sophisticated, Accurate, Complete Makes many connections to other ideas Can’t explain connections between this idea and others Can explain how idea is affected by various phenomena Can’t explain how different phenomena affect idea Can explain impact of idea on the world Can’t explain impact of idea on world Makes effective comparisons with other ideas Can’t contrast idea with others Doesn’t get it! Gets it! Ability to elaborate one’s relational understanding Superficial, Erroneous, Incomplete Can recognize inappropriate applications or iterations of idea Can’t recognize inappropriate applications of idea Has sufficient knowledge of relevant facts Knowledge of important facts is incomplete or erroneous Can identify different manifestations of idea Can’t identify different manifestations of idea Can’t summarize or explain idea in own words Can summarize or explain gist of idea in own words

Doesn’t get it! Gets it! Ability to elaborate one’s relational understanding Superficial, Erroneous, Incomplete Sophisticated, Accurate, Complete Can recognize inappropriate applications or iterations of idea Can’t recognize inappropriate applications of idea Makes many connections to other ideas Can’t explain connections between this idea and others Has sufficient knowledge of relevant facts Knowledge of important facts is incomplete or erroneous Can identify different manifestations of idea Can’t identify different manifestations of idea Can explain how idea is affected by various phenomena Can’t explain how different phenomena affect idea Can explain impact of idea on the world Can’t explain impact of idea on world Makes effective comparisons with other ideas Can’t contrast idea with others Can’t summarize or explain idea in own words Can summarize or explain gist of idea in own words