1. Using Differentiation in the Secondary English Classroom A Method for Designing and Managing Differentiated Curriculum A presentation by Tracy Olson Moran, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Schools Hamline University School of Education

2. Today’s Goals Brief background Method for Designing Curriculum Change in Ideology Integrating Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction and an Example: The Scarlet Letter Strategies for Managing a Differentiated Curriculum Tools

3. Brief Background “Differentiated Instruction focuses on whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. We focus on processes and procedures to ensure effective learning takes place for varied individuals…It is predominantly (although not solely) an instructional design model” (Tomlinson and McTighe, 2006, 3). However, for me, DI wasn’t enough. I still needed a curriculum design model that helped me figure out what content I needed to teach. DI helps me figure out how to teach the content and to teach it responsively to my students, but I was still left with the struggle to decide how to focus my curriculum.

4. Understanding by Design focuses on what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect…it is predominantly (though not solely) a curriculum design model” (Tomlinson and McTighe, 2006, 2). I use the stages of the UbD framework to design the curriculum I plan to differentiate. It can seem overwhelming, but our goal today is to make it more manageable. This is the type of curriculum and instruction design that moves us from creating lesson plans to creating opportunities for students to construct their own meaning and understanding. We move from teaching lessons to teaching students.

5. Method for Designing Curriculum My goal: to teach essential knowledge and skills of my curriculum to the full spectrum of learners in my classroom Example: Creating a unit for The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne in a Modern Humanities class Using Understanding by Design to design content Stage 1: Identify the desired results. What do I want students to know, understand, or be able to do? I create my essential questions, which frame the big ideas I want students to understand

6. Example: For The Scarlet Letter, these questions were: 1. What is the role of Puritan culture in Colonial America? 2. How do authors shape texts to reflect their personal values and the values of society at large? 3. How does ideology affect an understanding of the text? Stage 2: Assessment How will students show what they know, understand, or able to do? What evidence will students provide of their learning and understanding?

7. Example: The Scarlet Letter assessments were varied and included: Ungraded classroom discussion Vocabulary pop quizzes Section quizzes Study guide spot checks Choice graded work centers Essay Objective and essay cumulative Colonial America test

8. Change in Ideology from Bloom’s Taxonomy to the Six Facets of Understanding This promotes the “Ladder View” of learning, that students must learn facts before abstract concepts of subject. They must master skills before applying them in more complex ways. This view, however, is not accurate. 1. May seem intuitive, but not supported by contemporary views of the learning process (consider language acquisition, for example). “Learners gain understanding when they construct their own knowledge and develop their own cognitive maps of interconnections among facts and concepts” (Shepard, as cited in Tomlinson and McTighe, 2006, 119). Results in higher order thinking for gifted students and basic skills for lower achievers.

9. 2. Because the low-achieving students are less likely to have acquired the basics, struggling learners are often confined to an educational program of low-level, skill-drill activities, which provide little meaningful or contextual learning. 3. Need the interplay of all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy to construct knowledge. New way to think about understanding: Six Facets Explanation, Application, Interpretation, Perspective, Empathy, and Self-Knowledge. All equally important

10. Six Facets of Understanding Explanation: provide knowledgeable and justified accounts of events, actions, and ideas Application: apply knowledge and skill in new situations and diverse contexts Interpretation: displaying understanding that provide meaning Empathy: ability to walk in another's shoes, to experience their situation Self-Knowledge: a learner who knows what they do and do not understand Perspective: refers to critical and insightful points of view Source: Understanding by Design, Professional Development Workbook. Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, 2004.

11. Stage 3: Planning teaching and learning activities using WHERETO

12. Integrating UbD and DI Stage 3 of UbD is the place to integrate DI. Consider the key principles of differentiation: Focus on essential concepts principles, and skills Attend to student differences Continually assess where students are Create a sense of community Use flexible grouping (see tools) Use multiple instructional strategies (see tools)

13. Differentiation is generally accomplished through providing multiple options for process and product Process: how students will learn: the activities, sequence of ideas, etc. Consider readiness, interests, learning style, multiple intelligences Product: how students demonstrate what they have learned, the evidence of student learning: a presentation, essay, quiz, project, etc.

14. Design Template

15. Example: The Scarlet Letter Concept/Rea diness Red (lower)Blue (average)Yellow (higher) SymbolismCharacternyms (handout)Consider all the symbolism involved in the forest and the town. Make a list. Consider the changing symbolism of the letter “A” throughout the novel. ThemeFrom the list of themes, give an example for each from the novel. Using the following subjects, identify the theme in the novel. Support with evidence from the text. Discuss Hawthorne’s ideas about morality. Consider multiple perspectives as you develop a thesis and support it with evidence from the text. Historical Context Consider Puritan values and list examples from the text. How may Hawthorne’s personal life have influenced his view of his time period? How does Hawthorne’s response to Puritan values reflect the changing relationship between England and the colonies? Critic’s Perspective After reading the six critical perspectives, decide which portrait of Hester makes the most sense to you. Why? After reading the six critical perspectives, explain how The Scarlet Letter is a tragedy. Identify as many of the following elements of traditional Greek tragedy in the novel. After reading the six critical perspectives, choose one of the following schools as a basis for a paragraph discussing Hester’s character/role.  feminist  historical  structural

16. Strategies for Managing a Differentiated Classroom Tomlinson lists several strategies for managing a differentiated classroom. Have a strong rationale for differentiating instruction based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile. Start small. Begin at a pace that is right for you. Use an “anchor activity” (meaningful work done individually and silently) to focus your attention on your students and to give the “quick finishers” a way to stay on- task.

17. Give thoughtful directions. Teach students to work for quality. Establish routines for getting help, moving into groups, getting help, starting and ending class, moving the furniture, turning in work, stray movement, minimizing noise, etc. Give your students as much responsibility for their learning as possible. Talk with your students about classroom procedures, processes, and why you do the things you do.

18. Tools In your packet: Wiggins and McTighe’s Six Facets of Understanding and WHERETO illustrations DI matrix design template, based on Heacox “Grouping for Instruction,” types of groups and their purposes Multiple Instructional Strategies list The Scarlet Letter example Resources: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/ www.ascd.org

19. Last Words Classroom success for me has been the result of: Creating a challenging curriculum Building community based on mutual respect Thoughtful consideration of their ideas Trust and honesty Giving up “expert” for “guide” Trying new ideas Reflection

20. Bibliography Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2004). Understanding by Design, Professional Development Workbook. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Tomlinson, C. A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design, Expanded Second Edition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.