2. Assessing Prior Knowledge KWLKWL

3. Why differentiated instruction?

4. The biggest mistake of the past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual, and thus to feel justified in teaching them the same subjects in the same ways. Howard Gardner “ ”

5. When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, chances are, one-third of the kids already know it, one-third will get it; and the remaining third won’t. So two-thirds of the children are wasting their time. “ ” Educator Lilian Katz

6. Our Goals Today Rationale for Differentiated Instruction Determine what is and what is not differentiated instruction. Assess students’ readiness, interest and learning profile. Identify Principles and Goals of differentiated instruction based on Carol Tomlinson’s model. Implement best practices around differentiating through content, product and process in a middle and high school classroom. Contrasting a traditional classroom from a differentiated classroom.

7. Today’s Agenda 8:55 WHAT is differentiated instruction? 9:45 WHY do we differentiate? 10:15 HOW to differentiate 10:30 Break 10:45Model: Differentiated Strategy: Stations 12:30 Lunch 1:15 Practice: Bank of DI Strategies 2:15 Analyze: Traditional Classroom vs. Differentiated Classroom 2:45 Reflection 3:15 Evaluation

8. WHAT is Differentiated Instruction? Definition of DI Overview of 8 guiding principles to differentiation Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999) identifies eight principles that guide differentiated instruction

9. Eight Principals of Differentiated Instruction 1. Focus on the Essentials. 2. Recognize that Students are Different. 3. Assessment and Instruction are Inseparable. 4. All Students Participate in Respectful Work. 5. Teachers and students collaboration. 6. Balancing group and individual norms. 7. Teachers and students work together flexibly.

10. The Meat and Potatoes of DI Principle 8 The Teacher Modifies Content, Process, and Product This is the “what” of differentiated instruction. When choosing to differentiate the first question you should ask yourself is “Which of these three will I be differentiating?”

11. WHY should teachers differentiate? Readiness Interest Learning profile

12. How do you assess students’ readiness, interests and earning Profiles? The Modality Preferences Inventory

13. Activity Discussion How would this activity help a student be a better learner and a teacher a better planner? What other ways can we find out about student’s readiness/interests/learnin g profile?

14. I Graph Rate yourself in each of the categories along the horizontal axis by creating a bar graph. I am excellent at this. I do well at this. I can do this if I work hard. I am not very good at this, but I want to learn. ReadingMath SpanishDominosPaintingKitesurfing __________ Activity of Choice

15. HOW to Differentiate? Content Product Process

16. Content Content is what you want the students to learn and the materials or mechanisms through which that is accomplished. Example: In a middle school English classroom, a child has already read The Outsiders, a class book. You might challenge her with Lord of the Flies instead of asking her to repeat what she’s already accomplished.

17. Process Process describes the activities that are designed to make sure students use key skills Example: A student struggling with basic arithmetic at the high school level could be provided a calculator while attempting to demonstrate the relationship between distance, rate and time.

18. Product Products are vehicles through which students demonstrate what they have learned. Teachers can provide “menus” of products so that students can select the way in which they can exhibit master of the objective. Example: Objective—Identify the climax of a story. Product differentiation—student could chose to write a description or visually represent the climax

19. Differentiated Classroom Strategy Stations 1. Video Station: Learning Menus 2. Graphic Organizers 3. Tiered Assignments/Products 4. Varying Questions

20. Discussion Which type of strategies are illustrated at the stations - are they modifications of content, process or product? How might you use these strategies in your subject area classrooms?

21. LUNCH

22. Group Practice—Strategy Bank Get in to pairs by subject taught. Read over your strategy and create a specific example of how you would implement it in your subject classroom. Teach the strategy to the whole group using your example to support understanding.

23. Traditional vs. Differentiated Classroom

24. Where do I go from here? A differentiated classroom does not happen overnight!! This is something teachers must work at day-by-day, child-by- child. Start small, identify one or a few strategies.

25. Reflection & Next Steps Reflection: Think-pair- share: Reflect on 2-3 struggling or gifted students. How can you use these strategies to support their learning in your classroom?

26. Review and Homework What have we LEARNED today? What strategy will you attempt in your classroom before the next session? Homework: – Next week bring a lesson/unit you would like to differentiate – Read: Raising Expectations for Gifted, by Willard-Holt

27. Carol Tomlinson’s DI Model