1. Differentiated Instruction:
Strategies to Enhance Classroom Instruction and Improve Student Achievement
First 3
October 23, 2012
Mary Scavo, Megan Smith, and Laura Ruble

2. At the conclusion of this today you will be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
Why differentiated instruction is important
A basic understanding of the key components of a differentiated classroom
The rationale for using flexible grouping
Strategies to try out in your classroom !!!

3. Brainstorming Activity
1. What is differentiated instruction? 2. How do you differentiate in your classroom?

4. Differentiated Instruction…
Provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn.
Tomlinson, 2001

5. Differentiated Instruction is…
“Shaking up” what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn.
Tomlinson, 2001

6. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Activity
Directions
Within your table group, put the Bloom’s Revised Level cards in order (lowest to highest). Discuss small group and whole group.
Within your table group, match the Bloom’s Revised Description with the correct Level. Discuss with a near by group for confirmation and then discuss as whole group.
Within your table group, match, the Bloom’s Revised Action Verb with the correct Description and Level. Turn and talk to partner about one of the matches you made and why it was made.

7. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Activity
Directions 4. Within your group, match the Bloom’s Revised Question with the correct Action Verb, Description and Level. Discuss as a whole group the reason for your choice. 5. Within your group, match the Bloom’s Revised Technology with the correct Question, Action Verb, Description and Level. 6. Review the completed Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy chart. Discuss and self-check with table group. What are 3 new things you learned?

8. Multiple Intelligences
On chart paper create a circle graph and list the Multiple Intelligence.
List any facts about each Multiple Intelligence.
2 -3 minute activity.
Book review – Matrix (pg.84-89)

9. Differentiated Classroom
Key Principles of a
Differentiated Classroom
Teachers make the difference
Students differ in learning preferences and need multiple and varied avenues to learning
All students can learn what is important for them to learn
Instruction must be meaningful
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are inseparable
Diversity should be valued and respected
Differentiating and adapting is critical to the success of all learners
Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated classroom

10. Differentiated Classroom
Key Principles of a
Differentiated Classroom
Differentiating instruction and adapting curriculum must become the rule rather than the exception
Goals are maximum growth and continued success
Collaborative planning is essential
Students and teachers are collaborators in learning
Curricular adaptation is neither prescriptive nor precise
Adaptations should maximize student participation in typical curriculum and instruction
Adaptations should maximize student involvement with school peer groups
The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences.

11. Teacher Roles in a Differentiated Classroom
Teachers must move away from the notion that they dispense information and knowledge and move towards seeing themselves as organizers of learning opportunities.
While content knowledge is essential, teachers in differentiated classrooms focus less on “knowing the correct answers” and more on understanding their students abilities, learning style, and needs.

12. Differentiated Instruction
is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs
guided by general principles of differentiation
such as:
ongoing assessment and adjustment
respectful tasks flexible grouping
clear learning goals positive learning environment
Teachers can differentiate:
Notes:
Content Process Product
Based on students’
Readiness Interests Learning Profile

13. Let's Explore
Some Strategies!!!

14. Flexible Grouping
Students are part of many different groups (and also work alone) based on the match of the task to student readiness, interest, or learning style. Teachers may create skills – based or interest – based groups that are heterogeneous or homogeneous in readiness level. Sometimes students select work groups, and sometimes teachers select them. Sometimes student group assignments are purposeful and sometimes random.

15. Flexible Grouping Initially use whole group for instruction
Divide group for practice or enrichment
Not a permanent arrangement
Use for hour, day, week, etc.

16. Planning for Grouping How does flexible grouping benefit students?
When does grouping facilitate instruction?
How do you determine group membership?
Which activities lend themselves to group work?

17. How does flexible grouping benefit students?
Gives students and teachers a voice in work arrangements.
Allows students to work with a variety of peers.
Keeps students from being “pegged” as advanced or struggling.

18. Can be determined by: Group Membership Readiness Interest
Reading Level
Skill Level
Background Knowledge
Social Skills

19. How to determine group membership?
Form Teams
Remember
SKILL LEVEL USING FORMATIVE DATA
(H, HM, LM, L)
GENDER
ETHNICITY
ESOL/ESE
DISCIPLINE ISSUES

20. Activities to Use in Groups
Cooperative Learning Structures
Structures are tools you can use in your classroom to build community, engage students, and make learning fun
Some example structures are incorporated using:
Timed Pair Share
Rally Robin
Round Robin
Roundtable
Shoulder and face partners

21. RAFT RAFT is an acronym that stands for
Role of the student. What is the student’s role: reporter, observer, eyewitness, object?
Audience. Who will be addressed by this raft: the teacher, other students, a parent, people in the community, an editor, another object?
Format. What is the best way to present this information: in a letter, an article, a report, a poem, a monologue, a picture, a song?
Topic. Who or what is the subject of this writing: a famous mathematician, a prehistoric cave dweller, a reaction to a specific event?

22. RAFT Activities Role Audience Format Topic Semicolon Middle Schoolers
Diary entry
I Wish You Really
Understood Where I Belong
N.Y.Times
public
Op Ed piece
How our Language Defines
Who We Are
Huck Finn
Tom Sawyer
Note hidden in a tree knot
A Few Things You Should Know
Rain Drop
Future Droplets
Advice Column
The Beauty of Cycles
Lung
Owner
Owner’s Guide
To Maximize Product Life
Rain Forest
John Q. Citizen
Paste Up “Ransom” Note
Before It’s Too Late
Reporter
Public
Obituary
Hitler is Dead
Martin Luther King
TV audience of 2010
Speech
The Dream Revisited
Thomas Jefferson
Current Residents of Virginia
Full page Newspaper Ad
If I Could Talk to You Now
Fractions
Whole Numbers
Petition
To Be Considered A Part of the Family
A word problem
Students in your class
Set of Directions
How to Get to Know Me
Language Arts
& Literature
Science
History
Math
Format based on the work of Doug Buehl cited in Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me Then Who? Billmeyer and Martin, 1998

23. Timed Pair Share Work with a single partner who is sitting next to you
The person with the most recent birthday will begin and will be “Person A”
Person A will share for one minute while Person B listens respectfully. Person B cannot talk, but can ask a single question if he/she needs clarification.
At the signal, reverse roles. Person B will speak for one minute while Person A listens respectfully.

24. to Differentiate Content
Ways
to Differentiate Content
Reading Partners / Reading Buddies
Read/Summarize
Read/Question/Answer
Visual Organizer/Summarizer
Parallel Reading with Teacher Prompt
Choral Reading/Antiphonal Reading
Flip Books
Split Journals (Double Entry – Triple Entry)
Books on Tape
Highlights on Tape
Digests/ “Cliff Notes”
Notetaking Organizers
Varied Texts
Varied Supplementary Materials
Highlighted Texts
Think-Pair-Share/Preview-Midview-Postview
Tomlinson – ‘00

25. TO DIFFERENTIATE PROCESS
WAYS
TO DIFFERENTIATE PROCESS
Fun & Games
RAFTs
Cubing, Think Dots
Choices (Intelligences)
Centers
Tiered lessons
Contracts

26. Input Strategies used to facilitate student learning.
Using highlighted text (Human Highlighter)
Using graphic and advance organizers/guided notes
Providing audiotapes of textbooks
Using amplification
Eye Cue/Lend me an Ear

27. Output The ways learners demonstrate understanding and knowledge.
Alternative ways to demonstrate mastery (Oral or dictated responses, pictures, role plays, semantic maps or webs, response cards, KWL, Venn diagrams, etc.)
Using highlighted tape
Unless testing reading comprehension, consider reading test items to students or allowing them to read aloud

28. A B C D
Response Cards

29. True
False
Cause
Effect

30. + - x

31. Difficulty
The varied skill levels, conceptual levels and processes involved in learning.
Tier the assignment so the outcome is the same but with varying degrees of concreteness and complexity (Think-Tack-Toe)
Use alternative worksheets that require minimal writing
Sequence steps in a task
Break testing into smaller sections over more days

32. Think-Tack-Toe
Complete a character analysis for the main character from the story
Complete a character report card from the book
Name and draw a person who is like one of the characters from the story
Build a miniature stage setting from the book
Draw a picture describing at least 3 settings from the story
Make up a limerick or poem about the setting of the book
Use a sequence chart or timeline to describe at least 7 events from the book
Write a new beginning or ending to the story
Make a board game about the story’s key events

33. Or they will not be successful for teachers or students!
But it is important to remember that any method of differentiating instruction must use the FSU principle
F - Feasible
S - Sustainable
U - Useable
Or they will not be successful for teachers or students!