1. Secondary ELAR Differentiated Instruction
NEISD C&I: Secondary ELAR
Jennifer Aguilar
Neta Greene
Principals’ Breakout Session
November 8th, 2018
HS ELAR Notes- Have any hs or ms specific handouts in stacks to pick up near the sign in sheets
Supplies: Differentiation cards, KWL note-taking pages, Inquiry circle questions and strategy resources for each area, QR code for differentiation video
First things first, thank you for coming to this session. I know your schedules are full and you had several options for this afternoon; but you chose us! I appreciate that the principals chose this as a topic of interest and that you have chosen to see how it’s done in Secondary Math. We’re not always everyone’s favorite subject, so I always appreciate your support of our content area.

2. Differentiated instruction is not individualized instruction
Differentiated instruction is not individualized instruction. Differentiated instruction implies a purposeful process for adapting the teaching and learning processes of the classroom to accommodate the needs of all learners.
-The Differentiated Math Classroom by Miki Murray
Classrooms are now very diverse and the population in North East has definitely changed throughout the years. Teachers are faced with the challenge of tailoring their instruction to meet the needs of of the spectrum in their classrooms. TO be clear, as Miki Murray put it. Read Quote.
It’s intentional and responsive teaching.
Doing this ensures that all students have access to and are appropriately supported in their acquisition of important mathematical knowledge.

3. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs.
How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms
-Carol Ann Tomlinson
Carol Ann Tomlinson has done a lot of work with differentiated instruction. Her work is available through ASCD and so what I’m going to be sharing with you as the principles and descriptions of differentiation is from her research and work.

4. Why: How: What: To better meet the needs of ALL students
Engage in critical inquiry by:
Determining our own learning needs based on the current reality of differentiation in ELAR
Deepening our knowledge base of differentiation strategies
Determining next steps for supporting teachers
By gaining a better understanding of what differentiation LOOKS like in the ELAR classroom
HS ELAR Notes: Have KWL note-taking sheet with K filled in-
Sort samples of differentiation by how often principals see it in ELAR classrooms
Using “routinely” category, determine what “type” of differentiation teachers are best at.
Looking at what is in the “occasionally” or “rarely” stacks, decide which area of differentiation you’d like to know more about

5. I acknowledge that you have different interests
I acknowledge that you have different interests. I also acknowledge your teachers are at different readiness levels for this topic. Therefore, for the remainder of our time, I am going to differentiate the next task.
HS ELAR Notes: Inquiry circles- content, process, product, environment, interest, readiness, learning profile or video
Inquiry circle questions: Looking at samples, What obstacles do teachers face when trying to differentiate this way? How can we help them overcome them?

6. Principles of Differentiation
An environment that encourages and supports learning
Quality curriculum
Assessment that informs teaching and learning
Instruction that responds to student variance
Leading students and managing routines
How can we help support your teachers with differentiation?
Foundational principles of differentiation is…
-Having the right environment that is safe and supportive for all learners
-Utilizing Quality curriculum to maintain those high standards
-Where all assessment is INformative and formative for a teacher’s actions
-Responsive to students
-Has structures and routines for classroom productivity

7. Differentiated Instruction...
IS NOT
Individualized instruction of the 1970’s
Chaotic
Just another way to create homogeneous groups
Tailoring the “same suit of clothes” IS
PROACTIVE
More Qualitative than Quantitative
Rooted in Assessment
Student-centered
Blend of whole-class, group, and individual
Organic
CLICK by paragraph
To continue that clarification, Differentiated Instruction is NOT…
Individualized implies there’s a different assignment for each individual - that’s just not realistic
Chaotic where the teacher has several things going on in the room and it appears that there are different things for different kids but there is no intended purpose
Just putting students in ability groups and giving each group a different assignment is not differentiation. There should be many different group configurations that are fluid so as to respond to student needs.
Tailoring the same suit means taking a simple assignment and then saying well b/c of your data you can skip #7 & #8 and b/c you always get done quickly you do all of them plus this extra extension. AN extension is not an adequate challenge and skipping problems is ineffective for many reasons.
but it is…
The teacher already assumes there are different needs so he/she prepares different learning options so students can engage in or express their learning.
It’s responsive to what formative assessments tell us about what the students need so our design is centered on students.
There is often a pattern or as Tomlinson says a rhythm to a differentiated classroom where it goes from whole group to student exploration by readiness needs, back to whole group, then to individual practice, back to whole group, then maybe small groups
It’s organic because the teacher who differentiates does not see differentiation as another strategy or says yes, I differentiate. He/she is the teacher that recognizes that at any given moment I might find a new way to better match my classroom, my instruction, my student practice to what my students need.

8. Teachers can differentiate through...
Content - The information students learn or ways students access the information.
Process - How students take in and make sense of the content.
Product - How students show what they know, understand, and can do.
Affect/Environment - The climate or tone of the classroom.
The Content is the information we want students to learn or the way we want students to access the information.
The Process is how we want students to make sense of the content. We’ve done the teaching, now how are they practicing it to own it.
The Product is how students show us what they have learned and can do now as a result of them learning.
The environment is the climate or tone of the room.

9. Differentiating Through the Content
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating content looks like...
Acceleration with a small group
Demonstration or modeling with manipulatives
Asking students to draw pictures or diagrams
Providing a graphic organizer
“The what” we want students to Know, Understand, and be able to Do.
How they access the what…
Using video (or audio) instead of text.
Small group instruction
Hands-on modeling and think-alouds
Providing a partially completed organizer
Differentiating the content is differentiating what we plan for kids to learn. Teacher can differentiate the “stuff” we want kids to learn but most likely we want ALL kids to learn the same content. So, we often differentiate how students will access this content. We plan for ways to make the content accessible to multiple learners.

10. Stage 3 provides option for extension texts, Marzano strategies that are differentiated, etc. We also have scales for each unit that scaffold the learning and offer learning targets that go above and beyond the TEKS (3.0) for extension

11. Differentiating Through the Process
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating process looks like...
Socratic Seminar
Global revision
Philosophical Chairs
Varying the student task to work within the levels of development
Concrete: Using hands-on learning
Representations: Using diagrams and pictures
Abstract: Using symbols and numbers
The “sense-making activity” we want students to do in order to “own” what they learned.
Students practice using...
Partners or Individual practice
Hands-on supports as needed
Graphic organizers
Workstations

12. Sample Graphic Organizers are provided under differentiation in our curriculum documents.
The last page of every unit curriculum document has a link to NEISD teacher created materials. This is one from English I.

13. Differentiating Through the Product
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating content looks like...
Problem Solving
Boards versus Blank Posters
Writing Assignments
“Using at least 4 words…”
Options
Formative Assessments
Verbal, Kinesthetic, and Paper/Pencil
Exit Ticket with Options
Solve this Problem
In writing, describe what you know now
Write your own problem
How students show us what they have learned.
Student evidence of learning can include…
Providing Choice
Presentations in different forms
Allowing the Use of Technology
Task Menus

14. In stage 2 of our curriculum are options for assessment items including STAAR - like and written.

15. Differentiating Through the Environment
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating environment looks like...
Furniture Arrangements
Pair / Share
Practice Style
Adding Movement, such Scavenger Hunts or Group Huddle
Four Corners
Jigsaw with Expert Groups
The setting of the classroom where students are learning.
Differentiating the environment includes…
Student Groupings
Group Roles
Co-teaching models
Work Spaces

16. Co-teach models
I would like to add a picture of a check-yourself station.

17. Teachers can differentiate according to the student’s...
Readiness - A student’s proximity to specified learning goals.
Interests - Passions, affinities, kinships that motivate learning.
Learning Profile - Preferred approaches to learning.

18. Differentiating According to Students’ Readiness
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating content looks like...
Varying activities within a scavenger hunt that has different starting points
Leveled practice where some students start on Level 2
Work stations of varied complexity
This is acknowledging students are at different levels of understanding and need different entry points to interact with the content

20. Differentiating According to Students’ Interests
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating content looks like…
Open-ended inquiries
Home connections
Menus and choice boards
Allowing students to write their own texts and genres (invitations to write) given constraints
This is acknowledging students have different interests and need different entry points to interact with the content.

21. Differentiating According to Students’ Learning Profile
In Secondary ELAR, differentiating content looks like...
Providing hand-on learning
Allowing for use of dry-erase markers with boards or on the desk
Allowing for partners and individual practice
Menus and choice boards
This is acknowledging students have different learning styles and teachers need to provide different modes of learning.

22. Please leave us your differentiated “product.”
Option 1: Given a sample class seating chart containing student data, describe how you would differentiate for this class.
Option 2: Using the hot topic for your next faculty meeting as the content, describe how you can differentiate according to your teachers’ readiness levels.
Option 3: Explore the Differentiation section of our Secondary Math Curriculum. Provide us feedback on what our next step should be and how it connects to your next steps with differentiation in your classrooms.
Please leave us your differentiated “product.”
Please leave your differentiated “product” behind.

23. Thank you Neta Greene Assistant Director of MS ELAR egreen@neisd.net
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Jennifer Aguilar
Assistant Director of HS ELAR
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