Transcript Differentiating Instruction: The What, Why,and How

Differentiating Instruction with
the Implications of Special
Education:
The What, Why, and How
By Pamela Busch
SPED Dept Head, CRMS
Feb. 5, 2010
What is Differentiated Instruction?
• Providing students with different
avenues to acquire content; to
processing, constructing, or
making sense of ideas; and to
developing teaching materials so
that all students within a
classroom can learn effectively,
regardless of differences in
ability.” - Wikipedia
• Considering student’s varying
background knowledge and
preferences in lesson
development.
What is Differentiated Instruction?
• “Even though students
may learn in many ways,
the essential skills and
content they learn can
remain steady. Students
can take different roads to
the same destination.”
– Carol Ann Tomlinson
The Science Behind It….
• Lev Vygotsky, a Russian
psychologist, proved that
individuals learn best in
accordance with their
readiness to do so (Allan &
Tomlinson, 2008). This
theoretical influence provides a
concrete foundation for
differentiated instruction. The
readiness of the individual
should match what a student
learns, how they learn it and
how the student demonstrates
what they learned when using
differentiated instruction.
The Philosophy Behind It….
The philosophical idea that interest based
options seize on intrinsic motivation, supports
the key element of differentiated instruction,
student interest. According to Jerome Bruner
(as cited by Allan & Tomlinson, 2000), when
interest is tapped, learning is more likely to be
rewarding and the student becomes a more
autonomous learner.
An American psychologist, Howard Gardner,
developed the theory of multiple intelligences. His
theory states that people have different
intelligences and learn in many different ways.
Differentiated Instruction Looks
Like…
• Learning centers …yes- even in secondary school.
• Whole group, small group, facilitating, workshops,
acting, singing, moving, drawing, reading, writing,
calculating, etc..….
• Student choices in the types of assignments they do.
• Keeping data on skill mastery and re-teaching those
who need it, while challenging those who don’t.
• Different types of delivery, processing, student
output, and grading,
• Student’s are receiving feedback on a regular basis
(systematic approaches).
• Cooperative learning.
Differentiated Instruction does not
look like….
• Teaching the same way
everyday.
• Using the same tools everyday.
• Moving forward and never reteaching.
• Only data kept is a grade book.
• Only feedback students get is
the grade on the paper.
• All students are doing the same
assignment.
Why do we differentiate
instruction?
• Because it’s what’s good for kids!
• Because it’s the law and intent
behind RTI.
– RTI came out of SPED law, although a
regular education function, for the
following reasons:
• The “wait to fail” discrepancy model
does not take care of the root of a
SPED diagnosis.
• Students have been segregated for far
too long.
• The problem has been placed on the
student rather than on effective
teaching.
To the person next to you…
•Tell each other two
to three concepts
on what
differentiated
instruction is and
two to three other
ideas on what it is
not.
Why do we differentiate
instruction?
• Because we are here to
ensure ALL students excel.
• Because we are not
making AYP.
• To ensure that RTI
implementations are truly
different than what we
have previously been
doing.
Why do we differentiate
instruction?
• To accommodate the BRAIN!
• Because people’s brains work
differently.
– Balances in active, settling, and
passive learning.
– TPR.
• And on top of having different
brains, some of those brains
also have disabilities.
• Let’s check that out….
In groups of three….
• Assign each person a role
– Briefer
– Questioner
– Connector
Briefer: Give main ideas of the video.
Questioner: Pose questions based on
your reflections or on unclear
ideas.
Connector (Presenter): Summarize
the main ideas, reflections, and
questions/answers.
• Differentiating is us
bending and finding
different avenues to reach
kids. It’s not expecting kids
to have the equal abilities
to do what we want them
to do the way we want
them to do it.
How do we differentiate?
• Three considerations:
Content
Process
Product
Based on student:
Readiness, Interest, and Learning Profile
Content
(Standards & Benchmarks):
• Modifications (vs.
accommodations)
• Need to know vs. Nice to
know
• IEP Goals and Objectives
• Based on reading levels
• Curriculum/tools
Process:
• Curriculum/Tools
• Auditory/Visual/Kinesthetic
• Whole group/small group/cooperative
learning
• Re-teaching/ in the moment assessing/
preventing misconceptions
• Questioning
• Re-wording
• Pacing
• Allowing for student processing
• Practice, and level of support through
practice
• Participation
• High-Yield Strategies
• Centers
Product:
•
•
•
•
•
Quantity
Time allotment
Level of difficulty
Not letting barriers determine mastery.
Student choice in
demonstrating mastery of concept.
• Multi-modal assessing.
• Based on readiness (at level to
remember, understand all the way to
evaluating and creating).
Work as a group to match the
accommodations to the
component of D.I.
- D.I. happens across
ALL areas (content, process, AND
product).
- It is a state-of-mind!
- How do we help teachers
make this shift?
The data of D.I.
• Use data to find baselines
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Curriculum/SKILL assessments
Short Cycle Assessment
MAP
NMSBA
Track specific skills
Ensure mastery of those skills
Continue to practice and
embed skills within new skills
Once we define our system requirements, how often
should improvements take place?
Once a year?
Four times
a year?
Every week?
Special Education and Data
• If students in SPED are going give us the
data/test scores we want, we have to
ensure they are:
– Use those IEP’s to guide you!
• PLOP and Goals/Objectives.
• Fill in those HOLES!
– In the reg ed setting as much
as possible
– Successful in the regular
education setting
Examples of
systematic data use
to drive D.I….what
does this look like?
CHAPTER TEST
DATA
How do you align the classroom assessment system with the
School’s Quarterly Assessment System?
9-4 9-16
9-18
10-17 10-28
GOAL
80%
i
How many
did we get
right on our
math test?
#10
DATA on SCA in math. SCA covers
ALL essential learning standards.
Dots represent how many
questions students got
correct on the test.
SCA DATA
#2. Example of using an item analysis to identify student performance gaps
Once you know where your kids
are and where you want them
to go, decide how you are
going to get them
ALL there.
What different roadmaps
will you create?
Differentiated Instruction in Action
Think-Tac-Toes
Create a
survey and
graph the
results.
Research a
person and
present to
the class.
Create a
hypothesis
and through
research
prove/deny.
Write a
Write a letter
rap/song and to the editor.
perform to
class.
Design a
power point.
Make a
comparison/
contrast
poster.
Create a test
with correct
answers.
Write a skit
with two
others and
act out.
Cooperative Learning
Assigning roles to student
strength areas
– Main Idea Finder/Concept
Manager
– Detail Person
– Question Asker
– Key Word Finder
– Designer (of charts, graphs)
– Resource gatherer
Q.A.R.Questions/Answers/Relationships
• Level 1- In the book
questions are “right there.”
• Level 2- In the book
questions to “think, search,
and find.”
• Level 3- In my head
questions, “author and
me.”
• Level 4- In my head
questions, “on my own.”
Bloom’s Cube
• Each side of cube, rolled by
students, has a task:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Describe (knowledge level)
Explain (comprehension level)
Develop (application level)
Classify (analysis level)
Create a new (synthesis level)
In your opinion (evaluation
level)
Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Think alouds.
Modeling
Practice, feedback, practice again.
Homework
Setting specific objectives and students
self- charting success.
Graphic organizers
Cues and questions
Allowing for processing time
Student PDSA’s
Pair/Share: Find someone new
• What new
strategies/approaches can
you implement in your
school (or to support
schools) to ensure ALL
teachers are trained on
differentiating instruction?
• How does Tier 3 in your
school truly differ from Tiers
1 and 2 in the regular
education classroom?
How do we be EVEN MORE
EFFECTIVE?
• Build relationships with students.
• Make them feel safe taking risks.
• The more students are engaged
and busy, feeling important, the less
negative behaviors.
• Set them up to experience
successes so that they want more!
• Recognize achievements.
• Have students repeat back
directions, concepts, to assist with
processing delays.
• Give immediate and corrected
feedback to students!
Resources
• http://www.uhseport.net/published/k/sh/ks
haw/collection/1/
• www.studentprogress.org
• www.k8accesscenter.org
• www.disciplinehelp.com
• How to Differentiate in the Mixed Ability
Classroom. By Carol Ann Tomlinson.
• Making Differentiation a Habit. By Diane
Heacox
• Differentiating Instruction in a Whole Group
Setting. By Betty Hollas.
• Teaching with the Brain in Mind. By Eric
Jensen.
Questions? Comments?
THANK YOU!