Getting Both Groups Moving Forward Returners

Look back over the Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings for Our group – think about how You would put them in your own words New Arrivers Meet With Dan Go over Goals & Structures of the Group Present the Point of the Essential Questions in your own words as well as how to best digest the

Enduring Understandings.

Listen to their presentation & Have questions ready for when they are done.

Our Essential Questions for the Year

1) What does a differentiated classroom look like for teachers and students?

2) How do I best implement methods necessary for a differentiated classroom?

3) How does a differentiated lesson effect other aspects of the classroom?

Assessment

in A Differentiated Classroom Differentiation The Differentiated

Community Managing

a Differentiated Classroom Differentiated

Lesson

Techniques

Essential Understanding 1: Tomlinson’s Framework

What We Differentiate Content Process Product

Student Readiness

Why We Differentiate

Student Interest Student Learning Profile Think Multiple Intelligences

Essential Understanding 2: Mindset

Differentiation is a mindset that acknowledges the diversity in your classroom, and addresses that diversity by creating multiple paths for learning when

necessary

.

So we will delve into the nuts and bolts Of how to create multiple paths for Learning when necessary

Essential Understanding 3: The Ripple Effect

Choosing to differentiate a lesson will have profound effects on your classroom’s community, your management style, how you assess, and how you plan. Change & Complicate how you plan for lessons Change & Complicate how you assess for learning

Your Lesson

Change the community dynamics of your class Demand more management on your part

Principal

Essential Understanding 4: You & The Kids

Your student’s needs, as well as your growth as a professional, will determine the speed and depth of adaptations you make to create a differentiated classroom. Progress Report Readiness You The Kids Learning Style Dan Quality Review Interest Find Your Speed Take the Long View

Follow Up on Observations

1) I had fun seeing you all in action. 2) However you want to talk about to your kids why I am there is fine with me. 3) I attempt to blend into the background and not be a distraction.

4) However, I will probably talk to kids more the next time around. 5) I will also probably take pictures of your classroom if I find stuff to share with the group. The impending arrival of my twins will probably disrupt stuff for a bit.

Community

Focus for Session # 2

Promoting a Community Focused on Growth Management Anchor Activities Techniques Assessment Choice Board, RAFT, Think Dots, Cubing Re-Visit the Importance of Pre-Assessment & Setting the Same Goals for All Students

Assessment

in A Differentiated Classroom Differentiation The Differentiated

Community Managing

a Differentiated Classroom Differentiated

Lesson

Techniques

1

Methods of Differentiation

2 3 4 Scaffolding for Support Target Interest and/or Intelligences Multiple Paths at 1 Point Distinct Lessons to create multiple paths Multiple Paths throughout the lesson

We spend our year implementing methods 2 - 4

Mini Lesson

Sample Method 1 Lesson Review

Does a lesson involving soda get student’s interested?

Do the three different versions of the formula provide multiple means for support?

Does drawing the “atoms” provide a strong visual model for all students?

Guided Practice Independent Practice Does the experiment help students learn because it is hands-on and interactive?

Does having an extension activity help students move at their own pace if needed?

Does my description of a Method 1 Differentiated Lesson Make Sense?

Jumping Right into Method 2 – Choice Boards

I We Step 1: Look at 5 samples Dan Provided . . . Step 2: Come up with somewhat of a consensus As a group on . . . 1) What a Choice Board is?

2) How you can use a Choice Board?

A choice board can Create Multiple paths during Independent practice if you choose

Step 3: Whole Group Share Out . . . .

(No Repeated Information)

Another Method 2 - RAFT

R A F T One presenters on RAFTs they have used before . . .

How are RAFTs Different & Similar from Choice Boards?

A Field Trip to Look at Think Dots & Cubing

Think Dots Cubing

Synthesize the 4 Strategies . . .

Your small group will get 10 minutes, a couple of markers, and chart paper to do the following . . . 1) What is the relationship you see between these 4 strategies?

2) How can they help create multiple paths for learning?

3) What are some specifics to keep in mind when implementing each and all of these strategies?

There are no right or wrong answers here – I just want to capture how you are processing All this . . .

Going Beyond Independent Practice

Choice Board If it helped your lesson that day, have a Do Now with 2 or more options for students.

Example – Solve for Y in one of the following equations:

y = 3x + 12 3y = 9x + 36 12 – 3x = y Cubing/ Think Dots You can increase engagement and student participation by using these 2 strategies during the Mini-Lesson and Guided Practice as well. Example – While readingTo Kill a Mockingbird with your students during Guided practice, you can have your own questions prepared, but on top of That there is a cube in the room with the words, “Inference, Main Idea, Author’s Purpose, etc.” on it. After you read a page together, one student Rolls the cube it lands on Inference, then in pairs students must make an Inference from what they just read.

RAFT to Begin the Lesson

After a few days of learning about the Rock Cycle, I would hand out the RAFT to begin class . . . (Giving everyone about 15 minutes to create a draft) Mini – Lesson – I would hand out a bulleted list of all the content that needs to be in the RAFT about the rock cycle. I would then share a strong example and a weak example from prior classes. (10 minutes) Guided Practice = Peer Review – Students would exchange papers and Check their partners against the bulleted list to give feedback on if they brought up all necessary points on the rock cycle. (15 minutes) Independent Practice = Final Draft – Students then create a final draft That they will turn in at the end of class. (15 – 20 min)

What Differentiation Is and Is Not

Mike Schmoker wrote an interesting article critizing Differentiation As Schmoker has visited classrooms around the country, he has seen differentiation causing problems for teachers. “In every case,” he says, “it seemed to complicate teachers’ work, requiring them to procure and assemble multiple sets of materials. I saw frustrated teachers trying to provide materials that matched each student’s or group’s presumed ability level, interest, preferred ‘modality,’ and learning style. The attempt often devolved into a frantically assembled collection of worksheets, coloring exercises, and specious ‘kinesthetic’ activities… With so many groups to teach, instructors found it almost impossible to provide sustained, properly executed lessons for every child or group…” Most disturbingly, Schmoker has seen differentiation insidiously reducing expectations for some students. “In English, ‘creative’ students made things or drew pictures,” he says.

“‘Analytic’ students got to read and write.” What Mike Schmoker describes is not effective differentiation – I agree with him, students would be better off without random tasks in the room – but just the same rigorous lesson for every kid.

What Differentiation is and is not

Effective Differentiation means you have the same rigorous goal for every student. You create multiple paths for learning so all students can reach that goal. Strong Examples Weak Examples of Differentiation 1) A RAFT that asks all students to explain and synthesize the details of the Rock Cycle – the perspective and format are different. 2) A Choice Board that asks all students to make an inference – the format of what they analyze Can be different.

1) A RAFT that asks one group to produce 3 well written paragraphs on the Rock Cycle, and one group to have one paragraph.

2) A Choice Board that gives the option of making an inference on the chapter the whole class read, answers fact and recall questions, and summarizing the chapter.

3) Every student gets the same Think Dots sheets with the same Questions on the Revolutionary War – but the students get different leveled texts. 3) In Math class you give every student the same Think Dots sheet – but you tell some students they only need to roll the dice twice, while some have to roll it four times.

RAFT

Getting Ready to Manage Multiple Paths . . .

I We Anchor Activities To catch the fast paced students & allow everyone to move at their own pace To send the message you should always be learning in this classroom “I’m Done Now What Do I Do?” Anchor Activities

Coming Up with Anchor Activities

1) Even during “normal” lessons students move at different paces – so how can you best manage this?

2) Once we try our 1 st differentiation strategy, there will be lots of activity in the room, and students moving at different paces, on different tasks – How will you manage them?

An Anchor Activity is a management support you have in your room to ensure that students can always be learning, no matter how fast they move on the daily tasks. You can have them on a daily, weekly, unit, or yearly basis in your room. However, once they are set up, they should not be a management hassle for you.

The Book

The Area

The Ongoing Task

Brainstorming Anchor Activities

Break into subject specific groups and . . .

1) Consider the three types I just showed you 2) Brainstorm variations on them 3) Come up with entirely new ideas

But make sure the anchor activities you come up with are . . .

Relevant Rigorous Engaging So that students that students see the point in trying the tasks you give them . So it is not busy work, and you are helping your students grow more neurons in your class . So they actually want to do the work for you and be “done” with the day’s tasks and lessons.

Lingering Tasks from the 1

st

Session

Community 1) Have a cultural practice in place focused on growth in your room 2) Conduct an interest survey with at least 1 class, then summarize what you learned about your kids and which interests you want to incorporate into your classroom. 3) Track the intelligences students activate in your classroom for one week. Let’s get these done sooner rather than later . . .

Building a Differentiated Community in Your Classroom

1 st Pillar Focus on Growth. As a teacher it is your moral obligation that all students have improved in your class regardless of where they started.

Performance

Based on your Values as a teacher and outside pressure. 4 5 6 1 3 2 7 8

But don’t worry, I have never realized this goal, only gotten better at managing towards 100%.

Putting it all Together for the Next Visit

Community Have at least 1 visible and obvious cultural practice up and running that promotes growth in your classroom. (**Just the Returners – if you are a newcomer it would be great to have it**) Management Have an Anchor Activity in place at least for the lesson I observe.

Techniques Try a lesson using either a Choice Board, RAFT, Think Dots, or Cubing. Assessment Have the same rigorous goal for every student in that lesson, Regardless of the path they take.

Schedule of Next Visits . . .

The next workshop was set to occur on November 17 th , but the realistic next time will be together is December 8 th .

If we do end up together again on December 8 th , we will decide at that meeting to Come back together on December 22 nd , or just not have that meeting. Bread & Roses Kurt Hahn November 5th November 8th University Heights Bronx Health Sciences November 12th November 10 th - pm November 11th BELHS Validus November 16 th or 22 nd Dreamyard November 11th Peace & Diversity November 18 th or 23 rd

Binders & Digital Portfolios . . .

Sorry for the 1 session delay on the Binders !

Use Tabs 1 – 8 for each of the workshops.

You can use Tab 9 for the data from mine and other’s observations. You can use Tab 10 to collect each Differentiated Lesson Reproduceables throughout the year. Posting Your Work in the Digital Portfolio 1) The Google Wiki Page I use, was a little more tricky than I had hoped, but you still can post to the site your work for the year.

2) After the next visit post the “reproduceables” from the differentiated lesson. And if you get to the 2 tasks – great. They should go up as well.