Transcript Differentiating Instruction

Differentiating
Instruction
Sharing Present Practice:
Give a Few Ideas, Get a Few Ideas
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We are all different.
We have different gifts
in differing proportions.
We are interested in
different things. We learn
in different ways.
Teachers Differentiate Instruction…
…to structure learning
experiences that capitalize on
these differences: to engage
different interests, to highlight
different gifts, and to honour
the many different ways of
becoming, and coming to
know.
Sometimes we walk the same road. And
sometimes we take
our own path.
What is differentiated instruction?
Differentiated Instruction is
a FRAMEWORK for all
instruction.
Differentiation: The Teacher’s response to LEARNER NEEDS
Guided by these DI principles:
Respectful Tasks
Ongoing Assessment &
Adjustment
Flexible Grouping
According to a student’s:
Readiness
Interests
Learning Profile
Teachers can differentiate:
Content
Process
Product
Learning
Environment
Adapted by the TDSB from The Differentiated Classroom : Responding to the Needs of All Learners by C.A. Tomlinson, 1999
Students benefit because…
They know we are honouring how they learn,
and how they learn differently.
We are putting tools and understandings in their
hands: they can control their own learning and
take responsibility for it themselves.
We are connecting them with like-minded and
different others to enrich their thoughts and
experiences.
We see their strengths and help them see the
benefits of continuous efforts.
We are enabling them to take risks and to be
resilient.
Students benefit from Differentiated Instruction
because…
They see that we care, because we
are respecting them for who they
really are in the light of all the talents
they have, and that we are helping
them work actively toward becoming
the people they want to be.
What Matters to Adolescents
Affirmation
Contribution
Purpose
Power
Challenge
Affirmation
Teachers’ relationships with students
correlate very strongly with students’
achievement.
Knowing them—recognizing their
uniqueness—creating experiences that
capitalize on their gifts—affirms their worth
as individuals.
Knowing that their teachers care about
them makes them stay in school and try.
Contribution
Adolescents need opportunities to
share their talents, ideas and
thoughts with others:
Opportunities to work with
others in partners and small
groups
Opportunities to do relevant,
original and authentic work
Purpose
They need to discover or know the
reasons why they are doing the
tasks of school, so they can take
responsibility for their actions and
their choices.
Power
Students produce work of
significantly better quality when
they can make meaningful choices
about what they do and how they
do it in school.
Challenge
The work students do must be
personally meaningful, and should
encourage them to stretch and
grow--within the range of the
possible.
“Differentiation is classroom
practice
that looks eyeball to eyeball
with the reality that kids differ,
and the most effective teachers
do whatever it takes
to hook the whole range
of kids on learning.”
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Differentiated Instruction TDSB
Differentiated Instruction is a teacher’s response to a learner’s need. In the TDSB approach to
Differentiated Instruction priority is placed upon emphasizing the importance of student
individuality with respect to culture, race, language, learning needs, life circumstances as well as
learning styles.
This is guided by general principles of differentiation such as:
Respectful Tasks
Flexible Grouping
Ongoing Assessment and
Adjustment
According to a student’s:
Readiness
Interests
Learning Profile
Teachers can differentiate:
Content
Process
Product
Learning
Environment
Adapted by the TDSB from The Differentiated Classroom : Responding to the Needs of All Learners by C.A. Tomlinson, 1999
Knowing Our Students
Differentiated instruction requires that we know
our students’
• readiness
• interests
• their learning preferences
as they learn new concepts and skills. With this
knowledge, we are better able to design and
refine instruction and assessment to meet the
needs of all learners.
1. Differentiating by Learner Preferences
A Learner’s profile
describes the student’s
preferred ways of
processing what is to
be learned. The profile
includes learning
styles as well as
intelligence and
environmental
preferences.
TO EX A M IN E H O W
S T U D E N T S A C C E SS ,
PR OCES S , A N D
EXPRESS I N F O R M A T I O N
M O S T E A S ILY, W E L O O K AT T H E O R IE S O F
LEARNING STYLES A N D MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCES. A S M O R E IN F O R M A T IO N
A B O U T E A C H S T U D E N T ’S LEAR N IN G
S TYLES , MODALITIES, MULTI PLE
I NT EL L I GENCES , A N D
THINKING STYLES IS G A T H E R E D ,
IT A L L O W S T E A C H E R S T O USE THE KNOWLEDGE OF
STUDENT STRENGTHS A S A N EN TR Y POIN T F O R
IN S T R U C TIO N A N D TO C A P TU R E
A T T E N T I O N .
( G r e g o r y & C h a p m a n , D i f f e r e n t i a t e d I n s t r u c t i o n a l S t r a t e g i e s , “ O n e S i z e D o e s n ’t F i t A l l ” , p g 2 0 .)
Learning
Profiles
Learning Styles
Describes how we prefer to
acquire, process and
remember new
information
• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinesthetic
• Combination
Intelligence Preferences
Based on the multiple intelligences work
of Howard Gardner and the triarchic
intelligences work of Robert Sternberg
(2001).
Intelligences are what Gardner calls the
formats in which our mind thinks.
Multiple Intelligences
Since our students are
stronger in some
intelligences than others,
it is important to address,
when appropriate,
their strongest intelligence
when teaching new
material.
2. Differentiating by Students’
Readiness
The goal of differentiating by
readiness is to foster the
GROWTH of the learner.
Students’ Readiness
Readiness is different from ability.
Students’ readiness depends on:
Their prior knowledge of the topic
Their points of connection
Their feelings about learning the new
material
Provide content and tasks at an
appropriate level of challenge for the
students’ readiness.
BUT…
If we only differentiate for readiness, then
students will settle
into fixed groupings,
which limits students’
growth, keeping them
on one track
within the classroom.
When differentiating for students’
readiness and interests it is
important that teachers recognize
student individuality with
respect to culture, race, language,
learning needs and life
circumstances.
3. Differentiating for Students’
Interests
The goal of differentiating by
learner interest is MOTIVATION and
ENGAGEMENT
.
Students’ Interests
Capitalizing on students’ interests
ignites their motivation to learn.
Tasks and topics become relevant when
they connect to something the student
knows and cares about.
When new ideas are personally
relevant, students are engaged, and
meaningful learning happens.
Tomlinson
Brain Research…
Current research on the brain suggests
that we learn
best when we are
engaged in meaningful
classroom learning
experiences that help us
discover and develop our strengths and talents.
Differentiating by Interest: Your Choice of
Readings
Choose one of these readings: “Teaching Beyond the Book”
•“The Silver Cup of Differentiated Instruction”
•“Radically Redefining Literacy Instruction”
•“Multiple Intelligences Meets Blooms’ Taxonomy”
•“Help Us Care Enough to Learn”
•“If Only They’d Do Their Homework”
•“Promoting Respectful Learning” (math)
Differentiating Curriculum: The Content
The same for all students: the overall
expectations (the Big Ideas) that students are
demonstrating
How they access the content can differ:
Different levels of text, same topic/content
Different text forms (print), same content
Different text forms (media), same content
What they access can differ:
Different content/topics
Different points of view, same content
Differentiating Curriculum: The Process
The same: they all process the content/acquire
understanding
What may differ: how they process the content
Individually, or in a group, at various stages
How they do research (read, interview)
Tiered questions/activities
Pacing and time required
Process according to preferred intelligence
Differentiating Curriculum: The Product
The same: they all demonstrate understanding of
the same overall expectations and Big Ideas
What may differ: how they demonstrate
understanding:
Individual or group effort
The text form
Complexity/simplicity of the understanding
Modality/means of presentation
Form of intelligence used to demonstrate
GRASP
(Goal, Role, Audience, Scenario, Product)
A GRASP task is…
…one which engages students in creative and
meaningful tasks
…a way to encourage students to:
assume a role
consider their audience
examine a topic from a relevant perspective
present a product in different form
…a chance for students to explore content from new
perspectives, thereby deepening their understanding
This tool helps to
understand what a
grasp task is all
about.
Sample Grasp Task for
Gr 9 Chemistry:
Goal: To understand the pros and cons between the use of
copper wiring in electrical circuits versus aluminum wiring
Role: Representative from Electrical Contractors Association
Audience: Realtors of first time home buyers in the GTA
Scenario: the resale of homes built in the decade of 1970 is
now reaching its peak. The ECA representative sends out a
message of caution about homes built in the era. An emphasis
is placed on the use of aluminum wiring in homes built in the
time frame.
Product: A letter of caution that will outline the following:
historical reasoning for Al wire
Pros and cons to Al wiring in houses compared to Copper wiring
Cost benefit analysis of the conversion to copper wiring.
Choice Boards
To activate multiple intelligences
Knowing our Students:
Establishing and Maintaining
relationships (assessment)
(finding out)
Pre-test
Graphing Me
Inventory
KLW
Checklist
Observation
Self-evaluation
Questioning
(keeping track & checking-up (making sure)
Conference
Exit Card
Peer evaluation Portfolio Check
3-minute pause Observation
Journal Entry
Journal prompt
Self-evaluation Questioning
Quick-quiz
Unit Test
Performance Task
Product/Exhibit
Demonstration
Portfolio Review
The teacher’s attitude can
make all the difference….
Teachers who showed the
greatest ability to move
toward differentiated
classrooms were inquirers
about students and saw
school as an organic
enterprise in which
disequilibrium or disturbance
was a catalyst for growth
Carol Ann Tomlinson
What Differentiated Instruction is NOT
treating everyone equally
having high expectations for some, and
lesser expectations for others
individualizing for every student
accelerating some, leaving others behind
giving those who’ve mastered it more of the
same
The Difference that Teachers Make
Teachers that differentiate instruction
move away from seeing themselves
as keepers and dispensers of knowledge
and
move towards seeing themselves as
“organizers of learning opportunities” that allow
students to construct understanding
themselves.
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Checking in with you…
Complete this statement,
matching your experience to
one of the following photos:
The way I see Differentiated
Instruction right now….
…iceberg
…playground
… fireworks
…rollercoaster
…the stars by daylight
…a box of doughnuts
Change produces uncertainty and feelings of
incompetence --- uncertainty because we’re
caused to deal with the unfamiliar,
incompetence because we don’t know how to
do what we’ve never done before.
In the face of fear and feelings of incompetence,
people seek security --- and the greatest
security they know is found in the status quo.
They therefore look for every reason they can
find to justify their preference for the old and
their resistance to the new.
Phil Schlecty
It’s about helping all
students succeed
…one student at a time.
Whatever it takes.