Focus for the Year
What is this Differentiation Study Group all about?
What the Group Does
The ContentWe Cover
What youWill
Produce
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
1st Read through the sheet your Group has. (5 min)
2nd Discuss what you read and Come to a cohesive understanding.
3rd If there is any uncertainty on whatYou read, ask Dan 2 clarifying
Questions.
4th Be ready to share and be an expertOn your sheet.
Jigsaw your knowledge . . .
What the Group Does
The ContentWe Cover
What youWill
Produce
Share with each other so that all 3 of you know about
all 3 topics.
If there are further questions that need tobe clarified in front of the whole group, get
ready to ask them . . .
Our Goals around Differentiation – Why we would bother to have this group . . .
1) Becoming a More Student Centered Teacher. The deeper the work becomes in your classroom, the more your focus will shift from thinking about what you are doing for each lesson, to thinking about what your students will be doing.
2) Adding to your Skill-set. There are many strategies, techniques, and practices we will go over this year. The point is to take them in, figure out how to adapt them to your classroom, and make them your own. The skills from this year should help you better close the gap between teaching and learning in your classroom.
3) Becoming More Creative with your Content. We will not spend much time on specific content area teaching, however, everything we do cover will allow you to more creatively deliver your content, as well as set up the room for your students to decide how to download the content.
Student
Teacher Content
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
Managing aDifferentiated
Classroom
DifferentiatedLesson
Techniques
The DifferentiatedCommunity
Differentiation
Defining DifferentiationIf we are going to spend a whole year together learning about Differentiation, let’s take the first step to define it . . . .
1st Take 2 minutes to jot down your definition of what differentiation is.
2nd Everyone goes around the table and just shares their definition. NoCommenting or judgment, just sharing. (1 min)
3rd Weave together a definition of Differentiation of less than 20 wordsAs a table that you all can reasonably agree upon. Be ready to share.(5 min)
1 person should jot down the definition, with all of your names on the index cardto turn into Dan.
What We Differentiate
Why We Differentiate
Content ProductProcess
StudentReadiness
StudentLearningProfile
StudentInterest
Essential Understanding 1: Tomlinson’s Framework
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 boltsOf 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.
Your Lesson
Change the communitydynamics of your class
Demand more management on
your part
Change & Complicate how you assess
for learning
Change & Complicate how you plan for
lessons
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.
YouThe Kids
Principal
Dan
QualityReview
ProgressReport Readiness
Learning Style
Interest
Find Your Speed Take the Long View
Focus for our 1st Session
Creating a Differentiated Community
Assessment in A Differentiated
Classroom
Managing aDifferentiated
Classroom
DifferentiatedLesson
Techniques
The DifferentiatedCommunity
Differentiation
Building a Differentiated Community in Your Classroom
1st PillarFocus on Growth. As a teacher it is your moral obligation that all students have improved in your class regardless of where theystarted.
1Performance
2
3
4
5 6
7
8
But don’t worry, I have never realized this goal, only gotten better at managingtowards 100%.
Based on yourValues as a
teacherand outside pressure.
Two ways to get students focused on and believing in “growth”
Malleable Intelligence
Praising Effort, Not ability
1) Take 3 minutes as a table to discuss amongst yourselves about these two points – What do you already know about recent research in neuroscience and what Carol Dweck has done on praising effort?
2) Let’s share the understanding we have now as a group.
How can our current understanding help us create a classroom focused on Growth?
Malleable Intelligence – A brief run down . . .
Neuroscience Research
1) The Brain can grow more neurons and dendrite connections throughout its lifespan. 2) New & enriching experiences provide the opportunity for the brain to grow and change. 3) Constant, deliberate practice of a skill or piece of knowledge make the dendrite connections stronger in time. Effective Effort
Carol Dweck’s Work – A brief run down . . . How Students Think About Intelligence Has A Dramatic Effect on Their Work Habits
When You Praise theirIntelligence, or Ability
They Think of It as Fixed
When You Praise Their Effort, They Think of Intelligence as Malleable
Students with this fixed mind-set become excessively concerned with how smart they are seeking tasks that will prove their intelligence and avoiding ones that might not. The desire to learn takes a back seat.
Students that think this way tend to . . . .
• Care a lot about whether people think they are smart or not smart.
2) Avoid learning challenges where they might make mistakes.
3) Try to hide mistakes rather than trying to correct them.
4) Believe that if they have the ability, they shouldn’t have to try hard.
5) Believe that needing to apply a lot of effort means they’re dumb.
6) Not deal well with frustration and setbacks, sometimes giving up or cheating.
The Effects
When students believe they can develop their intelligence, they focus on doing just that. Not worryingabout how smart they will appear, they take on challenges and stick to them. They don’t necessarily believe that anyone can become an Einstein or a Mozart, but they do understand that even Einstein and Mozart had to put in years of effort to become who they were.
Students that believe in this growth model tend to . . .
1) Care about and invest themselves in learning.
2) Believe that effort is a positive thing, causing their intelligence to grow.
3) Try hard in the face of frustration and failure.
4) Look for new learning strategies.
The Effects
Two More Differentiated Community Pillars . . .
Student Interest
If students are to “grow” in your class, how are you includingtheir interests so they want to work hard for you and are
engaged in what you ask them to do?
Three Quick Ideas on how to pull off an interest survey with lots of data foryou to move forward . . .
IndexCards
GalleryWalk
Interviews
Student Learning Styles
If students are to “grow” in your class, how are you activatingother intelligences beyond verbal/linguistic to engage them
and give them multiple ways to “grow”?
Now we will have a simple contest . . . with a prize for the winning table . . .
Your 1st Two Tasks (short term) for Creating a Differentiated Community . . .
Conduct an studentInterest survey
For at least 1 class, or every single class you have, choosehow you want to share the insights you gained on your students in your digital portfolio, (will be explained in moredetail later), from conducting an interest survey.
Conduct a survey onthe learning styles
you use in your class
For one week in your classroom track the intelligences you allow your students to tap into during your lessons. Sharethe result in your digital portfolio.
Think multipleintelligences
Setting up the Community for Differentiation Turn & Talk to the
Person Next to YouWhat would be your response, a public response tothe entire class, when one student asks . . .
“Why are we working on different things?”
How can you use . . . .
Rituals Ceremonies TraditionsHistories
&Stories
Signs &
Symbols
LivingLogos
To proactively create a classroom community focused on growth.
Using Stations to Delve Deeper . . .
Rituals &
Ceremonies
Traditions &
Histories/ Stories
Signs/ Symbols
&Living Logos
1st Identify and briefly describeexamples from your own
School & Classroom
2nd Brainstorm some ideas that fallinto those categories that you could Implement in your classroom to focus
On growth . . .
Malleable Intelligence
Praising Effort, Not ability
Some examples from last year’s group . . .
Teaching is the Art of Theft – any ideas you want to take and make it your own?
Your 3rd Task (Long Term) to creating a Differentiated Community
For Next Session
Come back with a plan on how you will proactively promotea classroom community focused on “growth.” Use Deal & Peterson’sFramework to pick and choose what you will do . . . .
Rituals Ceremonies TraditionsHistories
&Stories
Signs &
Symbols
LivingLogos
By the 2nd
Observation
After October 20th, I will be in your classroom for the 2nd time – have the beginning of your plan up and running to coincide with and
support 1st Differentiated Lesson I will observe. The rituals and traditionsOr whatever you choose don’t have to occur in the lesson I see – rather
Your focus on growth should be evident in the room already.
I’m not going to give you a template for this one, everyone plans differently.
Picture Pause . . .
5 Minutes
Methods of Differentiation1 2 3 4
Scaffoldingfor Support
Multiple Paths at 1 Point
Distinct Lessonsto create
multiple paths
Target Interestand/or
Intelligences
Multiple Pathsthroughoutthe lesson
We spend our year implementing methods 2 - 4
Sample Method 1 Lesson Review
Mini Lesson
Guided Practice
Independent Practice
Does a lesson involving soda get student’s interested?Do the three different versions provide support for multipletypes of students?
Does drawing the “atoms” provide a strong visual modelfor all students?
Does the experiment help students learn because it ishands-on and interactive?
Does having an extension activity help students move attheir own pace if needed?
Does my description of a Method 1 Differentiated Lesson Make Sense?
Coming Up with Anchor Activities
1) Even during “normal” lessons students move at different paces – so how canyou best manage this?
2) Once we try our 1st differentiation strategy, there will be lots of activityin 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 roomto 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 ActivitiesBreak into subject specific groups and . . .
1) Consider the three types I just showed you2) Brainstorm variations on them3) 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 thetasks you give them .
So it is not busy work, and you are helping your studentsgrow 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.
4th Task – Be ready to share your idea for your Anchor Activity when we debrief after the 1st observation.
House Keeping Items
What we need to do to move forward . . .
The Calendar
Sept. 29nd
Oct. 27th
Observation of Your Classroom
1st Task – Student Interest Survey results posted in Digital Portfolio by
Oct. 25th
2nd Task – Multiple IntelligenceSurvey of your lessons -
Results posted in Digital Portfolio by
Oct. 25th
3rd Task – Bring back your plan for Building a community Focused on Growth
Oct. 27th
4rd Task – Be ready to discuss yourAnchor Activity plan with Dan
on site after 1st observation
1st
observation
1st Observation
Relax, don’t worry – just do the lesson you planned.
I don’t make judgements, I just collect data to share with you . . . .
Lesson Flow
I am going to sketchthe parts of the lessonand track engagement
IntelligencesActivated
I will record, of the8 types of intelligences,
which were availableduring the lesson.
Community of Your Classroom
I will gather examples ofwhat you and the students
do and say that bestcapture the environmentyou have created with
your students.
Tentative Dates for 1st Observation
Kurt Hahn
Dreamyard
BELHS
Validus
Univ. Heights
Bread & Roses
October 14th
October 18th
October 18th
Bronx HealthSciences October 20th
October 21st
October 22nd
October 22nd
Digital Portfolio – Its Easy . . .
https://sites.google.com/a/nycempowerment.org/implementing-effective-differentiated-instruction/
1) Go to our groups wiki page . . .
2) Click on the “Digital Portfolios” Link on the left.
3) Then click on the “Middle School Digital Portfolios” – then find your specific link.
All you have to do is hit the “Add” button to put the information on your site.
All the pictures will be posted by the end of this week for you to use.
Resources for you moving forward . . .
VideosThere are 16 Videos from last year’s group that I willPut on a “data disc” for you all to access for the entire year.
LessonsOn the wiki site, as well as on the data disc, you can findabout 40 lessons organized by the Methods, that can giveyou insight and ideas on how to carry out strategies in thefuture.
PicturesI have many pictures on “Signs & Symbols” that can get students focused on growth in terms of malleable intelligence, as well as classroom set up, and other management strategies. Ask when you need ideas . . .
BooksI have many many books that go into a lot more detail thenour workshop time, so if you want to delve further let meknow and I can bring the books with me when I visit.
The final Pre-Assessment & Feedback
How many times in today’s session did I conduct a pre-assessment on you all today?
What the study
group is and does
DefineDifferentiation
Malleable IQ & Carol
Dweck
So please let’s end this session with you all letting me know whatLevel of familiarity you have with the following topics before next session
So I can plan more effectively, and differentiate.
Choice Board
RAFT
Think Dots
Cubing
Plan for Help
Fred Jones