DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION

AGENDA

Goals for the Day Differentiated Instruction in our

classrooms Break Core Practices & Differentiated

Instruction Video Activity: Slide 25 (Mr. Bean) A personal experience Lunch Departmental Activity

3

GOALS FOR THE DAY

1. Learn about DI resources, supports and strategies

2. Evaluate our own practice of applying differentiated instruction within our classrooms

3. Develop an activity applying the principles of differentiated instruction

4

DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION ...is effective instruction that is

responsive to learning preferences, interests and readiness of the individual learner.”

5

DI CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Fill out the following table about your own DI classroom practices

6

DI CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Share your own practices with your table (department)

Nominate 1 person to share your tables discussion

7

Now a few words from John

8

9

“A LEARNING STYLE is the way each learner begins to concentrate on, process, and retain new and difficult information.”

(Rita Dunn Ph. D.)

LEARNING STYLES10

Visual/Spatial: Learning through seeing.

Verbal/Linguistic: Learning through hearing

Body/Kinesthetic: Learning through movement, action, and hands on activities

Logical/Mathematical: learning through numbers

LEARNING STYLES11

Musical/Rhythmic: Learning through music

Interpersonal: Learning through others’ emotions

Intrapersonal: Learning through one’s inner emotions

Naturalist: learning through a connection with the environment

LEARNING STYLES Fill out the

questionnaire for yourself.

At your tables, discuss the following question

QUESTION: is your instructional practice influenced by your own learning style?

12

LEARNING STYLESYES: what can you do to cater your lessons to a variety of learning styles?

NO: what are you doing to accommodate a variety of learning styles?

13

COFFEE BREAK(15 minutes)

Take 15 for a kit-kat coffee break

14

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING15

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

16

“The primary purpose of assessment and

evaluation is to improve learning.”

“Program Planning and Assessment, 2000” p. 13

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

17

CORE PRACTICES

Learning Goals and Success Criteria

Questioning

Feedback

Self-Assessment

LEARNING GOALS & SUCCESS CRITERIA18

LEARNING GOALS

Brief statements that describe, for students, what they should know and be able to do by the end of a period of instruction.

SUCCESS CRITERIA

Descriptive statements, in specific terms, of what successful attainment of the learning goals looks like

CORE PRACTICE: QUESTIONING

19

Gathers evidence about students’ current level of knowledge and skills, as well as their attitudes, interests and learning preferences

Guides students’ thinking on a topic, and focus their efforts to achieve learning goals

Provides information to differentiate instruction

Makes students’ thinking visible so teachers can detect confusions and misconceptions

TIPS TO IMPROVE QUESTIONING

20

Find alternatives to asking questions of whole class

Try not to always be the quarterback Conduct frequent checks for understanding Talk to students while they are working Regular one on one conferences

CORE PRACTICE: FEEDBACK

21

“…if assessments are to support improvements in student learning, their results must inform students how to do better the next time.

Rick Stiggins

CORE PRACTICE: FEEDBACK

22

Describes student performance

Purpose is to reduce the gap between the student’s current level of understanding and/or performance and a desired goal

Has powerful effects on student engagement and learning

CORE PRACTICE: SELF ASSESSMENT23

Provides meaningful feedback to teachers about students’ learning needs

Equips student with the skills to answer Where am I going? Where am I now? How do I close the gap? Where to next?

CORE PRACTICES: VIDEO24

Watch the video, keep the following question in mind.

QUESTION: which of the four core practices would have saved Mr. Bean from his precarious situation?

25

A PERSONAL EXEPERIENCE

26

A personal experience from Laura Owen

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITY27

INSTRUCTIONS28

Using Assessment for Learning, each department is to choose an assignment(s) and evaluate it(them) according to page given;

The department is to consider how to alter assignment if this is necessary so it is in accordance with Assessment for Learning

INSTRUCTIONS

DEPARTMENT HEADS, please do not forget

your D.I. KITS

29