Science Leadership Support Network

June 17, 2009

Supported by PIMSER and Kentucky Department of Education

Welcome!

Group Norms

• Stay on schedule; be on time

• Put cell phones on silent• Be respectful of all

comments• Participate actively• Exercise the rule of “two

feet”• Come prepared for the

meeting• It’s OK to have FUN!

Super Sleuths• Using the questions on the

organizer, find a talking

partner to discuss 1 question with.

• When time is called, have your partner sign the question box and move on to a new partner.

• You should have 5 different signatures when finished.

• You will have 2 minutes with each person.

Roadmap for Today

Concept Definition of DI

Anchor Activities

Differentiate

What

How

Don’t forget breakouts!

Begin Slowly – Just Begin!

Low-Prep DifferentiationChoices of booksHomework optionsUse of reading buddiesVaried journal PromptsOrbitalsVaried pacing with anchor optionsStudent-teaching goal settingWork alone / togetherWhole-to-part and part-to-whole explorationsFlexible seatingVaried computer programsDesign-A-DayVaried Supplementary materialsOptions for varied modes of expressionVarying scaffolding on same organizerLet’s Make a Deal projectsComputer mentorsThink-Pair-Share by readiness, interest, learning profileUse of collaboration, independence, and cooperationOpen-ended activitiesMini-workshops to reteach or extend skillsJigsawNegotiated CriteriaExplorations by interestsGames to practice mastery of informationMultiple levels of questions

High-Prep DifferentiationTiered activities and labsTiered productsIndependent studiesMultiple textsAlternative assessmentsLearning contracts4-MATMultiple-intelligence optionsCompactingSpelling by readinessEntry PointsVarying organizersLectures coupled with graphic organizersCommunity mentorshipsInterest groupsTiered centersInterest centersPersonal agendasLiterature CirclesStationsComplex InstructionGroup InvestigationTape-recorded materialsTeams, Games, and TournamentsChoice BoardsThink-Tac-ToeSimulationsProblem-Based LearningGraduated RubricsFlexible reading formatsStudent-centered writing formats

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

animalschoolavi.zip

The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same subjects in the same way.

Howard Gardner

Learning Targets

• I can develop a working definition of DI.

• I can identify what to and how to differentiate as a component of HQI.

• I can determine why to and how to use Anchor Activities.

• I can apply the what to and the how to differentiate to science standards.

Concept Mastery: Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction

Defined

“Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students’ varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests. Therefore, the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to ‘get at’ and express learning.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

What Differentiated Instruction…

IS• Differentiated instruction is

more QUALITATIVE than quantitative.

• Differentiated instruction provides MULTIPLE approaches to content, process, and product.

• Differentiated instruction is STUDENT CENTERED.

• Differentiated instruction is a BLEND of whole class, group, and individual instruction.

• Differentiated instruction is "ORGANIC".

IS NOT• Individual instruction • Chaotic or new• Just another way to

provide homogenous instruction (You DO use flexible grouping instead)

• Just modifying grading systems and reducing work loads

• More work for the "good" students and less and different for the "poor" students

Affirmation

Contribution

Power

Purpose

Challenge

Invitation

Opportunity

Investment

Persistence

Reflection

Important

Focused

Engaging

Demanding

Scaffolded

The Student Seeks

The Teacher Responds

Curriculum and

Instruction are

the Vehicle

Carol Tomlinson, 2002

“Differentiation is not so much the ‘stuff’ as the ‘how.’ If the ‘stuff’ is ill conceived, the ‘how’ is

doomed.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Time to Reflect

Fuel gauge checkThink about your comfort level with

differentiation in terms of a fuel gauge.

1/4 tank: in need of more “fuel”

1/2 tank: enough to take short trips

3/4 tank: ready for a long journey

full tank: enough fuel to share with others

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

What it is…A Time Management Tool

An Academically Meaningful Task

An Independent Task

What it is not…Just Filler

Just Fluff

Just for Fun

Provide Two Types of LearnerManagement Experiences:

A main activity for all students from which the teacher pulls students for mini-lessons

A “Sponge” activity that soaks up down time and replaces it with a meaningful task.

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

Train students what to do when the teacher is not available (e.g., a 10 Things to Do Before Asking the Teacher poster)

Make sure students understand the task at hand.

Have multiple components. Design the anchor activity to include several steps that involve different cognitive and physical skills.

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

Journal Entries

Reading Time

Portfolio Management

Practice

Independent Study

Extensions with Choices

Reflections

Self-Assessments

Record Keeping or Self-MonitoringPIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

You have three components to complete

before you leave tomorrow:Self-Assessment Survey

Extension Activity

Differentiation Plan

Refer to the handout for specific

instructions.

PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach at the University of Kentucky

Differentiation is a Way of Thinking About Teaching and

Learning

An Excerpt from The Freedom Writers’ Diary: How a Teacher and150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

6:00 AM I am waiting for the bus. Flashbacks of this summer pass through my mind like a song repeating itself over and over again. I try to tell myself it could have been worse. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I started to think the situation was my fault, because I always asked for the top video games every Christmas and birthday. I should have asked for something less, something we could afford.

6:45 AM I’ve ridden one bus to catch another bus that will take me directly to school. School…why bother going to school? When friends ask how my summer was, what am I going to say? We were evicted from our apartment? I don’t think so. I’m not going to tell a soul what happened. I knew everyone would be wearing new clothes, new shoes and have new haircuts. Me? With outfits from last year, same old shoes, and no new haircut. I feel like it’s hopeless to try to feel good and make grades. There’s no point in it.

7:10 AM The bus stops in front of the school. My stomach feels like it’s tightening into a tiny ball. I feel like throwing up. I keep thinking I’ll get laughed at the minute I step off the bus. Instead, I’m greeted by a couple of my friends who were in my English class last year. At that point, it hits me. Mrs. Gruwell, my crazy English teacher from last year, is really the only person that made me think of hope for my future. Talking with my friends about our English class and the adventures we had the year before, I begin to feel better.

7:45 AM I receive my class schedule and the first teacher on the list is Mrs. Gruwell in Room 203. I walk into the room, I see Mrs. Gruwell’s face, and I feel as though all the problems in my life are not important anymore. I am home.

Class Profile•Create a profile for a student •Tell his/her story•Record data about his/her academic performance•Describe his/her interests•Identify his/her learning profile

How do we choose to see the kids in front of us?

Incapable DefiantDisruptive Turned OffDisrespectful DeviantDiscouraged Destructive

How does that lead us to feel about them?

Angry DistressedResentful AlienatedRepulsed PessimisticInconvenienced Distant

How does that shape how we act toward them?

Disown PunishAvoid BlameCoerce OverlookNeglect Excuse

Differentiation

Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs

Guided by general principles of differentiation

Teachers Can Differentiate Through:

Content Process Product Environment

According to Students’

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Through a range of strategies such as:

Multiple intelligences…Jigsaw…4MAT…Graphic Organizers…RAFTS

Compacting…Tiered assignments…Leveled texts…Complex Instruction… Learning Centers

RESPECTFUL TASKS

• Respectful tasks recognize student learning differences. The teacher continually tries to understand what individual students need to learn most effectively. A respectful task honors both the commonalities and differences of students, but not by treating them all alike.

• A respectful task offers all students the opportunity to explore essential understandings and skills at degrees of difficulty that escalate consistently as they develop their understanding and skill.

Flexible Grouping

• Teacher uses many different group configurations over time, and students experience many different working groups and arrangements.

• “Fluid” describes the assignment of students to groups.

• Plan for flexible grouping at the outset of a unit.– When should the class work as a whole?– When should I use small groups? How should students be

grouped?– When should students work individually?

Should be purposeful: may be based on student interest, learning profile and/or readiness may be based on needs observed during learning times geared to accomplish curricular goals (K-U-D)

Implementation: purposefully plan using information collected – interest surveys, learning

profile inventories, exit cards, quick writes, observations, etc. list groups on an overhead; place in folders or mailboxes “on the fly” as invitational groups

Cautions: avoid turning groups into tracking situations provide opportunities for students to work within a variety of groups practice moving into group situations and assuming roles within the

group

Continual Assessment

• You must know your students – their interests, their strengths and weaknesses, their learning profile.

• The goal is to design instructional experiences in ways that help each student make the most of his/her potential and talents.

• Throughout the unit, a teacher assesses students’ developing readiness, interests, and modes of learning, in a variety of ways.

Assessment in a Differentiated

Classroom• Assessment drives instruction. (Assessment information helps the

teacher map next steps for varied learners and the class as a whole.)• Assessment occurs consistently as the unit begins, throughout the unit

and as the unit ends. (Pre-assessment, formative and summative assessment are regular parts of the teaching/learning cycle.)

• Teachers assess student readiness, interest and learning profile.• Assessments are part of “teaching for success”.• Assessment information helps students chart and contribute to their

own growth.• Assessment MAY be differentiated.• Assessment information is more useful to the teacher than grades.• Assessment is more focused on personal growth than on peer

competition.

KNOW (facts, vocabulary, dates, rules, people, etc.)ecosystemelements of culture (housing/shelter, customs, values,

geography)

UNDERSTAND (complete sentence, statement of truth or insight – want students to understand that . . . ) All parts of an ecosystem affect all others parts. Culture

shapes people and people shape culture.

DO (Basic skills, thinking skills, social skills, skills of the discipline, planning skills --- verbs)

Write a unified paragraphCompare and contrastDraw conclusionsExamine varied perspectivesWork collaborativelyDevelop a timelineUse maps as data

KNOW (facts, vocabulary, dates, rules, people, etc.)ecosystemelements of culture (housing/shelter, customs, values,

geography)

UNDERSTAND (complete sentence, statement of truth or insight – want students to understand that . . . ) All parts of an ecosystem affect all others parts. Culture

shapes people and people shape culture.

DO (Basic skills, thinking skills, social skills, skills of the discipline, planning skills --- verbs)

Write a unified paragraphCompare and contrastDraw conclusionsExamine varied perspectivesWork collaborativelyDevelop a timelineUse maps as data

Tomlinson * 02

to Differentiate Content

• Concept-based teaching

• Curriculum compacting

• Varied texts and resources

• Learning contracts• Minilessons

• Varied Support Systems• Reading Partners / Reading

Buddies• Choral Reading/Antiphonal

Reading• Flip Books• Split Journals (Double Entry –

Triple Entry)• Books on Tape• Highlights on Tape• Digests/ “Cliff Notes”• Note-taking Organizers• Varied Supplementary Materials• Highlighted Texts• Think-Pair-Share/Preview-

Midview-Postview

Differentiate through Process

• Process means sense making.• Any effective activity is essentially a sense-making

process, designed to help a student progress from a current point of understanding to a more complex level of understanding.

• Processing activities should:– Be interesting to students– Cause them to think at higher levels– Cause them to use a key skill(s) to understand the key

idea(s)

to Differentiate Product

• Choices based on readiness, interest, and learning profile

• Clear expectations• Timelines• Agreements• Product Guides• Rubrics• Evaluation

MapDiagramSculptureDiscussionDemonstrationPoemProfileChartPlayDanceCampaignCassetteQuiz ShowBannerBrochureDebateFlow ChartPuppet ShowTour

LectureEditorialPaintingCostumePlacementBlueprintCatalogueDialogueNewspaperScrapbookLectureQuestionnaireFlagScrapbookGraphDebateMuseumLearning CenterAdvertisement

Book ListCalendarColoring BookGameResearch ProjectTV ShowSongDictionaryFilmCollection

Trial

Machine

Book

Mural

Award

Recipe

Test

PuzzleModelTimelineToyArticleDiaryPosterMagazineComputer ProgramPhotographsTerrariumPetition DriveTeaching LessonPrototypeSpeechClubCartoonBiographyReviewInvention

Differentiate Environment

• Involves both the operation and the tone of the environment

• Rules, furniture arrangement, guidelines, procedures – how this classroom operates

• Everyone a contributing member

• The weather or the mood of the classroom

• Seriousness and celebrations

Mrs. Mutner liked to go over a few of her rules on the first day of class

A Few Routes to READINESS DIFFERENTIATION

Varied texts by reading levelVaried supplementary materialsVaried scaffolding• reading• writing• research• technologyTiered tasks and procedures Flexible time useSmall group instructionHomework optionsTiered or scaffolded assessmentCompactingMentorshipsNegotiated criteria for qualityVaried graphic organizers

-CHOICE-The Great Motivator!

• Requires children to be aware of their own readiness, interests, and learning profiles.

• Students have choices provided by the teacher. (YOU are still in charge of crafting challenging opportunities for all kiddos – NO taking the easy way out!)

• Use choice across the curriculum: writing topics, content writing prompts, self-selected reading, contract menus, math problems, spelling words, product and assessment options, seating, group arrangement, ETC . . .

• GUARANTEES BUY-IN AND ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING!

• However we conceive it, every lesson plan should be, at its heart, a motivational plan. Young learners are motivated by a variety of conditions. Among those are:– Novelty

– Cultural significance

– Personal relevance or passion

– Emotional connection

– Product focus

– Choice

– The potential to make a contribution or link with something greater than self.

• Tomlinson, 2003, Fulfilling the Promise of Differentiation

Characteristics of Classes That Engage Students

• Each student has learning experiences at intermediate difficulty for that student.

• Expectations for the student are high but achievable for that student.

• Students make decisions about their learning that lead them to be autonomous learners.

• Students believe their teachers care about them.

• Students’ perspectives are valued.

• There is both a sense of community and individuality.

• Instruction is tied to student interests (and is culturally relevant).

• The environment is safe.

Engaged students are motivated to learn. They make a psychological investment in learning. They learn because learning is satisfying rather than for “approval.” They persist even when learning is difficult.

Learning Profile Factors

Group Orientation

independent/self orientationgroup/peer orientation

adult orientationcombination

Learning Environment

quiet/noisewarm/coolstill/mobile

flexible/fixed“busy”/”spare”

Cognitive Style

Creative/conformingEssence/facts

Expressive/controlledNonlinear/linear

Inductive/deductivePeople-oriented/task or Object oriented

Concrete/abstractCollaboration/competitionInterpersonal/introspective

Easily distracted/long Attention spanGroup achievement/personal achievement

Oral/visual/kinestheticReflective/action-oriented

Intelligence Preference

analyticpracticalcreative

verbal/linguisticlogical/mathematical

spatial/visualbodily/kinestheticmusical/rhythmic

interpersonalintrapersonal

naturalistexistential

Gender &Culture

What’s the Point?

Readiness

Growth

Interest

Motivation

LearningProfile

Efficiency

1. Teacher-kid connections

2. An environment that is a catalyst for learning

3. A sense of community in the classroom

4. Curriculum focused on student understanding for all students

5. Persistent assessment to inform teaching & learning

6. Respectful tasks for each student

7. Flexible grouping

8. Attention to student readiness, interest, & learning profile

9. Modification of content, process, product, affect & learning environment

10. Teaching up!

Ten Non-negotiables

Of Defensible DI

What Does This Look Like?

• Jot down examples of DI as you watch the video clip of Rick Wormeli’s classroom.

• Record any ideas, aha’s, or questions that arise as you view the clip.

Teachers Who Live What They Say• “In my class, no one gets to be invisible.”• “I think I was up to eight ways…”• “If you don’t get it the way I teach it, I’ll teach it the

way you get it!”• “They may not smile at us. They may not do

homework. They may not even smell very good. But inside each kid is a being of value, waiting to go to a place called achievement. And they are dependent on us to get them there.”

• “Every day I tell myself I want to be the teacher I want my child to have.”

OPTIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION

To Differentiate Instruction By

Readiness

To Differentiate Instruction By

Interest

To Differentiate Instruction by

Learning Profile

,equalizer adjustments (complexity ٭open-endedness, etc.add or remove scaffolding ٭ & vary difficulty level of text ٭supplementary materialsadjust task familiarity ٭ vary direct instruction by small ٭group adjust proximity of ideas to student ٭experience

encourage application of broad ٭concepts & principles to student interest areas give choice of mode of expressing ٭learning use interest-based mentoring of ٭adults or more expert-like peers give choice of tasks and products ٭(including student designed options) give broad access to varied ٭materials & technologies

create an environment with flexible ٭learning spaces and options allow working alone or working with ٭peers use part-to-whole and whole-to-part ٭approaches Vary teacher mode of presentation٭(visual, auditory, kinesthetic, concrete, abstract) adjust for gender, culture, language ٭differences.

useful instructional strategies:

- tiered activities- Tiered products- compacting- learning contracts- tiered tasks/alternative forms of assessment

useful instructional strategies:- interest centers- interest groups- enrichment clusters- group investigation- choice boards- MI options- internet mentors

useful instructional strategies:- multi-ability cooperative tasks- MI options- Triarchic options- 4-MAT

CA Tomlinson, UVa ‘97

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

• Let’s deepen our understanding of DI!

• Working in groups of 9:– 3 will read Ch. 11

– 3 will read Ch. 12

– 3 will read Ch. 13

Deepening Understanding

• Of the 3 who are reading the same chapter:– One will read in light of readiness, Ch. 8– One will read in light of interest, Ch. 9– One will read in light of learning profile, Ch. 10

Use the reading organizer to help collect your thoughts, ideas, concerns, and/or questions

But What Might That Look Like in Science?

• Let’s look at a 6th grade standard together.

• Now, it’s your turn:– Everyone that read Ch. 11 form a group and likewise for Ch. 12

and 13– Once in your new group, discuss your reading– Using the 7th grade standard provided, decide how DI might look

in a classroom– The group can choose to use readiness, interest, or learning profile– Create an example using the template and be prepared to share out

on the Avervision with the whole group

To Sum it All Up….

• What informs the decision to differentiate?

• What do we need to think about?

• Why might I not want to differentiate?

Time to Reflect

Fuel gauge checkThink about your comfort level with

differentiation in terms of a fuel gauge.

1/4 tank: in need of more “fuel”

1/2 tank: enough to take short trips

3/4 tank: ready for a long journey

full tank: enough fuel to share with others

-CHOICE-The Great Motivator!

• Requires children to be aware of their own readiness, interests, and learning profiles.

• Students have choices provided by the teacher. (YOU are still in charge of crafting challenging opportunities for all kiddos – NO taking the easy way out!)

• Use choice across the science curriculum: writing topics, content writing prompts, self-selected reading, contract menus, product and assessment options, seating, group arrangement, ETC . . .

• GUARANTEES BUY-IN AND ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING!

Differentiation Non-Negotiables

• Supportive learning environment

• Continuous assessment

• High-quality curriculum

• Respectful tasks

• Flexible grouping

Students in a differentiated classroom do not need to work the

system . . . . .because the system works

for them!

Dare to DIFFERENTIATE

Take the dare.

Remember to think of DIFFERENTIATION as the lens you look through when using any materials, programs or instructional strategies.

How will you use what you learned about today?

Take Home Messages

• We must consider when and why we would differentiate.

• Differentiation does not have to be all or nothing; we can work with different parts—content, process, product.

• We can differentiate different ways: interest, readiness, and learning profile.

• Differentiation is in the best interest of the student!

Roadmap for Today

Concept Definition of DI

Anchor Activities

Differentiate

What

How

Don’t Forget to Sign Up!

• Make sure you mark your #1, 2 and 3 choice for break outs tomorrow.

• Leave your sheet on your table box

For Tomorrow….

We will begin at

9:01.