Differentiated Instruction



Evelyn Wassel, Ed. D.
Williams Valley School District
September 24, 2010
Agenda



Discuss the concept of DI
Look at techniques to differentiate the
classroom
Consider a rationale for on-going
assessment in the classroom to guide
instruction
What It Is/What It’s Not
Differentiated
Instruction IS:
Differentiated
Instruction IS NOT:
3
The success of education
depends on adapting
teaching to individual
differences among learners.

Yuezheng, in fourth century B.C. Chinese
treatise, Xue Ji
(Snow, 1982)
What is Differentiation?



A teacher’s response to learner’s needs
The recognition of students’ varying
background knowledge and preferences
Instruction that appeals to students’
differences
The rationale for DI

Examples of learner diversity:








Cognitive abilities (Bloom)
Learning styles (Gardner)
Socioeconomic and family factors
Readiness
Learning pace
Motivation
Gender
Cultural and ethnic influences
One Size Doesn’t
Fit All
7
Essential Characteristics of DI

There is no recipe for DI



It is a way of thinking
Teacher acts as facilitator for learning
DI challenges the notion that the
curriculum is just coverage of facts.
Readiness Differentiation
Where is THIS child
at THIS time
with THIS particular
skill or idea?
What Information Do You Need?


To know your students
 The process of differentiating curriculum, instruction and
assessment begins by knowing your students.
To understand your students


Strengths, interests, learning styles, preferences and
intelligences
To know student needs
 This information can be utilized to make your curricula more
meaningful to students because you can tailor your delivery
and expectations to meet their needs.
How will I get this
information?






Record review
Family-centered and culturally responsive fact
gathering
Interest inventories
Learning preferences information
Multiple intelligences
Data-based observations


Functional behavior assessment
Monitoring cooperative group learning
Curriculum
The Differentiated
Instruction
Decision Making
Process
• PA Standards/
Assessment Anchors
Students
Pre-assessment
• Readiness/Ability
Content
• Interest/Talents
• Prior Knowledge
How can I differentiate instruction
and align lesson outcomes and tasks
to learning goals?
Process
•What the
teacher plans to
teach
Product
•How the teacher
plans instruction
•Management of
flexible groups
• Assessment of the content
Review the Data
Adapted from Oaksford, L. and Jones, L. 2001
Link To Next Concept,
Lesson or Unit
WHAT CAN BE
DIFFERENTATED?
Classroom Elements





Content
Process
Product
Affect
Learning Environment
Differentiating Content




Sources of content:
 1.
 2.
 3.
Teacher determines/clarifies essential knowledge,
understanding and skills of a unit or topic.
Pre-test to determine readiness.
Differentiate content to ensure all students have
equal access to the essential knowledge.
Differentiating the Curriculum
BIG IDEAS
DO NOT ASSESS
ALL WILL LEARN
DO TEACH INTENSIVELY
DO ASSESS
INTERESTING BUT NOT
ESSENTIAL
SOME WILL LEARN ANYWAY
SPECIALIZED
KNOWLEDGE – TRIVIA
FEW WILL LEARN
Edwin Ellis, 16
2002
Ways to differentiate
curriculum







Reading partners/reading buddies
Read/summarize
Adjust questions
Graphic organizers
Varied texts
Highlighted texts
With a partner, discuss some other ways you
can help all students have equal access?
Differentiating Process

Learning and using higher order
thinking skills





Creative thinking
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Integration of basic skills and abstract
thinking skills
Process = “activities”
Ways to Differentiate Process







Games
RAFTs
Cubing, Think Dots
Choices
Tiered Lessons
Anchor Activities
Online Activities
Games



Use games to capture a student’s
interest, reinforce ideas and for review.
Frequent practice is also necessary for
children to build and maintain strong
academic skills.
Have varying levels according to ability.
Friendship Cinquain



A cinquain is a five-line poem that
follows a certain pattern.
Interview a partner and use what you
learn to write a cinquain about that
person.
Questions are on the next slide.
Friendship Cinquain





What is your name?
Adjectives that describe you
Activities you enjoy
What makes you a good friend?
Nickname?
Friendship Cinquain
Name
Adjective, adjective
Action word, action word, action word
Four word phrase about friendship
Nickname or noun
Friendship Cinquain
Jordan
Musical, athletic
Singing, dancing, tackling
Everyone can be considerate
JJ
Friendship Cinquain
This can be used for any topic if you
change the questions.
Examples:
Plants
Columbus’ journey
Character in a story
RAFT


Writing to learn activities to enhance
understanding of informational text
 ROLE
 AUDIENCE
 FORMAT
 TOPIC
The RAFT strategy forces students to process
information rather than merely write answers
to questions.
Role of the Writer

What is the writer’s role: reporter,
observer, eyewitness, object, number,
etc.
Audience

Who will be reading the writing?





Teacher
Other students
A parent
Editor
People in the community, etc.
Format

What is the best way to present the
writing?







Letter
Article
Report
Contract
Poem
Advertisement
E-mail
Topic

Who or what is the subject of this
writing?




A
A
A
A
famous scientist
prehistoric cave dweller
character from literature
chemical element or physical object
Plant RAFT
ROLE
AUDIENCE
FORMAT
TOPIC
Plant parts
Plant needs
Picture
We’re made for
each other
Roots
Stem, leaf,
flower, seeds
Letter
You’d be lost
without me
Flower
Stem, leaf,
seeds, roots
Ad
I’m more than
just a pretty
face
Immigration RAFT
ROLE
AUDIENCE
FORMAT
TOPIC
Boy of 12 who
came from
Europe
Best friend in
Germany
Letter
Crossing the
ocean on a
ship
Ship captain
Emigrants
waiting to
come to
America
Booklet
How to prepare
for your trip
Artist arriving
from France
Graphic design
firm in NYC
Postcard
Wish you were
here
Activity

With a partner develop several
scenarios where you could use the raft
in your classroom.
Cubing



Students consider a concept from a
variety of different perspectives.
The cubes are six-sided figures that
have a different activity on each side of
the cube.
A student rolls the cube and does the
activity that comes up.
Think Dots



Each student is given a set of activity cards
on a ring, a die and an activity sheet.
Student rolls the die and completes the
activity on the card that corresponds to the
dots thrown on the die.
Student then completes the activity on the
activity sheet.
Think Dots Suggestions



Use colored paper and/or colored dots to
indicate different readiness levels, interests or
learning styles.
Have students work in pairs.
Let students choose which activities – for
example:

Roll the die and choose any three. Create complex
activities and have students choose just one to
work on over a number of days.
Choices

Use Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences


Human beings are capable of "many
different and discrete facets of cognition."
Humans display different types of
intelligences which can be measured,
fostered and evaluated as isolated faculties
of the mind.
Multiple Intelligences


The MI Theory assumes that
all students possess an array
of at least eight intelligences.
Identifying students’
strength intelligences allows
educators to use the
strengths to capture a
students’ attention and assist
the student in learning new
information.
Source: Google Images
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

The ability to manipulate ones own
body and control muscle movements
with utmost precision (surgeons,
pianists)
Musical Intelligence

The ability to understand and perform
music
Logical-Mathematical
Intelligence

This also includes scientific ability.
Linguistic Intelligence

Knowledge and ability to manipulate
language
Spatial Intelligence

The ability to form a mental model of a
spatial world (i.e. sculptors, engineers,
surgeons)
Interpersonal Intelligence

The ability to understand
others
Intrapersonal Intelligence

The ability to understand oneself
Nature Intelligence

The ability to understand nature
Gardner’s MI


http://www.op97.k12.il.us/lincoln/mi.ht
ml
What’s your learning style?

http://www.edutopia.org/multipleintelligences-learning-stylesquiz?utm_source=google&utm_medium=c
pc&utm_content=pdf&utm_campaign=quiz
&gclid=CNvIpqDLmaQCFaVn5Qod1WlVEA
Tiered Lessons



Strategy that addresses a particular
standard, key concept and generalization
Allows several pathways for students to
arrive at an understanding of these
components
Based on the students’ interests, readiness
or learning profiles
Developing a Tiered
Assignment

Identify unit/lesson.

Identify essential questions or objectives.




Student outcomes
Student skill levels
Student output
Develop/review lesson activity.


Determine level of learner(s).
Adjust COMPLEXITY for each level of learners.
49
Implementing a Tiered
Assignment

Assignments should be…




Determine product.


Accompanied by directions
Respectful. Adjusted for varying levels
Designed to meet the lesson objective
Traditional versus alternate
Teacher in role of facilitator
50
Anchor Activities


Specified ongoing activities on which
students work independently
Ongoing assignments that students can
work on throughout a unit
Why Use Anchor Activities?




provide a strategy for teachers to deal with
“ragged time” when students complete work
at different times
allow the teacher to work with individual
students or groups
provides ongoing activities that relate to the
content of the unit
allow the teacher to develop independent
group work strategies in order to incorporate
a mini lab of computers in classroom
Examples of Anchor Activities





A worksheet with open- or closed-end
questions
Learning centers
Journal writing
Creating games or books
Playing games that reinforce
concepts/skills


With a partner, develop a
few examples of anchor
activities you can use in
your classroom.
Don’t forget online
options!
Differentiating Product



Varying the ways students demonstrate what
you asked them to learn.
Use frequent assessment as checks for
understanding and feedback – not just for
grades.
Replace some tests with rich product
assignments.
 You can also give students a choice
between tests and assignments.
Ways to Differentiate Product






Choices based on interest, readiness
and learning profile
Clear expectations
Timelines
Agreements
Product guides
Rubrics
Differentiating Affect





Students need to feel they belong to a group
and are important to it.
Teacher should be continually attuned to
student feelings.
Readiness levels should be value challenged
& supported in the classroom.
Differentiate proactively and reactively.
Affect is the “weather” of the classroom.
Differentiating Learning
Environment





Use fluid, flexible grouping that reflects reallife situations.
Use space, time and materials flexibly.
Encourage expression of new ideas, accept
diversity and exploration.
Experiences reflect learner interests and
ideas.
Honor the dignity of all learners.
Differentiating Student
Characteristics



Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
Differentiating Readiness



Make work a little more difficult for students
at a given point in their growth.
 Provide support to succeed at new level of
challenge.
Pre-assessment is key.
Teachers need to adapt teaching in ways that
make curriculum appropriately challenging for
a range of learners.
Differentiating Interest


Help students connect with new
information by revealing connections
with things they already find appealing
and worthwhile.
Interest surveys will give clues to
teachers.
Differentiating Learning Profile


Influenced by learning style,
intelligence preference, gender and
culture
The goal is to help students learn in the
way they learn best and to extend ways
in which they can learn effectively.
In a differentiated classroom, the
teacher plans and carries out varied
approaches to content, process,
and
product in anticipation of and
response
to student differences in readiness
and/or interest.
63
On-going Assessment

“Assessment is today’s means of
understanding how to modify
tomorrow’s instruction.”

Carol Tomlinson
Some Thoughts on
Assessment


Assessment should happen on a daily
basis in the classroom.
It provides ways to use instruction to
inform the next steps.
As you begin….





Examine your philosophy about
individual needs.
Start small.
Grow slowly – but grow!
Envision how an activity will look.
Step back and reflect.
66
Management Hints
Giving Directions





If the whole class is doing the same activity
then give the directions to the whole group.
Do not give multiple task directions to the
whole class.
For small group work, tape directions so
students can listen to them repeatedly
Use task cards to give directions to small
groups.
A general rule is that once the teacher has
given directions the students can’t interrupt
while he/she is working with a small group

Ask Me Visors
Assigning Groups



Clothes pins with student’s
names to assign them to a
particular task
Color code children to certain
groups (a transparency with
students names in color works
well)
Cubing allows you to assign
groups by interest or readiness
level
Handling Materials



Assign jobs to different students
(materials handler, table captain)
As a teacher ask yourself, “Is this
something I have to do myself, or can the
students learn to do it?”
Remember that you have to teach children
how to become responsible for their own
things.
Transitions

Directions for transitions need
to be given with clarity and
urgency.
Time limit for transition
 Address the acceptable noise
level
 Rehearsal

Routines for Handling Paperwork




Color-coded work folders
Portfolios
Baskets for each curricular area or class
period
Filing Cabinet
Key to these organizational patterns is
that the children have access to their
own work and know how to file and/or
find what they need to accomplish a
task.
Time
Must be flexible in order to address
every child’s readiness level
Catch-up days
 Anchoring Activities
 Postcards for Writing Ideas
 Independent Investigations

Principles for Fostering Equity and Excellence
in Academically Diverse Learners
Good curriculum comes first.
The teacher's first job is always to ensure a coherent, important,
inviting, and thoughtful curriculum.
All tasks should respect each learner.
Every student deserves work that is focused on the essential
knowledge, understanding, and skills targeted for the lesson.
Every student should be required to think at a high level and
should find his or her work interesting and powerful.
When in doubt, teach up!
Good instruction stretches learners. The best tasks are those
that students find a little too difficult to complete comfortably.
Be sure there's a support system in place to facilitate the
student's success at a level that he or she doubted was
attainable.
Adapted from Tomlinson, C.A.,& Edison, C.C. (2003).Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for
differentiating curriculum, Grades 5-9. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Principles for Fostering Equity and Excellence
in Academically Diverse Learners
Use flexible grouping.
Find ways and time for the class to work as a whole, for
students to demonstrate competence alone, and for students to
work with varied groups of peers. Using only one or two types of
groups causes students to see themselves and one another in
more limited ways, keeps the teacher from" auditioning "
students in varied contexts, and limits potentially rich exchanges
in the classroom.
Become an assessment junkie.
Everything that a student says and does is a potential source of
assessment data. Assessment should be an ongoing process,
conducted in flexible but distinct stages, and it should maximize
opportunities for each student to open the widest possible
window on his or her learning.
Grade to reflect growth.
The most we can ask of any person-and the least we ought to
ask-is to be and become their best. The teacher's job is to guide
and support the learner in this endeavor. Grading should, in
part, reflect a learner's growth.
Adapted from Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, Grades 5-9,

Comment from a course evaluation
written by a 7th grader.
I like this class because there’s
something different going on all the
time. My other classes, it’s like
peanut butter for lunch every single
day. This class, it’s like my teacher
really knows how to cook. It’s like
she runs a really good restaurant
with a big menu and all.
Exploring DI Sites



Use the following wiki to access two DI
word documents related to DI.
http://wassel.wikispaces.com/DI+WV+
2010
Explore the wiki to complete the Ticket
Out The Door activity.
Let’s review…

Differentiated Instruction is…

Differentiated Instruction is not…
For more information

www.iu29.org




Teacher Resources
Differentiated Instruction Resources
http://wassel.wikispaces.com/Differenti
ated+Instruction
http://wassel.wikispaces.com/DI+Webp
ages