Differentiation:
One Size DOES NOT Fit All
Introduction to Differentiated Instruction
St Francis High School
May 2010
“If students don't learn the
way we teach them, we must
teach them the way they
learn.”
- Marcia Tate, Developing Minds Inc., Conyers, GA
Outcomes
Increased understanding of what
differentiation IS and ISN’T
Add strategies to our instructional
toolbox
Personalized License Plate
Who Are Today’s Students?
Silent Generation
Born before 1946
Baby Boomers
Born 1946-1959
Generation X
Born 1960-1989
Generation Y
Born since 1990
Essential Questions
Who are the students in our
classrooms?
What “diversity” impacts and
influences curriculum and
instruction?
Teams complete Star Diagram
Differentiation IS NOT . . .
 The same as an IEP for every student
 Just another way to group kids
 Expecting less of struggling learners than of
typical learners
 A substitute for specialized services
 Chaotic
 New
Good Differentiation IS . . .
 Varied avenues to content, process, product
 Respectful of all learners
 Proactive
 Student-centered
 A blend of whole class, small group, and
individual instruction
 Based on students’ readiness, interests,
and/or learning profile
Begin With the Brain
Dots on Grids
A
B
C
D
Give the Brain What It LOVES
Processing
Music
Movement
Humor
Novelty
Enrichment
Connections
Threat-free environment
Pattern
Feedback
Simple Learning Styles
Auditory
Learns best from listening
Visual
Learns best from seeing
Over 85% of Generation Y
Kinesthetic/Tactile
Learns best from doing
Why Visual Literacy?
Average 18 year old today
22,000 hours watching TV
By age 14 has seen 12,000 murders on network TV
programming!!!!
12,500 hours in school
Average vocabulary of 14-year-olds is
shrinking
In 1950 – 25,000 words
In 1999 – 10,000 words
Visual Learner
Images go directly to long-term memory in
brain
Humans process visuals 60,000 times
faster than text
Words processed sequentially
Keyboard
Images processed simultaneously
Camera
Vision & Learning
“25% of students in grades k-6 have
visual problems that are serious
enough to impede learning.” (American
Public Health Association)
“It is estimated that 80% of children
with a learning disability have an
undiagnosed vision problem.” (Vision
Council of America)
20/20 does not mean that vision is perfect!
 The 20/20 test does not test how well you see
at reading distance. In fact, the 20/20 test fails
to evaluate many other important aspects of
normal vision such as:
 Eye focusing
 Eye coordination
 Eye teaming (binocular vision)
 Eye movement
 Visual perceptual skills
 Color vision
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical
formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
Show ‘n Tell
Teachers use graphic organizers
Help learners visualize information
Critical for visual learners!!
Students use graphic organizers
Great way for kinesthetic & visual students to
process understanding
Add another aspect
Large size for group work
Manipulate the pieces for the kinesthetic
Graphic Organizer Examples
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
 Logical/Mathematical
 Visual/Spatial
 Musical/Rhythmic
 Bodily/Kinesthetic
 Naturalist
 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 Verbal/Linguistic
It’s not “how smart you are” – it’s “how
you are smart”! - Howard Gardner
 http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligenceslearning-styles-quiz
A Few Fun Strategies
Involve ALL of the Senses . . .
See
Hear
Taste
Smell
Touch
Learning On Their Feet
Movement stimulates the brain
Use frequently at all ages levels
Demonstration
Participatory modeling
Role-play
Simulation
Manipulatives
Minds in Motion
http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/mindsinmotion/
Smells Trigger Memory
Smells stimulate memory – both positive & negative.
 Fresh air
 Peppermint
 Cinnamon
 Lemon
 Lavender (relaxing)
 Caution – check for smell
sensitivity & allergies
The Role of Music
Stimulates the brain
Activates thinking parts of the brain
Creates a sound curtain to isolate groups
Increases attentiveness
Effects emotions, heart rate, mood, mental
images of listener
Embeds learning faster
Alphabet song
http://www.school-house-rock.com/Prea.html
COLOR Increases Understanding
Using color for key
concepts can
increase memory
retention up to 25%
Experiment
Memorize the Pattern
30 seconds
Orange
Orange
Red
Red
Yellow
Yellow
Purple
Purple
Pink
Pink
Orange
Orange
Yellow
Yellow
Blue
Blue
Black
Black
Red
Red
Blue
Blue
Green
Green
Memorize the Pattern
30 seconds
Orange
Orange
Blue
Green
Green
Purple
Purple
Purple
Purple
Yellow
Pink
Pink
Red
Red
Red
Red
Orange
Blue
Blue
Green
Green
Memorize the Colors Used
30 seconds
Purple
Purple
Orange
Orange
Yellow
Yellow
Blue
Blue
Red
Red
Orange
Orange
Yellow
Yellow
Green
Green
Blue
Blue
Purple
Purple
Green
Green
Orange
Orange
Differentiation . .
More Than One Way to Get There
3 Keys to Differentiated Instruction
 Content
What we teach students
Materials and methods used
 Process
Activities
Calls on students to use key skills
 Product
How students show what they have learned
Should also allow students to extend what they
learned
Key #1 – Adapt Content
Refers to both materials & methods
Accommodate students’ different
starting points
Some students ready for more complex or
abstract levels
Some students ready for independent work
Content Differentiation Examples
Multiple versions of texts
Variety of texts to support concept
Interest centers
Learning contracts
Support systems
Audiotapes
Mentors
Study partners
Key #2 – Adapt Process
Common focus
Vary student activities
Students use key skills
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Multiple Intelligence Theories
Teacher uses a variety of methods
Process Differentiation Examples
Tiered Assignments
Layered Curriculum (Nunley)
Learning Centers
Jig Saw Assignments
Learning Logs
Graphic Organizers
Modify their environment
Fidgets
Time flexibility
Key #3 – Adapt Product
Culminating learning experience that
occurs after many days or weeks of
study
Demonstration and extension of what
they know, understand, and are able to
do
Product Differentiation Examples
Variety of assessment types
Tiered Assignments
Independent Study
Enrichment vs remediation
Variables to Consider
Readiness – in reading, math, & beyond
Complexity & Challenge of both process &
product
Pace of learning and production
Grouping practices
Use of assessment results to inform
teaching and learning
Guidelines for the Classroom
Focus on essentials
Attend to student differences
NO strategy works on ALL students
Assess often and use it to make
adjustments/modifications
Mutual respect
DI is a proactive strategy
Be flexible
Doesn’t happen 100% of the time!!!!
Building Blocks . . .
Choice
Encouraging higher level thinking
Accountability
Simple Ways to Start
Add an interdisciplinary element to a
favorite unit
Collaborate with other teachers
Provide choices
Offer students a variety of process and/or
presentation options
Apply Multiple Intelligence thinking
to group/individual projects
Exit Card – 3 2 1
On an index card, please write
3 strategies from today
you think you can do in your classroom next year
2 strategies from today
that you are not comfortable with doing
1 strategy from today
you will need help to implement
you want more information for