EFFECTIVE
DIFFERENTIATED
INSTRUCTION
PRESENTATION BY
STEPHANIE PLAZEK, MEGAN VALOIS AND KEITH COOPER
ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
TRIGONOMETRY CRITICAL SKILLS
120
100
80
level 1
level 2
60
level 3
level 4
40
20
0
dignostic
formative
summative
LEARNING GOALS
Participants will experience a quick journey
through the St. Pius X High School D.I. plan
 Areas

The promotion phase


of consideration;
Activities used to inform staff
What was promoted

The essential information required to understand
Differentiated Instruction

Lessons learned from our project

The most critical component of effective
Differentiated Instruction

Assessment (Incorporating the ‘Observe’ phase of the
PLC)
IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENTIATED
INSTRUCTION AT ST. PIUS X

Start with committed staff members

Look for existing resources

Share / promote these resources with the staff




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P.D. sessions
Coffee House
D.I. Drop in Day
D.I. Idea of the Week
Booklet of D.I. strategies
Ubdexchange.org
Gradual process
Start with one or two strategies.


Share strategies with D.I. Team / Staff
Department meetings

Share experiences at Board level

Incorporate P.L.C. into existing knowledge of DI

Specific consideration to ‘Observe Phase’
IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENTIATED
INSTRUCTION: ADDITIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS

Teacher support

Professional learning

Adequate planning
time
CLASSROOM STEPS TO SUCCESS

Data Collection

Creating Classroom Environment

Relationship Building

Explicit Teaching of Skills for a Differentiated
Classroom

Collegial Support

Administrative Support
KEY COMPONENTS OF
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
D.I. PUZZLE ACTIVITY
 Take
1 piece of a puzzle from the
manila envelope
 The puzzle is arranged according to colour
 To determine the specific ‘Key Component’
of D.I., find other individuals with the
same colour of puzzle pieces
 Put the puzzle together
 For this ‘Key Component’ discuss…
 How it relates to D.I.
 2 important aspects of this ‘Key
Component’
WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION?
 Key
information that must be
implemented in the school’s D.I. plan





Proactive
Qualitative
Rooted in assessment
Student centered
A blend of instructional methods
Presentation / Content
 Process
 Product

PROACTIVE
The teacher should provide a variety of learning
activities based on student readiness and
learning style.
 This should be prepared in advance, NOT done
on the fly.
 For students to truly benefit from differentiated
instruction, teachers MUST plan.
 Plan lessons utilizing the ‘Design Down Model’.
 D.I. strategies need to address the specific aspect
of the curriculum that is being addressed.
 Teachers can plan instruction using the model of
multiple intelligences to provide instruction that
fits each students’ learning preferences.

QUALITATIVE

Instruction should focus on depth and quality of
learning

not on quantity of work completed.
All learners should be given support to reach the
same learning goals as their peers.
 All students should be provided the support and
materials to dig deeper into concepts and make
connections between new learning and prior
learning.

ROOTED IN ASSESSMENT

PRE-ASSESS
 PRE-ASSESS
Instruction must be based on assessment results
 Pre-assessment should be utilized to find each
students’ readiness level.
 A focus on assessment for learning is essential –
not just assessment of learning.



assessment should take place throughout the
learning segment not just at the end.
**Assessments should drive instruction and
inform the teacher as to what adjustments need
to be made to ensure student understanding of
skills and concepts**

Incorporates the Professional Learning Cycle
(Observe Phase is the critical component in
determining D.I. strategies)
STUDENT CENTERED
Learning activities should be planned with the
students in mind.
 ASK:
 Will my students be interested in this?
 Will this activity engage my students? (avoid
worksheets!!!)
 Is this learning activity relevant to my students?
(relevant means they can use this NOW!)
 Know your learners: Take time to learn about
your students, their hobbies, the way in which
they learn best (learning profile), their
background and culture.

WHAT CAN BE DIFFERENTIATED?
 What
can be differentiated? A
blend of instructional methods
Presentation / Content
 Process
 Product
 Each of these three can be approached
by looking at student readiness, interest
and learning profile

DIFFERENTIATING BY
CONTENT / PRESENTATION

Content may be differentiated by interest.


Content may be differentiated by readiness.


Students can look at concepts from the view of
different subgroups.
Students should work with materials that are at
their independent level
Content may be differentiated by student
learning profile.

This would entail providing content in a variety of
modalities so each student receives material in the
way they learn best. This could include but is not
limited to auditory, visual and kinesthetic.
PRESENTATION
Visual
bulletin boards
banners
posters
television
slides
filmstrips
flashcards
transparencies
drama
graffiti
comics
objects
community events
Auditory
radio
tapes
records
television
lectures
debates
discussions
field trips
drama
readings
interviews
letters
concerts
Others
taste
smell
touch:
texture
temp
Movement
DIFFERENTIATING BY PROCESS





The process by which students make sense of their
learning is usually in the form of a task or activity
(sense making activities)
Sense making activities can be differentiated by
readiness when the complexity of the task reflects the
skill level of the students.
Sense making activities can be differentiated by
interest when students are allowed to choose a facet
of a topic or concept to become experts in
Sense making activities can be differentiated by
learning profile (the teacher should provide activities
that allow the student to make sense of information
using a variety of modalities).
Examples of sense making activities that are easily
differentiated are: literature circles, cubing, journals,
graphic organizers and learning centers.
DIFFERENTIATING BY PRODUCT
Differentiating by product would include use of
multiple intelligences and allowing students the
use of a variety of modalities
 Allowing student to utilize his/her strength to
demonstrate understanding

PRODUCT EXAMPLES
Verbalize
Write
Create
Perform
Solve
oral report
panel
discussion
debate
open discussion
games
brainstorm
oral questions
& answers
telephone
interviews
commentary
theme
research
paper
report
workbook
chalkboard
poems
essays
stories
diary
books
plays
cookbook
diorama
collage
scroll
painting
model
graph
pictograph
mural
maps
models
food
timelines
clothing
bulletin board
banner
movie/video
time capsule
media
presentation
portraits
games
inventions
simulation
role play
drama
concert
model
music
dance
pantomime
puppet
shows
radio
commercials
puzzles
mazes
problems
equations
riddles
games
brainteasers
scavenger hunt
charades
LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR PROJECT
ST. PIUS X MINISTRY PROJECT


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
DI committee has existed for three years at SPX.
This year, we are part of a Ministry Project based
on the Professional Learning Cycle.
Our own personal goal was to encourage more
teachers to incorporate DI strategies into their
daily practice.
Existing team members approached another
teacher and asked them if they would be
interested in working through a Professional
Learning Cycle in a unit or module as a team.
OUR 5 PAIRINGS

Trigonometry
Grade 10 Applied
and Academic Math

Islam
Grade 11 Open and
Mixed World Religion

Chemistry
Grade 10 Academic
Science
Genetics and
Chemistry
Grade 11U Biology and
Grade 10 Applied Science
World War II
Grade 10 Immersion and
Academic History


TEACHER READINESS



Every teacher is at a different level of readiness
and at a different comfort level with DI .
Some teachers will start by implementing basic
DI strategies which allows them to become
accustomed to these strategies
Others will be ready to use student work and
data to drive his/her practice.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN TEACHERS

Difficulties

goal to collaborate with another staff member was
not without challenges

given many single sections and our given timetables,
we could not find a pairs to teach the same unit in
the same course

co-planning needed release time or occurred after
school given lack of shared prep time

release time became critical (half day blocks worked
very well) but is not ideal as teachers are out of the
classroom
COLLABORATION BETWEEN TEACHERS

Benefits
similar strategies
 assessments used regardless of level or content
 very effective
 mentorship
 mutual learning

STUDENT REACTION
Students were far more engaged in the lesson
 Students were given much more feedback than
usual and appreciated it
 Students enjoyed the variety of activities and
varied instruction
 Every student showed significant improvement /
success.

RESOURCES
Materials: chart paper, stickies, markers, card
stock, laminator, etc
 Good, varied professional learning / reference
materials
 Ongoing professional learning

ASSESSMENT
The cornerstone of differentiated
instruction – without it, we are blindly
leading our students.
PRE-ASSESSMENT (DIAGNOSTIC)
 Teachers
pre-assess their students prior
to starting a learning unit

results can be factored into planning.
 Pre-assessment

should be simple.
Develop creative and interactive ways to ask
students about their prior experience and attitudes
towards a concept or topic
ASSESSMENT DURING LEARNING
Need to assess students learning during a
learning unit.
 Exit Cards or other assessment for learning
strategies can be used to assess student learning
during a learning segment.

Is a written response the ONLY way my students can
show me they know this concept?
 gives the teacher a great insight into where each
student is in their mastery of skills and concepts.


The results of assessment for learning strategies
determine the next steps in terms of
differentiated instruction strategies
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CYCLE
– EMPHASIS ON OBSERVE
PLAN
REFLECT
ACT
OBSERVE



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
Observe
Examined student work and assessed student responses (on an ongoing
basis)
Determined what strategy could be used to further develop student
learning
Kept a class record where we noted what level students performed at for
each task.
We spoke to individual students for feedback.
Instructional practice was shared through DI team meetings.
Determine next steps and decide on areas of improvement in the program
where DI strategies could be beneficial next time through.
SMARTBOARD RESPONSE
GRAFFITI – GALLERY WALKS
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING

Contracts


A list developed with teacher and student that gives
specific tasks to complete in a specific timeline.
Project Based
A project based assessment incorporates several
learning goals into one product that demonstrates the
students mastery of interconnected concepts and
skills.
 Projects are often assessed using a co-constructed
rubric created by teacher and students.
 R.A.F.T.s
 Choice Boards


Cubing
Each side of a cube has one term on it,
 Students roll the cube and choose a favorite way to
respond to the term rolled.

DINNER MENU – PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Appetizer (Everyone Shares)
•
Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis.

Entrée (Select One)
•
Draw a picture that shows what happens during photosynthesis.
•
Write two paragraphs about what happens during photosynthesis.
•
Create a rap that explains what happens during photosynthesis.

Side Dishes (Select at Least Two)
•
Define respiration, in writing.
•
Compare photosynthesis to respiration using a Venn Diagram.
•
Write a journal entry from the point of view of a green plant.
•
With a partner, create and perform a skit that shows the differences
between photosynthesis and respiration.

Dessert (Optional)
•
Create a test to assess the teacher’s knowledge of photosynthesis.