Exploring
the
of
Dynamics
Differentiated Instruction
Gwendolyn P. Thomas
Teacher-Facilitator of Technology
St. Mary Parish School Board
Differentiated Instruction
• an approach to teaching essential
content.
• focuses on whom, where, and how we
teach.
• Video clip: Carol Ann Tomlinson, from an
interview with Leslie J. Kiernan, 1996.
Learning Styles, Learning
Modalities
• Visual – learn by watching
• Auditory – learn by listening
• Kinesthetic – learn by doing
Learning Profile Factors
Learning Environment
Group Orientation
independent/self orientation
group/peer orientation
adult orientation
combination
Gender
&
Culture
Cognitive Style
quiet/noise
warm/cool
still/mobile
flexible/fixed
“busy”/”spare”
Intelligence Preference
Creative/conforming
Essence/facts
Expressive/controlled
Nonlinear/linear
Inductive/deductive
People-oriented/task or Object oriented
Concrete/abstract
Collaboration/competition
Interpersonal/introspective
Easily distracted/long Attention span
Group achievement/personal achievement
Oral/visual/kinesthetic
Reflective/action-oriented
analytic
practical
creative
verbal/linguistic
logical/mathematical
spatial/visual
bodily/kinesthetic
musical/rhythmic
interpersonal
intrapersonal
naturalist
existential
From: “Differententiated Instruction: The Journey, by Judy Rex
Multiple Intelligences
• Linguistic/Language – “word smart”
• Logical/Mathematical – “number/reasoning smart”
• Musical – “music smart”
• Spatial – “picture smart”
• Bodily Kinesthetic – “body smart”
• Interpersonal – “people smart”
• Intrapersonal – “self smart”
• Naturalist – “nature smart”
Preparing Teachers for
Differentiated Instruction
Educational Leadership, Sept. 2000 | Volume 58 | Number 1 - John H. Holloway
According to Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999), we can recognize
differentiated instruction by a variety of classroom
characteristics:
• Begin where the students are.
• Engage students in instruction through different learning
modalities.
• A student competes more against himself or herself than
others.
• Provide specific ways for each individual to learn.
• Use classroom time flexibly.
• As diagnosticians, prescribe the best possible instruction
for each student.
Differentiated Instruction –
an Elementary School Example
Stepping into Mary Hooper's multi-age class of 1st and 2nd
graders in Grosse Pointe, Mich., you are struck by the
wide range of activities that engross students as they
work at a variety of learning centers. Her students are
working all around the room -- some work alone, some
with a partner they've chosen, some in small groups that
randomly formed -- reading a book they've selected from
the reference cart, filled with books on plants and insects
written for different reading levels. They learn about
garden insects of their choice and write and illustrate an
adventure story about an insect hero. They also sort and
position pictures of various seeds based on how they
travel, calculate how much it will cost to buy the seeds
and materials to plant a garden of their own design, and
examine the parts of different insects and plants under a
microscope, sketching and writing a description of them.
Differentiated Instruction
A High School Example
• 90-minute high school precalculus class in Fort Defiance,
Va., they immediately go over to shelves full of colorful
plastic containers and select activity folders they feel they
need to work on to enhance their understandings and
skills. They can select from folders that allow them to
review homework problems or correct their own quiz from
the previous day, packets of file cards with problems at
varied levels of difficulty that help them prepare for the
upcoming SAT test, a skill review packet with math
puzzles directly related to the current unit, a graphing
calculator sheet with problems, and a miniproject folder
where they create relevant puzzles and problems to be
used in the skill review packet. These 11th and 12th
grade students work intently on their folder activities for
about 15 minutes. During this time, Cory works
individually with students -- assisting them with problems,
monitoring their progress, and challenging them with
questions that make them stretch.
Assessment in a Differentiated
Classroom
• drives instruction.
• occurs consistently.
• readiness, interest and learning profile.
• part of “teaching for success”.
• students chart and contribute to their
own growth.
• MAY be differentiated.
• more useful than grades.
• focused on personal growth
Benefits of Differentiated
Instruction
• Teachers and students show acceptance and respect.
• Assessment is an ongoing diagnostic activity.
• All students participate in respectful work.
• The teacher is primarily a coordinator .
• Students and teachers collaborate.
• Students work in a variety of group configurations.
• Time is used flexibly.
• Students often have choices.
• The teacher uses a variety of instructional
strategies.
• Students are assessed in multiple ways.
• Video clip: –Nicole Freeman, 3rd grade teacher, from
an interview with Leslie J. Kiernan, 1996.
Tiered Activities
Provide appropriate degrees of challenge for
students
Designing a Tiered Activity
1. Identify the essential understanding(s).
2. Be mindful of students’ current capabilities.
3. Create an activity.
4. Determine the levels of complexity and skill.
5. Provide alternate versions of the activity.
6. Match a version to each student.
Technology Integration Resources
•
InTel Teaching tools and resources - Free online tools and
resources for educators that support collaborative studentcentered learning.
 Visual Ranking Tool
 Seeing Reason Tool
 Showing Evidence Tool
•
4Teachers.org – online tools and resources; locate and create
ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom
calendars.
•
Educational software applications – Scholastic Keys,
TimeLiner, KidPix, KidWorks, InSpiration, KidSpiration, Graph
Club, GraphMaster, etc.
•
Web 2.0 tools - blogs, wikis, Googledocs, del.icio.us, etc.
•
Podcasts – audio, enhanced, or video recordings which enrich
or enhance lesson content.
•
Blackboard – an online collaboration tool.
•
PDNPJ and LTNPJ – personal/professional development
programs for educators and eighth grade students.
Group Dynamics
• As a group, create a tiered activity for a unit of
study.
- Create at least two other versions of this
activity.
• Share your group-created tiered activities with
the class.
Tips from Teachers
• Prepare students.
• Balance your approach.
• Set clear behavioral expectations.
• Use flexible grouping.
• Provide anchoring activities.
• Differentiate tests and homework.
• Assess as you go and keep good records.
• Communicate with parents.
• Set reasonable goals for yourself.