PBIS in the Classroom:
Differentiated Instruction for
High School:
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Ph.D.,
IL PBIS Network
PBIS in the Classroom: Differentiated
Instruction in High School Seating
Arrangement
If you are a…
• Special Educator
• Administrator
• General Educator
• PBIS Coach
• Other
Please sit…
Objectives
Explain the relationship between academic
and social success.
Describe the rationale for differentiating
instruction within the high school content area
classroom.
Describe 2-3 strategies for increasing
differentiated content delivery.
Describe the importance of regular coaching in
maximizing meaningful instruction.
Agenda
The Big Idea
 Why and What?!
Supportive School Environments
Some basics, or let’s get on the same page
Foundations of Differentiation
 Pilot
 English
 Math
Feedback from the teachers and students
Questions and Answers
Unicorn Dog
Questions to consider
Where are we in our implementation?
What do I hope to learn?
What did I learn?
What will I do with what I learned?
The Big Idea
Increasingly diverse student population
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Language, SES,
Academic ability (range)
Social behaviors
Stressors at home / community
To meet the range of needs, teachers need to:
 Employ a range of instructional strategies
 Teach classroom routines to support higher level
thinking skills
 Encourage student behaviors
 Pointed toward self-management
Think, Pair, Share
Turn to the person next to you and talk
about how the range of needs in your
classes / schools impacts:
 Teaching? Staffing? Planning?
Share with another pair.
Share the top two issues of concern with
the whole group.
Impacts…your responses
Supportive Climates: School
Retention Literature
Schools that are the most successful
with supporting graduation…
Supportive Climates
Adult feedback or interaction (Croninger & Lee,
2001; Dynarski, 2001; Fashola & Slavin, 1998; Hayward &
Tallmadge, 1995; Kerr & Legters; Lee & Burkham, 2003;
McPartland, 1994; Schargle & Smink, 2001; Sinclair,
Christenson, Lehr, & Anderson, 2003; Thurlow,
Christenson, Sinclair, Evelo, & Thornton, 1995)
Increase home / school connection (Dynarski,
2001; Fashol & Slavin, 1998; Sinclair, Christenson, Lehr, &
Anderson, 2003; Thurlow, Christenson, Sinclair, Evelo, &
Thornton, 1995)
Supportive Climates
Increase structure and predictability
(Dynarski, 2000; Fashola and Slavin, 1998; Hayward and
Tallmadge, 1995; Lee and Burkham, 2003; Sinclair,
Christenson, Lehr, and Anderson, 2003)
Both academic and social supports (Dynarski,
2001; Fashol & Slavin, 1998; Hayward & Tallmadge, 1995;
Kemple, Herlihy, & Smith, 2005; McPartland, 1994;
Schargle & Smink, 2001; Thurlow, Christenson, Sinclair,
Evelo, & Thornton, 1995).
Supportive Climates
High Expectations
Coupled with High Supports
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Adult positive interactions
Home school connection
Predictable, structured day /activities
Social and Academic supports
Fewer “basic” level classes
More advanced classes, with adequate
support (Jerald, 2006)
Supportive Climates
Have classes that reflect the level of
achievement we want to see
NOT
Where student “begin”
Universal Design
 Differentiation of Instruction
 Routines, activities, environment, encouragement
= academic self management and achievement
Show of Hands
How many of you feel as though your
schools is currently providing this type of
support?
Supportive Classrooms
Differentiate!
Differentiated Instruction:
Some Basics
Scaffolding
Model, Lead, Test
Opportunities to respond that match level
skill level
Error analysis
Universal Design, Response to
Intervention
Presentation
Engagement
Expression
Providing a level of support commensurate
with student responses
 Not responding? Increase supports.
Academic SelfManagement
FOUNDATIONS
Encouragement
Classroom Routines
Instructional
Practices
Foundations for Success
Instructional Practices
Model, lead, test EVERY social and
academic behavior
If you want to see it, teach it
 Research in adolescent brain development
suggests that we need to provide extra support
in executive functioning skills
Book use, test taking, asking questions,
checking grades and missing work, selfadvocacy, interacting with peers, etc.
Instructional Practices
Increase Opportunities to Interact with
Content:
 Teacher as facilitator: talk in 5-7 minute
increments
 All “teaching” is followed by practice opportunities
 Small group, paired, independent, whole group
 Student lead instruction with peers
 Think, Pair, Share with peers
 Break instruction into small “chunks” by skill,
concept, not an entire unit
Instructional Practices
Increase Opportunities for Corrective
Feedback
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Small groups, pairs
“Expert” peers
Answer keys for self/ small group check
Teacher rotates among groups
Share outs (in small groups)
Answer cards (Example)
Answers on board
Classroom routines
Apply instructional approaches to classroom
routines:
 Teacher and student identified
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Entering and leaving classroom
Test taking
Asking questions
Checking progress (grades, missing work, projects, etc.)
Constructive feedback to peers
Synthesis of material
Participating in groups
Practice and encourage
Think Aloud
In a small group, share the most difficult
classroom routines to manage
Write down the top 3
Move to another group
 Share the top three most difficult routine
 As a group select 1
 Generate a strategy to manage this routine
effectively
Be prepared to share with the entire group
Encouragement
Teacher encouragement of student efforts
Academic / Social
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Asking questions
Constructive feedback
Active listening
Using index
Encouragement
Specific verbal praise
Grades
Stars on board
Post-it notes
GROUP REWARDS
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Sit where you want on Friday
Pick the order of activities
Quiet music during work time
Make the teacher do something silly…
How do you feel?
Switch groups/ new pair
What thoughts do you have when you hear
“teach and reward everything you want to
see in your classroom”?
Think about it (give it a hug)
Emotions give or prevent “traction” …
Academic Self-Management
Instructional practices, classroom routines,
and encouragement are all set up to
explicitly support academic selfmanagement on the part of the students.
What tools and skills do students need to
operate independently in your classroom?
Academic Self-Management
Identify the skills (and pre-skills) and set up
the classroom to explicitly teach, and
acknowledge these skills as if you expect
the students to not have them at all.
Point all instructional practices, classroom
routines, and encouragement toward selfmanagement
Include Students in the Process
Maximize student input
 Routines
 Acknowledgements
 Agenda (order, content, types of activities)
Increase motivation
Model and lead executive thinking skills
Whole Group
How do you currently include students in
the classroom processes?
What are possible limitations / concerns
about including students?
Pilot
Math and English Classrooms
1 hour per week
Worked on foundations
COACHING
 Provided small, doable tips at each meeting,
coached on use of those tips via email, or at
next session
Direct Observation Data
Cody: Algebra and Geometry
 Met for one hour per week
 March- June
 Coached on teaching to mastery:
 Efficient teaching
 Small groups with like skills
 Catch students before making errors repeatedly
 Explicit teaching of classroom routines that provide access to academic
success:
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Working in groups
Peer tutoring
Using text book
Asking questions
Preparing to take a concept test
Self-monitoring
 Class arrangement:
 Small groups with like skills
 Flexible groups
 Independent work at end of semester to allow students to work on own goals
Fred: Literature
 Met 5-6 times for 90 minutes each
 March – June
 Coached on:
 Social routines to increase academic access
• Expectations and reinforcers for work completion
 Explicit teaching of academic pre-skills
• How to complete focus questions
• How to lead and contribute to class discussion
 Facilitating learning versus dictating learning
• Students gradually took over the discussions
• Increase higher-level critical thinking skills
 Class arrangement:
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1 group (12 students)
“Book club”
All students sitting at 1 large table facing each other and Fred
Conversational – hand raising not necessary
Coaching
Both Cody and Fred indicated that the
coaching was the most important
component
 Numerous in-services / trainings
 Train and Hope
Coaching was contextual, real-life and in
the NOW
 Sustained implementation of strategies for the
duration of the coaching
Outcomes
English Lit classroom:
 The first week of the “new” model, first time all
year that ALL students completed homework
reading (persisted over the semester)
 Increased student participation
 Higher quality academic output
 Increased student satisfaction
 Less teacher stress and more increased work
satisfaction
Outcomes
Math classroom:
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Better attendance
More participation
Faster rate of completion of concept tests
Less teacher stress and increased job
satisfaction
 Reduction in office referrals
 Increased student initiative in work completion
and asking for assistance
From the teachers…
 I have learned that establishing tight systems of
classroom management, along with individual and
whole-class goals, relies on increasing motivation.
 I have WAY fewer discipline issues when I do
considerably less talking to the entire class.
 It ended up being about self-management; a life skill
that these kids need to learn immediately. Kids who
could help felt more empowered. Kids who needed help
felt the power of asking questions without feeling
embarrassed by asking in front of the whole class.
From the teachers…
 Most of the students hated coming to the class and I disliked teaching it. The
majority of the fifteen students were not doing their work –
 … the class took ownership of their book club… by asking them how we
should handle motivation.
 Rewards and consequences were discussed and agreed upon by the students
and enforced with the first reading assignment of the year's last quarter.
 The following Monday, every student had completed the assigned reading and
authenticated their work with a lively and informed discussion using my "book
club discussion guide" of questions.
 As the weeks moved on, the students were given more and more
responsibility for leading our discussions and for asking for what they needed
 Twice during the quarter, I asked the class to write how they felt about this
"new" way of working. The responses were overwhelmingly positive.
From the students…
Being in a small group helps me concentrate
The help is focused on me
I get embarrassed / frustrated in a big group
Small groups work better because people don’t
need to worry about asking “stupid” questions
It feels good to accomplish something on my own
I can learn at a comfortable pace
I enjoy independent work more because I like
working at my own pace with no pressure.
I get more work done in small groups
It’s funner and more interactive!
From the students
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I feel like I did better than most, boosting my self-esteem!
I felt respected!
The rewards were nice but not necessary- this was fun!
I get more help and the checklists help you set goals and when
goals are set it makes you want to reach them.
I can pay attention better
It’s easier to take notes and get work done without dealing with
distractions
I feel like I get more work done this way
I get more help
With small groups I push myself harder to do the work and gain
more understanding.
Question & Answer Time
Thinking back
 Where are we in our implementation?
What do I hope to learn?
 Did we provide relevant information?
What did I learn?
 Examples?
What will I do with what I learned?
 Share how this is applicable in the short and
long term.
Resources
Anita Archer (reading)
Universal Design
National center of Accessible Instructional
materials: http://aim.cast.org/
Differentiated Instruction and Response to
Intervention:
http://www.differentiatedinstruction.net/