Differentiated Instruction: Overview and Assessment

1. Differentiated Instruction: Overview and Assessment March 3, 2009 8:30-3:00 Calhoun ISD

2. Series Overview • Agenda – Day One • Introduction and Overview • Assessment • Agenda – Day Two • Low-Preparation, High-Impact Strategies, Materials, and Activities • Student Expectations and Classroom Organization • Agenda – Day Three • Differentiating Content: Tiering and Curriculum Compacting • Flexible Grouping

3. Day OneIntroduction and Overview Outcomes: • Learn what Differentiated Instruction (DI) is and what it isn’t, why it is necessary, where it came from, how to use it, and when to use it • Learn the language of Differentiated Instruction

4. Day One Assessment Outcomes: • Understand why assessment is the key to a differentiated classroom • Explore specific ways to assess students

5. Agenda • Introduction to Program • Differentiation – what and why • Break • Begin assessment • Lunch • Assessment • Break • Assessment application • Homework & evaluation

6. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES

7. Notebook Organization • Red tab – Introduction • Clear tab – Assessment • Blue tab - Strategies • Orange tab - Tiering and Compacting • Yellow tab - Flexible Grouping

8. Norms for Our Work Today • Actively listen • Participate fully • Seek application • Honor time • Cell phones on etiquette mode • Be respectful of your colleagues • Parking Lot

9. Introduction and Overview

10. Search & Sign

11. Differentiated Instruction: An Overview • What is differentiated instruction? • Why is differentiated instruction important? • Is differentiated instruction the same as individualized instruction? • How does differentiated instruction help us meet the needs of all students?

12. Definition of Differentiated Instruction • A concept that makes it possible to maximize learning for ALL students. • A collection of instructional strategies based on student-centered best practices. • Creates different pathways that respond to the needs of diverse learners.

13. Differentiated Instruction Is Not… • An IEP for each student • Unstructured • Another word for tracking • Giving additional busy work to accelerated students • Watering down the curriculum • A program, model, or recipe

14. Why is Differentiated Instruction Important? • Students enter the classroom with a wide range of readiness levels, interests, and strengths. • When teachers differentiate instruction, they are able to meet the diverse learning needs of students. • Differentiated instruction is vital in core academic areas in order to help all students access essential learning targets.

15. Is Differentiated Instruction the same as individualized instruction? • Differentiation does not equal individualization. • Differentiation can be accomplished by opening up our instruction to allow for different pathways to learning the content. • It is a blend of whole class, small group, and individual instruction. • Adapting materials and activities for groups of students, teaching small flexible learning groups and offering students choices are common practices in a differentiated classroom.

16. How does differentiated instruction help us meet the needs of all students? Students differ in: • How they learn best • What interests them • Readiness for the content

17. How does differentiated instruction help us meet the needs of all students? When we differentiate instruction, all students: • experience appropriate levels of support and appropriate levels of challenge and • are able to meet essential learning expectations.

18. Practical Strategies for Differentiating Instruction • What is differentiated instruction and what are the benefits?

19. DI Differentiated Instruction UbD Understanding by Design UDL Universal Design for Learning Curriculum Mapping

20. Understanding by Design (UbD), DI and Curriculum Mapping • All three of these best practices begin with the big ideas. • All three use essential questions to help frame what students will learn. • All three expect assessments (formative and summative) to define instruction. • All three have specifically-designed learning experiences that are respectful of individual learning differences.

21. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI) Like DI, UDL is built on the premise that there is no one kind of learning • Learning differs across tasks • Learning differs across development • Learning differs across individuals

22. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI) • UDL is the practice of embedding flexible strategies into the curriculum during the planning process so that ALL students can access a variety of learning situations. • UDL strategies for instruction are frontloaded rather than retrofitted.

23. Teachers of effective heterogeneous classrooms: • recognize the similarities and differences in students and proactively plan for the differences. • in many cases, are already differentiating.

24. Differentiating Instruction is Not a Yes or No Proposition It is a road along which you travel as you develop the skills of being responsive to the different learning needs in your classroom.

25. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION CONTINUUM Not Differentiated Highly Differentiated Assessment Learning Profile Tiered Activities Curriculum Compacting Learning Contracts Independent Study Flexible Grouping Anchor Activities Learning Centers/Stations Problem-Based Learning Project-Based Learning “One-Size-Fits-All” EVERYONE IS ON THE JOURNEY !!

26. Do I have to integrate all of the principles of differentiation into my instruction? • Differentiated instruction does not require that every lesson incorporate all the principles of differentiation. • It means that we opt for differentiation that makes sense for a given assignment.

27. Process With a Peer

28. Case Studies #1 - Vicki Barrett’s fifth-grade math class #2 - Scott Marshall’s fifth-grade math class • Discuss how each teacher is differentiating instruction. • What additional steps is Scott taking that supports him in differentiating instruction with his students? • Identify specific differentiation strategies that Scott uses.

29. We Have to Teachthe Students We Have • NOTthe students we USED to have • NOTthe students we WANT to have • NOTthe students of our DREAMS WE HAVE TO TEACH SO STUDENTS CAN LEARN

30. How do I do DI?

31. There is no singlemethod to “do” DI. Instead, DI draws from manyeducational theoriesand practices.

32. Where do I start?

33. Assessing the Learner

34. Where are you right now?