Honoring Student Diversity: Differentiated Instruction

Honoring Student Diversity: Differentiated Instruction Creating a Climate for Learning EDUC-503 Session III -IV

Knowing the Learner In preparation for Session V (scheduled for March 1st) • Read Chapter 3 of anchor text, One Size Doesn’t Fit All • Answer all “Reflection Questions” – to be submitted in class • Postyour response to oneof the reflection questions by March 1st. • Independent Study – Using an internet resource, text, or a periodical, learn more about multiple intelligences, learning styles, or brain-based learning. Create a one page visual illustrating the salient points. Include how the content of your learning influences your planning for students in your classroom. (Please make one copy of the resource and 20 copies of your visual.)

Remember… You are co-designing and co-teaching this course! We will spend the first part of class teaching each other.

Think of ONE student in your classroom. How would you describe him/her as a reader/mathematician/scientist? (pick one)

Talk it Out 5

Using ASSESSMENT as a means for describing and to inform

Every time I talk to the children I am learning about them. I like the words learning aboutmuch more than I like assessing. I learn about my children, I get to know them. I want to know what they know. I want to know how they know. Isn’t that what assessment is all about – learning what children know?Jill Ostrow, A Room With a Different View

learning about your students Learning how to differentiate begins with

How are you learning about your students? What data are you (would you) using to plan?

from Teaching Reading in Small Groups: Differentiated Instruction for Building Strategic Independent Readers by Jennifer Serravallo Principles of Assessment

Then, with a partner, review the selection. Collaboratively (that is together) identify: 3things you both* learned or facts that were clarified within the partnership 2 differences between formative and summative assessments 1= What is the author’s primary message? First, read entire selection independently.

Assessing (Readers)… has always been difficult. Until recently, we teachers have often assigned questions, journal entries, or projects at the end of reading. But that just tested a basic level of understanding. We know there’s more to reading and comprehension, and we cannot continue to carry out assessments as we had. If we give our students end-of-the-book questions, how does that inform our teaching? Does it give our students the message that we don’t believe they have read the material unless they can answer the questions? Summative assessments like these don’t really help us support our readers.

Why wait until the end of the reading to assess, when listening, observing, and asking questions along the way will give us so much more information about our readers and inform our instruction? We need to establish routines that afford us opportunities to assess in the context of authentic reading experiences. If we watch and learn from our students while they are in the process of reading, we can use that information to plan instruction more effectivel from Day-to-Day in the Reading Workshop FrankiSibberson and Karen Szymusiak

Preparing for the Project In small groups of 2-3 students will describe the environment, emotional, academic and social differentiation that will be in place to meet the needs of a variety of students at the age group or in the content area in which the teacher candidate is seeking certification or is already working. Groups will also develop lesson plans that include a comprehensive description of how the lessons were designed to meet the needs of the varying students in the class.

One Size Does Not Fit All Chapter 4

Chapter 4 will influence you… …in very different ways depending on the grade/subject you teach, your own experiences with assessment, and your current knowledge of assessment practices. 1. Read with a open-mind, looking for new or enhanced ideas about assessment. Highlight/underline/note significant learning. 2. After reading, write down what will you use from this chapter tomorrow? In the near future? Never? And WHY?

Now that you know the learners… Read Chapter 5 of anchor text, One Size Does Not Fit All Answer reflection questions 1 and 2 (pp. 92-93) – to be submitted Post your response to the following questions: • Why does it matter if you “know your learners?” • How will you go about “getting to know the learners” in your classrooms (be specific) in order to plan most effectively?

Honoring Student Diversity: Differentiated Instruction