The Journey of Differentiated Instruction

1. The Journey of Differentiated Instruction Meeting the needs of ALL students Based on the Work of Carol Tomlinson, University of Virginia

2. DI Cadre • Welcome and Introductions • Housekeeping • Materials and Agenda • Syllabus and Credit Option • Expectations- The Cadre and Today

3. KUD

4. 4 Corners Activity • Favorite Reading Genre • Favorite Food • Years of Teaching • Leisure Activity

5. Differentiation Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs Shaped by mindset & guided by general principles of differentiation Respectful tasks Quality Curriculum Flexible grouping On-going assessment Supportive Learning Environment Teachers can differentiate through Content Process Product Affect/Environment According to students’ Readiness Interest Learning Profile Through a variety of instructional strategies such as: RAFTS…Graphic Organizers…Scaffolding Reading…Cubing…Think-Tac-Toe…Learning Contracts…Tiering… Learning/Interest Centers… Independent Studies….Intelligence Preferences…Orbitals…Complex Instruction…4MAT…Web Quests & Web Inquiry…ETC.

6. Characteristics of Effective Instruction • Teaching for Understanding Quality Curriculum- this is the place from which DI begins • Teaching for Learner Differences Readiness, Interest and Learning profile. Through content, process and product • Student-Centered Classrooms Flexible grouping. Respectful tasks. Supportive Learning Environment • Assessment for Learning Assessing to Inform Instruction • Rigorous & Relevant Curriculum High Quality Curriculum, Respectful Tasks, Interest All done in a Supportive Learning Environment

8. What are Mindsets? • Assumptions • Expectations • Beliefs That guide our behavior and our interactions with others

9. A Case in Point Carlos and Liza Page 18

10. Students’ Beliefs about Their Intelligence Fixed Mindset: • Avoid learning situations if they might make mistakes. • Try to hide, rather the fix mistakes or deficiencies. • Decrease effort when confronted with challenge. Growth Mindset: • Work to correct mistakes and deficiencies. • View effort as positive; increase effort when challenged.

11. Teacher Praise Influences Mindsets Fixed: Praise refers to intelligence. Growth: Praise refers to effort, engagement, perseverance.

12. Learning Environment Implications • See chart on page 28 of book.

13. Think Dot Part 1 • Roll the dice- answer the question of the number you rolled. • After answering the question, other group members respond to the question/answer. • Hand off dice to next person and repeat. Part 2 • Choose the prompt that speaks to you and briefly journal in response.

14. A Better Scenario Carlos and Liza Page 35

15. Learning Environment Implications • Refer back to chart of page 28.

16. Pulse Check • Journal on your Idea Sheet possible changes to consider with regard to teacher and student mindsets. • Write questions you still have about this component and place them on the parking lot.

17. KUD Connections

18. Regroup! Seating Arrangement B Content/Grade Level Group

19. Unit Planning Guide 1. Identify Your KUD 2. List Unit PREREQUISITIES 3. Consider your STUDENTS & RESOURCES Use this Information to Content Process Product 4. Design your ASSESSMENTS That are differentiated through Measuring 5. Plan RESPECTFUL TASKS and FLEXIBLE grouping arrangements Student Learning Profile Student Readiness Student Interests Use the results to Adapted from Cindy Strickland ASCD

20. KUD and Iowa Core Connection Your KUD should encompass Iowa Core Standards or Essential Concepts & Skills. One KUD will address multiple Iowa Core Standards or Essential Concepts & Skills. KUDs allow for the teacher to not only plan for differentiated lessons, but they set the stage for teachers to teach for understanding, both conceptual and procedural.

21. KUD Reminders • Know • Facts • Dates • Definitions • Rules • People • Places • Vocabulary • Information Understand THAT Do (Skills) Skills of the discipline “Big” Ideas Final Outcomes Essential Understandings What they do after instruction, not during class Theories The “Point” of the topic Transferable 2009 ASCD

22. KUD-Ecosystems & Populations Vocabulary: species, population, community, ecosystem, food chain Students will understand that all living organisms are interdependent on one another for survival. Demonstrate interdependence of organisms Photosynthesis is a process that involves transfer of energy Every organism has a role to play in its ecosystem Design and construct an ecosystem Students will understand that life cycles ensure the continuation of a species. Vocabulary: genetics, traits Factors in an ecosystem that effect population size: (list out) Compare and contrast two ecosystems Basic genetic mechanisms that determine traits Students will understand that organisms adapt to changing environments in order to survive. Vocabulary: biotic, abiotic, adaptation, natural selection, variation Ecosystem indicators involving biotic and abiotic factors

23. Group Evaluations • Task- Evaluate various KUDs throughout the room using the rubric • Directions- • Reflect silently about the section for which you are responsible • Share out with group things that were noticed about each section of the rubric and record • Decide as a group, a score for each section • Repeat at each poster

24. KUD Reminders • Purpose of a KUD • A “roadmap” for planning instruction • First step in the unit planning cycle • Allows for a focus in not only knowledge and skill pieces, but also essential understandings • Allows students to see the goals for the end of instruction • As a way to engage students in conversations about bigger, more conceptual ideas (i.e. Teaching for Understanding from the Iowa Core) • KUDs are intended to be used FOR and WITH your students!!!

25. Tips for writing KUDs • When defining “unit” think of “big rocks” of the discipline • KUDs should stand apart from the text book or manual you use • If working with a spiraling curriculum-your KUD is on the focus piece (this is your “big rock”), it will NOT include every piece within the “unit”

26. How to Connect Enacted to Intended

27. Your Turn • Create a KUD you will teach from between our November and January sessions • When you are looking at the rubric, your goal is to write a SOLID KUD that addresses the Iowa Core Content • You may choose to work on your own or with a group

28. KUD Connections

29. Unit Planning Guide 1. Identify Your KUD 2. List Unit PREREQUISITIES 3. Consider your STUDENTS & RESOURCES Use this Information to Content Process Product 4. Design your ASSESSMENTS That are differentiated through Measuring 5. Plan RESPECTFUL TASKS and FLEXIBLE grouping arrangements Student Learning Profile Student Readiness Student Interests Use the results to Adapted from Cindy Strickland ASCD

30. Addressing Student Variance

31. Think About Write about a time when the task you were asked to do was too hard or too easy… • How did you feel? • How did you act?

32. Addressing Readiness through Content, Process and Product Defining Readiness: An individual’s current proximity to, or proficiency with, a specific set of knowledge, understanding, and skills designated as essential to a particular segment of study. Differentiation and the Brain, Tomlinson and Sousa (2011)

33. Readiness VS. Ability • Readiness seen as more malliable • Readiness changes from topic to topic, skill to skill • Focusing on readiness comes from a growth mindset • Ability seems static-difficult to change • Ability seen as permanent leads to fixed mindset if we believe ability = academic success

34. Why Address Student Readiness It’s only when teachers… that students are really ready to learn • Match tasks to a students’ current points of readiness • Provide support for learning • Ensure appropriate practice for mastery • Introduce new content

35. ZPDZone of Proximal Development

36. CAUTION • Many students may struggle with fundamental skills, however, they understand content accurately and are keen thinkers. • These students need scaffolding for reading, writing, following directions, etc, but are able to work with complex ideas as long as scaffolding is available • Don’t allow one indicator to skew your understanding of a student’s capacity to make sense or, apply or transfer knowledge.

37. Collecting Student Readiness • Preassessments (Informal and/or formal) • Formative Assessments (Informal and/or formal)

38. Pulse Check • On your Idea Sheet, what have you already seen this year in your students with regard to readiness? • Write questions you still have about this component and place them on the parking lot.

39. What’s your passion? Quick Write: Something you are passionate about Why? What you do in the midst? • Go back through your writing and highlight key words or phrases that are verbs (things that you are ‘doing’ in the midst of your passion) • Share with your table mates your passion and the words/phrases you had highlighted • Discuss similarities

40. Addressing Interest through Content, Process and Product Defining Interest- A feeling or emotion that causes an individual to focus on or attend to something because it matters to that individual

41. Why Address Student Interest? Attaching important content to student interests builds bridges and helps make connections between The Student Critical Knowledge Understanding Skills Student Interest

42. Attending to Student Interest Differentiation and the Brain, Tomlinson and Sousa (2011)

43. 2 ways to think about student interest Teachers care about their students as individuals and try to identify student interests they bring to class. Dynamic teachers try to create new interest in their students. Teacher’s passions may spark new interests in learners.

44. Collecting Student Interests Student surveys/Interviews • Given at the beginning of a learning time • Possibly beginning a unit (for more topical interest) System of recording • Notes in student files • Notecards • Excel Please see pgs. 122-123 in Differentiation and the Brain

45. Pulse Check • On your Idea Sheet, what have you already seen this year in your students with regard to interest? • Write questions you still have about this component and place them on the parking lot

46. On the Line

47. Addressing Learning Profile through Content, Process and Product Defining Learning Profile- An umbrella term that encompasses four aspects of how individuals learn, how they process what they need to learn, or how they think about, remember, and prefer to use what they learn” (Tomlinson, 1999, 2001) In other words… how people “come at” learning

48. Why Address Student Learning Profile? A match between how a student learns best in a particular context and how the teacher expects the student to learn can make learning more efficient for the student. Adapted from Differentiation and the Brain, Tomlinson, 2011

49. Learning Profile Components Learning Styles Culture Gender Learner Intelligences

50. Learning Styles • Lighter vs darker • Quiet vs noise • Cooler vs warmer • Alone vs group • Structured vs open-ended • Whole to part vs Part to whole • Visual • Listening • Touching Learning Styles The belief that people learn differently and will learn more efficiently when circumstances of learning match their particular approaches to learning.