Presented by the DI Team: Phyllis Anderson, Science Consultant Vickie Bachman, Math Consultant

“ A student is not an interruption of our work…the student is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favor by serving the student…the student is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

Rick Wormeli from L.L. Bean Co.poster “What is a customer?” by JM Eaton

Differentiated Instruction: A “Core” Philosophy for our

IDM World

Common Agency LearningAugust 16, 2005

Presented by the DI Team:Phyllis Anderson, Science Consultant

Vickie Bachman, Math ConsultantBrad Colton, School Improvement

Mary Crandall, Special Ed. ConsultantSandy Lyons, Special Ed. ConsultantSandy Merritt, Inclusion ConsultantDiane Peters, Literacy Consultant

Jeanie Wade Nagle, Special Ed. Consultant

“Individual differences have intrigued and challenged educators for centuries. On the one hand, the understanding and application of this concept motivates our profession. On the other hand, practical responses to individual differences have almost entirely eluded us”.

Susan Aanensen, Anthony Abeal, Erin Embon, Tina Gordon, Jeff Janover ASCD conference, 2005

Our Purpose

You will know…• What differentiated instruction isYou will understand…• The general components of DI • How DI works• How DI relates to the Core

Instructional Cycle of IDM

Our Purpose

You will be able to…• Encourage and support teachers as

they learn about and implement DI• Share instructional strategies that will

help teachers create differentiated lessons

• Locate appropriate resources

Differentiating InstructionA Definition

Differentiated instruction can be defined as:

a way of teaching in which teachers proactively address the needs of individual students and/or small groups of students to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in the classroom.

What if we differentiated instruction every time a child of any age needed it in school?

What kind of adult might that child become?

What if we never differentiated instruction for any child of any age when they needed it in school?

What kind of adult might this child become?

Did your teachers differentiate instruction for you when you were in school? If so, how?

Is there any differentiation in the real world?

First Step

What is the first

step the doctor, salesperson, seamstress do when they meet with the patient/client?

Professional’s First Step

Pre-Assessment to determine patient/client needs before prescribing, sewing, bringing out shoes, etc.

Why Differentiate?

• One size doesn’t fit all• Students learn at different rates• Students bring different background

knowledge to any unit of study• Students learn best in different ways

Responding to Student Needs

• Readiness level

• Interests

• Learning style

What is Differentiated Instruction?

It is:• More qualitative

than quantitative

• Organized

• The use of multiple approaches to content, process, and product

It is not:• Just modifying

grading systems and reducing work loads

• Chaotic

• Just another way to provide homogenous instruction

What Is Differentiated Instruction?

It is:• Student centered

• A blend of whole class, group, and individual instruction

It is not:• Individualized

instruction• More work for the

good students and less and different for the poor students

Principles Guiding Differentiated Instruction

• The teacher focuses on essential learning and key concepts.

• The teacher attends to student differences.

• Assessment and instruction are inseparable.

• The teacher modifies content, process, and products.

Principles GuidingDifferentiated Instruction

• The teacher ensures that all students participate in respectful work.

• The teacher and students collaborate in learning.

• The teacher utilizes both classroom and individual data.

• The teacher uses flexible grouping according to readiness, interests and/or learning styles.

Differentiation… a teacher’s response to learner’s needs guided by the Standards of Teaching…

Respectful tasks

Flexible grouping

Ongoing assessment and adjustment

Teach to an Objective

To the correct level of difficulty

Monitor & Adjust

… and general principles of differentiation, such as

According to Student’s

Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Teachers can differentiate…

Content Process Product Environment

through a range of instructional and management strategies such as…

Anchor Activities

Compacting Complex Instruction

Graphic Organizers

Group Investigations

Independent Study

Jigsaw Learning contracts

Literature Circles

Orbitals Taped Materials

Tiered centers

Tiered Lessons Tiered Products

Varied Journal Prompts

Varied questions

Varied sup. materials

Varied Texts

Respectful Tasks

Respectful Tasks

• Readiness level matches level of cognitive complexity

• Expect all students to grow• Appropriate levels of difficulty• All tasks are interesting, important,

and engaging for all students

Flexible Grouping

Flexible Grouping

Students are part of many different groups and have opportunities to work alone, based on matching the task to student readiness, interest, and/or learning style.

Continual Assessment

Assessment of Instruction

• Evaluates understanding of key concepts

• Can be differentiated• Drives instruction• Occurs consistently before, during,

and at end of unit (pre-assessment, formative, and summative)

Differentiating by Content

Ways to Differentiate Content

• Compacting Curriculum

• Learning Contracts

• Tiered Lessons

• Leveled Texts

Tiered Lessons

• Support differences in readiness• Allows students to work at their level

and expand learning without frustration

• Can tier activity, task, and/or product

Developing a Tiered Activity1. Select activity based on essential learnings2. Think about students’

• Readiness (skills, reading, thinking, information)

• Interests• Learning style• Talents

3. Create activity that is• Interesting• Causes students to use key skills of unit

4. Chart complexity of activity

Developing a Tiered Activity

5. Develop activities to ensure challenge and success• Materials (basic-advanced)• Form of expression (familiar to

unfamiliar)• From personal experience to

unfamiliar6. Match task to student based on learning

style and readiness

Tiering A Lesson

What is the range of learning needs?

What should students know, understand, be able to do?

What is the starting point of the lesson? How will you hook the students?

What is the first version of the lesson?

What is the second version?

What is the third version?

Differentiating by Process

Ways to Differentiate Process

• RAFTS• Cubing, Think Dots• Choices (Intelligences)• Centers/Stations • Contracts• Graphic Organizers

Cubing

• Versatile strategy• Activities for different groups of

students based on student readiness, learning style, and/or interests

• Different tasks related to the subject and/or concept on each side.

Activity

Find the three“Weather Watch” cubes in the handout. 

With an elbow partner, discuss how these cubes encourage all levels of thinking.

Graphic Organizers

• Visual displays of information• Arranged in bubbles or squares• Connected by lines to portray

relationships

Types of Graphic Organizers

• Concept Maps• Flow Diagrams• Tree Diagrams• Matrices

Differentiating by Product

Ways to Differentiate Product

• Choices based on readiness, interest, and learning style

• Clear expectations• Timelines• Contracts• Product Guides

Environments That SupportDifferentiated Instruction

In a Differentiated Classroom…

• All students participate in respectful work.• Students and teachers are collaborators

in learning.• Goals of a differentiated classroom are

maximum growth and individual success.• Flexibility is the hallmark of a

differentiated classroom.

In a Differentiated Classroom…• The teacher has established a learning

profile for each student.• The teacher is clear about what matters

in subject matter.• The teacher understands, appreciates,

and builds upon student differences.• Assessment and instruction are

inseparable.

Classroom Environment

• Student ownership• Positive support• Stimulation• Free of undue stress

and pressure• Appropriate

challenges• Social interaction• Students allowed to

make choices

• Promotes exploration and joy of learning

• Active student involvement

• Problem solving and conflict resolution

• Responsibility• Teamwork• Personal best• FUN

Differentiating According To Readiness

Readiness Levels

• Equal the playing field • Add or remove scaffolding• Vary the difficulty levels of text and

materials• Adjust the task• Vary amount of direct instruction

Differentiating According to Interests

Differentiating by Interests

Students have choice of activities,

materials, and ways to demonstrate their learning.

Differentiating by Learning Style

Learning Inventories

• Modality:Auditory, visual, kinesthetic

• Sternberg:Analytical, creative, practical

• Gardner:Multiple Intelligence preference

• Array:Positive or negative interaction style

Learner Profile Card

Gender Stripe________________________________________________________ Modality: SternbergAuditory, Visual, Kinesthetic Analytical, Creative, Practical

Multiple Intelligence Preference Array Gardner Inventory

Student’s Interests

Implementation

Role of the Teacher

1. Knows students2. Ensures that everyone feels welcome

• Teacher’s attention• Peer’s acceptance• Student’s work displayed• Flexible and comfortable seating

Role of the Teacher

3. Helps students learn to solve problems.• Humor plays a central role.• Sarcasm is NOT an option.

4. Provides a safe environment

Role of the Teacher

5. Lets students know that they will be doing different things and that’s OK

6. Gives students as much responsibility for their learning as possible

7. Engages students in talking about classroom procedures and how groups are/will be formed

Classroom Management

• Comfortable Pace• Home Base - begin and end each

class or lesson at the same place.• Flexible Grouping• When the teacher is busy with

another student or group, students can enlist peer assistance as determined by the teacher.

When Students Finish Early• Play a game• Read• Work on another

subject• Write• Computer work • Solve a challenge

puzzle• Help someone else

• Work on enrichment activity

• Create math story problems or puzzles

• Use imagination to

challenge yourself• Anchor (unit) activity

Classroom Management

When giving directions:• Break multiple task directions into

smaller parts.• Tape directions for small group work• Give task cards to members of small

groups• Be clear on key concepts

Management

Handling Materials:• Assign jobs• Teach students to become responsible for

their own materialsTransitions:• Give directions clearly• Time limits• Address noise level• Practice

Classroom Management

Assigning Groups:• Clothespins with student’s names • Color code students to certain groups• Wall charts• Post on overhead transparencies

Classroom Management

Paperwork (reduce to absolute necessity)• Color-coded folders• Portfolios• Baskets• Filing system• The key is that students have access to

their own work

Classroom Management

Time:• Be flexible • Catch-up days• Anchoring activities (ongoing tasks

tied to the curriculum that can be worked on independently)

Getting Started• Determine student readiness• Determine student interest• Determine student learning profile• Examine your philosophy• Start small• Grow slowly• Envision how an activity will look• Reflect

Small Group Activity

1. Find the colored card on which you wrote the recipe for cheesecake.

2. Move into small groups with others having the same colored card, taking your card with you.

3. Look at the recipes of everyone in the group and identify needs for teaching your group how to make a cheesecake.

Small Group Activity

4. As a group, create either cubes, tiered lessons, or graphic organizers on making cheesecake.

5. Your finished products (a minimum of two cubes/tiered lessons/graphic organizers) should take into consideration the different levels of understanding people in your group have in the area.

6. Share your project with another group who chose the same activity.

Cheesecake

Next Steps-Deeper Learning

• Deeper learning through region meetings as needed

• Presentations to LEAs• Ticket out the door-What component

of DI do you need more information about?

Only when a studentworks at a level of

difficulty that is bothchallenging and attainable for thatstudent does learningtake place.