Http:// ch?v=8IjHGqOZEng&NR=1.

Burns and Purcell, 20021

What is it?How do you do it?

Diff erentiation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IjHGqOZEng&NR=1

Differentiation is the teacher’s response to the learner’s needs.

Differentiation is reacting responsively to the learner’s needs to maximize student growth

Differentiation is not a curriculum. It is a way of thinking about teaching and learning.

A differentiated classroom

will have a combination of teacher directed, teacher selected activities, and

learner centered, learner selected activities; whole

class instruction, small group instruction, and individual

instruction.

When Differentiating Instruction, The Three Most Important Questions to

Continually Ask Yourself...What do I want my students to

know, understand,

and be able to do?

What will I do instructionally

to get my students to learn this?

How will my students show

what they know?

DIFFERENTIATION

Curriculum: Content/Process/ProductStudent: Readiness/Interest/Learning Style

Strategy

Adapt

Content – Process – Product

based upon

Readiness – Interest – Learning Profile

CONTENT is…

• What we want students to: - know (facts and information) - understand (principles, generalizations,

ideas)

- be able to do (skills)

Content is differentiated

• When you preassess students’ skill and knowledge, then match learners with appropriate activities according to readiness;

• When you give students choices about topics to explore in greater depth;

• When you provide students with basic and advanced resources that match their current levels of understanding.

Differentiating Content

- Multiple textbooks and supplementary print materials- Varied videos and computer programs - Learning contracts- Interest centers- Support systems

audio tapesstudy partners and reading buddiesmentors

- Compactingphase 1 - teacher assessment of studentphase 2 - teacher sets up a planphase 3 - teacher and student design a

project

Process is . . .

How the students make sense of the content.

It is the “how” of teaching.

Process is

The activities that you design to help students think about the key principles and information of the content they are learning.

Process calls on students to use key skills that are integral to the unit.

Differentiating Process is when students are engaged in different

activities.

- tiered assignments- learning centers

- interactive journals and learning logs- graphic organizers-flexible grouping

Each activity should be directed to the lesson’s common focus.

Product is . . .

The demonstration of the learning.

The way students show what they have learned or extend what they have

learned.

Products can be differentiated along a continuum:

- simple to complex- less independent to more independent- clearly defined problems to fuzzy

problems

Readiness is a student’s entry point relative to a particular understanding or

skill. To help a student to grow, we must begin

where the child is.

Readiness

Less ready• May need help More opportunities Structured or concrete activities Deliberate pace learning

Readiness

More advanced may need Skip practice Complex, open-ended, abstract, and

multifaceted activities Brisk pace of work

Interest is the child’s affinity, curiosity, or passion.

InterestStudents attach what they have been learning in class to things that they already find interesting in their own lives.

Learning profile has to do with how students learn. Some are visual learners, auditory learners, or kinesthetic learners. Students vary in the amount of time they need to master a skill or learn a concept.

How students learn can be shaped by:– environment – social organization – physical circumstances – emotional climate – psychological factors

Carol Ann Tomlinson/ Diane Heacox

A Closer Look At…

• Flexible Grouping• Tiered Assignments

Flexible grouping is at the heart of differentiated

instruction

Flexible grouping:

A Definition

Flexible small groups are within class grouping in which membership varies according to ability (same ability, mixed ability), interest or questions, learning style or processing style, product style, group longevity, group size (2-10). Groups can be teacher-selected, student-selected, purposeful or random.

– Individuals– Small groups– Classroom as

a whole

Flexible Grouping

Flexible Grouping

Entire classSame materialsFinish togetherTeacher determinedPlaced by readinessTeacher help

Small groupsMultiple materials

Need additional timeStudent choice

Random assignmentStudent help

Designing Differentiated Learning Activities for Flexible Groups

• Open-ended activities and assignments

• Purposefully designed choices to accommodate learning or expression style differences

• Purposefully designed tiered assignments

Purcell

Tiered Assignments are designed to maximize each student's growth by challenging students with learning experiences that are slightly above their current level of knowledge and performance. Tomlinson

Designing a Tiered

AssignmentA six step process

• Identify the content• Consider your students’ needs• Create an activity• Chart the complexity of the activity • Create other versions of the activity• Match one version of the task to each

student

Tomlinson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU25gNc024I&NR=1

Differentiation In Action

In Summary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvsMtWwPwL8*