Reach Every Student Through DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Grades 7/8 Training Getting to the core of teaching and learning Education Centre January 21, 22,

Reach Every Student Through DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Grades 7/8 Training

Getting to the core of teaching and learning

Education CentreJanuary 21, 22, 2008

Welcome and Meet the Team

• Suzanne Cholasta – Curriculum Services

• Tina Elliott – Queen Elizabeth, Trenton• Pearl Hucul – Curriculum Services• Richard Long – Curriculum Services• Cathy Portt- Special Education

Services• Carla Ross – Prince Charles, Trenton• Mandy Savery-Whiteway – Student

Success• Christine Zaporzan – Susanna Moodie

Three important characteristics of a learning community that assist teachers

and students in developing resiliency include:

• caring relationships,• opportunities for participation and

contribution, and• opportunities to use strengths and interests as

starting points for learning.

Bernard B. (2004) Resiliency: What We Have Learned

Context

• Provincial focus on Student Success• Grade 7 & 8• Spring 2007 – Regional Project Teams• Fall 2007 – Ministry training for HPEDSB

team• Winter 2008 – HPEDSB Phase 1 and 2

implementation• Spring/ Fall 2008 – Grades 9 & 10

Why Differentiated Instruction?

• Grade 7 & 8 – a time of complex student growth

• Teachers supporting students through developmental changes

• Student interests, preferred ways of learning and specific learning needs

• Reach every student• Success for all students

Getting Started… Jan.21/22

• improving student learning by recognizing and addressing the diverse learning needs of the students

• understanding Differentiated Instruction• seeing the value of Differentiated

Instruction• recognizing that Differentiated Instruction

does not mean doing everything differently• taking new instructional actions, small or

large, beyond current level of implementation

Agenda Review

• Differentiated Instruction – What?• Kits• Knowing your students – Who?• Planning for Learning and Making

Instructional Decisions – How?• Exit Cards• Phase 2 opportunities

What have you brought in your backpack?

• Who is a Grade 7 teacher? Grade 8 teacher? French teacher? ISRT? Administrator? Other?

• Who has attended an in-service / workshop on DI?

• Who has read a book related to DI?• Who has watched a webcast on DI?• Who has students with different abilities in

their classroom?• Who knows students that are at risk?

Differentiated Instruction

How can differentiated instruction support success for all students?

Essential Question

Enduring Understandings

Differentiation is a prerequisite to effective curriculum planning, instruction and assessment.

Differentiation is teaching with student differences in mind.

In a differentiated classroom we choose to do what is fair, not what is equal.

Pages 2 to 7 in DI Teacher’s Guide

Creating an Effective Learning Environment

A Sense of Community

positive, respectful, collaborative classroom environment

organization, routines and visible learning supports

students feel safe to take risksstudents learning styles are accepted

and respected

Page 18-20 in DI Teacher’s Guide

Learning About the Learner

Teachers can differentiate according to student’s: Readiness Interest Learning Profile / Preferences

Know your Students

Pages 8 -14 in DI Teacher’s Guide

Students learn better if tasks are a close match for their skills and understanding of a topic (readiness), if tasks ignite curiosity or

passion in a student (interest), and if the assignment encourages students to work in a preferred manner (learning profile).

Plan for LearningKnow the Curriculum

Pages 15 – 17 Teacher’s Guide

•Framework for designing instruction, assessment and evaluation:

What do I want students to learn? How will I know they have learned it? How will I design instruction and assessment to help them learn (Wiggins and McTighe – Understanding by Design)

What helps us differentiate instruction, assessment and evaluations is the knowledge we develop about our students’ learning

preferences, interests, and readiness to learn new concepts.

Communication

The Child

Teacher

How will I determine the level of my student's learning and

report on it?

On-going Assessment, Evaluation and

Reporting

How will I know how well I did?

How will I know how well I did?

Teacher

How will I determine the level of my student's learning and

report on it?

On-going Assessment, Evaluation and

Reporting

How will I know how well I did?

How will I know how well I did?

Teacher

What are my students expected to learn and

be able to do?

What will I be learning?

What will I be learning?

Unpack the Curriculum

Teacher

What are my students expected to learn and

be able to do?

What will I be learning?

What will I be learning?

Unpack the CurriculumUnpack the Curriculum

Teacher

How will I know my students are learning?

How will I know what I am learning?

Gather the Evidence

Teacher

How will I know my students are learning?

How will I know what I am learning?

Gather the Evidence

Teacher

How will I help my students learn and

respond if they are not learning?

Teaching for Learning

How will I learn and what help will I need?

Teacher

How will I help my students learn and

respond if they are not learning?

Teaching for LearningTeaching for Learning

How will I learn and what help will I need?

Ongoing Assessment

Teachers use ongoing assessment to gather

information to inform decisions about their students, their

instructional approaches and the assessment forms they use

before, during and after learning.“The teacher does not try to differentiate everything for everyone

everyday…Instead, the teacher selects moments in the instructional sequence to differentiate, based on formal and informal assessment.”

Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners

Differentiating Content

awareness and use of essential skills to make sense of, think about, communicate and apply key concepts and principles

multiple materials are providedmultiple perspectives on ideas & events

sought“In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin [teaching]

where students are, not at the front of a curriculum guide.” Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, 2000

The “WHAT” of teaching.

Differentiating Process and Product

• based on student readiness, interest and learning preferences

• varied approaches, resources and instructional arrangements

• proactive and thoughtful planning• flexibility in choice and time• alternate ways for students to

demonstrate knowledge and skills

The “HOW” of teaching and learning.

Reciprocity

Student Learning

Differentiating for Process and Product means…the ‘how’

PROCESS How of Teaching

PRODUCTHow of Learning

Adjusting instructional

approaches to match the needs of the learner using

high yield strategies

Offering a variety of ways to

represent knowledge and skills

Pages 21-30 DI Teacher’s Guide

Help students demonstrate and learn from their learning 

Self Assessment and Evaluation

Pages 31 -33 in DI Teacher’s Guide

Assessment AS Learning

OF

FOR

Self, diagnostic and formative assessment are essential to helping us differentiate instruction to meet the learning

needs of all students in our classroom.

Celebrate Individual and Group Successes

Content - and Learner-Centered Planning, Teaching, and Assessing

“If I am uncertain of the precise outcomes of a unit… I am also unable to pre-assess students’ proximity to those outcomes effectively – and thus I am not certain how to craft the start of the journey for

students whose proficiencies vary.”Tomlinson and McTighe, Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design

Bringing it all Together!

Who am I teaching? What am I teaching? How am I teaching?

Are my students learning?

Learning Environment

Assessment

Shared Reading

Differentiated Instruction

As you work towards implementation of differentiation

remember to set realistic and attainable

goals...

Pages 34 -37 in DI Teacher’s Guide

Knowing Your Students

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Here is an easier question…What comes first in Differentiated Instruction?

Knowing Your Students - The Pillars

Readiness

•Prior knowledge•Social/Emotional

Interest

•Curiosity or passion

Learning Preferences

•How do they learn best?

Your Task – “Connect the Cards”Connect the “Know Your Students” activity to the “Readiness, Interests and Preferences” organizer using the Green Cards. Sort the information on your “Know Your Students” into:1.Learning Preferences – Learning Styles2.Interests3.Readiness

When you are done, read pages 10 and 11 of the Differentiated Instruction Teacher’s Guide.

“Connect the Cards”

Interests Readiness Learning Preferences

Readiness Interests Preferences

Connect the Cards Consolidation

ThinkPair Share

MINDS ON

Strategy Focus: • Metaphor

Purpose of the Strategy:• Establish a positive learning environment• Connect to prior learning and/or

experiences

Go to the picture/corner that

most represents your best lesson

ACTION

Strategy Focus: • Jigsaw

Purpose of the Strategy:• Introduce new learning• Provide opportunities for practice and

application of learning

Expert Groups

1. Core Questions, pp. 15-172. Learning Environment, pp. 18-193. Key Features of Diff. Instruction, pp. 22-24 4. Structures, pp. 26-27 and the Yellow

Structures companion cards5. Strategies, pp. 28-30, and Red Strategy

companion cards6. Assessment and Evaluation, pp. 31-33

Experts return to Home Groups so that experts can present their summary in the Home Groups, while others record the information in the appropriate section of the Jigsaw summary chart.

CONSOLIDATION & CONNECTIONS

Strategy Focus: Exit Cards

Purpose of the Strategy:Provide opportunities for

consolidation and reflection

Exit Cards

Reflect on the four guiding questions at your table:

1.What I learned/had confirmed about differentiated instruction .….

2.I wonder ……3.What I plan to try in my classroom/school

related to differentiated instruction ……4.What I want/need to make this plan happen

……

Phase 2

• Opportunities to be part of Professional Learning Community on Differentiated Instruction

• Teachers will select their own focus area for further implementation

• Four meeting sessions from February to May

• Small teams – Minimum of two teachers from individual schools including ISRT’s

• Please join us ……