1 opening the door to curriculum differentiation jeanne h. purcell, ph.d connecticut state...
TRANSCRIPT
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OPENING THE DOOR TO
CURRICULUM DIFFERENTIATION
Jeanne H. Purcell, Ph.D
Connecticut State Department of Education
860 713-6745
PREASSESSMENT:
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Preassessment: A DefinitionPreassessment is an
instructional strategy teachers use to uncover what students know about a curriculum unit before they begin formal
instruction.
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THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSCONTENTINTRODUCTIONINITIAL INSTRUCTIONPREASSESSMENTDIAGNOSIS
MANAGEMENT OF FLEXIBLE, SMALL GROUPS
CHOICE
ALTERNATIVES
Adjusting the Breadth
TIERING
Adjusting the Depth
What are the CRITICAL DIFFERENCES in my students?
How can I MODIFY one or more of the 10 curriculum components to address difference?
POST ASSESSMENT
MEASURE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENTIATION
GRPG INTRO TCHG LRNG PROD RES EXT. TIMECONTENT ASSMNTS
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASSESSMENT AND CURRICULUM
STANDARDSContent Knowledge
PREASSESSMENTand resulting modifications, if warranted, are based upon critical
differences among students
TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND FEEDBACK
ON-GOING & POST ASSESSMENT
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Preassessment: Diagnostic Tools
• Teacher Observations• Learner Profiles • K-N-W Charts• Journals• Parent Letters• Lists, Surveys• Products• Performances• Conferences• Concept Maps
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Preassessment Tool: A Modified K-W-L
What the student ALREADY KNOWS
What the student NEEDS TO KNOW
What the student WANTS TO KNOW
K N W
-Prior Experiences-Knowledge-Skills-Accomplishments-Attitudes
-Self-rating of current proficiency with unit objectives
-Interests-Questions-Ideas for exploration or investigation
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Preassessment Tool: Journals
-Ask students to describe processes/ examples or provide reflections related to a curriculum objective
-Give the teacher an opportunity for a one-to-one interchange with the student
Tell me what you know
about fractions
What is the purpose of a
hero in a story?
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Preassessment Tool: Parent Letter
• Informs parents about unit skills, concepts, and types of unit activities;
• Enlists parents’ help with resources, artifacts, community connections, etc.
• Asks for parents’ insights into their child’s interests, strengths, and experiences;
• Informs parents that you will be giving homework assignments intended to be worked on together.
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Preassessment Tool: Lists and Surveys
• “Tell me all the words that come to mind when I say “oceanography;”
• List the attributes of French Impressionistic paintings;
• Name several types of land masses;
• Give examples of foods that contain high fats and sugars.
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Preassessment Tool: Products
• Create a bar graph using data from the sports section of the newspaper;
• Make a landscape drawing with a horizon;
• Show me your latest science lab report
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Preassessment Tool: Performances or Conferences
• Explain how you found this answer;• Import a graphic for the newspaper;• Create a mobius strip;• Use a graphing calculator
to determine an equation;• Develop a roll of black and
white film;• Read to me.
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Preassessment Tool: Concept Map
Word BankSun
Hot gasSpaceHeatNight
ConstellationDay
Star space
heat
hot gas
day
sun
nightconstellation
is in
see in
is a
has
makesmakes a
see at
-Used when teaching concepts and principles;-Graphic representation of students’ understandings;-Uses a word bank, web, and links
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Selecting a Preassessment Tool
• Nature of the content?• Nature of the feedback: Individual vs small
group vs. whole group• Time/Efficiency?
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Making Sense of Preassessment Data
• Think like a qualitative researcher: What does all this mean?
• Sort the data into 1 to 4 groups, based on a common, powerful difference
• Identify the learning difference: interest, prior knowledge, etc.
• Decide how to address the difference through differentiated teaching/learning activities.
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Attributes for Differentiation
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
AREA OF INTEREST
PREFERRED LEARNING STYLE
conceptual applicationprecision
drawing sculptingpainting
small-group adult supportalone with visuals
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Preassessment: When?
• At the beginning of the year?
• At the end of the year• At the beginning of
each semester• At the beginning of a
unit?
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Preassessment: Communicating with Students and Parents
Talking with Students• What is preassessment?• When will we do
preassessment?• What will a preassessment
look like?• What will it tell me?• Will my score “count?”• Should I tell my Mom
and Dad?• What am I supposed to
know?
Talking with Parents• What is preassessment?• When is preassessment
used?• What does it reveal?• Who sees preassessment
data?• How will students’
information be used?• What will happen as a
result of preassessment?
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Now It’s Your Turn…
Identify a curriculum unit. Make sure it is one in which you have witnessed critical differences among students. Select a prassessment and post assessment format, sketch some questions, and develop a rationale for your choices.
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Debriefing…
• What questions arose as you completed the assessments?
• How did you answer them?• What was most interesting to you?
Your colleagues?• What questions do you still have?• What questions might future
participants raise?