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Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Capabilities of All Students Elementary Presentation Pickwick Landing State Park Thursday, April 30 th Kandy Smith, School Consultant Tennessee State Improvement Grant Slide 2 This PowerPoint is available at: Tennessee State Improvement Grant Website: http://sig.cls.utk.edu/ Under General Products (for now) Differentiated Lesson Plan Template Under 4 th -8 th Grade Products Slide 3 Differentiated Instruction Differentiation is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Provides entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students needs (IRIS Center Document: Differentiation for Reading, 2005, p. 1) Slide 4 Differentiated Instruction Offering students a variety of ways to explore curriculum content Providing options Providing re-teaching, second chances Large group/ small group combination Slide 5 Differentiated Instruction Does NOT mean lack of teacher control Does NOT mean expecting different learning outcomes from different students were expecting them all to learn the curriculum standards and more Does NOT mean abandoning traditional assessments Slide 6 Exploration of Learning Differences Lev VygotskyZone of Proximal Development Maria MontessoriIndividualized Instruction Robert SternbergLearning Profile Approach Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences Slide 7 Vygotsky: ZPD Slide 8 Montessori: Individualized Instruction Lifelong love of reading Community service Is competition necessary? Teaching peace, supporting the inner spirit of the child Slide 9 Sternberg: Learning Profile Approach Slide 10 Gardner: Theory of Multiple Intelligences Slide 11 Differentiated Instruction Certainly helps us to meet the federal guidelines (NCLB and IDEA) of providing best practice instruction for every student AT THE SAME TIME We have a pressure to make sure that all students meet local, state, and national standards. Do standards require a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction? Contradictory Mandates? Not At All Slide 12 Three ways to differentiate Content Process Product Slide 13 Content Change in the material being learned by a student (usually the change is to ADD to the standard) Objective: retell a story Some may just re-state beginning, middle, and end (basic standard) Some may learn to incorporate the characters point of view into the re-telling (enhanced standard) Slide 14 Process Refers to the way in which a student accesses material One student in a learning center with other students and a game One student at a computer by himself One student at the small group table with the teacher and other students Slide 15 Thoughts about differentiation The proportion of the school day allotted to whole-class instruction is a predictor of a schools academic achievement. Dr. Richard Allington University of Tennessee What Really Matters in Response to Intervention Slide 16 Product Refers to the way in which a student shows what he or she has learned Create a graphic organizer Discuss ideas in a small group Traditional assessment Slide 17 Carol Ann Tomlinson Theres absolutely no contradiction between excellent standards-based instruction and excellent differentiated standards-based instruction. She argues that most standards are not finite points to be memorized but consist of skills such as problem solving, communicating clearly in paragraphs, analyzing test, or using maps for information purposes. Those things can nearly all be accomplished by primary grade students as well as Ph.D.s just at different levels of complexity and with different levels of support. Slide 18 Differentiation Its about meeting individual needs in the context of best-practice instruction. Expert instruction cant exist without attending to student needs. -Carol Tomlinson Slide 19 So, how does it happen? My experience If a teacher is doing it, shell continue Have to watch for traditional three groups for the year Make certain data is driving the instruction Teacher professional judgment Data Slide 20 So, how does it happen? My experience If a teacher is not doing it, just talking about it doesnt really make it happen and forcing a structure doesnt make it happen, either Needs pd On assessing students On using data On large group instruction, small group instruction, centers Needs support from administration Needs checking on Slide 21 In order to differentiate Teacher must know the student Basic reading levels Basic knowledge student possesses on curriculum topics Group discussion, brainstorming not a good way to find out who knows what Teacher must conduct an individual pre-assessment if she is really going to meet student needs KWL chart Exit card Slide 22 IRIS Center at Vanderbilt Slide 23 Differentiated Instruction Slide 24 Slide 25 Mainly occurs at small group table with teacher and in practice centers At small group table: Alternative Lesson Structures Guided Reading Skills-Focused Lessons A blend of the two Slide 26 Guided Reading Selecting the text (appropriate level) Introducing the text Reading the text Discussing the text Teaching for strategic activities Extending meaning (optional) Word Work (optional) Slide 27 Guided Reading Mainly about comprehension Students could be struggling so much that guided reading is not appropriate YET NOT A TIME FOR ROUND ROBIN READING/LISTENING TO ONE CHILD AT A TIME READ Every child should be engaged at all times Slide 28 Want to hear one read? Children are all whisper reading; teacher is moving around the table, stopping and bending down with each child to focus on his/her reading. This is best practice. Whisper phones Another teacher at this same school: All children are reading silently. Teacher goes around and bends down beside the student she wants to hear read aloud. Child reads quietly to her. Slide 29 Skills-Focused Lessons providing explicit and systematic instruction for students who do not yet have the necessary skills and knowledge to be integrated together in the reading of text Differentiating Reading Instruction: Small Group Alternative Lesson Structures for All Students (IRIS Center Document, 2005, p. 3) Slide 30 Skills-Focused Lessons Mastery of elements like: letter-sound knowledge Phonemic decoding strategies Critical vocabulary Reading comprehension strategies Slide 31 Other ideas Rather than one set of flashcards, giving them out one child at a time Round Robin Flashcards Teacher gives word sets out to kids; shows them larger word cards teacher keeps her cards under the table and pulls one out and reads it doesnt show it (great idea learning disabled kids are cunning) Tells students to find that word in their cards (they each have a set in their hands) Put it face down in front of them then all flip them over great way for teacher to see who takes longer, who knows. Slide 32 For either type In order to be effective, teacher has to have ongoing knowledge of the assessment data concerning each student Then she makes centers and calls groups Groups: 3-4 for struggling students 5-7 for typically developing or above students Slide 33 AND She has to know developmentally where a student is and what the most effective instruction for that student will be Some of the programs that are available help to diagnose AND provide instructional support Slide 34 If the teacher is on her own Slide 35 Center Activities Five Components of Reading Slide 36 Support for Small Group Instruction Slide 37 Slide 38 Slide 39 Slide 40 Slide 41 Slide 42 Slide 43 Slide 44 Slide 45 Best Quick Comprehension Measure Maze passage Slide 46 What is a Maze Passage? A maze passage is an indicator of general reading health The maze passage measures the student's general reading performance. Its a good Curriculum-Based Measure (CBM) for comprehension. Slide 47 How do I create a maze passage? Select a passage from the students curriculum (basal reader, newspaper passages, etc.) (150 to 400 words) Slide 48 How do I create a maze passage? Leave the first sentence intact. Slide 49 How do I create a maze passage? After the first sentence, delete every seventh word and create two distracter words as choices (should have the same number of letters as correct word plus or minus one letter; should be a different part of speech and should NOT be a possible choice for that sentence). Dolche words are great choice words Slide 50 How do I create a maze passage? If the seventh word is a name, skip that choice and proceed to the next word. Slide 51 How do I create a maze passage? Make sure that all the choices fit on the same line. Slide 52 How do I create a maze passage? Give students 3 minutes to complete the maze passage. Slide 53 First Grade Maze Passage Slide 54 Fourth Grade Maze Passage Slide 55 55 Slide 56 Its Time We cant wait to begin differentiation. Childrens lives are at stake. Slide 57 No Excuses Time Effort Professional Knowledge Administrative Leadership Monitoring Slide 58 Differentiated Instruction Its best practice Its required by law Its what we MUST do in Tennessee classrooms Slide 59 Slide 60 References Allington, R. L. (2009). What really matters in response to intervention: Research-based designs. Boston: Pearson. Anderson, K. (2007). Differentiating instruction to include all students. Preventing School Failure, 51 (3), 49-54. Differentiating reading instruction: Small group alternative lesson structures for all students (2005), Retrieved April 28, 2009, http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.htmlhttp://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html Differentiation for reading (2005). Retrieved April 28, 2009, http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html Slide 61 References Florida Center for Reading Research website: http://www.fcrr.org/http://www.fcrr.org/ IRIS Center at Vanderbilt website: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Differentiating instruction: Why bother? Middle Ground, 9 (1), 12-14. Tomlinson, C.A. (2000). Focus on differentiated instruction [Electronic version]. Curriculum/Technology Quarterly, 9(3). doi:http://webserver3.ascd.org/handbook/demo/ctq/8spr00.html