differentiating instruction: responding to the needs of ...sep 14, 2015 · differentiating...

Recorded September 14, 2015© 2015 by Marcia B. Imbeau

Differentiating Instruction: Responding to the Needs of All Learners

Dr. Marcia B. Imbeau, ProfessorUniversity of [email protected] Faculty Member

[email protected]

© 2015 by Marcia B. Imbeau

I teach in a four-wall box of drab proportions,But choose to make it a place that feels like home.

I see too many students to know them as they need to be known,But refuse to let that render them faceless in my mind.

I am overcome with the transmission of a canon I can scarcely recall myself,But will not represent learning as a burden to the young.

I suffer from a poverty of time,And so will use what I have to best advantage those I teach.

I am an echo of the way school has been since forever,But will not agree to perpetuate the echo another generation.

I am told I am as good a teacher as the test scores I generate,But will not allow my students to see themselves as data.

I work in isolation,And am all the more determined to connect my students with the world.

I am small in the chain of power,But have the power to change young lives.

There are many reasons to succumb,And thirty reasons five times a day to succeed.

Most decisions about my job are removed from me.Except the ones that matter most.

Yes, But…

source – see pg. 150: Tomlinson, C.A. & Imbeau, M.B., (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom, Alexandria, VA: ASCD.




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Differentiation isa sequence of common sense

decisionsmade by teachers

with a student-first orientation

Adam Hoppe, 2010


Ensuring an environment that actively supports studentsin the work of learning (mindset, connections, community),

Absolute clarity about a powerful learning destination(KUDs, engagement, understanding),

Persistently knowing where students are in relation to thedestination all along the way (formative assessmentfor and as instruction),

Adjusting teaching to make sure each student arrives at the destination and, when possible, moves beyond it (addressing readiness, interest, learning profile),

Effective leadership & management of flexible classroom routines.



THE HALLMARK OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

Environment, Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction & Leadership/ManagementWorking Together


Differentiation means:

Creating an environment that invites learning,

Knowing with clarity the learning destination,

Checking regularly to see where students are in regard to the destination,

Adapting instruction to ensure steady progress for each learner,

Establishing routines that balance structure and flexibility to allow attention to varied learner needs.



The Environment

Matters


MINDSET CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY



•Success comes from being smart genetics, environment

determine what we can do•Some kids are smart—some

aren’t•Teachers can’t override students’

profiles

•Success comes from effort•With hard work, most students

can do most things•Teachers can override students’

profiles•A key role of the teacher is to set

high goals, provide high support,ensure student focus—to findthe thing that makes schoolwork for a student





(That teachers must connect with all students in an effort to teach them well)

isa moral imperative

and failure to try constitutesprofessional dereliction

Lessons from PrivilegeArthur G. Powell

Mindset Connections Community


Connecting with Kids

Talk at the doorEarly interest assessmentsSmall group instructionDialogue journalsStudent conferencesOpen room daysAsk for student inputInvite examples, analogies,

experiencesSeek student input on classUse Socratic or student-led

discussionsShare your own stories

ListenSeek varied perspectivesShare own interests,

questions, plansStart class with kid talkGo to student eventsWatch before & after

school, at lunchKeep student data cardsTake notes during classAttend extracurricular activitiesBuild curriculum on student

culture & interests



Name________________ Date________ Pd._________

Best Thing about the Week ____________________________________

Lord of the Flies Anticipation GuideWarm-up Activity: Read the statements below and write an “A” next to any with which you agree, a “D” by any with which you disagree, and “NS” if you’re not sure how you feel. Explain BRIEFLY why you feel as you do.

1. _____________ Children are capable of horrific behavior.Explain:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some alternatives: Action State (wishing I were skateboarding); How you’re feeling about the novel; favorite movie; do you like hot dogs; worried about; etc.

A Simple Idea for Connecting with Kids

Mark Myles

© 2014 ASCD




• Establishes the framework for a responsive classroomEach student’s need for a “next step”Responsibility for own growth“We’ve got your back” mentalityCompetition against self (vs. others)Fair as each student getting what he/she needs to succeedWorking like colleagues

• Begins with teacher mindset• Extends to student belief in one another• Supports the belief that we win or lose together• Ensures security/safety necessary for academic growth• Enables students to work as a team• Provides the teacher with “teammates” too


Building Community



Building Community


WHAT you differentiate impacts both HOW you teachand WHO you teach!



Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Grade 7 Reading Standards for Literature

Working from a Standard to a Differentiated Lesson

Essential Question: What makes a story tick?Transfer Goal: Explain the architecture of a story or drama, showing how the elements of fiction interact to shape events.


Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Grade 7 Reading Standards for Literature

Know (Essential Knowledge)Elements of fiction (plot, setting, character, theme)Analysis, evidence, interaction, supporting a position

Understand (Essential Understanding)Elements in our lives affect us and affect one another.

The people we associate with help shape us—and we help shape them.Time of day, weather, where we are, the music we hear all impact our

mood, thoughts, and actions.The “themes” of our lives that most strongly represent who we are and what we stand for shape our thoughts, lives, and actions.

Authors use the elements of fiction in purposeful ways to guide readers’ thinking.Stories are representations of life and in that way, act like our lives do.Each element in a story shapes every other element in the story.

Do (Essential Skills)Recognize the elements in a story.Analyze and explain how the story elements interact—and why.Provide evidence from the story to support your explanation.



1.Explain in words or words and images how you think our lives are like the lives of characters in a story or a movie or a play.

2.What are the elements of fiction? Please define or describe the elements you list.

3. How would you explain to a fourth grader what you do when you analyze something?

4. What do you think the most important theme in your life is? In other words, what theme does the best job of capturing who you are and what you stand for?

Name_____________________________________ Class Period________________

A pre-assessment to determine students’ entry points with critical knowledge, understanding, and skill related to interaction among elements of fiction


Patterns from the Pre-Assessment How our lives are like the lives of characters in movies or plays:

Some students provided shallow, evident, concrete answersOther students provided more thoughtful and abstract answers, generally making

either more connections that were meaningful or more elaborated anddeeper connections.

Elements of Fiction6 students listed and accurately explained all of the key elements12 students listed at least 3 elements and explained most of them with general accuracy11 students left the answer blank or listed just 1-2 elements and provided ambiguous or incorrect explanations

Explaining analysisOnly two students provided an effective, step-by-step response that would be helpful in understanding how to analyze something.

Major theme in your lifeA large group of students noted topics (I like sports)7 students provided a theme-like statement and shared how/why it represented themA large group of students left the answer blank or provided a brief response not readily connected with the question



Whole Class DifferentiatedDiscussion on elements in our lives and how they interact.

Introduction to unit.Review of elements of literature using matchingexercise in which some students have cards w/ element names, some have definitions, some have examples from stories students have read in common.Discussion of things we analyze in our daily lives and how we go about it—ceate a set of steps in analysis.

Students work in quads or triads to analyze a story to identify story elements and analyze how they work together. Group size, story choice, and graphic organizer used to guide work will vary based on pre-assessment results. Teacher will meet with small groups throughout the class period.

Whole class review of theme, proposing themes in lives of famous people, analyzing how they arrived at those themes.

Practice with themes in brief “stories” –Stories vary by

reading level and/or interestIdentify and support your conclusionIdentify and demonstrate how the elements

contribute to the themeDevelop a story in which elements interact to point to a theme

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Leading and Managing a

Classroom Matters



It requires an “orderly, enabling environment.”These are found in smoothly run classrooms, with an often looser (though not loose) structure, and a wider range of routines and instructional strategies in evidence. These classrooms were most likely to focus on meaning and understanding.

Defensible Differentiation Requires Flexible Classroom Routines

Relevant Research for School Decisions • Academic Challenge for the children of Poverty. Educational Research Service, Arlington, VA. p. 11


RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO ABILITIES

No. 1: Teachers’ ability to manage a set of complexactivities in the classroom

No. 2: Teachers’ ability to teach intellectuallychallenging material

Because the novel tasks required for problem solving are moredifficult to manage than the routine tasks associated with rotelearning, lack of knowledge about how to manage an inquiry-oriented classroom can lead teachers to turn to passive tacticsthat dumb down the curriculum (Carter and Doyle, 1987).

Preparing Teachers for a Changing World What -- Teachers Should Learn and Be Able To Doby Darling-Hammond & Bransford • Jossey-Bass • p.331

(1 of 2)© 2015 by Marcia B. Imbeau


RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO ABILITIES

No. 1: Teachers’ ability to manage a set of complexactivities in the classroom

No. 2: Teachers’ ability to teach intellectuallychallenging material

In a recent study of four high schools, McNeil (2003) confirms that intellectual expectations can be lowered when teachers “teach defensively,” choosing methods of presentation and evaluation that simplify content and reduce demands on students in return for classroom order and minimal student compliance on assignments.

Preparing Teachers for a Changing World What -- Teachers Should Learn and Be Able To Doby Darling-Hammond & Bransford • Jossey-Bass • p.331

(2 of 2)

• Has a vision for something good• Has the capacity to share the vision

& enlist others in it• Builds a team for achieving the

vision• Renews commitment to the vision• Celebrates successes• ABOUT PEOPLE

•Plans schedules•Handles details•Prepares materials•Arranges furniture•Orchestrates movement•Practices routines•Troubleshoots•ABOUT MECHANICS

First be a leader Then be a manager



Getting into groups Early finishers

Giving directions Curbing noise

Stray movement Re-arranging furniture

Stopping and starting Keeping track of work

“Ragged time” Grading daily tasks

On-task behavior Keeping up with papers

Finishing up and moving on

Effective group work

Some Hot Spots in the DI Classroom




Start slowly. Lead your students—make them your partners. Plan the details carefully and at a pace that

works for you. Rehearse and review. Be reflective--celebrate successes and learn from

rough spots.

Remember what you want to accomplish & why it matters!

Questions to Consider Do you have teachers who would

benefit from more knowledge, understanding and skill with this approach to teaching?

Do you have students who would be more successful if their teachers were able to be meet their academic and affective learning needs?



ASCD can help… DI Cadre Members –provide professional learning

experiences to teachers and leaders by providing workshops along with coaching and other follow-up services

Resources….such as Books, Action Tools, Videos, and Online classes


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