LIVINGSTON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TAMMY KUHN, TITLE II COORDINATOR

DEMARIOUS POOLE,

SPED CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION STRATEGIES

GOALS FOR SPDG DAY:

• Modeling DI strategies

• Analyzing successful DI instruction and implementation

• Relating DI to inclusive classroom

LPPS MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Livingston Parish Public School System, in partnership with home and community, is to provide all students with exceptional educational opportunities that will equip life-long learners with the skills necessary to become productive responsible citizens in a global setting.

PRIN

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INCLU

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PRACTI

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DEVELOPE

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RINCIPA

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LIVIN

GSTON PA

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INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS ENCOURAGE:

• Collaboration among stakeholders

• Acceptance of each student

• High expectations for all

WE AGREE THAT INCLUSION:

• Is a school wide effort and requires teamwork

• Requires communication, co-planning, and decision making

• Requires resources and support to provide opportunities for all

HIGH STANDARDS ARE FOR ALL STUDENTS AND THAT:• All students can learn

• All standards should be rigorous and relevant for all individuals

TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF ALL STUDENTS WE NEED:• District and school-based support

• Belief that all students belong, can learn, and achieve

• Collaboration among all stakeholders

• High expectations for all students

TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF DISABILITY AND MAXIMIZE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, WE:

• Should focus on student’s strengths:

• Provided instruction that engages and challenges all students

• Design assessments that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding

ASSESSMENT PROBEDifferentiated Instruction

Each Thursday, grade level teams at USA Middle School meet to collaborate and plan lessons for the upcoming week. While collaborating one Thursday, an administrator overheard 6th grade Team A teachers having a discussion regarding differentiated instruction. The following statements were made by the teachers of 6th Grade Team A.

After reading each statement, circle the name of the teacher which you feel has the greatest understanding of differentiated instruction.

 

Sally: “ I use data from standardized test scores to group my students for the year. The overall test results help me decide my green group (go), red group(stop), blue group(keep working) for the year. Each group works on different sets of skills.”

Mark: “I like to address the learning styles of my students by showing clips of videos as I am lecturing. During the lecture, I allow my students to choose a note-taking and organization format that works for them. Sometimes they get to choose their method of presenting information to me for a grade.”

Haley: “ Before I start a new unit, I like to see what my students know and don’t know. I use those results when planning whole group and small group instruction. Oh my goodness, it is hard for me to plan for the whole week. “

Jason: “Sometimes I give more questions or assignments to my advanced learners and allow my struggling students to select which questions to answer or skip from an assignment. I grade them differently also.”

FOUNDATIONS OF DIFOUNDATIONS OF DI“Differentiated instruction is a teaching

philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students’ varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests. Therefore, the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to ‘get at’ and express learning.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

A differentiated classroom provides different avenues for acquiring content, for processing or making sense of ideas, and for solving problems by developing products so that each student can learn effectively.

―Adapted from Tomlinson, 2004

FOUNDATIONS OF DIFOUNDATIONS OF DI

KNOW YOUR TARGET

KNOW YOUR TARGET

Know target by:ReadinessInterestLearning Style

THINK – PAIR – SHARE

Guidelines for Think – Pair – Share : 1 minute to think about topic2.5 minutes to share with partnerIn order for it to be a DI strategy something different has to be occurring.

MENUS GUIDELINES (CHOICE BOARDS)

• Typically, a menu will include a “main course” which students are required to complete in its entirety

• “Side Dishes” and “Desserts” students select a designated number of extension or enrichment tasks.

• Brainstorm and write activities that are aligned with the instructional goal.

• Select the major task (s) that all students will complete and designate it as the “main course”.

• Review students’ needs, interests, and/or learning profile and create several optional activities that focus on the knowledge and skills considered essential.

THINK – TAC – TOE GUIDELINES

• Brainstorm and write activities that are aligned with the instructional goal (nine activities)

• Arrange the activities on a blank Tic-Tac-Toe template

• Review the order of the activities and re-arrange, so that all students will have some challenge when choosing the activities.

THINK-TAC-TOEBook Report

Draw a picture of the main

character.

Perform a play that shows the

conclusion of a story.

Write a song about one of the main

events.

Write a poem about two main

events in the story.

Make a poster that shows the order of events in the story.

Dress up as your favorite character

and perform a speech telling who

you are.

Create a Venn diagram

comparing and contrasting the

introduction to the closing.

Write two paragraphs about

the main character.

Write two paragraphs about

the setting.

Dear Miss Brin,

Yesterday you got really really mad at me in class. I didn’t argue with you, because that just makes you madder and being yelled at makes my stomach feel funny and I can’t think. But I want to say what happened. Maybe you will understand why it looks like I don’t pay attention in class.

You told us to open our books to chapter 4 and read silently. Then you asked everyone to put your hand up if we had finished the third page and Sean didn’t. You waited for him to finish the page. Then you told us to take turns reading out loud. When you got to me, I asked you what paragraph to start on, and you started yelling at me. You asked me a lot of questions but you didn’t let me answer any of them. You answered them yourself but the things you said weren’t true answers!

This is what happened. I started reading when you said. I finished the chapter and stopped because you get mad if I read any more. I didn’t get out another book because that makes you mad too. I didn’t doodle or do math or talk to Sarah or get up or walk around because those things make you mad. So I worked on my Greek in my head until you called on me.

I tried to keep track of where the other kids were when they were reading. And I had the right page. I just didn’t hear where Kim stopped. Her voice is sooo quiet and the verb I was saying was too loud in my head! So it’s not true that I was day dreaming! And I’m not stuck up or arrogant or insolent or any of the things you said I was! I TRY to follow along but I CAN’T read that slow!!

You said you got mad because I was wasting everybodies time. But I just asked “which paragraph Miss Brin?” Look at your watch and say it too. It takes 2 seconds. You could have said “the third paragraph.” That takes 21 seconds. I timed it too. Then Sarah and Amy R and Amy B would have 6 minutes to read aloud. Instead you yelled at ME for 6 minutes and they did not get to read any thing!

Peter takes almost a whole minute to read “Ben heard the bear cough behind him.” I timed him. It’s a game I made up to pay attention instead of doing Greek or making up poems in my head. If I ask you what paragraph and you tell me it still takes me less than half a minute for me to read a whole paragraph. So I guess I don’t understand why you are mad or why you used 6 minutes to tell the class what a bad stupid mean person i am because I wasted their time for 4 seconds. I think YOU wasted their time!!! And I think YOU were mean to call me those names in front of everybody!!!!

Miss Brinn I want to do what you tell me! I don’t understand why I can’t keep reading at the end of a chapter. Or get out my other books. or study my Greek. Or draw or doodle or write in my journal. But you don’t want me to do that so I don’t. But I can’t sit and stare at the wall. If i try to do that I just start thinking about something else! I don’t know HOW to not think! I don’t know HOW to read slow! Please tell me what to do so it won’t make you mad at me all the time. And PLEASE don’t yell at me in class.

love,

your sad student,

Anne

Who felt left out of the class? Explain why Anne felt

so sad? Describe what actions occurred to make

Anne feel so sad, give examples.

What does Anne do to compensate for her

needs not being met?

After reading the letter and paying

attention to characteristics of Ms. Brinn, how would you

describe her as a teacher?

Identify the kind of learner that Anne is

and the kind of teacher that Ms. Brinn should be in order to meet Anne’s needs?

THINK DOT GUIDELINES

• Assign students to groups based on type of differentiation selected.

• Give each group a die and a set of activity cards. Each card corresponds to each die.

• Each student has an activity sheet.

• Each student takes a turn rolling die and then completes the activity on printed on the card.

CUBING GUIDELINES

• Decide on type of differentiation to be used based on readiness, interests, or learning profile.

• Brainstorm and write activities that are aligned with instructional goal and type of differentiation selected (6 questions or activities for cube)

• Arrange questions or activities on blank CUBE template

• Construct the cubes

• Create a student activity sheet that corresponds to the questions or activities for easy recording and management of the activity.

CUBING GUIDELINES

• Assign students to groups based on the type of differentiation selected. Often colors are used for this designation.

• Give each group a cube and provide individual activity sheets for students.

• Each student take a turn rolling the cube.

• Various arrangements are acceptable. Students may work independently and then share, students may work as partners on the same activity, or students may work on different questions or activities while assisting each other as needed.

TEACHING AND LEARNING SHIFTS

Teacher teaches the skill

Students are grouped the following day based on like choices and

compare results. Students choose the learning route based on

their own interest.

Students are given a choice on a Think-Tac-Toe Board as to how they want to practice

the skill.

Students demonstrate knowledge of the skill through a variety of ways.

Teacher reteaches

GOALS FOR SPDG DAY:

• Modeling DI strategies

• Analyzing successful DI instruction and implementation

• Relating DI to inclusive classroom

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Demarious Poole

Demarious.Poole@lpsb.org

Access webinars at http://www.laspdg.org/content.cfm?id=313&schoolyearID=4 by selecting the 2012-13 school year

*Knowing Your Students *Flexible Groups*Cubing & Think Dots *Choice Boards

*Learning Menus *Learning Contracts