DIFFERENT ROADS TO THE SAME DESTINATION

Differentiated Instruction at the Secondary LevelKandy Smith, School ConsultantTennessee State Improvement Grant

This PowerPoint is available at:

Tennessee State Improvement Grant Website:http://sig.cls.utk.edu/Under General Products (for now)

Differentiated Lesson Plan TemplateUnder 4th-8th Grade Products

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Offering students a variety of ways to

explore curriculum content Providing options Providing re-teaching, second chances Large group/ small group combination

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Does NOT mean expecting different learning outcomes from different students – we’re expecting them all to learn the curriculum standards and more

Does NOT mean abandoning traditional assessments

EXPLORATION OF LEARNING DIFFERENCES Lev Vygotsky Zone of Proximal

Development

Maria Montessori Individualized Instruction

Robert Sternberg Learning Profile Approach

Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences

VYGOTSKY: ZPD

MONTESSORI: INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION

Lifelong love of reading

Community service

Is competition necessary?

Teaching peace, supporting the inner spirit of the child

STERNBERG: LEARNING PROFILE APPROACH

GARDNER: THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

THOUGHTS ABOUT DIFFERENTIATION“The proportion of the school day allotted to

whole-class instruction is a predictor of a school’s academic achievement.”

Dr. Richard AllingtonUniversity of TennesseeWhat Really Matters in

Response to Intervention

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 once-size-fits all

approach to instruction?

CAROL ANN TOMLINSON “There’s 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.”

HOW CAN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS PROVIDE DIFFERENT ROADS FOR STUDENTS TO REACH THE SAME DESTINATIONS?

IT’S CERTAINLY GOING TO INVOLVE… Less large group direct instruction Less “read the chapter and answer the

questions at the end” Less (NO!) Round-Robin reading Less teacher-centered learning More student-centered learning

TEACHER-CENTERED LEARNING Teacher as content area specialist

Container of knowledge Pours it into students’ heads

Standardized Instruction More facts-based approach Teacher works the hardest

STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING Student choice from options designed by

teacher Students working in groups with and

without the teacher More student work More concept-based approach More motivating to most kids

WHAT IT DOESN’T MEAN TO THE TEACHER Time to do other things while kids work

Check email Grade papers

Plan the lesson and then assign: Above-average students do 15 Average students do 10 Below-average students do 5(That’s modification, not differentiation)

LET’S LOOK AT A SPECIFIC CURRICULUM

STANDARD AND THINK ABOUT

DIFFERENTIATING THE LEARNING OF THAT STANDARD

DIFFERENTIATION Maximize the capabilities of all students Moving all students toward proficiency in

the knowledge and skills established in state and local standards

Based on student readiness, student learning preferences

Excludes no child from the learning

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DIFFERENTIATION Base it on immediate pre-assessment Base it on what we know about students as

learners Always be willing to allow students to improve Always be willing to support students who may

be experiencing situational struggles

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AN EXAMPLE:ENGLISH I

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STANDARD 2.3 D Select a logical word or phrase to

complete an analogy.

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•2.3 D Select a logical word or phrase to complete an analogy.

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Word relationships

Sometimes written in the “blank is to blank asblank is to blank” format.

Some frequently used analogies

Word relationships assist our learning.

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AS YOU PLAN ANY LESSON… Search the internet See if there’s something out there you might

want to use “as is” or adapt Use ideas, technology games and activities

to support learning

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We will review the term analogy.We will then do some analogies together.

After we do some analogies together,we’ll do a quick pre-assessment.

I will then call “class in a class” smallgroups and work with students on analogyactivities.

Students will also work in pairs or alone on some analogy practice.

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Essential questions reside at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy (Bloom, 1954). They require students to EVALUATE (make a thoughtful choice between options, with the choice based upon clearly stated criteria), to SYNTHESIZE (invent a new or different version) or to ANALYZE (develop a thorough and complex understanding through skillful questioning).

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Our essential questions might be:

How do analogies help us think about relationships?

How do analogies help us tounderstand new concepts?

How do they improve our writing?

How do they make the readingmore interesting?

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Why are analogies important in our lives?

Why would one of the tests that people take before they are admitted to graduate school be a test that consists of 100 analogies – the Miller’s Analogy test?

Which might be more helpful in life and why: knowing the definition of a word or being able to use it in an analogy? 44

After completing a quick review and a few analogies together, students will complete individually a practice sheet of analogies.

Teacher collects – Gives each student his sheet back when he is called as part of a group to the small group table – might use equity sticks to call groups.

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As students come to the table, we’ll discuss the sheet they completed individually.

As we discuss, I’ll make a note of who’s where in their knowledge of analogies with Level one being at the lowest level.

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I will conduct some informal assessment in the small group instruction.

At the end of the study, students will complete a formalassessment concerning analogies.

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Those who don’t seem to get it – we do some moretogether, maybe play one of the games, I briefly repeat what was said in large group

For those who “get it” – maybe provide a few moredifficult, challenging ones – examples from Miller’sAlso – we’ll discuss the essential questions.

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I will maintain a list of analogies that we can work onas time permits.Exit cards from time to time concerning analogiesI will also assist students in seeing analogies in our reading. Students will be encouraged to employ analogiesin their own writing.

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So that would be how to conduct differentiation by doing a pre-assessment in the classroom block

In this case, the pre-assessment comes after a quick review of the topic, not cold

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ANOTHER WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE

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SET GROUPS TO PULL FOR SMALL GROUP Base it on what we know about students as

learners Always be willing to allow students to improve Always be willing to support students who may

be experiencing situational struggles Always try to mix this with the other type of

group where you can just call five at a time – don’t want a “low” group if we can help it

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ENGLISH IIITHE CRUCIBLE

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SO MY LESSON PLAN LOOKS LIKE THIS Large group instruction

Discuss Arthur Miller briefly Discuss Salem Witch Trials briefly Discuss setting, characters

Listen to part of recording or watch introduction of movie

20 or 30 minutes maximum

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SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION I call my “struggling readers” to the group We read together and stop and discuss,

possibly using a graphic organizer or note-taking technique to support their learning.Teacher think alouds, preview the vocabulary Student discussion gives teacher information

concerning student understanding These students leave the table with a

reading assignment – could include listening to a CD, must include a support (graphic organizer, character chart, plot summary chart, etc.) 55

SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION I call my “average” readers to the group Their assignment while I was with the

struggling group was to read. We discuss what they have read, clearing up

any questions Same as “struggling group” – would offer

support as they leave to go read alone

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SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION I call my “above average” readers to the

group Their assignment while I was with the

struggling group was to read. We discuss what they have read, clearing

up any questions We also discuss more in depth Arthur

Miller, his works, the implications of The Crucible to McCarthyism, when the government blacklisted accused communists. (Miller himself was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956. )

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TWO STRUCTURES FOR DIFFERENTIATION

STRUCTURE OF LESSON Large group instruction

Teacher direct instruction Student practice Student pre-assessment (or not)

Small group instruction Student pre-assessment used (or not) Teacher ready to supplement

Work station practice

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CLASSROOM WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS…

Teacher sits where hecan see all studentsWorks with a few at a time

computers

Student desks

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SECOND OPTION: STRUCTURE OF LESSON Large group instruction

Teacher direct instruction Student practice Student pre-assessment

Work station practice Teacher overseeing each group, pair, individual

during practice

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CLASSROOM WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS…

computers

Student desks

After direct instruction, students are “practicing” - teacher is monitoring, assisting, supporting.

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MANY TIMES IN HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH Classes are “tracked” because of scheduling So, many times classes are full of college-

bound students, etc. Differentiation for college-bound students

Top ten, grades Preparing for college

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SO DIFFERENTIATION MAY BE BY ENTIRE CLASSES

What I do with my first period college-bound group might not be the same as what I do with my non-college-bound students

BUT – standards and curriculum should be the same

Instruction will be differentiated

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IN CONTENT AREA SUBJECTS If there are mixed ability levels, then

differentiation is needed. Main issues:

Student reading abilities Teacher help with decoding part so that student abilities are

left for comprehension CDs with textbooks

Vocabulary Text difficulty

If there can be less difficult text for students to read and still gain content curriculum standards, great.

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BEST PRACTICE BULLETIN: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: SECONDARY

ONE BIG TEACHER CONCERN Classroom management:

What if students have a conversation about something else while I’m teaching at the small group table and they’re supposed to be working in pairs or groups?

Has to be stronger than ever; at the same time, students have to be treated with respect, allowed to make choices

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71 Closing thoughts

NOT JUST ABOUT NCLB AND IDEA Students who are in school at the present

time will need to be able to read in order to function as members of society

Really, that’s already true: Think about the last time you voted Think about the FAFSA form that we have to

complete for our kids

ADMINISTRATIVE ROLE IN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION “Keeper of the Vision” “Person who uses the pulpit of leadership to

help teachers reflect on the need to meet students where they are.”

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS

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REFERENCES

Allington, R. L. (2009). What really matters in response to intervention:

Research-based designs. Boston: Pearson.

Rakow, S. (2007). All mean ALL: Classrooms that work for advanced

learners . Middle Ground

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