Lauren’s Reflection on How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classroomsby Carol Ann Tomlinson

By: Lauren Thobe

“What we share in common makes us

human. How we differ makes us individuals.”

Intro:

Chapter 1

What Differentiated Instruction Is – And Isn’t

Differentiation Is…• It proactively plans to address

a range of learner needs.• It changes quality of work

instead of quantity when needed.

• Assessments are very important to gage where students are and where they are going.

• It is student centered so learning is effective, relevant and interesting.

• It blends whole-class, small group and individual instruction.

Differentiation Isn’t

• It is not individualized learning where every student does a different assignment.

• It is not chaotic when the teacher uses strategies to show leadership.

• It is not as simple as giving harder or easier questions to each student.

My thoughts while reading this chapter were “do I do any of this in my classroom, good or bad?” A goal of mine for teaching is to master a differentiated classroom and the first step is learning about what that is and isn’t. One of the things Tomlinson said differentiation was, is a classroom that is proactively planned. It takes a lot planning to successfully differentiate because lessons need to be varied. Planning is part of curriculum but how does differentiation really tie into curriculum? That is something I will be exploring as I further read this book. How can differentiation be planned into curriculum? How does it affect the 4 different types of curriculum?

Lauren’s Reflection

Does any of this happen in my classroom?

Chapter 2

The Rationale for Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

Differentiation requires teachers to realize that there is no standard issued student and bridges must be built between the learner and learning. What are the differences between advanced and struggling learners?

Advanced Learners

• Teacher must continually “raise ceilings of expectations” but at the same time raise the support.

• Teachers must clearly explain what constitutes excellence.

• Teachers must balance joy and rigor.

Struggling Learners• Teacher should set goals of

understanding.• Teacher must clearly explain

what they should know, understand and be able to do.

• Teacher should plan teaching and learning through many modalities.

• Teacher should find ways to show she believes in students.

This chapter was very interesting to me because during the previous school year I struggled with the balance of advanced and struggling learners and that is what drew me to differentiation. I found it very interesting reading about what advanced learners need and what struggling learners need. The previous slide is just a summary of what Tomlinson explained but the details and examples she gave were eye-opening. The one big thing she said for struggling learners was “focus on powerful teaching”. This means that if students can’t grasp every detail then there should be big picture targets that students need to know in order to successfully move onto the next unit. This is something I feel that can really be pulled into curriculum planning or the explicit curriculum. A teacher can plan their topics and list the big points for each. Then when unit planning a teacher can plan more specific points to help advanced learners.

Lauren’s Reflection What drew me to differentiation

Chapter 3

The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

The TeacherSkills to develop over

time• Organizing and focusing

curriculum on essentials• Peeling back first impressions and

erasing stereotypes• Giving students a voice• Think of and using time flexibly• Thinking of many ways to

accomplish a common goal• Building a sense of community in

the classroom

Rules of Thumb• Be clear on key concepts• Think of assessment as a road

map for thinking and planning• Lessons for all students should

involve critical and creative thinking

• Lessons for all students should be engaging

• Balance student-selected and teacher-selected assignments

Metaphoric Examples• A teacher is like the director of the orchestra – she helps people make

music but doesn’t actually make it herself.• A teacher is like a coach – she is very active in the game and practice but

doesn’t actually play the game.

I saw a lot of what was discussed during the class Elementary School Curriculum in this chapter. I felt that this chapter was one of the most beneficial because it directly relates to what I, the teacher, do in the classroom. One of the skills was focusing curriculum on key concepts and that goes back to the explicit curriculum planning. Another skill that stood out to me was the challenge of erasing stereotypes and first impressions. This goes back to creating a culturally diverse classroom. Students need to feel that they fit in and are wanted in the class. Sometimes this mean that a teacher needs to plan some implicit curriculum revolving around prejudices and acceptance in order for the differentiated classroom to run smoothly. I think all the skills tie into the PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) because to really gain the skills needed, participating in a PLN could be very helpful. Talking with other teachers who differentiate and have already achieved some of these skills would be more valuable than reading about them in the book because I could learn some ideas that did and didn’t work for others.

Lauren’s ReflectionWhat I, the teacher, do in the classroom

Chapter 4

The Learning Environment in a Differentiated Classroom

“A differentiated classroom should support, and is supported by, an evolving community

of learners.”

• Everyone feels welcome and contributes to making each other feel welcome.

• Showing mutual respect is crucial and not an option.• Students must feel safe so that they do not fear trying new

things outside of their comfort zone. • Teacher pushes students past comfort but provides support

along the way and shows excitement when students achieve goals.

• What is fair is each student getting what he or she needs.

What’s the environment like in a differentiated classroom?

When reading this chapter about the environment I kept thinking about the readings from class about culturally responsive classrooms. The first thing to master with a differentiated classroom is a welcoming environment. That is also a big part of a culturally responsive classroom. In our ever changing world where more and more cultures have the opportunity to interact, students need to learn about acceptance and respecting differences. I think that it is very important when beginning a differentiated classroom, and in any classroom, that one of the first lessons be about implicit curriculum and accepting each other for who they are. Then throughout the class the teacher should demonstrate acceptance and students will do so as well. Another big thing I saw in a differentiated classroom that I saw in a responsive classroom was the display of student art work. This is key to a welcoming class because students start to feel proud of their work and can compliment each other to build a supportive community of learners.

Lauren’s ReflectionA Differentiated Classroom and A Culturally Responsive Classroom

Chapter 5

A Look Inside Some Differentiated Classrooms

How are teachers succeeding at differentiation?

Ms. Eames• 1st grade• She has a

reading program that allows her students to read in small groups, individually or with partners.

Mrs. RileyMs.

Jefferies

Mr. Blackston

e• 3rd grade• She uses

learning centers and students are sent to centers based on their readiness to complete the given activities.

• 8th grade• Students get to

pick a topic to research and submit their selection. Then she pairs students up based on topic selection and flexible grouping.

• 6th grade• He assigns

students to 1 of 2 labs based on their participation in whole-class instruction and exit questions.

Mr. Rake• High School Math• He allows students to take the chapter test at beginning of chapter. If they

test out of the chapter they get to do an independent study project with math and real life. He then can teach smaller groups the chapter skills.

This chapter was very inspirational because I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with all the different ways to differentiate, but what I got from this chapter is pick one thing and start there. I really like the idea of exit questions covering what was discussed in class that day and using those as a point of reference in determining readiness. I can plan out my curriculum but realistically moving on to the next topic of most students aren’t ready is a poor strategy. I think differentiation is a good way to stick close to the curriculum map originally planned because all students can reach a higher potential through differentiation strategies such a flexible grouping and learning centers. I would really like to try the test out strategy that Mr. Rake uses and give the advanced learners more independent projects.

Lauren’s Reflection Differentiation Ideas to use

Chapter 6

Strategies for Managing a Differentiated Classroom

Some of Tomlinson 17 strategies for managing a differentiated classroom

• 1) Have a strong rationale for differentiating that you can explain to students and parents.

• 2) Move into a differentiation at a pace that your are comfortable with – maybe just start by practicing group management.

• 5) Create and deliver instructions carefully and clearly – don’t give each groups instructions to the whole class.

• 8) Make sure students have a plan to get help when you are working with another group.

• 9) Keep noise levels minimized and have a signal to indicate that it is getting too loud.

• 12) Make clear guidelines about “stray” movement.• 16) Give students as much responsibility for their learning as possible

to teach them to become independent.• 17) Engage students in talking about classroom procedures so that

they understand the rationale.

A differentiated classroom can have a lot of different things going at once and although this sounds crazy and hectic, it sounds doable after reading the strategies for managing the classroom. Tomlinson gave 17 but I picked the 8 I felt stood out most to me on the previous slide. I think a big part of a successfully differentiated classroom is that students are taught the procedures and then they know what to do every day. The teacher should take part of a class and give a lesson on the implicit curriculum that will be in the classroom. Some students may not realize that while working with groups they have to keep a low voice level or that when the teacher flickers the lights it means the class is too loud. This day for teaching the procedure is so important because the teacher will not have time to explain the process every single day – it’ll simply just take away from students being able to use the time for learning.

Lauren’s ReflectionIt sounds doable after reading the strategies

Chapter 7

Preparing Students and Parents for a Differentiated Classroom

Introducing to Parents

• Make sure they know• That the goal is for all students to

grow key skills and knowledge.• That the teacher will assess and

monitor skills, knowledge, level of success and interest.

• That an assignment given to a student reflects the teachers best knowledge of students ability.

• That the teacher welcomes communication with parents to better gage students levels. Introducing to

Students• Do a welcoming activity to get to

know each other and have people share strengths and weaknesses.

• Have class discussions so all understand that everyone learns differently and to involve students in planning.

3 Types of Parents• Parents of Gifted Learners

• Teachers should listen to them and learn about their child from them. Also teachers must understand that parents want challenges for their child but don’t want to see them struggle.

• Parents who Push too Hard• Teachers should remember that

sometimes the parent may see better the change in abilities so maybe let a child try a harder task, but also teach the student to have a voice and talk to parents if students isn’t ready for a task.

• Parents who Stay Away from School• These parents due typically still care

about their child’s education and teachers should try to build the bridge with parents to share about their child’s schools successes.

While differentiation is a common trend in education currently it is something that a lot of people do not know about. When a parent or student realizes that one student is doing harder work than another it could raise questions and concerns. It is very important that everyone understands what differentiation is and the rationale for it. While teaching the parent about it, isn’t really something that fits into the curriculum, teachers still need to plan to do so. Teachers can however plan a few classes into the curriculum to teach about differences in the classroom and help students understand why differentiation is important. This is another way teachers can use implicit curriculum to create a responsive classroom. I think over time the community will start to learn more about differentiation and it’ll be less taxing for teachers to continually explain what differentiation is and why it is used, but currently explaining it to people is one of the most important first steps.

Lauren’s Reflection

A Lot of People Do Not Know About

Chapters 8, 9, 10

The How to’s of Planning Lessons Differentiated by Readiness, Interest, and Learning Profile

“We know that students learn better if tasks are a close match for their skills and understanding of a topic (readiness), if tasks ignite curiosity or passion in a student (interest), and if the assignment encourages students to work in a preferred manner (learning profile).”

Readiness• Look at making

adjustments to further students in some areas and lessen difficulty in others on each assignment is part of checking readiness. Some areas are:• Concrete to Abstract• Simple to Complex• Small Leap to Great Leap• Dependent to Independent• Slow to Fast

• Teachers can draw on existing student interests or expand student interest with a class topic.

• Guidelines:• Link interest-based

exploration with key curriculum components

• Provide structure that will lead to success

• Create an open invitation for student interests to be shared

• Keep an open eye and mind for a serious passion that you can foster

• Learning profiles are made up of learning style preferences, intelligence preferences, culture-influenced preferences and gender-based preferences.

• Guidelines:• Not all students will share

teacher’s preference.• Teachers should help

students reflect on their preferences

• Use teacher-structured and student-choice lessons

• Be a student of your students.

InterestLearning Profile

The book breaks down the three things to look at when planning into separate chapters but really they are related and it is good to use differentiation of all three once differentiation is mastered. These chapters were further emphasis for previous chapters but they really got me thinking if I can use some of the strategies in the classroom. As I think about my curriculum, I start to think where can I fit differentiation in, based on some of these? A common strategy for all three is varying group, individual and whole class tasks. For my curriculum next year I plan to really try to use all three. One part of this section that stood out to me was that a good curriculum pushes students a bit further than the comfort zone. The original meaning of the word curriculum was a racecourse. Not many races are easy! It takes practice to improve and practice to really hone in the skills needed to be successful. School is the same way so students will need to work and hone in their skills. The best way for teachers to help with this is through differentiation so we are meeting students where they need the help.

Lauren’s Reflection

Differentiation in three parts

Chapters 11, 12, 13

Differentiating Content, Process and Products

The three curricular elements of content, process, and product are all connected “because students process ideas as they read content, think while they create products, and conjure ideas for products while they encounter ideas in the materials they use.

Content• Content is the “input” of

teaching and learning.• Differentiating based

on…• Readiness – match material

or information to students capacity

• Interest – ideas and materials that build on current student interests or extend interests should be included in curriculum.

• Learning profile – make sure students have ways of “coming at” materials and ideas in his style

• Process is the opportunity for learners to make sense of the content.

• Differentiating based on…• Readiness – match

complexity of task to student level of understanding and skill.

• Interest – give choices about facets of topics in which students can specialize.

• Learning profile – encourage students to make sense of an idea in their preferred learning style.

• The product should be a long-term endeavor that represents a student’s extensive understanding and application.

• 6 steps to a good product assignment• 1. Identify what student

should know• 2. Identify packaging options• 3. Determine expectations• 4. Decide on scaffolding to

promote success• 5. Develop assignment with

clear directions• 6. Differentiate or modify

versions of assignment to best suit each student. Discussions with students is crucial in order to best suit the needs of each student.

Process Products

Like the quote states all three pieces, content, process and product, are connected in the classroom and a curriculum combines all three. I found it interesting how you can differentiate each piece separately because it makes the start up of differentiating the classroom easier. All of this differentiation is a big part of planning a curriculum for the year. When you plan the curriculum it is important to plan in the key concepts that all students need to know, then plan ways to differentiate the content and process. It is also important to think about differentiating the product that will demonstrate what was learned. Every child is an individual and it is important that the curriculum covers the concepts that each child should master but as teachers we need to plan more detailed lessons in order to differentiate in the classroom. If we expect all students to be able to subtract by the end of a unit and 4 students still can’t add well that will cause problems and struggles for those students. The teachers need to rearrange the curriculum map sometimes for students to make sure everyone masters the key concepts.

Lauren’s ReflectionA curriculum combines all three

Chapter 14

Grading in a Differentiated Classroom

New Ways to Grade• Some schools are making

the change to having grades that also show progress towards goals. Some examples:• Leave behind traditional

grades and grade based on students goals.

• Keep the traditional letter grade but add a number that says if they are working at, above or below grade level.

• Give two letter grades – one for progress and effort, and another for comparison to grade level.

How to Keep Records• The way teachers grade doesn’t

have to drastically change to accommodate differentiation. Here are a few strategies:• Use the same gradebook but rename

the assignments to include the date and topic instead of a specific assignment.

• Keep student work folders to see progress.

• Share the responsibility for record-keeping with students. Have them keep a weekly calendar.

• Consider not grading all the work students do formally.

• Involve students in student-led parent conferences so that they are a part of the goal setting.

Grading is not a huge part of curriculum but I found this chapter to be a very important part of the book. One of my big questions about differentiation was how do you grade two different tasks equally. The point is you don’t. You have to grade each student on his or her abilities and tasks not compare with the class as is typically done. Another thing that came to mind with grading is that grades can make or break a welcoming classroom. If a student feels they are always getting D’s because he just isn’t smart enough, the classroom doesn’t feel welcoming and responsive to him. The idea of using a grade to show progress and effort could really help boost students like the one just described. Another thing that stood out to me was that not everything needs graded and was this does is allow students to take a risk and reach past comfort zones because the fear of failure is less.

Lauren’s ReflectionGrades and a welcoming classroom

“Push me! See how far I go!Work me ‘til I drop. Then pick me up.Open a door, and then make me run

to it before it closes.Teach me so that I might learn,Then let me enter the tunnel of

experience alone.And when, near the end,

I turn to see you beginning another’s journey,

I shall smile.”

Kathleen, 14years old

Final Quote of the BookDifferentiation in the eyes of a student