Marian College SunshineProfessional Learning day.

Friday 17 August, 2012

CEOM staff : Ms Catherine Henbest, Ms Julie Powell and Dr Susan Nikakis

Acknowledgement and reflectionFABLE FOR SCHOOL PEOPLE

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, flying and swimming. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, ALL the animals took ALL the subjects.

.

• The duck was excellent at swimming, in fact better than his instructor, but he only just passed flying and his running skills were very poor. Since he was slow at running he had to do extra practice after school and also had to drop swimming and take extra classes in running.

This was continued until his poor webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average at swimming.

But as average was acceptable at the school nobody worried about this except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but became a school refuser because of the stress caused by so much extra work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing but he developed behaviour problems in the flying class, where the teacher insisted on him starting from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He became so unfocused that he scored a D in climbing and a E in running. His doctor has diagnosed ADHD.

• The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there. The school counselor thinks he probably has Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

At the end of the year an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb and fly a little he had the higher average and was dux of the school.

MORAL

• WE NEED TO RECOGNISE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE DIFFERENT INTERESTS, SKILLS, ABILITIES

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the day we will have developed an understanding of:

•What is meant by differentiated instruction.•Why differentiated instruction is necessary for all students. •Differentiating through oral language•How to rewrite assessment tasks using practical examples•A range of strategies that teachers can use to differentiate the curriculum.

A reading task

• When the variation of the system attributes over time is important, an extended period simulation is appropriate. This type of analysis allows you to model tanks filling and draining, regulating valves opening and closing, and pressures and flow rates changing throughout the system in response to varying demand conditions and automatic control strategies input to the program.

• Discuss with the person next to you what this means.• Write one sentence summarising this paragraph.

Pre-test activity

• You have a brainstorming sheet with the word differentiation in the middle circle record your ideas

What do we mean by differentiated instruction?

“Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to

student differences…. (Tomlinson, )

In other words…

Differentiation is responsive

teaching rather than

one-size-fits-all teaching.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Why Differentiate?

All students should be given an opportunity to develop to their full potential.

For most students the regular classroom will provide appropriate challenge, however for gifted / highly able learners special provision must be made

in the regular classroom if they are to have the same exciting and challenging learning experiences

as their classmates.

• The teacher is clear about what is important in subject matter.

• The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences.

• Assessment and instruction are inseparable.• The teacher adjusts instruction in response to student

readiness, interests, and learning preferences.• The goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum

growth and individual success.• Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated

classroom.

• The teacher is clear about what is important in subject matter.

• The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences.

• Assessment and instruction are inseparable.• The teacher adjusts instruction in response to student

readiness, interests, and learning preferences.• The goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum

growth and individual success.• Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated

classroom.

Key Principles of a Differentiated InstructionKey Principles of a Differentiated Instruction

Why Differentiate?

What does all this mean for the classroom teacher?

When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, “chances are, one-third of the kids already know it; one-third will get it; and the remaining third won’t. So two-thirds of the children are wasting their time.”

Lilia Katz

-

The Research?

Research indicates it is important to match teaching and learning experiences to learner needs and levels of

mastery. “Two motivational states interfere with learning. One is

anxiety; the other is boredom. Anxiety occurs when teachers expect too much, boredom when they expect too

little”. (Mihaly Csikezentmihalyi) The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) - the range at which

learning takes place.

Once you have decided to include differentiated

instruction in your classroom program, you are confronted with the

question:Okay, so exactly what can

I differentiate?

What Can We Differentiate?

Product

Learning Environment

Process

Content

Differentiation involves: “Multiple approaches and

adaptations in the areas of content (what students

learn), process (the ways students learn and how content is taught), and product (how students

present or demonstrate their learning, as well as learning

environment.” Chapman (2000)

Content

• Content of curriculum:– comprises curriculum topics, concepts and

themes– presents essential facts and skills

• Content can be accessed in different ways.• It can be made:

– More complex– More varied– Organised differently

Ten Thinking Tracks

• Differentiation does indeed make a difference to the learning of the students.

Process

• Process is the way in which the content is presented to students.– It refers to how students make sense or

understand the information ideas and skills being taught.

• Process can be differentiated by:– Modifying the level of thinking (i.e.. Bloom’s)– Changing the pace.– Changing the approach.– Using flexible grouping.

Activity one

What are the most effective ways that students learn?

Take the cards you have in front of you and place them in order what you think is the least effective to the most effective way that students might retain information.

% Amount retained with these methods of learning

010

2030

4050

6070

8090

100

Development of oral language to support student learning

• The Question Matrix

• Jig Saws

• Classifying Quotes

The Question Matrix

• THREE boats carrying 200 suspected asylum seekers have been intercepted by Australian authorities in 24 hours, while there are grave fears for another vessel thought to be carrying more than 60 people, which has yet to be found. The Age 14th August.

•

Pose a question: D4, F6, A5

1.The third rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.2.A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.

3.No child will live in poverty by the Year 2000.

4. Sometimes I worry about being a success in 4. Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre worlda mediocre world

5.Life wasn’t meant to be easy

6. I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.

7.Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it is useless

Product

Product is:• What the students produce• Reflects student understanding• Is not a summation of content

Should involve:• Higher-level reasoning skills• Choice, variety and challenge• Varied expectations and requirements of

student response

What content do your students already know before beginning the unit?

Learning Environment

• Changes should also be made to the learning environment if successful modifications are to be made to the content, process and product of curriculum.

• Group children with similar abilities together part of the time so they have the freedom to work at their own level and with peers of similar ability.

• Students should be given independent projects inside and outside classroom.

• They should be provided with a structured learning environment with open-ended tasks.

• Research shows that ability grouping for specific instruction is effective for all students including gifted students but only if the curriculum has been differentiated.

It is important to note that teachers new to differentiation may choose to begin by differentiating content or process or product, rather than all of them, until they are both familiar and comfortable with the strategies.

Venn Diagrams, Three Storey Intellect, Revised Blooms Taxonomy, Six thinking hats.Tiered instructionGraphic organisers and more!!!!!!

TIERED INSTRUCTIONA PLANNING STRATEGY

FOR MIXED ABILITY CLASSROOMS

“A Different Spin on an Old Idea.”

SOURCE: based on work by Carol Ann Tomlinson

WHAT CAN BE TIERED?

• ASSIGNMENTS• ACTIVITIES• CENTERS & STATIONS• LEARNING CONTRACTS• ASSESSMENTS• MATERIALS• EXPERIMENTS• WRITING PROMPTS• HOMEWORK

Creating Multiple Paths For Learning

Key Conceptor

Understanding

StrugglingWith TheConcept

SomeUnderstanding

UnderstandThe

Concept

READINESS LEVELSReaching Back Reaching Ahead

Planning Tiered Assignments

Concept to be UnderstoodOR

Skill to be Mastered

Below-LevelTask

On-LevelTask

Above-LevelTask

Create on-level task first then adjust up and down.

“Adjusting theTask”

When Tiering:Adjust--- • Level of Complexity• Amount of Structure• Materials• Time/Pace• Number of Steps• Form of Expression• Level of Dependence

Blooms new revised taxonomy1990’s

How does this apply to classroom practise?

Some possible ways of implementing Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom:

• Discussion starters • Small group activities • Independent research tasks • Contract sheets which allocate a different

proportion of questions at different levels • Pre-tests • Post-tests • Assessments • Learning centres

The Human Ear Project- current task

• Your next assessment task will be to create a poster or PowerPoint which shows how the human ear works. In particular you will be assessed on the following content:

• A detailed labelled diagram of the human ear• A description of how the human ear works• A description of the human frequency response and how

it compares to another animal (of your choice)• Identify at least two problems that can occur with human

hearing• Identify and describe one technological advancement in

treating hearing problems

Level 1• A detailed labelled diagram that identifies the parts of the

human ear• A description of how the human ear works• Identify one problem that can occur with human hearing

Level 2• Identify and explain one technological advancement in

treating hearing problems• Draw a timeline that sequences the development of

technological advances with treating hearing problems.

Level 3• Compare the human frequency response with another

animal of your choice.

• Evaluate the significance of the impact of the range of technological advancements that have been invented to treat hearing problems.

• Forecast what may be the next advancement.

Morning tea