Differentiated Instruction Southeast Area Elementary Principals February 2008

n What does a differentiated classroom look like? – What activities would you see? – What sounds would you hear? – How would the room be organized?

n How is differentiation different from modification?

Do your school goals support this? Technology n Student Achievement n Professional Development n Others? n

What role do YOU play? What leaders DO speaks with greater force than what they SAY…. . n Understand that you play the same role with teachers that they play with students n Honor n – What skills do you already have, and what areas do you need development in order for success?

Necessary Skills for Stakeholders n What do we want everyone to be able to do with regards to responsive teaching (differentiation)? – Classroom teachers – Specials (music, PE, computers, special education, counselors, etc) – Administrators – Parents – Students

Differentiating Staff Development Whole-Group Workshop n Reading Group n Study Group n Independent Study n n Establish frequent times for sharing information – staff meetings, electronic means, etc.

Differentiating Instruction Teachers reacting responsively to a learner’s needs n Flexible n Effective and ongoing assessment n Flexible grouping n Respectful n Collaborative n

Develop Incentives for Progress n n n n Feedback (specific, high quality, coach for growth) Support (discussions, encouragement, work with specialists) Conferences (ASCD, BER, NCTM, etc) Publications (share journal articles & books) Guest Speakers (presenters from other schools, region, state) Presentation Opportunities (in-house, Summer Symposium, state conferences) Evaluations (if you expect it, then inspect it)

Sample Observation Form

Secure Resources (Internal & External) Books n Videos n Speakers n Conferences n Time n Peer Observation n Lesson Modeling n Walk Through Protocols n Ask Stakeholders: What do you need to further develop knowledge, understanding and skills in differentiation?

Teachers Can Differentiate Content Process Product According to Students’ Readiness Interest Learning Profile

The Learning Continuum

Enduring Understandings Leading district level implementation of differentiation requires vision, persistence, and creativity n Developing expertise in differentiation takes time, resources and long-range planning n Sustained progress with the implementation of differentiation needs cultivating and nurturing n

Enduring Understandings n Alignment among district level policies, procedures, leaders, and initiatives is critical for successful implementation of differentiation for lasting change

Guiding Questions n What are we doing that supports the implementation of differentiation? n What are we doing that might restrict the implementation of differentiation?

Drivers n n n Principals have become instructional leaders. Differentiation is one of the elements on the teacher evaluation. Mandatory staff development has been implemented. Support from the superintendent. Funding is in place to support the initiative. Restrainers n n n n Learning curve for some staff members is steep. Some pacing guides do not allow for flexibility. There are mixed messages by staff members. Some principals are over zealous. Curriculum, instruction, assessment, staff development, and program outcomes lack alignment. There is not a clear understanding of assessment and evaluation. Initiatives, priorities & resources are fragmented, not coherent.

Reflection n How will you define differentiated instruction for those you support back at your school? n What are the implications of this in your school?

Change produces uncertainty and feelings of incompetence – uncertainty because we’re caused to deal with the unfamiliar, incompetence because we don’t know how to do what we’ve never done before. In the face of fear and feelings of incompetence, people security – and the greatest security they know is found in the status quo. They therefore look for every reason they can find to justify their preference for the old and their resistance to the new. ~ Phil Schlecty

Contact Information Education Service Agency, Region 2 Pat Bruinsma Barb Hansen Marge Hauser Pat Hubert Lori Stoltenburg Vickie Venhuizen 367 -7680 esa 2@edec. org www. edec. org/esa

Continuum of Differentiation A Progression of Differentiation Increased comfort with modifying multiple elements of curriculum -----> Increased flexibility and fluidity of learning environment ------------> From differentiation as a strategy, toward differentiation as a way of thinking about teaching--> Take it or leave it teaching Reflection of student need Reactive Differentiation Teacher Planned Open-endedness One size fits all Restlessness Patching potholes as we travel Student as selfcoach All students in the class cover the same content at the same time using the same materials and resources. All students complete the same activities at the same time. All students take the same tests or complete the same assessments with the same expectations Teacher becomes aware that students have differing needs regarding content, activities, products, and assessments. Teacher wonders if there is a better way to meet students’ needs. When some students do not master the concepts and skills on a test, teacher reteaches or gives students additional practice before retesting. When some students finish their assignments in half the allotted time and already show mastery of the concept and skills, teacher assigns additional work or independent study. Teacher gives students choices regarding materials, resources, activities, products, working alone or in pairs or small groups. Discussion questions and tests contain openended questions. Student choice is based on their own assessment of their interests, learning styles, and/or readiness. Teacher feels that students will “selfdifferentiate” when given choices. Proactive Teacher -planned Differentiation plus openness Shared teaching and learning Diagnosing and Prescribing Teacher as coach Student choices plus planning for differences and for appropriate challenges. Designing curriculum using Dr. Tomlinson’s “equalizer. ” Frequent use of some of the following: regular pretesting, compacting, tiered assignments, interest centers, learning contracts, varying questions, independent projects, differentiated rubrics. Planned use of flexible grouping based on preassessment of readiness, learning style, or interest. Previous column plus: Management techniques to encourage student decision making. Authentic problems and audiences are offered. Individual goal setting and conferencing exists. Evaluation is based on individual growth. Students are involved in establishing criteria for evaluation.

Continuum of Differentiation A Progression of Differentiation for Staff Development Basic level Mid-level n. Awareness of the need for differentiation – n. Student assessment: diagnosing student including rationale and evidence that supports the need to differentiate n. Identifying key vocabulary, features, concepts, and principles of differentiated instruction n. Identifying and applying some basic instructional strategies that are currently employed in the teacher’s classroom and ways in which those strategies might be used most effectively for differentiated n. Effective use of multiple teacher presentation modes and multiple student materials n. Introducing and applying other basic instructional strategies that invite differentiation (for example: reading buddies, varying writing prompts, varying questions, etc. ) n. Creating “respectful” tasks n. Differentiating according to one student trait (readiness, interest, or learning profile) n. Using instructional strategies to meet key learning golas and to build student engagement and understanding n. Planning for whole-group vs. small-group or individual work n. Developing specific guidelines for implementing the targeted approaches to differentiation so that the teacher has a comfortable plan for managing basic differentiated classroom routines readiness, interest, and learning profiles and assessing student progress n. Consistent use of assessments as a catalyst for instructional planning n. Planning high-quality instruction as a baseline for differentiating n. Classroom management strategies: establishing student expectations, managing groups in the classroom, preparing students for ongoing differentiation, keeping track of progress n. Purposeful planning for flexible grouping n. Balanced teacher-choice and student-choice options n. Using a variety of specific instructional strategies to differentiate content, process, and product n. Understanding and planning instruction responsive to cultures n. Differentiating by readiness, interest, and learning profile in a single learning experience or within a brief sequence of lessons n. Establishing a clarity about what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of a given lesson, lesson sequence, and unit n. Creating a classroom environment that supports learner differences n. Helping students become more self-reliant learners n. Communicating with parents and students about differentiating More Advanced Level n. Exploring various models of differentiation n. Selecting key concepts, principles, and skills for a lesson or unit n. Designing differentiated lessons and units around key concepts, principles, and skills n. Application of more sophisticated instructional strategies that invite differentiation n. Dealing with issues of assessment and grading n. Effective use of alternative assessments n. Working collaboratively with students to build a more effective and responsive classroom n. Coaching and scaffolding for student success n. Specialized approaches for specific learning needs n. Means of evaluating degrees of success of differentiation in the classroom