Danny Brassell, Ph.D. Jeff Miller, Ph.D

Dare to Differentiate!

50 Terrific Teacher Tricks

Danny Brassell, Ph.D.Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

www.lazyreaders.com

Learning GoalsBy the end of this presentation, we will

have: Determined what differentiated

instruction means and why it is important;

Discussed ways to meet standards without sacrificing student readiness, interests and learning styles;

Examined 50 tricks teachers may keep in mind when differentiating instruction; and

Reviewed songs, games and activities designed to stimulate student interest in school.

What Is Differentiate

d Instruction?

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

huh?

Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small

group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the

best learning experience possible, that teacher is

differentiating instruction.

- CAROL ANN TOMLINSON

Oh…

Why Is Differentiating

Instruction Important?

To learn a particular concept, some children need days; some, ten minutes, but the typical lockstep school schedule ignores this fundamental fact. - Marilyn Hughes

Eight Principles of a

Differentiated Classroom

Principle #1The teacher is

clear about what matters in the content area.

Principle #2The teacher

understands, appreciates and

builds upon student differences.

Principle #3Assessment

and instruction are

inseparable.

You’re wrong!vs.Why did you say that?

Principle #4All students

participate in respectful

work.

Principle #5Students and

teachers collaborate in

learning.

Principle #6The teacher adjusts

content, process, and product in response

to student readiness, interests, and

learning styles.

Principle #7Goals of a

differentiated classroom are

maximum growth and continued

success.

Principle #8Flexibility is the

hallmark of a differentiated

classroom.

Environment

Dare to Differentiate: 50 Terrific Teacher Tricks

Trick #1

Create a supportive

environment of respect (teacher-

students, students-to-students).


Trick #2

Develop a sense of community.


Trick #3

Facilitate an environment

where students feel safe to take

risks.


Trick #4

Promote the development of a

broad range of skills and interests,

incorporating all senses.


Trick #5

Set-up physical classroom for

student-centered

instruction.


Trick #6

Provide purposeful

materials and resources.


Trick #7

Have high expectations for

ALL.

If you refuse to accept anything but the best in life, you very often get it.

- Somerset Maugham

Readiness

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.

- Lilian Katz


Trick #8

Allow students to “show what

they know” in a variety of ways.


Trick #9

Provide students with plenty of

time to explore, understand and transfer learning

to long-term memory.


Trick #10

Permit students time to revisit

ideas and concepts in order

to connect or extend them.


Trick #11

Ensure lessons are

developmentally appropriate.


Trick #12

Tier activities to provide

appropriate level of

challenge.


Trick #13

Compact curriculum to

provide enrichment and

challenge.

Interest

If a student has a spark (or better still, a fire), a curiosity about a topic, learning is more likely for that student.

- Carol Ann Tomlinson (2001)

If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see

whether it is not something that could better be changed in

ourselves.- Carl Jung


Trick #14

Incorporate creativity.


Trick #15

Provide students real choices in what

they learn, how they learn and how they demonstrate learning (flexible

and varied).


Trick #16

Offer real-world challenges that

are directly connected to the students’ lives.


Trick #17

Offer novel, unique and engaging

activities to capture and

sustain students’ attention.


Trick #18

Use multi-media/technolog

y.

Learning Profile

The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same subjects in the same way.

- Howard Gardner


Trick #19

Focus on students’

learning styles.

It’s not how smart you are.It’s how you are smart.

Sternberg’s Three Intelligences

Creative Analytical

Practical

• We all have some of each of these intelligences, but are usually stronger in one or two areas than in others.

• We should strive to use all three…but also recognize where students’ strengths lie and teach through those intelligences as often as possible, particularly when introducing new ideas.


Trick #20

Emphasize brain-

compatible instruction.


Trick #21

Recognize and honor cultural

diversity.


Trick #22

Emphasize student strengths and

develop ways to compensate for weaknesses so

they do not inhibit what student can

do.


Trick #23

Permit positive movement.

Content

Instruction begins where the students are, not at the front of the curriculum guide.

- CAROL ANN TOMLINSON

to Differentiate Content

Reading Partners / Reading Buddies *Choral Reading/Antiphonal ReadingFlip BooksSplit Journals (Double Entry – Triple Entry)Books on TapeHighlights on TapeDigests/ “Cliff Notes”Notetaking OrganizersVaried TextsVaried Supplementary MaterialsHighlighted TextsThink-Pair-Share/Preview-Midview-Postview


Trick #24

Present the curriculum

through interdisciplinary

“big ideas” versus

disconnected small facts.

Remember jigsaw puzzles: they’re much easier when you can see the whole picture

first.

- GORDON DRYDEN,The Learning Revolution


Trick #25

Plan before, during and after

instruction.


Trick #26

Negotiate contracts to

provide appropriate

learning activities for students.

Motivation and productivity skyrocket when students reach

their goals.- BETTIE B. YOUNGS,

The 6 Vital Ingredients of Self-Esteem: How to Develop Them in Students


Trick #27

Challenge students (i + 1).


Trick #28

Create centers.


Trick #29

Co-develop standards with

students.


Trick #30

Clearly state expectations (be

specific about requirements).


Trick #31

Empower learners!

Encourage students to help set and enforce

norms.

Process

Learning is most effective when it’s fun.

- PETER KLINE,The Everyday Genius

I never worked a day in my life. It was all fun.

- Thomas Edison

To learn it, do it!

- ROBERT C. SCHANK,Engines for Learning

TO DIFFERENTIATE PROCESS

Fun & GamesRAFTsCubing, Think DotsChoices (Intelligences)CentersTiered lessonsContracts


Trick #32

Utilize active, hands-on learning.

80 percent of learning difficulties are related to

stress. Remove the stress, and you remove

the difficulties.

- GORDON STOKES,The Learning Revolution

Children learn best when they are helped

to discover the underlying principles for

themselves.

- PETER KLINE,The Everyday Genius


Trick #33

Allow students to work

collaboratively and

independently (flexible

grouping).


Trick #34

Make use of higher level thinking and questioning strategies.

If the questions are simple so is the thinking.


Trick #35

Offer students plenty of time for reflection

and goal setting.


Trick #36

Vary strategies.


Trick #37

Consider integrated curriculum,

problem-based learning and

service learning.


Trick #38

Balance teacher-chosen and

teacher-directed activities with

student-chosen and student-

directed activities.

The art of teaching is developing into the art of teaching children to

teach themselves.

- HELENA H. WALLENBERG and MICHAEL S. BOGOLEAThe Welfare Rennaissance:

The New Swedish Model

Children’s work IS their play. Children

learn from everything they do.

- CAROLYN HOOPER,New Zealand Playcenter Movement


Trick #39

Help students understand

group’s shared needs for success,

to belong, to trust, the future,

etc.


Trick #40

Monitor student progress

constantly.


Trick #41

Aim high; scaffold

weaknesses.


Trick #42

Teach for meaning; not

rote.


Trick #43

Be flexible (with time, space,

materials and groupings).


Trick #44

Teach strategies explicitly so student has

“easy way out” of tough spots.


Trick #45

Collaborate with parents, resource

specialists, etc. It takes a village!

Product

If there were only one truth, you couldn’t paint a hundred canvases on the same theme.

- Pablo Picasso

All children are born geniuses, and we spend the first six years of their lives degeniusing them.

- BUCKMINSTER FULLER

to Differentiate Product

Choices based on readiness, interest, and learning profile

Clear expectationsTimelinesAgreementsProduct GuidesRubricsEvaluation


Trick #46

Provide opportunities for

projects, creativity,

problems and challenges.


Trick #47

Focus on student growth.


Trick #48

Initiate student-maintained

portfolios and assessments with

varied and original products.

THINKING ABOUT ON-GOING ASSESSMENTSTUDENT DATA

SOURCES1. Journal entry2. Short answer test3. Open response test4. Home learning5. Notebook6. Oral response7. Portfolio entry8. Exhibition9. Culminating product10. Question writing11. Problem solving

TEACHER DATA MECHANISMS

1. Anecdotal records2. Observation by checklist3. Skills checklist4. Class discussion5. Small group interaction6. Teacher – student

conference7. Assessment stations8. Exit cards9. Problem posing10. Performance tasks and

rubrics

Differentiated Report Cards

A = Excellent Growth

B = Very Good Growth

C = Some Growth

D = Little GrowthF = No

Observable Growth

1=The student is Above Grade Level

2=The student is Working At Grade Level

3=The student is Working Below Grade Level

On report cards, I need to find a way to show individual growth and relative standing to students and parents


Trick #49

Support students in creating products

for real events/audience through public displays and

performances.


Trick #50

Emphasize quality of

thought and expression vs.

accuracy.

ReviewIn this presentation, we:

Determined what differentiated instruction means and why it is important;

Discussed ways to meet standards without sacrificing student readiness, interests and learning styles;

Examined 50 tricks teachers may keep in mind when differentiating instruction; and

Reviewed songs, games and activities designed to stimulate student interest in school.

The real art of discovery consists not in finding

new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.

- Marcel Proust

Documents

Danny Brassell, Ph.D. Jeff Miller, Ph.D