Tiering & Compacting with Lisa Van Gemert

{giftedguru}

Be sure to download the handout (the link is in the description).

Nobody asks bakers why they made cakes in tiers.

OUTCOMES

By the end of the our time together, you will have:

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering. 2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering.

2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering.

2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation.

3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering. 2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting.

4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

And most importantly…

Feel that you can actually do it!

What’s the difference between tiering and compacting?

TIER: same

curriculum, but different

place, materials,

and/or complexity

COMPACT: different

curriculum, replacing already-learned material

6 Steps to tiered instruction

Select the activity, the concept, or the skill

Step 1

Decide what you will differentiate for

(readiness? interest level?)

Step 2

Determine the complexity of the activity

(use Tomlinson chart)

Step 3

Design the lesson with the most highly able student

in mind

Step 4

Clone the activity along the ladder no more

than twice

(use possibilities chart)

Step 5

Match the student to the right rung of the ladder

(they may move to different rungs for different lessons)

Step 6

There are 8 options for differentiating the tiers.

1. What’s the group size?

alone

pairs

small groups

whole group

2. Teacher support?

independent

teacher-assisted

teacher-directed

3. complexity?

abstract

concrete

4. Quantity of resources?

very few, chosen

multiple, self-discovered

5. Resource complexity?

tech

above grade level

at grade level

6. Is the process complex?

quick pacing & lots of steps over a long period of time

typical pacing, but lots of steps

typical pacing

lots of steps, but typical pacing

few steps

7. Thinking level? synthesis or evaluation

analysis or application

knowledge or comprehension

8. The product? needs

advanced skills

open-ended, but on-level

simple, straightforward, on

level

You don’t need to tier

all of these things. They’re options.

(see handout)

Case Studies

Questions?

compacting

Why do it? Because when I posted this…

Students posted things like this

And the data backs her up.

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

1. Determine the learning objectives

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

2. Figure out how to pretest one or more of those objectives

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

3. Decide who to pretest (it

can be everyone)

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

4. Conduct the pretest

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

5. Eliminate the redundancies for students who have

mastered it

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

6. Streamline instruction for

those who haven’t

mastered but move quickly

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

7. Enrich or accelerate the

students in steps 5 & 6

8 Simple Rules for Compacting

7. Keep really good records of what you did

and why

But how do you do step 7?

See the handout for specific ideas

Be guided by INTERESTS, not just abilities

Decide what to do about grades

Keep the record a record of their work at their actual grade level.

Make sure it’s a lure, not a shove. Don’t

force; invite.

Share your rationale with all

students.

Explain the how’s and why’s to

parents.

Document

objective/ content/

assignment

procedure for pre-

assessment

acceleration or

enrichment

byrdseed.com/differentiator/

There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.

OUTCOMES

Do you know this?

1) student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering. 2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering.

2) using curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering.

2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation.

3) recognizing the difference between tiering and compacting. 4) shared some planning and management tools for compacting.

OUTCOMES

1) considered student behaviors that might suggest a need for compacting and tiering. 2) clarified curriculum compacting and tiering as a strategy for differentiation. 3) recognized the difference between tiering and compacting.

4) some planning and management tools for compacting.

And most importantly…

Do you feel that you can

actually do it?

find more at giftedguru.com

Special thanks to mycutegraphics.com & pixabay.com for the images & graphics!