What I already know about differentiated instruction is that first, I needed to learn about my students. Hence, I conducted interest survey, checked their pretest scores, and also conducted multiple intelligence profile survey. Next was reading up on research. I read The Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson. I also purchased Multiple Intelligence by Howard Gardner but will be reading that during this summer.
Summary and Reflection on The Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson:
What is differentiated classroom? One of the hallmarks of differentiated classrooms is that "teachers begin where students are, not the front of a curriculum guide." (pg 2) This can happen through different learning modalities, by appealing to differing interests, and by using varied rates of instruction along with varied degrees of complexity. This ensures that each student's learning roadmap is not the same as anyone else's but holding everyone to high standards.Teachers in differentiated classrooms begin with a clear and solid sense of what constitutes powerful curriculum and engaging instruction. Then modify that instruction so that each learner comes away with understandings and skills that offer guidance to the next phase of learning.
Elements of Differentiation are:
1. The Teacher Focuses on Essentials
2. The Teacher Attends to Student Differences
3. Assessment and Instruction Are Inseparable
4. The Teacher Modifies Content, Process, and Products
(according to readiness, interest and learning profile)
5. All Students Participate in Respectful Work
6. The Teacher and Students Collaborate in Learning
7. The Teacher Balances Group and Individual Norms
8. The Teacher and Students Work Together Flexibly
These are elements that many teachers are aware of but still struggle with making a practice. I personally practice #1, 3, 5, 8 effectively but still need to work on other elements.
Organizer for Differentiation
Intelligence is Variable (Howard Gardner), The Brain Hunger for Meaning (Caine & Caine, Jensen, Kalbfleisch, Sylwester), Humans Learn Best with Moderate Challenge (Bees, 1997), Changes to Students We Teach (i.e. many come from single parent home), Struggle for Equity and Excellence, and Need for both homogenous and heterogenous grouping.
Yes, I do agree that students today are not the same as last half a century. Education is compulsory which means students come from all different socioeconomic backgrounds. We have a job to education All students with these differences hence differentiated instruction is required.
Learning Environments that Support Teaching as a learning triangle. Teacher at the top takes the leadership position and sets the mood for the class. Teacher takes the position of a learner as well making adjustments each day. Teacher needs to also feel secure in herself to project that security in the classroom.
Students need to feel secure in their classroom and feel accepted in the classroom before true learning begins. The classroom needs to be big in heart, options, and support.
Finally content needs to be engaging. We need to find the magic that made us love the content that we teach. This can be done when the content is relevant, helps students understand and grow, "real", can be used immediately for something that matters, and makes students more powerful in the present.
Good Instruction as a Basis for Differentiated Teaching
Two essentials for durable learning are engagement and understanding. Levels of learning includes facts, concepts, principles, attitudes, and skills. Standards are a vehicle to ensure that students learn more coherently, more deeply, more broadly, and more durably. Sometime we need to fill in the gaps of standards because most of them are at skills level.
In reflecting I thought about the unit I just covered: Genetics. Genetics is the scientific study of heredity and heredity variation. The key principle is that in all organisms, biological characteristics are transferred from one generation to the next through genes, hereditary units.
Students learned many facts including new vocabulary. Some of the concepts covered are DNA structure, Mendelian Genetics, DNA replication, Transmission of genes between generations, Protein Synthesis, changes in gene expression (including cancer), and issue studies in GMO.
Attitudes that I want students to come away with are: I am a recombination of my biological parents' genes which they received from their parents. Errors in DNA/genes can be fatal which can be caused by not just biological but environmental factors. I have a responsibility to understand genetics concepts especially as a voting citizen who need to make the choices in issues like GMO. Finally skills I would like students to come away with are: Be able to extract DNA (review of cell concept), be able to ascertain probability of variation in offspring generation, be able to presents pros and cons on GMO research.
We studied cell division unit which included meiosis where we talked about variation and recombination of genes then we are in current genetics unit which will be followed by evolution which will highlight how variation gives advantage in the mechanism of evolution, natural selection. (Meiosis --> Genetics --> Evolution)
Teachers at Work Building Differentiated Classrooms Differentiating: What, How, and Why
Differentiating What is the curricular elements: content, process, and product
Differentiating How is teacher's response to students' readiness, interest, or learning profile.
Differentiating Why is the reason for modification - access to learning, motivation to learn, and efficiency of learning (background knowledge)
Instructional Strategies
- Stations are different spots in the classroom where students work on various tasks simultaneously. I do practice stations at the end of year with laboratory exercises.
- Orbital Studies are independent investigations (3-6weeks). They "orbit" or revolve, around some facet of the curriculum. Students select their own topics and work with guidance from the teacher. I do this when students work on science fair or on inquiry labs (extension labs). I also do this when students do research paper in forensic science class.
- An Agenda is a personalized list of tasks that a particular student must complete in a specified time. I do write daily task on the board and students are aware of this. I know this because they ask to see their class board when it is hidden behind another board as they walk in.
- Complex Instruction is a rich strategy developed to deal with the sorts of academic ranges that frequently exist in classrooms that are academically culturally, and linguistically heterogenous.
- Differentiate What: Complex Instruction used to differentiate content by use of various resources and method. This is done very much so in science, we are constantly differentiating content. We do laboratory work, read, use manipulative, draw, etc.
- Differentiate How: Complex Instruction gives a chance to apeal to students' readiness, learning profile, and interest.
- Differentiate Why: When you differentiate learning and expression options within a heterogenous groups rather than individually, students with different readiness, interests, and learning profiles work together in ways that dignify each student.
- Centers are different from stations. All students need to move to all stations to achieve proficiency whereas students do not move to all centers to achieve proficiency. I don't use center strategy
- Entry Point addresses varied intelligence profiles where students explore a given topic through many as five avenues or entry points. This is something I would like to try next school year after reading Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence book.
- Tiered Activities can be used when a teacher wants to ensure that students with different learning needs work with the same essential ideas and use the same key skills. In this case "process" is varied but content and products are the same.
- Learning Contract is a negotiated agreement between teacher and students that gives students some freedom in acquiring skills and understandings that a teacher deems important at the given time.
- Compacting assess students before beginning a unit of study
- Problem Based Learning - problem presented by teacher and studies solve them. This offers an opportunity to address students' readiness, interest, and learning profile.
- Group investigation
- Independent Study
- Choice Boards where students choose the task
- 4MAT addresses learning profile. 4MAT hypothesizes that students have one of four learning preferences. Teacher who use 4MAT plan instruction for each of the four preferences during the course of several days on a given topic. Thus, some lessons focus on mastery, some on understanding, some on personal involvement, and some on synthesis. All students take part in all approaches based on the belief that in this way each learner has a chance to approach the topic through preferred modes and also to strengthen "weaker" areas. I utilize this method in all my units. Science falls naturally under this method.
- Portfolios.
How do teachers make it all Work?
Getting Started: Start small and grow slowly, envision how an activity will look, and step back and reflect. I have already started and this part I practice. I do need to make time to reflect more often.
Setting in for the Long Haul: Talk with students Early and often, continue to empower students, and continue to be analytical. I need to input more time for this.
Practical Consideration: Give thoughtful directions, establish routine for getting help, stay aware, stay organized, Consider "Home Base" seats, Establish Start UP and Wrap-Up Procedure, and Teach students to work for quality. I do practice part. Only one I need to consider is "home base"seats.
Developing a Support System: Calling on Colleagues, Making Principals Partners, Bringing Parents Aboard, and Involving Community. This is something I need to work on, to go outside the classroom. I do little here and there but do not have a system in place.
Final Chapter was on Leadership's role so it was not practical for my classroom use.
Plan of Action
Differentiation is a tough topic because there is an endless amount of differentiation that can be done. Teachers have limited time and resources, we need to utilize them most efficiently.
1. Type out students' readiness, interest, and learning profile + notes. This will by compilation of Goal #1 evidence
2. Print out this reflection paper.
3. Type out differentiation instruction write up on Genetics Unit.
4. Videotape GMO debate lesson
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