Differentiation
Ways
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
to Differentiate:
Compacting
Menus
Tic-tac-toe choice
Individual Research or inquiry-based activities
Centers
Student choice
Concept-based learning
Assignments should:
• Be Equitable
• Be For excellence
• Be Respectful
• Extend learning
• Use Higher level thinking skills: Bloom’s Taxonomy
In Preparation:
• Give pretests: can be oral, unit review, observations, five most
difficult questions
• Give student inventories: learning style, interests, multiple
intelligences
• Have activities prepared
• Prepare students: they should know what to do and class routines
Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. Ten Major Principles of Differentiating
Principle 1: Teacher must be clear about what matters in content area.
Principle 2: Teacher understands, appreciates and builds on student
differences.
Principle 3: Assessment and instruction are inseparable. For example,
pretests drive instruction. Plus, instead of thinking, “You’re wrong,” ask
“Why did you say or write that?”
Principle 4: All students participate in respectful work. Don’t waste their
time with just “filler” activities that do not extend learning.
Principle 5: Students and teachers collaborate in learning.
Principle 6: Teacher adjusts content, process and product in response to
student readiness, interests and learning styles.
Principle 7: Goals of differentiated curriculum are for maximum learning and
continued success.
Principle 8: Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated classroom.
Principle 9: Prepared environment is key to a successful differentiated
classroom: supportive sense of community and resources; student-centered
learning is focus.
Principle 10: Lessons and activities include higher-level thinking skills.
Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. BLOOM’S'TAXONOMY'
!
!
!
!
Verbs'to'help'design'objectives:'
!
REMEMBERING:!recognize,!list,!describe,!identify,!retrieve,!name,!
locate,!find!
UNDERSTANDING:!interpreting,!summarizing,!inferring,!paraphrasing,!
classifying,!comparing,!explaining,!exemplifying!
APPLYING:!implementing,!carrying!out,!using,!executing!
ANALYZING:!comparing,!organizing,!deconstructing,!attributing,!
outlining,!finding,!structuring,!integrating!
EVALUATING:!!hypothesising,!critiquing,!experimenting,!judging,!
testing,!detecting,!monitoring!
CREATING:!designing,!constructing,!planning,!producing,!inventing,!
devising,!making!
!
!
!
Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. !
Template Tic-­‐Tac-­‐Toe Project Guide Each student is responsible for completing three activities from the following choices. Your three activities must follow the rules of tic-­‐tac-­‐toe (i.e., three in a row). Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. Subject Example Tic-­‐Tac-­‐Toe Project Guide Each student is responsible for completing three activities in a row from the following choices. Hats Around the World Grades K-­‐1 Choose books
from the school
library or
classroom. Read
or listen to three
different stories
about hats.
Design a hat from
a certain country
on paper.
Write a journal
entry about one of
the stories that
your teacher
reads aloud.
Use describing
Write a journal
words to tell about entry about one of
5 hats.
the stories that
you read or
listened to.
Make a hat using
arts & crafts
materials to wear
for show and tell.
Motor activities –
with hats, toss,
catch, play
musical hats
(similar to musical
chairs); learn the
Mexican hat
dance.
Read a book
about hats to a
parent,
grandparent or
friend.
Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. Make a poster
about hats that
different people
wear and label its
type or use.
List Menu
An Appetizer (warm up activity)
An Entree (main activity)
A Dessert (summary activity)
Examples:
Warm up activities: review, read a short assignment to prepare, share
previous research with another student
Entrée: Write, create, research
Dessert: share with a partner, write in your learning journal, exit questions
Components of a good menu:
• Advance the curriculum and learning, not just for taking up time
• Items should be rigorous, interesting, respectful tasks, worthy of a
student’s time, effort and ability
• Ranges of choices should have room for differentiation by ability level,
interest, learning style, product style
• Activities should have appropriate/equivalent (but not identical) level
of challenge for the students for whom it was designed.
• Room for student choice
• Students have necessary help, resources, teacher, etc.
• Students should have ways to prepare and evaluate work
Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc. Concept General Direct Learning Essential Questions Essential Understandings Main Points Facts Skill Know Concepts To Do To Understand Concept-­‐Based Learning Concepts: General, universal, timeless concepts, transferrable For more information on creating Concept-­‐based learning, use Lynn Erickson’s book, Concept-­‐Based Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching Beyond the Facts or Carol Tomlinson’s: The Parallel Curriculum. Copyright © 2013 The Learning Edventure, Inc.