8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction My differentiation journey began in 2004 when my principal asked me to attend a weeklong summer conference on differentiated instruction. I was eager to please my principal so I quickly accepted her offer. I was also extremely curious about how I, one person, could possibly address the individual needs of 100 students. By the end of the conference, I was totally overwhelmed with information: flexible grouping, assessment, inventories, tiered lessons, Carol Ann Tomlinson. Throughout that year, I utilized a variety of management pointers for a differentiated classroom that had been presented during the conference. Lesson 1 Differentiation does not take place overnight; think of it as a wonderful work in progress. Lesson 2 Like students themselves, differentiation can take on many forms. Content: What the students learn Process: Activities used to assist the learning Products: Demonstration of learning The methods you use should be based on the student's needs: Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6
What Is Differentiated Instruction? Click the "References" link above to hide these references. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books. Danielson, C. (1996). Sternberg, R. Tomlinson, C. (1995). Tomlinson, C. (1999). Vygotsky, L. (1986). Winebrenner, S. (1992). Differentiation - Geoff PettyGeoff Petty Differentiation is the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning. We used to teach subjects and classes – now we teach students. In the Third Edition of ‘Teaching Today’ Geoff Petty (2004) there is an appendix which summarises differentiation strategies, each of which is explained in detail in the book. The downloads on the Active Learning Page of this website are also very relevant. The materials that can be downloaded from this page are principally for teacher trainers and staff trainers. Diff making it happen is for managers of teaching teams or senior managers. These materials are in draft form, and were used for an LSDA Train Trainers project on differentiation involving 75 UK colleges that I delivered with Carole Mitchel. There is a lot of material here, consider the poor trees!
Differentiation Differentiated Instruction: Resource Roundup Understanding Differentiated Instruction Summer DI Readings List: 150+ Seedlings for Growing Stronger Learners: Browse a bountiful reading list as you plan your garden of differentiated-instruction methods and strategies for the year. (Edutopia, 2015) Myth-Busting Differentiated Instruction: 3 Myths and 3 Truths: Get to the bottom of common misconceptions about differentiated instruction. Planning and Implementation Ideas Levels of Understanding: Learning That Fits All: Learn how to develop a framework to support creating homework or practice to meet the needs of all learners. Knowing and Assessing Students Make Learning Last: How Diverse Learners Can Process Their Understanding: Find out how quick reflections, surveys, and diverse-perspective assessments can help students to process more deeply and check their own understanding. Teaching Diverse Learners Equity vs. Differentiating With Technology Differentiation in Project-Based Learning Examples and Downloads From Schools That Work video
10 Best TED Talks of 2014 for Educators TED Talks are a major source of inspiration for educators who need a morale boost, a discussion starter, or a new perspective. The year 2014 brought some of the best TED Talks for educators, but there are some not-to-be-missed talks from 2013 that still are highly relevant for educators today. Their messages are invaluable for educators who work tirelessly to inspire creativity, motivation, and determination in their students. The Danger of Silence Poet and teacher Clint Smith encourages viewers to speak up against ignorance and injustice. Why Lunch Ladies are Heroes Children’s book author Jarrett Krosoczka focuses on lunch ladies in his graphic novels and his TED Talk. My Daughter, Malala Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for advocating for girls’ education in Pakistan, and recently became the youngest Nobel Prize recipient in history. Embrace the Near Win Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating Teach Teachers how to Create Magic Every Kid Needs a Champion
Differentiation A Collection Of The Best “Laugh While You Cry” Videos — Contribute More! Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post today published another great animation illustrating some of the bizarre situations teachers can find themselves in when the latest school reform fads and “lingo” get embraced by some adminstrators. I thought it would be useful to collect that one, and the others I’ve published, into one place, and add more in the future. I hope others will contribution new ones, too. Here are The Best “Laugh While You Cry” Videos (if you are reading this on an RSS Reader, you might have to go directly to the post to see them all): This is the video Valerie shared today. Here’s the first one on “collaborative planning”: This one is also on collaboration: Here’s one called “Focus Walk” Dan Brown created this imagined interview with Cathie Black, the newly nominated Chancellor of New York Schools. Eduflack is the pen name of Patrick Riccards, who provides genuinely thoughtful commentary on education issues. “The Daily Show” with Diane Ravitch was a classic. Related
Hüther: ″Mit Leidenschaft lernen″ | Bildung | DW.COM | 29.10.2012 Im Informationszeitalter ist Kreativität gefragt. Es nützt den Menschen nicht mehr viel, auswendig gelerntes Wissen einfach nur abzuspeichern. Eigene Visionen und Ideen sind gefragt. Das meint der Göttinger Professor für Neurobiologie, Gerald Hüther. Um junge Menschen auf die Herausforderungen der Globalisierung vorzubereiten, müssen Schulen Wissen anders vermitteln. Wie das gehen kann, will der bekannte Hirnforscher jetzt mit einer neu gegründeten Schul-Initiative zeigen. DW: Herr Hüther, Sie beschäftigen sich schon seit vielen Jahren mit dem Thema Lernen und haben dazu auch eine ganze Menge veröffentlicht. Gerald Hüther: Viele Schulen nehmen das sehr ernst. Das Stichwort Begeisterung fällt bei Ihnen oft, wenn Sie über das Lernen reden. Mit Begeisterung bei der Sache ... Immer dann, wenn ein Kind richtig spürt, dass es etwas gut hinbekommt, eine Herausforderung meistert und etwas selbst gestalten kann, geht das diesem Kind unter die Haut. In einem Kind stecken viele Talente
Differentiating Instruction Differentiating Instruction: Rethinking Traditional Practices Bertie Kingore, Ph.D. Differentiating instruction invites educators to rethink traditional educational practices that were based upon a time when students were more similar in background and readiness. Differentiation is a well known educational practice that is often talked about, sometimes not well understood, and frequently implemented ineffectively. When readiness levels differ, so must the complexity of instruction provided for students. Learning takes place only when students experience instruction at a level of difficulty that is appropriately challenging and attainable (Tomlinson, 2003; Wolfe, 2001). Students are individuals. Rather than whole-class instruction dominating, small groups of students frequently work together or with the teacher on different levels of concepts and skills. Differentiation switches the assessment and evaluation focus from competition among all students to a student competing with self.
SEDL - SCIMAST Classroom Compass In recent years educators have explored links between classroom teaching and emerging theories about how people learn. Exciting discoveries in neuroscience and continued developments in cognitive psychology have presented new ways of thinking about the brain-the human neurological structure and the attendant perceptions and emotions that contribute to learning. Explanations of how the brain works have used metaphors that vary from the computer (an information processor, creating, storing, and manipulating data) to a jungle (a somewhat chaotic, layered world of interwoven, interdependent neurological connections). Scientists caution that the brain is complex and, while research has revealed some significant findings, there is no widespread agreement about their applicability to the general population or to education in particular. Opportunities for Learning Most neuroscientists believe that at birth the human brain has all the neurons it will ever have. Emotions and the Mind Caine, R.