2. Objectives for This Workshop
• Identify differentiation strategies
you are currently using to effectively
meet the needs of all learners.
• Obtain new strategies and materials
for differentiating instruction in
regard to assessment, content,
process, and product.
4. Differentiation is…
• “Diagnosing the readiness level of each student
and customizing instruction so every individual
experiences continuous learning.”
(Bertie Kingore)
• “Teachers at work refining the art of teaching”
(Bertie Kingore)
• “A teacher’s response to a learner’s needs”
(Carol Ann Tomlinson)
5. Differentiation is not…
• Giving more of the same kind of work to kids who have shown
mastery.
• Giving busy work to kids who have shown mastery.
• Tediously planning each aspect of every learning activity for
each student at all times.
• Placing students in inflexible groups based on ability at all
times.
• Expecting kids who are “gifted” to always know everything
before it is taught or to excel in every subject area.
6. “Fun isn’t the
objective.
It’s the result of
great teaching!”
Bertie Kingore
7. Guiding Principles of
Differentiation
• Focus on the essentials
• Attention to student differences
• Assessment & instruction inseparable
• Modification of content, process, and
products
• Respectful work for all students
• Flexible working relationship between
teacher & students
(Tomlinson, 1999)
8. Differentiating Instruction is
Easy as ABC…1,2,3!
Teachers can differentiate
1. Content
2. Process
3. Product
According to a student’s
1. Readiness
2. Interests
3. Learning Styles
11. “When all kids have
the same answers, I
have no clue what
they really know.”
Bertie Kingore
12. Getting to Know Your
Students
Preassessment is an essential first
step in differentiating instruction.
Assessment of…
• Readiness
• Interests
• Learning Styles
13. Ideas for Assessing
Readiness
Assessing Individuals:
• Pretests for Volunteers
• Most Difficult First
• Exit Tickets
Assessing Whole Group:
• Individual Response Boards
• Four Corners
• Topic Talk
• Name Cards/Sticks
14. Pretests
• Don’t reinvent the wheel –
End-of-chapter or skill-
based tests work well as
pretests.
• Set a goal for mastery to
qualify for compacting –
usually 80% to 90%
– Talk with principal and
parents first
– What about grades? (upper
grades only)
– Students who show mastery
will do an alternative activity.
15. Most Difficult First
• When giving an assignment of skill or practice
work, determine which items represent the most
difficult part of the entire task.
• Write the assignment on the board, starring
these items.
• Give students a choice to participate.
• Name the first student finished to get 4/5
correct as the “checker.”
• Allow students who show mastery to participate in
an alternate activity, according to the “Three
Magic Rules.”
Winebrenner, 2001
16. Exit Tickets
• One Minute Response
– Most important thing you learned today
– Main unanswered question you leave class with today
– Muddiest point (most confused about)
• A&E Card (Assessment & Evaluation)
– Show 3 different ways to complete this math problem.
– Briefly explain gravity. Give an example of gravity in the
classroom or on the playground.
– Which event is most important in the story? Why?
• 3-2-1 Card
– 3 key ideas, 2 questions, 1 thing I want to read more about
– 3 words I think are most important to this topic,
2 connections I made, 1 thing I do not like
Kingore, 2007
17. Making Whole Group
Assessment More Effective
• Individual Response Boards
• Four Corners
• Name Cards/Sticks
• Topic Talk
– Student pairs discuss a given topic, then
switch in the middle when signal is given.
18. Ideas for Assessing
Interests
• Interest Inventory – list of various topics kids
might enjoy learning about
• Note Cards / Sticky Notes
• KWL
• Sign-ups – List topics for groups/centers and let
kids sign up based on interest.
19. Ideas for Determining
Learning Profile
• Learning styles inventories
• Multiple Intelligences
questionnaire
• Parent questionnaire
• Observations
The Internet is a great resource for finding
ready-to-use student learning styles inventories!
20. Tips for Making
Pre-assessment Work
• Start small:
– Give a pre-test to your identified gifted students first.
– Pre-test in basic subjects first – reading, spelling, or
math.
• Use standardized pretests if possible – no need to
reinvent the wheel!
• You may eventually want to offer the option to all
students in the class.
21. Once you
“know” your
students, where do
you go from here?!!!
22. Keep your eyes on the
GOAL of Differentiation:
• “Customizing instruction so every
individual experiences continuous
learning” (Kingore)
• Responding to a learner’s needs
(Tomlinson)
23. Stay organized but sane!
(Is that possible??!!)
• The extent to which you document
and the method you use is up to
you!
• Don’t overcomplicate.
Documentation should serve to
simply show what you are doing and
why.
• If the organizational strategies
you are using make your job more
difficult, change or simplify them!
24. Organization and
Documentation
• The Compactor form
• Teacher-created charts
• Checklists
• Learning Contracts
• Parent Communication/Cooperation
25. The Three Magic Rules
1. Don’t bother anyone else
while you’re working.
2. Don’t call attention to
yourself or the fact that
you’re doing something
different – it’s no big deal.
3. Work on activities you’ve
chosen or been assigned.
Winebrenner, 2001
27. Tiered/Multilevel
Activities
• Open-ended Activities -
allow students to naturally
work at various ability
levels.
• Tiered Lesson/Activities –
have two or more levels of
difficulty/complexity in
regard to content, process,
and/or product.
28. Open-Ended/Multilevel
Product Ideas
• Paper Chain
• Story Map
• Timeline
• Top 10 List
• Character Traits – “I am…”
• Science Experiment
29. Higher Level Extension Activities
• Promote higher level, critical, and/or
creative thinking skills
• Whole class or individual students
• Problem Solving Activities:
– Logic Puzzles
– Brainteasers
– Productive Thinking (Brainstorming)
– Sudoku
30. Activity/Extensions Menus
• Choice is a powerful student motivator.
• Within a concept/topic area or across subject areas
• 3 methods of differentiation – ability, learning style,
and interest
• Can be used:
– Differentiation option for individual student(s)
– Culminating/unit activity for all students
• Format Options:
– Tic-tac-toe
– List
31. Learning Centers
• Based on topics of study & student interests
• Some may be permanent:
– Reading, learning games, computer, etc.
• Others may change:
– Country of the month, author study, art technique,
magazines, etc.
– Tip: To save time and money, share centers among a
group of teachers during the course of a year.
• May be portable:
– file-folder games/activities
– “centers in a tub/box/basket”
32. Learning Center Ideas for
High Ability Students
• Computer
• Nonfiction Books
– Webquests
• Geography
– Learning Games
– City/Country of the
Month
• Science (Hands-on)
– Magazines (Time for Kids,
• Creativity
Ntl. Geographic for Kids)
• ABC Books – Art
• Problem-Solving – Writing
– Logic Puzzles
– Origami
– Analogies
• Real-World Math
• Interest Center
33. Making Centers Work
• Task Cards or Center Activity Menus – brief,
clear directions for activities students may do at
a particular center
• Center Logs – Students record what they do at a
center (may be stored in folders in a designated
spot)
• Assignment/Choice Boards – Names of
groups/individuals are placed in pocket chart
labeled with words and/or pictures based on
students’ changing ability and readiness on a day-
to-day or week-to-week basis
34. Compacting
• Preassess to find out what students already
know and what they still need to learn
• Document to show mastery – Learning Contract
• Teach remaining skills in a whole/small group or
independently.
• Provide replacement activity:
– Extension activity
– Learning centers
– Independent project
– Subject acceleration
– Mentorship
35. Learning Contract
• Page/Concept - Lists all page numbers
and/or concepts covered in a unit
– Check marks identify page/concept NOT
mastered during pretest
– Student will join class for direct instruction
during these lessons OR work in a small group
or independently.
• Extension Options and Your Idea (student
suggestion option)
• Working Conditions (or use chart)
Note: Teacher and student sign bottom of form to indicate
acceptance of the terms. The contract is only valid as long as
the student complies with the Working Conditions.
36. Tips for Using
Learning Contracts
• Especially useful for skill-based areas (math, spelling, grammar,
reading strategies, etc.)
• Grades should come from preassessment, which represents
grade level work.
• Try with one or two students, then offer the option to more
students and eventually to the entire class.
• Store materials for extension activities in a center or specific
area of the classroom.
(Winebrenner, 2001)
37. Independent Projects
• Topic may be related to class subject or interest-based.
• Use pre-made forms to guide project development.
– Resident Expert Planner (Winebrenner)
– Teacher-created checklists
• Involve library-media specialist for assistance with finding
materials and conducting research.
• Possible Projects:
– Create a class center.
– Write and “publish” a book (ABC books, etc.)
– Technology-related activities
Get many more ideas from
pre-made lists of projects.
38. Accelerated Learning
• Should be considered as a case-by-case option.
• Get prior approval from principal, next grade level teacher,
and parents.
• Allow child to attend class with the next grade level for a
subject in which he or she has shown mastery.
• According to research, acceleration is the most effective
strategy for meeting the needs of gifted learners.
(Colangelo, Assouline, & Gross in “A Nation Deceived”)
39. Mentorships
• Ask a community member to volunteer to work one-on-one with a
student to develop a special project on a topic of interest.
– Ex.: A retired veteran might be willing to work with a student
interested in learning more about World War II.
– Ex.: A college student in a service club might help a small group of
interested students to organize a school service project.
• Possible mentors: elderly people who are active in the
community, stay-at-home parent with special talents/interests,
college students in service organizations
• Requires very little preparation by the teacher.
• Research-proven to be especially effective for gifted
underachievers and low socioeconomic students
40. Think About It…
Which of these strategies do you
ALREADY USE in your classroom
to differentiate instruction?
Which of these strategies would
you like to BEGIN USING in
your classroom to further
differentiate instruction?
41. Differentiation
in a Nutshell…
• Assess students’ readiness, interests, and learning
styles.
• Plan replacement activities for students who have shown
mastery in specific concepts/skills.
• Replacement tasks should be respectful work that
serves a purpose (i.e. not busy work).
• Offer choices to all students which appeal to their
ability levels, interests, and learning styles.
42. How do teachers make it
all work?
• Start small…. But start somewhere!
– Anchor activities
– Differentiation for small blocks of time
• Grow slowly – but grow!
– Try creating one differentiated lesson per unit,
differentiate one product per semester, etc.
– Give structured choices more often.
Tomlinson, 1999
43. How do teachers make it
all work? (cont.’d)
• Step back and reflect.
– Don’t be afraid to throw an idea out and start over again!
• Talk with students regularly to get input.
• Continue to empower students.
– Don’t do things for them they can do for themselves.
– Give them increasing responsibility for documentation.
• Give thoughtful directions.
• Work together with colleagues.
• Bring principals and parents on board.
Tomlinson, 1999
44. Thank You!!!
Thank you for your time and interest in
attending this workshop!
If we can be of any assistance to you, please
do not hesitate to contact us:
April Coleman – acoleman@tcss.net
Lori White – lwhite@tcss.net
Kelly Belew – kbelew@tcss.net
Sprayberry Education Center: 342-2660
45. Resources
Kingore, B. (2007). Reaching all learners: Making differentiation
work. Professional Associates Publishing: Austin, TX.
Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Meeting the
needs of all learners. ASCD: Alexandria, VA.
Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching gifted kids in the regular
classroom. Free Spirit Publishing: Minneapolis, MN.
www.learnerslink.com/curriculum.htm
http://adifferentplace.org/
