Differentiated Instruction in Online Learning Environments: Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences Gail Taylor, M.Ed . University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Human Resource Education Ph.D. Candidate [email_address]

Introduction to Differentiated Instruction (DI) Teaching philosophy that promotes student diversity in classroom settings Well-suited for adult learners Recognizes individual students enter classrooms with different abilities and motivations Acknowledges student culture that underlies individual abilities and motivations Empowers students within boundaries of organizational structures University, college, department, program, and classroom levels

Teaching philosophy that promotes student diversity in

classroom settings

Well-suited for adult learners

Recognizes individual students enter classrooms with different

abilities and motivations

Acknowledges student culture that underlies individual abilities and motivations

Empowers students within boundaries of organizational

structures

University, college, department, program, and classroom levels

Bounded Learning “ Schools and other institutions, from households to businesses to cultures, value certain ways of thinking more than others.” (pg. 8) “ People whose ways of thinking do not match those valued by institutions are usually penalized.” (pg. 8) Robert Sternberg (2003) Thinking Styles . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

“ Schools and other institutions, from households

to businesses to cultures, value certain ways

of thinking more than others.” (pg. 8)

“ People whose ways of thinking do not

match those valued by institutions

are usually penalized.” (pg. 8)

Robert Sternberg (2003)

Thinking Styles . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Student Body before Conditioning– Patchwork Quilt Analogy (Quilt source: www.dorchesterlibrary.org)

Student Body after Conditioning – Double Wedding Ring Quilt Analogy (Quilt source: www.rockymountainquilts.com)

Educational Psychology Foundations DI integrates what is known about brain development, constructivist learning theory, and learning styles Brain development Brain-based learning and notion of multiple intelligences Constructivist learning Students construct knowledge by completing social relation activities and tasks Learning styles Audio, kinesthetic and tactile, visual

DI integrates what is known about brain development,

constructivist learning theory, and learning styles

Brain development

Brain-based learning and notion of multiple intelligences

Constructivist learning

Students construct knowledge by completing social relation activities and tasks

Learning styles

Audio, kinesthetic and tactile, visual

DI in Practice Every teacher has adopted DI in one way or another Different types of assignments, more student choices, extending due dates, etc. Possible to make classrooms more responsive to students through intentional and deliberate planning Reasons, objectives, and goals for choosing a particular action clearly stated Realizing DI requires reflection on practice Tracking and monitoring of various materials and procedures on student learning and anticipated outcomes

Every teacher has adopted DI in one way or another

Different types of assignments, more student choices, extending due dates, etc.

Possible to make classrooms more responsive to students

through intentional and deliberate planning

Reasons, objectives, and goals for choosing a particular action clearly stated

Realizing DI requires reflection on practice

Tracking and monitoring of various materials and procedures on student learning and anticipated outcomes

DI Approaches Can differentiate instruction by content, process, and/or product Content – what is taught Processes – how something is taught Products – outcomes of teaching that are assessed to determine student learning Critical elements are choice, creativity, flexibility, and ongoing assessment of teacher and student practices and processes Teacher and/or student initiated assessments

Can differentiate instruction by content, process, and/or

product

Content – what is taught

Processes – how something is taught

Products – outcomes of teaching that are assessed to determine student learning

Critical elements are choice, creativity, flexibility, and ongoing

assessment of teacher and student practices and processes

Teacher and/or student initiated assessments

4-Step Process (Source: www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/differentiate/planning/) Know your students Ability levels, interests, behavior management issues Have a repertoire of teaching strategies Cooperative learning, direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, etc. Identify a variety of instructional activities Read a book, write a paper, do a web search, listen to music, go on a field trip, create a blog or wiki as a class project, etc. Identify different ways to assess student learning and academic progress Formative and summative evaluations Giving students options whether assignments should be graded or completed for credit/no-credit

Know your students

Ability levels, interests, behavior management issues

Have a repertoire of teaching strategies

Cooperative learning, direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, etc.

Identify a variety of instructional activities

Read a book, write a paper, do a web search, listen to music, go on a field trip, create a blog or wiki as a class project, etc.

Identify different ways to assess student learning and

academic progress

Formative and summative evaluations

Giving students options whether assignments should be graded or completed for credit/no-credit

Targeted Instruction

Introduction to Learning Styles Audio Hearing Voices and other sounds Kinesthetic and Tactile Doing and touching Creating and manipulating objects Visual Seeing Images and other visual cues

Audio

Hearing

Voices and other sounds

Kinesthetic and Tactile

Doing and touching

Creating and manipulating objects

Visual

Seeing

Images and other visual cues

Assessing Learning Styles Learning styles can be assessed by administering questionnaires and/or having conversations with students Assortment of questionnaires available on Internet web sites http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/stylest.html University of South Dakota Trio Program http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm Pennsylvania State University http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/vark.htm University of Hawaii Available in multiple national languages

Learning styles can be assessed by administering

questionnaires and/or having conversations with students

Assortment of questionnaires available on Internet web sites

http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/stylest.html

University of South Dakota Trio Program

http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm

Pennsylvania State University

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/vark.htm

University of Hawaii

Available in multiple national languages

Possibly Think the Same but Also Do Things Differently

Broad Categories of Intelligences Object-related Controlled and shaped by objects encountered and interacted with in environments Object-free Auditory systems (e.g., language, music) Person-related Inter- and intra-personal that counterbalance interactions and relationships with others

Object-related

Controlled and shaped by objects encountered and interacted with in environments

Object-free

Auditory systems (e.g., language, music)

Person-related

Inter- and intra-personal that counterbalance interactions and relationships with others

Introduction to Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner presented the MI theory in 1983 Promotes a cross-cultural perspective of human learning Believed there were 7 intelligences at the time theory was formulated List has now been expanded to include 9 intelligences Continuing to evolve as teaching practices shift in response to societal pressures Also related to advancement of knowledge about human learning processes in different settings

Howard Gardner presented the MI theory in 1983

Promotes a cross-cultural perspective of human learning

Believed there were 7 intelligences at the time theory was

formulated

List has now been expanded to include 9 intelligences

Continuing to evolve as teaching practices shift in response to

societal pressures

Also related to advancement of knowledge about human learning processes in different settings

Gardner Intelligence Types Linguistic Read, write, communicate Logical & Mathematical Patterns, reason, and thinking in a logical manner Visual & Spatial Think in pictures and visualization of outcomes Musical Make and compose music

Linguistic

Read, write, communicate

Logical & Mathematical

Patterns, reason, and thinking in a logical manner

Visual & Spatial

Think in pictures and visualization of outcomes

Musical

Make and compose music

Gardner Intelligence Types (Cont.) Bodily & Kinesthetic Problem-solving using one’s body Interpersonal Good at relating to other people Intrapersonal Good at doing self-analysis Naturalist (new in 1996) Ability to make distinctions in the natural world and the environment

Bodily & Kinesthetic

Problem-solving using one’s body

Interpersonal

Good at relating to other people

Intrapersonal

Good at doing self-analysis

Naturalist (new in 1996)

Ability to make distinctions in the natural world and the environment

Assessing Multiple Intelligences Intelligences can also be assessed by administering questionnaires and/or having conversations with students Assortment of questionnaires available on Internet web sites http://www.accelerated-learning.net/learning_test.html http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/high/wotc/confli3.htm http://www.literacyproject.org/DL/MultipleIntelligencesSurvey.htm

Intelligences can also be assessed by administering

questionnaires and/or having conversations with students

Assortment of questionnaires available on Internet web sites

http://www.accelerated-learning.net/learning_test.html

http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/high/wotc/confli3.htm

http://www.literacyproject.org/DL/MultipleIntelligencesSurvey.htm

Other Emerging Intelligence Types Successful intelligence – Robert Sternberg Mental abilities to achieve life goals by adapting to, selection of, and shaping environments Moral intelligence – Robert Cole and Ernst Haas Ability to distinguish between right and wrong

Successful intelligence – Robert Sternberg

Mental abilities to achieve life goals by adapting to, selection of, and shaping environments

Moral intelligence – Robert Cole and Ernst Haas

Ability to distinguish between right and wrong

Planning for the Future

Concluding Thoughts Academic institutions are exploring the adoption of various e-learning technologies (e.g., electronic books, simulations, text messaging, podcasting, wikis, blogs) Enhancing personal pedagogical practices is a way for teachers to become proficient at navigating what Curtis Bonk and Kyong-Jee Kim have called the “perfect e-storm” Differentiated instruction is a pedagogical practice that can assist with determining how best to integrate new technologies into classroom settings where there are diverse groups of students

Academic institutions are exploring the adoption of various

e-learning technologies (e.g., electronic books, simulations,

text messaging, podcasting, wikis, blogs)

Enhancing personal pedagogical practices is a way for

teachers to become proficient at navigating what Curtis Bonk

and Kyong-Jee Kim have called the “perfect e-storm”

Differentiated instruction is a pedagogical practice that can

assist with determining how best to integrate new

technologies into classroom settings where there are diverse

groups of students

Additional Resources http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.3adeebc6736780dddeb3ffdb62108a0c/ http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.html http://differentiatedinstruction.com/ http://www.disabilitystudiesforteachers.org/index.php?id=Differentiated%20Instruction http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/summerworkshop/walker/index.html

http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.3adeebc6736780dddeb3ffdb62108a0c/

http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.html

http://differentiatedinstruction.com/

http://www.disabilitystudiesforteachers.org/index.php?id=Differentiated%20Instruction

http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/summerworkshop/walker/index.html