The document discusses differentiated instruction, an educational approach that recognizes students learn in different ways. It begins by describing traditional classrooms and argues for change. It then explains differentiated instruction allows various pathways for students to demonstrate mastery based on their strengths. Examples show a student creating games, dioramas and presentations to illustrate comprehension. The document advocates for differentiated instruction and assessment to improve learning for all students.

1. How we can break out of the mold, create a culture of learning that draws in every student, and still beat the MCAs! Doing it Differentiated An Explanation of the Principles of Differentiated Instruction with some Examples of Method and Student Work and a short Discussion of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Differentiated Assessment Presented by David Eden

2. Many of us can still remember suffering in classrooms like this. A traditional elementary class. Row upon row, the teacher in front with the blackboard, the “poor” students in back asleep or WORSE! We couldn't wait to get to college, where our true individuality could be expressed, where we could stand out from the crowd, and where the most advanced and innovative methods of instruction would surely be offered! Few students or teachers would tolerate this today, of course! But, will it take another 4000 years for significant changes in instructional style to take hold? It took nearly 4000 years for real changes in classroom design to take hold, as this schoolroom from Sumer, dated to 2000 BCE illustrates.

3. HOW DO WE TEACH TODAY? Today our classrooms are vibrant and colorful. Despite the ridiculous ruling that demanded all hallways and class walls be free of paper or other flammable materials, our school walls are covered with examples of student's work. Students sit in flexible clusters that change with the subject being taught. Materials and resources abound and are available to the students. There is much more movement and life in classes now, and few teachers would want to go back to the strict and deadly traditional style. We can congratulate ourselves on our progress! We have addressed the physical space, and that is a big step. But, we are only halfway there.

4. WHO MINDS WHOSE MIND? As teachers, it is our avocation to cultivate the minds of our students, but HOW do we approach this task? Traditionally, a teacher might develop a “technique” that could carry him through his career. A “good” teacher would reach many children, and those students who could not keep up were labeled as “slow” or “lazy.” The technique had to be good, as it worked with so many. Intelligence was an easily measured quantity, often reduced to a single number. Then, in 1983, Dr, Howard Gardner of Harvard, blew the old paradigm away. He proposed a new model of intelligence, one that posits the existence of 8 intelligences to “ account for a broader range of human potential.” Next we will see a modified set of nine posited intelligences and associated career choices...

5. Multiple Intelligences Existentialist “ cosmos smart” philosopher, theorist Musical/ Rhythmic “ music smart” musician composer disk jockey Visual/Spatial “ picture smart” artist, sculptor architect, navigator Intrapersonal “ self smart” entrepeneur, novelist researcher Naturalist “ nature smart” naturalist, farmer, botanist Logical/ Mathematical “ number/reasoning smart” engineer, programmer accountant Interpersonal “ people smart” politician counselor game show host Verbal/ Linguistic “ word smart” teacher, author journalist lawyer Bodily/Kinesthetic: “ body smart” - actor,athlete mountain climber

6. So – what does this have to do with teaching? If we accept Dr. Gardner's theory, what are the implications for pedagogy as we know it?

7. Differentiated Instruction I am glad you asked! An implication of the theory of multiple intelligences is that, for every type of intelligence, there is a unique, associated learning style that works best for the person with that sort of intelligence. There is a different way of perceiving the world, of assimilating information, of processing information. A person whose main strength is in the area of visual/spatial intelligence, for instance, might have much trouble mastering a skill such as a theoretical math problem WHEN TAUGHT IN THE TRADITIONAL FASHION. Note the emphasis here. This is the nub. The visual person, when taught the same example in a manner which takes into account his or her individual type of intelligence, has a much better chance of mastering the material. Our task, then, is first to aid the student to discover her intelligence type. Fortunately, there are many resources on the Web which provide questionnaires and assessments to do this. Once the student's type has been determined, the teacher can then choose an instructional mode that best suits that child's intelligence palette. By offering several possible options to the class, the teacher enables several approaches to assimilating and mastering the subject matter.

8. Hey, wait a minute! Doesn't this mean more WORK for US?

9. Well, yes, at first. But this is where the teamwork of the whole teaching staff can come together. In the beginning, small steps can be taken. A 5-year plan can be put into place to work towards full implementation. A library of differentiated learning plans can be started. The Web is full of resources, of actual plans which can be used as inspiration or as is. Histories of how other schools put DI in place can be found. “Music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and much more” can be integrated into each class activity, rather than spread among specials. On the following pages, I will show a series of projects done by a student whose intelligence is strongest in the visual/spatial area with verbal/linguistic strengths, as well. and whose choice of project tends towards the artistic. In each of the examples shown, the students were offered several choices of project to illustrate their understanding of the subject matter. These included a traditional written report, art work, video project, game design, oral presentation or dramatization. But first......

10. Differentiated Instruction is NOT “individualized instruction!” We cannot do something different for each of our 20+ students in each classroom – it is too exhausting! It does not assume a separate level for each learner. Differentiated instruction is NOT chaotic! It isn’t a free-for-all of students doing whatever they want. Instead, teachers manage and monitor many activities simultaneously. The classroom includes purposeful student movement and talking... Differentiated instruction is NOT just another way to provide homogeneous grouping! It is not separating the class into thirds—advanced, middle and struggling. Itis the use of flexible grouping, where students may be in many different groups depending on the task and objective. Sometimes groups are formed by a common link, but most often they are groups that mix strengths and weaknesses of all students. Differentiated instruction is NOT “tailoring the same suit of clothes!” It is often more than just asking a few students to answer a more complex question in a discussion or to research and share more advanced information on a topic. While these are not “bad” strategies, they are often not enough to really differentiate instruction. Differentiated instruction is NOT teaching to the lowest common denominator! Though the temptation is to slow down to not leave the struggling learners behind, it does not serve the interest of our advanced learners or our struggling learners to do this. Differentiated instruction is offering powerful teaching and learning opportunities for all students—not just for some. Differentiated instruction is NOT adding extra work to keep advanced students busy! Adding work is only adding to the workload—the way this challenges an advanced learner is that it challenges his time management skills. It may be assigning advanced learners a more complex task to begin with so that they will finish in about the same time as the other students. Differentiated instruction is NOT a strategy that is “done!” Teachers do not “do” a DI activity when there is extra time or apply it only to one aspect of teaching—it is a philosophy about teaching and learning that permeates every aspect of the classroom. Let's clear our minds of some misconceptions about what is NOT Differentiated Instruction* * Source - Wilmette School system PDF on Differentiated Instruction.

11. The “ Roger's Rangers Attack on St. Francis” game The subject was history, the period being studied was the French and Indian War. The student designed a game based on Richard Roger's 1759 attack on the Abenaki village of St. Francis, in Quebec. Players start their Ranger playing pieces at the old New Hampshire outpost at Number Four and move up through Lake Champlain to the attack. The goal is to reach the village and return to Number Four safely. The student made extensive use of the internet for visual components of the game, designed and made all the pieces, and created the “Fate” cards to add a degree of randomness. Use of the internet as a resource is an important aspect of differential education. Since students choose from a number of ways to demonstrate subject mastery, giving them access to the very wide range of informational resources available on the Web enables them to enrich their learning greatly. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a successful implementation of DI without access to the internet!

12. The 6 th grade English class had finished reading “The Yearling.” The students were told that they could write a classic book report, give a dramatic show, or do art work with a paragraph relating the work to the book. Our student here decided to do a diorama of the fawn lost in the Florida wilderness. Her writing described Jody's finding of the little animal. In this case, again, use was made of the web to find the pictures of wild Florida woods to serve as background. Also, the student found directions for making shoe box dioramas that enabled her to enrich her presentation. With her note, she showed mastery of the story.

13. Sacagewea on the Voyage of Discovery a Differentiated Assignment The last differentiated project by this student that we will examine was done in the fourth grade. The unit covered the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery, and the chosen topic was a study of Sacagewea. The options provided by the teacher were to write a two page report, do a poster or other illustrative artwork, do a dramatic presentation (or at least write a short play), or to choose another option that the teacher would have to agree to. The student proposed a Power Point presentation on Sacagewea, which was approved. A traditional paper would have not engendered the creative outburst that followed. Giving full rein to her Visual/Spatial intelligence, she created a picture story using her siblings and their toys as actors. I have included several slides from that presentation as a sample of the quality of work and the mastery of subject demonstrated using what was then an unusual format.

14. Sacagawea was born in 1788 or 1789. She was in the Shoshone tribe. Her older brother was named Camewait

15. Sacagawea is captured by a Hidatsa warrior. Hidatsa raided the Shoshone for horses and slaves. The Shoshone lived in the Western Rocky Mountains. The Hidatsa lived on the Great Plains.

16. The Expedition left the Hidatsa village in April, 1805. Sacagawea was Carrying her two-month old baby, Jean Baptiste. On May 14 th , one of the boats nearly tipped over. Charbonneau, who was steering, panicked . Sacagawea saved the bags with the medicine and the scientific instruments

17. On August 13 th , the Expedition met the Shoshone. Sacagawea was so happy to see her brother, Camewait. He was now a chief and a great warrior! Lewis and Clark were happy she spoke Shoshone.

18. The Pacific Ocean At Last! November, 1805

19. Well, that was a nice break, but now back to work! We have seen from these samples that the use of differentiated instruction does not imply poor or inadequate work, and that the mastery of material is not sacrificed. Indeed, DI can be imagined as an elaboration of such aids to learning as mnemonics. We would not hesitate to help students who have trouble memorizing facts to use a mnemonic. Any biology student will remember “King Philip Come Out For Goodness Sake!” (The modern version can't be shown in a family PPT!) If we expand the concept to include a rap, say, or an image, or any of a number of other aids, such as graphic representations, we can see that DI is not so far from what we are used to practicing in a small way. It is the underlying theory that is radical and that implies the paradigm change. The fact that we can look for enhanced learning has good implications for the dreaded....

20. MCAS! The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System It is this all-devouring set of standardized tests that make the idea of any new method of teaching, especially one that requires such an effort to implement, so intimidating. The standards must be maintained, and it is far safer to teach to the test than to risk all on some newfangled idea. The potential gains are great, however, and the possibility of stronger results is high. I propose that we form committee to examine the potential benefits of differentiated instruction. Some studies have shown a marked improvement in performance, so it merits serious consideration.

21. Center for Applied Special Technology - Differentiated Instruction Flemington-Raritan Regional School District - DI Page Sacremento City Unified School District - What is DI? New Horizons for Learning - DI Page Staff Development for Educators Just a few links to get you started! There are literally hundreds of sites on the web with definitions, implementation plans and histories, lesson plans cross-links, book lists, just everything we might need to investigate D. I. Use these as just the beginning of your investigation! Wilmette School System DI Resource Page

22. Differentiated Assessment A whole 'nuther kettle of fish Although we can't cover the subject in any great depth here, once decide to go with differentiated instruction, assessment of student progress becomes a task which is more complicated than traditional methods of assessment. We are buying into a new philosophy and theory of learning, after all, so we cannot expect the old methods of measuring a student's progress and mastery of a subject to remain entirely valid. The traditional method of basing grades on snapshots of student progress, such as quizzes and tests, gives way to a process that has been described as “formative dipsticking,” which is a continual checking for comprehension. This means that the teacher is able to get a more accurate image of the student's progress over time. One way to make this process easier is to make sure that your own mind is set on the goals of the particular unit and that clear and solid criteria for assessment have been established. As with DI, there are great numbers of assessment resources available on-line to learn more about this aspect of Differentiated Instruction.