1. Differentiation in
the Classroom
JANUARY 6, 2014
PRESENTED BY PATSY BRUNER, DENA
HARSHBARGER, MIRIAM SIEGAL, & BRIAN
WOJCIK.

2. You may hear some
Those are people who believe
people say that
“Fair” means “Equal”
differentiating isn’t
fair.

3. WHY
DIFFERENTIATE
INSTRUCTION?
Children need
Children need
teachers who
Both equity
“All children are entitled to teachers who will do everything in
teachers who
help them
and excellence
their power to help them realize their potential .”
commend and
experience, ac
must be a part
command
cept, and
of our road
(Tomlinson, 1999)
excellence.
embrace
map for
personal
students
challenge

4. Survey results…
Working with Gifted Students
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Adapting Lessons for Gifted
Not Comfortable
Individualizing Instruction for Gifted
Somewhat Uncomfortable
Neutral
Identifying Gifted Students
Somewhat Comfortable
Very Comfortable

5. Survey results…
Working with Remedial Students
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Adapting Lessons for Remedial
Not Comfortable
Individualizing Instruction for
Remedial
Somewhat Uncomfortable
Neutral
Identifying Remedial Students
Somewhat Comfortable
Very Comfortable

6. Survey results…
Putting DI into Practice
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Accommodating
Varying Abilities
Not Comfortable
Assessing and
Designing
Using Learning Styles Using Technology to
Differentiate
Somewhat Uncomfortable
Neutral
Somewhat Comfortable
Using Universal
Design for Learning
Very Comfortable

7. What are some things you do to
meet the needs of diverse
learners in your classroom?
1. Go to our wiki
2. Choose the
‘Intro to DI and
UDL’ link from
the menu
3. Find the Padlet
Link
4. Contribute.

8. HOW are differentiated
classrooms different from
traditional classrooms?
TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM
Student differences are addressed
when they become a problem.
Assessment is summative, at the
end of a unit.
Interests and learning styles have
no effect on instruction.
DIFFERENTIATED CLASSROOM
Student differences become the
basis for planning instruction.
Ongoing assessment is formative
and diagnostic – allowing you to
respond to the learner.
Students are provided
opportunities to make choices
based on interests and learning
styles

9. HOW DO I GET
STARTED?
1. Go to our wiki
2. Choose the ‘Intro
to DI and UDL’ link
from the menu
3. Find the Video.
4. Consider the
Following
Questions

10. Think-Pair-Share
1. What are some challenges Laura faces in her
classroom on a day to basis?
2. Why does Rick Wormelli refer to differentiation as
“responsive teaching”?
3. Assessment has to be accurate. What will you use to
make instructional decisions?
4. What is the principle of “tiering”?
5. What is the “scaffolding?”

11. You Can Differentiate
Content
Process
Product
According to Your Students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning
Profile
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999)

12. to Differentiate
Content
Using materials at varying readability levels.
Creating auditory versions of text.
Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;
Presenting ideas through auditory, visual and kinesthetic means; multiple
representations
Using partner reading, small-group reading, shared reading, and other
reading supports (e.g., text-to-speech)
Tiered instruction
Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners
or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
Cooperative learning

13. To Differentiate Process
◦Tiered activities
◦Interest centers
◦Manipulatives or other hands-on supports
◦Varying the length of time
◦Cooperative learning
◦Allowing students to work alone or in small
groups on their products
◦Independent contracts

14. For Differentiating Product
Giving students options of how to express required learning
puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels:
Menus
Choice Boards
RAFTS
Interest
Groups
Various Forms of
Evaluation/
Assessment

15. 4 ways to differentiate the
curriculum
Source: (Tomlison & Imbeau, 2010)
Content –
What the students need to learn or how the
student will get access to the information
Process –
Activities to engage students in learning the
content.
Product –
Culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and
extend what he or she has learned in a unit; ways to demonstrate
mastery of the content.
Affect/Learning Environment –
The way the classroom works and feels.

16. You Can Differentiate
Content
Process
Product
According to Your Students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning
Profile
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999)

17. Readiness
Differentiation
Content
Interest
Learning Profile
Readiness
Process
Interest
Learning Profile
Readiness
Product
Interest
Learning Profile
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999)

18. Addressing Readiness
English Language Learners: Front-loading
• Create meaning and purpose
• Focus on Vocabulary
Struggling Students: Add support
• Add visuals
• Chunk the lesson into manageable
parts
• Add visuals
• Increase teacher support (reading &
writing)
Students Who Need More Challenge: Not MORE work, Add complexity
• Add open-ended activities
• Add creativity-based activities
• Research-based activities

19. CONTENT: Readiness
GROUP 1
GROUP 2
(STRUGGLING STUDENTS) (READY)
GROUP 3
(NEED ADDITIONAL
CHALLENGES)
• How can we get a light
bulb to light in 2 different
ways, using one light
bulb, two wires, and two
batteries?
• Create and test several
circuits.
• Sketch each circuit on an
index card.
• Sort and label your
sketches as either parallel
or series examples.
• Make conclusions: When
is the bulb brighter-series
or parallel?
• What is the relationship
of resistance, voltage, and
current in series and
parallel circuits?
• Create multiple examples
of parallel and series
circuits.
• Create a matrix to show
the level of bulb
brightness in each circuit.
• Use the terms, resistance,
voltage, and current to
describe what is causing
the differences in
brightness. You’ve just
discovered Ohm’s law!
• What are multiple ways
that we can get a light
bulb to light, using several
light bulbs, wires, and
batteries?
• Create multiple examples.
• Sort and label each as
either parallel or series
circuits.
• Create a chart showing
which circuits work, which
do not work, and why.
• Make conclusions: When
is the bulb brighter-series
or parallel?

20. Addressing Interest
Start with Assessing
Students’ Interests
Configure Learning
Experiences to Tap
Into Students’ Areas of
Interest

21. Interests
Content
Tools
Engagement
Methods
• Topic
• Theme
• Books
• Videos
• Technologies
• Watching
• Listening
• Collaborating
• Doing

22. Addressing Learning Profile
Background
Experiences
Skills and
Abilities
Language
Gender
Learning
Styles/
Preferences
Culture

23. Learning Profile:
Multiple Intelligences
1. Go to the Wiki
2. Click on ‘Intro to DI
and UDL’ from
menu
3. Locate Multiple
Intellegence Profile
4. Complete Your Own
Multiple
Intelligences Profile

24. THINK-TAC-TOE: Book Report Example
VISUAL:
Draw a picture of the
main character.
LINGUISTIC:
Write a poem about two
main events in the
story.
LOGICAL:
Create a Venn diagram
comparing and
contrasting the
introduction to the
closing.
KINESTHETIC:
MUSICAL:
Perform a play that
Write a song about one
shows the conclusion of
of the main events.
a story.
FREE CHOICE (with
teacher permission)
INTERPERSONAL:
Perform a play that
shows the conclusion of
a story.
AUDITORY:
Dress up as your
favorite character and
perform a speech
telling who you are.
INTRAPERSONAL:
Draw a picture of the
main character.
24

25. Secondary Science: Planets
VISUAL:
Use the computer to
make a drawing
showing how the
earth’s
tilt, rotation, and
revolution work to
create day and night
and seasons.
AUDITORY:
Write and present a
news report about
how the earth’s tilt,
rotation, and
revolution work to
create day and night
and seasons.
KINESTHETIC:
Construct a 3-D
model showing how
the earth’s tilt,
rotation, and
revolution work to
create day and night
and seasons.
INTRAPERSONAL:
Write a blog post
reflecting on how
the earth’s tilt,
rotation, and
revolution work to
create day and night
and seasons.
LOGICAL:
Make labels
showing how the
earth’s tilt, rotation,
and revolution work
to create day and
night and seasons.
VERBAL:
Write a summary or
story of how the
earth’s tilt, rotation,
and revolution work
to create day and
night and seasons.
NATURE:
Write a Haiku poem
showing how the
earth’s tilt, rotation,
and revolution work
to create day and
night and seasons.
INTERPERSONAL:
Work in a small
group to make a
drawing showing
how the earth’s tilt,
rotation, and
revolution work to
create day and night
and seasons.

26. Another Lens - UDL
Universal Design
for Learning
Multiple Means
of
Representation
Multiple Means
of Action or
Expression
Multiple Means
of Engagement

27. Give learners
various ways of
accessing
information
Provide leaners
with
alternatives for
demonstrating
evidence of
their learning
Provide
learners with
choices based
on learner
profile for how
they engage in
learning

28. DI and UDL – Parallel
Lenses
PROCESS
CONTENT
AFFECT/LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
PRODUCT