This document outlines a session on differentiating instruction. The session aims to help teachers articulate elements of differentiated planning, analyze problems in differentiated classrooms, reflect on addressing student diversity, and set goals for professional growth in differentiation. Teachers learn about challenges in differentiation like working with different reading levels and assessing students, and suggestions are provided like using leveled books and specifying learning goals. An activity called an "article jigsaw" is described where teachers learn about topics related to differentiation like the brain and standards in small groups. The document questions whether teachers can realistically meet student needs in today's classrooms and provides a quote that teachers should try to do what they can rather than nothing at all.

1. Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five Session 6 Managing the Classroom Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: S3 Competencies Four and Five

2. Session 6 - Outcomes By the end of today’s session, you should be able to: Articulate and discuss key elements in a teacher’s planning for differentiation over time. Analyze and pose solutions to problems and issues inherent in differentiated classrooms. Reflect on your own growth in addressing academic diversity in the classroom. Generate goals and plans for professional growth and leadership in differentiating curriculum and instruction in the classroom. Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 - Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

3. What is Differentiation? Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

4. Differentiation can be defined as a way of teaching in which teachers proactively modify curriculum, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products to address the needs of individual students and/or small groups of students to maximize the learning opportunities for each student in the classroom. Tomilson, et al., (in press) Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

5. Differentiation is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that seeks to recognize, learn about, and address the particular needs of each student. To that end, teachers use varied approaches to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

6. Differentiation adapts what we teach, how teach and how students learn, and how students show what they have learned based on the readiness levels, interests, and preferred learning modes of students. Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

7. Differentiation meaning starting where kids are! Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

8. One more way of thinking about differentiation: Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning. Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

9. Challenges and Suggestions Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 - Category Challenges Your Suggestions Curriculum How do I work with poor readers? We could use books at different levels. Assessment How do I know what to assess? Important to specify learning goals. Flexible Teaching How do I know what everyone is doing? Could use learning contracts to keep track. Grouping Students How do I know the best group for a student? Important to link with assessment some of the time. Shared Responsibility for Learning and Teaching How do I keep the room from being a mess? Might have designated time to straighten up. Establishing community How do I keep from having winners and losers? Can emphasize personal goals.

10. Article Jigsaw Select one of the following topics related to effective differentiation . The Brain and Differentiation Curriculum and Differentiation Getting Started in a Differentiated Classroom Standards and Differentiation Go to the area of the room designated for that topic. Form base groups by having one person from each of the four topics sit together. Work with Part 1 of the printed instructions for base groups (Handout 5). Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

11. Article Jigsaw Move to specialty groups who selected the same topic. Work with the printed instructions and materials for specialty groups (Handout 6). 3. Return to your base groups and work with Part 2 of the printed instructions for base groups (Handout 5). Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

12. Can We Meet the Needs? Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

13. Is it realistic to think we can successfully teach the range of students in today’s academically diverse classrooms? Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -

14. No matter how much you do, you’ll feel it it’s not enough. Just because you can only do a little is no excuse to do nothing. Susan Ohanian 1999 Foundations and Applications of Differentiating Instruction: Competencies Four and Five S3 -