This document discusses strategies for supporting student diversity and improving instruction. It summarizes research showing that the highest performing school systems focus on improving teacher quality through coaching, professional collaboration, and learning communities. Examples are provided of collaborative practices like information circles that allow teachers to share expertise and develop targeted instructional plans to meet student needs. Evidence suggests that giving students choice in how they demonstrate understanding increases engagement, effort and learning.

1. Suppor&ng
Student
Diversity:
Classroom
and
collabora&on
strategies
that
meet
the
needs
of
all
learners
English
and
Humani&es
Dept.
Heads
Surrey
March
2,
2011
Faye
Brownlie

2. How
the
world’
best
performing
school
systems
come
out
on
top
–
Sept.
2007,
McKinsey
&
Co.
1. GeLng
the
right
people
to
become
teachers
2. Developing
them
into
effec&ve
instructors
3. Ensuring
that
the
system
is
able
to
deliver
the
best
possible
instruc&on
for
every
child

3. McKinsey
Report,
2007
• The
top-­‐performing
school
systems
recognise
that
the
only
way
to
improve
outcomes
is
to
improve
instruc&on:
learning
occurs
when
students
and
teachers
interact,
and
thus
to
improve
learning
implies
improving
the
quality
of
that
interac&on.

4. • Coaching
classroom
prac&ce
• Moving
teacher
training
to
the
classroom
• Developing
stronger
school
leaders
• Enabling
teachers
to
learn
from
each
other

5. Individual
teachers:
• Become
aware
of
areas
to
grow
in
their
prac&ce
• Gain
an
understanding
of
best
prac&ce
–
most
effec&ve
when
demonstrated
in
an
authen&c
seLng
• Are
mo&vated
to
improve
– Teachers
have
high
expecta&ons
– Share
a
common
purpose
– Have
a
collec&ve
belief
in
their
ability
to
make
a
difference

6. • How
the
world’s
most
improved
school
systems
keep
geLng
beWer
– Mourshed,
Chijioke,
Barber
– McKinsey
&
Co.
– Nov.,
2010

7. Good
to
Great
Systems
• Focus
on
the
professionalism
of
teachers
• The
values
and
behaviors
of
the
educators
propel
the
system
forward
(not
centrally
controlled)
• Develop
common
language
about
the
cra
of
teaching
• Teacher
and
administrator
coaches

8. Great
to
Excellent
Systems
• Learning
communi&es:
peer-­‐led
support
and
accountability
• Focus
on
student
learning
• Move
to
school
and
teacher
self-­‐evalua&on,
away
from
standardized
tests
• Open
up
classroom
prac&ce
–
de-­‐priva&ze
• Ac&on
research
• Collabora&ve
prac&ce
among
educators
• Encourage
innova&on
in
teaching

9. Professional
Collabora&on
• Interac&ve
and
on-­‐going
process
• Mutually
agreed
upon
challenges
• Capitalizes
on
different
exper&se,
knowledge
and
experience
• Roles
are
blurred
• Mutual
trust
and
respect
• Create
and
deliver
targeted
instruc&on

10. Together
we
are
beWer…
By
sharing
our
collec&ve
knowledge
about
our
classes
of
students
and
developing
a
plan
of
ac&on
based
on
this,
we
can
beWer
meet
the
needs
of
all
students.

11. Together
we
are
beWer…
By
sharing
our
collec&ve
exper&se
about
teaching
and
learning
we
can
beWer
implement
plans
of
ac&on,
and
thus
we
can
beWer
meet
the
needs
of
all
students.

12. Informa&on
Circles
• Students
are
reading
a
variety
of
different
texts
• Students
read
their
text
and
record
their
thinking
on
the
thinking
paper:
images/ques&ons/vocabulary
• Students
meet
in
groups
with
others
reading
the
same
text
and
talk
about
the
text
using
the
notes
from
their
thinking
paper
• Together
students
decide
on
the
key
ideas
of
the
text
• Students
can
meet
in
new
groups,
represen&ng
the
different
texts,
and
share
the
key
ideas
of
their
text

13. connec&ons
vocabulary
(self
&
world)
ques&ons
key
ideas

14. Erica
Foote,
Princess
Margaret
Secondary,
Pen&cton
• If
students
were
given
the
opportunity
(4
&mes
per
semester)
to
show
what
they
know
in
different
ways,
would
it
not
only
increase
their
interest
and
effort
but
also
increase
their
understanding?

15. English
10
• 4
wri&ng
assignments,
4
choice
assignments
– PowerPoint
presenta&ons,
drawing,
poetry,
collages,
crea&ng
their
own
test
with
answer
keys,
presen&ng
their
informa&on
orally
or
using
drama
to
represent
their
thinking
• 6
students
• AFL
strategies
– Ranked
exemplars
with
the
PS
– Analyzed
the
exemplars
to
co-­‐create
criteria
– Used
the
criteria
for
their
work
– Ownership
–
with
choice

16. 2
wri&ng
2
choice
assignments
–
demonstrate
your
knowledge
&
understanding
of
various
literature
Not
yet
Approaching
Mee4ng
Exceeding
%/#
Wri&ng
16/2
41/5
25/3
16/2
(essay/
paragraph)
Choice
0/0
16/2
33/4
50/6

17. Erica’s
Reflec&ons
• 100%
of
students
reported
they
liked
the
choice
and
wanted
to
do
have
choices
again
in
another
semester
• 91%
of
students
felt
they
did
beWer
with
choice
• About
50%
s&ll
chose
some
form
of
wri&ng
when
given
a
choice,
but
liked
the
choice
• Fewer
complained
about
the
non-­‐choice
wri&ng
assignments
• Fewer
assignments
were
handed
in
late

18. Andrea
DeVito,
Pen&cton
High
• My
findings
are
based
24
students
randomly
selected
from
four
classes:
an
English
9,
two
11’s,
and
one
12.
The
students
were
first
given
a
wri4ng-­‐response
to
a
piece
of
literature,
and
then
the
end-­‐task
with
choice
to
a
piece
of
literature.

19. Show
an
understanding
of
your
novel
Literature
Circles
Not
yet
Approaching
Mee4ng
Exceeding
%/#
Fixed
0/0
17/4
75/18
8/2
wriWen
assessment
End
task
0/0
8/2
25/6
58/14
with
choice

20. Andrea’s
reflec&ons
• Some
challenged
by
finding
a
meaningful
connec&on
between
themselves
and
the
novel
• Some
challenged
by
the
idea
of
students
doing
different
products
for
the
same
assignment
• Most
wanted
to
do
this
kind
of
assignment
again.

21. Naryn
Searcy
&
Pat
Whitely,
Princess
Margaret
Secondary
• Co-­‐taught
English
12
and
IT
9
• Assignment:
demonstrate
the
key
elements
of
a
grade
12
poem
in
a
video
montage
• 12’s
responsible
for
the
poem’s
key
elements
and
the
vision;
9’s
for
the
technical
aspects
• 12’s
teach
the
poem;
9’s
teach
the
technical
aspects
• Subjects:
8
grade
12
students,
2
NY,
2A,
2M,
2E
on
a
tradi&onal
wri&ng
assignment
of
poetry

22. • Projects
shown
to
both
classes.
Grade
12
students
introduced
and
explained
the
video
• AFL
strategies:
– descrip&ve
feedback
at
each
stage
(i.e.,
storyboard)
– ownership

23. Communicate
your
knowledge
of
the
various
elements
of
the
poem
Not
Yet
Approaching
Mee4ng
Exceeding
%/#
Wri&ng
25/2
25/2
25/2
25/2
(essay/
paragraph)
Video
0/0
12.5/1
37.5/3
50/4
Montage

24. Naryn
and
Pat’s
Reflec&ons
• Increased
mo&va&on
and
increased
responsibility
for
all
students
in
both
grade
9
and
12
• Students
disappointed
when
the
collabora&on
ended
• Mo&va&on
con&nued
…
success
breeds
success

25. References
• Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses –
Brownlie
(2005).
Portage
and
Main
Press.
• Student Diversity, 2nd ed (2006)
–
Brownlie
and
Schnellert.
Pembroke
Publishers
• It’s All about Thinking – Humanities, Social
Studies and English (2009)
–
Brownlie
and
Schnellert.
Portage
and
Main
Press.
• Assessment Instruction of ESL Learners –
Brownlie,
Feniak,
McCarthy.
Portage
and
Main
Press.