Differentiation forDifferentiation forHigh Ability LearnersHigh Ability Learners

Presented by April ColemanPresented by April Coleman

T.A.R.G.E.T.T.A.R.G.E.T.Tuscaloosa County SchoolsTuscaloosa County Schools

Objectives for This Workshop

• Identify differentiation strategiesyou are currently using to effectivelymeet the needs of all learners.

• Obtain new strategies and materialsfor differentiating instruction inregard to assessment, content,process, and product.

What doesdifferentiationmean to you?

Differentiation is…• “Diagnosing the readiness level of each student

and customizing instruction so every individualexperiences continuous learning.”(Bertie Kingore)

• “Teachers at work refining the art of teaching”(Bertie Kingore)

• “A teacher’s response to a learner’s needs”(Carol Ann Tomlinson)

Differentiation is not…• Giving more of the same kind of work to kids who have shown

mastery.

• Giving busy work to kids who have shown mastery.

• Tediously planning each aspect of every learning activity foreach student at all times.

• Placing students in inflexible groups based on ability at alltimes.

• Expecting kids who are “gifted” to always know everythingbefore it is taught or to excel in every subject area.

“Fun isn’t theobjective.

It’s the result ofgreat teaching!”

Bertie Kingore

Guiding Principles ofDifferentiation

• Focus on the essentials• Attention to student differences• Assessment & instruction inseparable• Modification of content, process, and

products• Respectful work for all students• Flexible working relationship between

teacher & students

(Tomlinson, 1999)

Differentiating Instruction isEasy as ABC…1,2,3!

Teachers can differentiate1. Content2. Process3. ProductAccording to a student’s1. Readiness2. Interests3. Learning Styles

(Tomlinson, 1999)

In what waysdo you assess

your students?

“When all kids havethe same answers, Ihave no clue whatthey really know.”

Bertie Kingore

Getting to Know YourStudents

Preassessment is an essential firststep in differentiating instruction.

Assessment of…• Readiness• Interests• Learning Styles

Ideas for AssessingReadiness

Assessing Individuals:• Pretests for Volunteers• Most Difficult First• Exit Tickets

Assessing Whole Group:• Individual Response Boards• Four Corners• Topic Talk• Name Cards/Sticks

Pretests• Don’t reinvent the wheel –

End-of-chapter or skill-based tests work well aspretests.

• Set a goal for mastery toqualify for compacting –usually 80% to 90%– Talk with principal and

parents first– What about grades? (upper

grades only)– Students who show mastery

will do an alternative activity.

Most Difficult First• When giving an assignment of skill or practice

work, determine which items represent the mostdifficult part of the entire task.

• Write the assignment on the board, starringthese items.

• Give students a choice to participate.• Name the first student finished to get 4/5

correct as the “checker.”• Allow students who show mastery to participate in

an alternate activity, according to the “ThreeMagic Rules.”

Winebrenner, 2001

Exit Tickets• One Minute Response

– Most important thing you learned today– Main unanswered question you leave class with today– Muddiest point (most confused about)

• A&E Card (Assessment & Evaluation)– Show 3 different ways to complete this math problem.– Briefly explain gravity. Give an example of gravity in the

classroom or on the playground.– Which event is most important in the story? Why?

• 3-2-1 Card– 3 key ideas, 2 questions, 1 thing I want to read more about– 3 words I think are most important to this topic,

2 connections I made, 1 thing I do not like

Kingore, 2007

Making Whole GroupAssessment More Effective

• Individual Response Boards• Four Corners• Name Cards/Sticks• Topic Talk

– Student pairs discuss a given topic, thenswitch in the middle when signal is given.

Ideas for AssessingInterests

• Interest Inventory – list of various topics kidsmight enjoy learning about

• Note Cards / Sticky Notes

• KWL

• Sign-ups – List topics for groups/centers and letkids sign up based on interest.

Ideas for DeterminingLearning Profile

• Learning styles inventories

• Multiple Intelligencesquestionnaire

• Parent questionnaire

• Observations

The Internet is a great resource for findingready-to-use student learning styles inventories!

• Start small:– Give a pre-test to your identified gifted students first.– Pre-test in basic subjects first – reading, spelling, or

math.

• Use standardized pretests if possible – no need toreinvent the wheel!

• You may eventually want to offer the option to allstudents in the class.

Tips for MakingPre-assessment Work

Once you“know” your

students, where doyou go from here?!!!

Keep your eyes on theGOAL of Differentiation:

• “Customizing instruction so everyindividual experiences continuouslearning” (Kingore)

• Responding to a learner’s needs(Tomlinson)

Stay organized but sane!(Is that possible??!!)

• The extent to which you documentand the method you use is up toyou!

• Don’t overcomplicate.Documentation should serve tosimply show what you are doing andwhy.

• If the organizational strategiesyou are using make your job moredifficult, change or simplify them!

Organization andDocumentation

• The Compactor form

• Teacher-created charts

• Checklists

• Learning Contracts

• Parent Communication/Cooperation

The Three Magic Rules1. Don’t bother anyone else

while you’re working.

2. Don’t call attention toyourself or the fact thatyou’re doing somethingdifferent – it’s no big deal.

3. Work on activities you’vechosen or been assigned.

Winebrenner, 2001

Differentiation StrategiesWhole Group:

• Grouping• Tiered/Multilevel

Activities• Activity/Extensions Menus• Centers

Individual Students:• Compacting• Independent Projects• Accelerated Learning• Mentorships

Tiered/MultilevelActivities

• Open-ended Activities -allow students to naturallywork at various abilitylevels.

• Tiered Lesson/Activities –have two or more levels ofdifficulty/complexity inregard to content, process,and/or product.

Open-Ended/MultilevelProduct Ideas

• Paper Chain• Story Map• Timeline• Top 10 List• Character Traits – “I am…”• Science Experiment

Higher Level Extension Activities• Promote higher level, critical, and/or

creative thinking skills

• Whole class or individual students

• Problem Solving Activities:– Logic Puzzles– Brainteasers– Productive Thinking (Brainstorming)– Sudoku

Activity/Extensions Menus• Choice is a powerful student motivator.• Within a concept/topic area or across subject areas• 3 methods of differentiation – ability, learning style,

and interest• Can be used:

– Differentiation option for individual student(s)– Culminating/unit activity for all students

• Format Options:– Tic-tac-toe– List

Learning Centers• Based on topics of study & student interests

• Some may be permanent:– Reading, learning games, computer, etc.

• Others may change:– Country of the month, author study, art technique,

magazines, etc.– Tip: To save time and money, share centers among a

group of teachers during the course of a year.

• May be portable:– file-folder games/activities– “centers in a tub/box/basket”

Learning Center Ideas forHigh Ability Students

• Nonfiction Books• Geography

– City/Country of theMonth

– Magazines (Time for Kids,Ntl. Geographic for Kids)

• ABC Books• Problem-Solving

– Logic Puzzles– Analogies

• Computer– Webquests– Learning Games

• Science (Hands-on)• Creativity

– Art– Writing– Origami

• Real-World Math• Interest Center

Making Centers Work• Task Cards or Center Activity Menus – brief,

clear directions for activities students may do ata particular center

• Center Logs – Students record what they do at acenter (may be stored in folders in a designatedspot)

• Assignment/Choice Boards – Names ofgroups/individuals are placed in pocket chartlabeled with words and/or pictures based onstudents’ changing ability and readiness on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis

Compacting• Preassess to find out what students already

know and what they still need to learn

• Document to show mastery – Learning Contract

• Teach remaining skills in a whole/small group orindependently.

• Provide replacement activity:– Extension activity– Learning centers– Independent project– Subject acceleration– Mentorship

Learning Contract• Page/Concept - Lists all page numbers

and/or concepts covered in a unit– Check marks identify page/concept NOT

mastered during pretest– Student will join class for direct instruction

during these lessons OR work in a small groupor independently.

• Extension Options and Your Idea (studentsuggestion option)

• Working Conditions (or use chart)Note: Teacher and student sign bottom of form to indicateacceptance of the terms. The contract is only valid as long asthe student complies with the Working Conditions.

Tips for UsingLearning Contracts

• Especially useful for skill-based areas (math, spelling, grammar,reading strategies, etc.)

• Grades should come from preassessment, which representsgrade level work.

• Try with one or two students, then offer the option to morestudents and eventually to the entire class.

• Store materials for extension activities in a center or specificarea of the classroom.

(Winebrenner, 2001)

Independent Projects• Topic may be related to class subject or interest-based.

• Use pre-made forms to guide project development.– Resident Expert Planner (Winebrenner)– Teacher-created checklists

• Involve library-media specialist for assistance with findingmaterials and conducting research.

• Possible Projects:– Create a class center.– Write and “publish” a book (ABC books, etc.)– Technology-related activities

Get many more ideas frompre-made lists of projects.

Accelerated Learning• Should be considered as a case-by-case option.

• Get prior approval from principal, next grade level teacher,and parents.

• Allow child to attend class with the next grade level for asubject in which he or she has shown mastery.

• According to research, acceleration is the most effectivestrategy for meeting the needs of gifted learners.

(Colangelo, Assouline, & Gross in “A Nation Deceived”)

Mentorships• Ask a community member to volunteer to work one-on-one with a

student to develop a special project on a topic of interest.– Ex.: A retired veteran might be willing to work with a student

interested in learning more about World War II.– Ex.: A college student in a service club might help a small group of

interested students to organize a school service project.

• Possible mentors: elderly people who are active in thecommunity, stay-at-home parent with special talents/interests,college students in service organizations

• Requires very little preparation by the teacher.

• Research-proven to be especially effective for giftedunderachievers and low socioeconomic students

Think About It…

Which of these strategies do youALREADY USE in your classroom

to differentiate instruction?

Which of these strategies wouldyou like to BEGIN USING inyour classroom to furtherdifferentiate instruction?

Differentiationin a Nutshell…

• Assess students’ readiness, interests, and learningstyles.

• Plan replacement activities for students who have shownmastery in specific concepts/skills.

• Replacement tasks should be respectful work thatserves a purpose (i.e. not busy work).

• Offer choices to all students which appeal to theirability levels, interests, and learning styles.

How do teachers make itall work?

• Start small…. But start somewhere!– Anchor activities– Differentiation for small blocks of time

• Grow slowly – but grow!– Try creating one differentiated lesson per unit,

differentiate one product per semester, etc.– Give structured choices more often.

Tomlinson, 1999

How do teachers make itall work? (cont.’d)

• Step back and reflect.– Don’t be afraid to throw an idea out and start over again!

• Talk with students regularly to get input.• Continue to empower students.

– Don’t do things for them they can do for themselves.– Give them increasing responsibility for documentation.

• Give thoughtful directions.• Work together with colleagues.• Bring principals and parents on board.

Tomlinson, 1999

Thank You!!!Thank you for your time and interest in

attending this workshop!

If we can be of any assistance to you, pleasedo not hesitate to contact us:

April Coleman – acoleman@tcss.netLori White – lwhite@tcss.netKelly Belew – kbelew@tcss.net

Sprayberry Education Center: 342-2660

Resources

Kingore, B. (2007). Reaching all learners: Making differentiationwork. Professional Associates Publishing: Austin, TX.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Meeting theneeds of all learners. ASCD: Alexandria, VA.

Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching gifted kids in the regularclassroom. Free Spirit Publishing: Minneapolis, MN.

www.learnerslink.com/curriculum.htm

http://adifferentplace.org/