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Programming using Differentiated Instruction: Getting to Know Your Students Supporting Diverse Learners Within the Classroom Chinooks Edge School Division Presenter: Dawn Normoyle

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Reaching Students Who Learn in Different Ways Animal School

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Todays Outcomes: Understand some key elements of differentiated instruction Improve understanding of mild/moderate disabilities Appreciate the importance of knowing your students when programming Learn some strategies to get a deeper understanding of your students Discover inclusionary strategies to support the programming of all students Reflection on your own practice

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Graffiti Activity With the others at your table create your graffiti using words, phrases, and graphics that represent your tables thinking Leave your sheet behind, and rotate to the other tables to add your comments/visuals Discuss added comments and summarize Share as a group

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Differentiated instruction is a philosophy and an approach to teaching in which teachers and school communities actively work to support the learning of all students through strategic assessment, thoughtful planning and targeted, flexible instruction. Making a Difference: Meeting Diverse Learning Needs with Differentiated Instruction

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Fairness is not everyone getting the same thing. It is when everyone gets what they need!

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Why Differentiate? Benefits Effective for all students including those with disabilities Offers multiple pathways to learning Starts where students are at Provides meaningful choice Creates opportunities to demonstrate their interests and skills Helps students understand what theyre expected to learn, evaluate their own progress, and express their learning strengths, challenges and interests Increases engagement, motivation, self-confidence and willingness to assume responsibility Gives them strategies to figure out and cope within the world when things are not differentiated

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Programming for All Learners: Key Elements Collaboration- learning team involvement; parents, teachers, students Purposeful Planning- knowing your students (needs, strengths, learning styles), understanding the curriculum, multiple pathways of learning, tasks respectful of each learner, flexible and reflective teaching Ongoing assessment- wide range of approaches, pre- assessment, profiles, FOR/OF, grade for growth, Assessment informs practice, and we take action. ( Rick Wormelli) Transition planning- between grades, leaving high school Self advocacy- sharing responsibility, creating independence

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Classroom Elements to Differentiate Affect/ Learning Environment Content Process- how students make sense of learning Product- how students demonstrate learning

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Various Disabilities Cognitive Disabilities Emotional/Behavioural Disabilities Learning Disabilities Hearing/ Visual/ Communication Disabilities Communication Disability Physical/ Medical Disability (i.e. cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol, autism)

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Programming: Diverse Learning Needs Diagnosis may have implications for educational programming, social and emotional learning and overall well-being Knowledge can help teachers align supports and strategies with students needs and strengths Knowledge helps teachers know what to look for in ongoing assessments (what the student can do and potential barriers) * Critical to get to know your students

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3 Minute uzzzz Use the sheet to reflect on your learning so far

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Start with Assessment Rich ongoing source of information Helps teachers identify and begin to address student strengths and needs Helps plan meaningful learning activities Establishes organizational and grouping structures Mold the classroom environment Ongoing Requires a photo album approach to assessment, as opposed to a snapshot (Wiggins and McTighe,2005)

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Assessment: Ongoing Differentiated assessment informs differentiated instruction - provides information about readiness, strengths and needs in relation to particular outcomes or activities. This shapes your planning. Differentiated instruction leads to differentiated assessment - students work toward learning outcomes at different paces and in different ways so you will need assessment tools and strategies that accommodate diversity while still usefully measuring learning outcomes. Teaching in the dark is a questionable business!

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Knowing Your Students: Student Learner Profiles Describes ways a student learns best Reveals students unique knowledge, prior experience, abilities, learning strengths and needs, interests, learning preferences and styles, attitudes, gender, culture, personality Helps teachers choose responsive and meaningful supports, planning Dynamic, as individual learners constantly grow and change For students with disabilities it is an opportunity to get to know that student and to see beyond the students disabilities

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Learner Profiles: Goals Find out as much as possible about how a student learns Not to label students as certain kinds of learners Help them develop multiple pathways for learning Create more confidence and motivation when working on unfamiliar and/or challenging tasks

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Learning preferences and styles: Environment Typically refers general environment where student learns best Examples: quiet vs. noisy busy with lots to look at/ interact with vs. bare with few distractions movement friendly vs. sitting still flexible schedule vs. fixed schedule warm vs. cool

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Types of intelligence Brain-based predisposition to excel in particular area Howard Gardner (1994) : identified eight intelligences individuals possess varying combinations Thomas Armstrong (1994): student-friendly terms for each intelligence o verbal-linguistic intelligence (or word smarts) o logical-mathematical intelligence (or number smarts) o interpersonal intelligence (or people smarts) o intrapersonal intelligence (or self smarts) o spatial intelligence (or picture smarts) o musical-rhythmic intelligence (or music smarts) o bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (or body smarts) o naturalistic intelligence (or nature smarts)

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Gender, Culture & Personality Can influence learning Examples: expressive or reserved in class interactions competition or collaboration work individually or in a group creative or practical way of thinking part-to-whole or whole-to-part learning contextual and personal learning or learning that is discrete and impersonal time as fixed and rigid or fluid and flexible impulsive or reflective in ones thinking and actions valuing creativity or conformity

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Interests Creates motivation and engagement Identifying interests in learner profiles helps in planning when varying projects, themes and examples

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Gathering information Inventories, surveys, conferencing, interviews Learner preference inventories Reading inventories Social inventories Interest inventories Assessment information Classroom assessments (interviews, observation, assignments, etc.) Cumulative records Individualized program plans (IPP) Standardized assessments Parents Previous teachers and other school staff involved with the student

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Learner Profile Examples

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Using the Learning Profile to Differentiate ContentDifferentiate ProcessDifferentiate Products Present material in visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic modes Use applications, examples, and illustrations from a wide range of intelligences and both genders Use wait time Allow for student reflection Allow multiple options for how students will show learning Encourage a variety of groupings (individual, pairs, small groups, large group) Balance competitive, collegial, and independent work arrangements Create activities seeking multiple perspectives on topics and issues Encourage a variety of groupings Teach how to use a wide range of product formats Provide visual;, auditory, and kinesthetic product options Provide analytic, creative, and practical options

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Flexible Grouping: Appointment Clock This is a tool that can be used to differentiate groups in your classroom!

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My Appointment Clock Rationale: This is an activity that will create partners within the classroom. There partnerships are based on student choice, readiness, interest, and learning profiles (which are assessed at the beginning of the year). If students are all doing the same activity use choice partners, if ability is needed use readiness, if want to promote interest use interest, and if want to focus on how they learn best use learning profile. Use this in building your lesson plans. Example of Partners 1:00 Interest based2:00 Readiness based3:00 Learner profile4:00 Students choice 5:00 Interest based6:00 Readiness based 7:00 Learner profile8:00 Students choice 9:00 Interest based 10:00 Readiness based 11:00 Learner profile 12:00 Students choice Have students find choice partners for 4:00, 8:00, and 12:00. Collect them and fill in the rest of the partnerships based on the assessment material that you have gathered. Copy and keep in keep in a duo or binder. Hand back the originals to the students and have them put in the front of their binders for quick access.

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Heres What, So What, Now What?? Heres What I Learned So What My interpretation of this learning Now What? My action Plan to build on this new learning What is the most important thing I learned? How can I explain DI (tell, write, draw it)? What was the most difficult part? The easiest part? What do I need to learn next?

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Differentiation of todays Presentation Learning Profiles OR Instructional Strategies

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RESOURCES