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personal interests
experiences

readiness levels

learning motivators
styles

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Unfortunately, some classroom structures

do not address this student diversity.

The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching

has been to treat all children as if they were variants
of the same individual and thus to feel justified in
teaching them all the same subjects in the same way.
-Howard Gardner

So now you have a classroom of diverse

learners... and you know that some of
our past teaching strategies are not
going to be effective with them...So, the
million dollar question is?

How do you successfully

meet the needs of the
diverse learners in your
classroom?

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The idea of differentiating

instruction is an approach
to teaching that advocates
active planning for and
attention to student
differences in classrooms,
in the context of high
quality curriculums.

What is differentiation?

It’s teaching with the child in mind. We teach

content but we teach to human beings and
not all children understand in the same way,
in the same time, make the same connections
or need the same support systems.

Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Differentiation……

Doesn’t suggest that a teacher can be all things

to all individuals all the time. It does, however,
mandate that a teacher create a reasonable
range of approaches to learning much of the
time, so that most students find learning a fit
much of the time.

Carol Tomlinson Differentiated Instruction 2012

In a differentiated classroom
teachers ….
……proactively plan varied approaches to what
students need to learn, how they will learn it,
and/or how they will show what they have
learned in order to increase the likelihood that
each student will learn as much as he or she can,
as efficiently as possible.

Carol Tomlinson Differentiated Instruction 2012

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Differentiation is a Response to Beliefs About

Teaching and Learning

1. We probably underestimate the capacity of every child

as a learner
2. Students should be at the center of the learning
process.
3. All learners require meaningful, powerful, and engaging
schoolwork to develop their individual capacities so
that they can become fulfilled and productive members
of society
4. A major emphasis in learner development is
competition against oneself and not against someone
else for progression

Traditional Classroom vs. Differentiated Classroom

Differences are acted upon when Differences are studied as a basis for
problematic. planning.
Assessment is most common at the end of Assessment is on-going and diagnostic to
learning to see "who got it” make instruction more responsive to needs
A relatively narrow sense of intelligence Focus on multiple forms of intelligences is
prevails evident
Students interest is infrequently tapped and Student readiness, interest, and learning
coverage of texts and curriculum guides profile shape instruction
drives instruction
Whole class instruction dominates Many instructional arrangements are used
Mastery of facts and skills out of context Use of essential skills to make sense and
are the focus of learning understand key concepts is the focus
Single option assignments are the norm Multi option assignments are used
Time is relatively inflexible Time is flexibly in accordance with need
A single text prevails Multiple materials are provided
The teacher provides whole class standards Students work with the teacher to establish
for grading whole class and individual learning goals
A single form of assessment is used Students are assessed in multiple ways

Adapted from "The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs ofAll Learners," by Carol Ann Tomlinson, 1999, p.16

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Instruction must focus

s
on essential principles
l task
and skills. Teachers must
fu
esp ect
be able to identify
R
instructional goals and
outcomes for all
students
Assessment and
instruction go hand in
Teachers recognise
ping
hand. Teachers pre
sm ent
ses
and attend to the
ou assess to understand
g r
differences in their
ible g as
their students starting
oi n
Flex Ong
students. They do point and continue with
not attempt a one- on going assessments
size fits all approach and make adjustments
to instruction as needed

What stays the same

• What a student must know, understand and be able to do (the KUD’s)
Learning remains consistent for all students in the differentiated classroom
Goals

• We often give students at the upper end of the continuum the “cool” stuff – we let
them pick their own topics and work on independent projects, while we assign
Respectful students at the other end of the spectrum rote tasks or worksheets.
Tasks

• Assessing where our students’ understanding or knowledge is relative to

Formative the learning goals of our lessons is important for every learner.
Assessment

• Remembering to teach “up” will help keep expectations high for

High everyone.
Expectations

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What can/should change

The curriculum the How teachers sequence

students access and the learning and the
how they access it Content Process ways in which students
learn

How students
demonstrate what Product Environment How learning is
they have learned. structured – grouping

Readiness for
Interest in things
a given skill,
that are relevant,
concept, or
fascinating, or
EFFICIENCY way of
worthy of their
MOTIVATION thinking
time GROWTH

Learning profile is learning style, intelligence preferences, how the student

processes information, and how the learner sees himself in relation to the rest of the
world.

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Using instructional strategies such as

Multiple intelligences Tiered lessons 4MAT

Jigsaw Tiered centers Varied questioning
Taped material Tiered products Interest centers
Anchor activities Learning contracts Interest groups
Varying organisers Small group Varied homework
Varied texts instruction
Compacting
Varied supplementary Group investigation Varied journal
materials Orbitals prompts
Literature circles Independent study Complex instruction

http://www.fortheteachers.org/instructional_strategies/

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Web Quests & Web Inquiry

Jigsaw

Cubing RAFTS

Think-Tac-Toe Graphic
Organizers

Complex
Orbitals
Instruction…

Use formative
assessments regularly
(ones you develop to
be close to your
Study your students. teaching--not
The more you see them standardized ones). As
as distinct individuals-- you see where your
the more you students are in relation
Start small. Begin with understand them as to your learning goals,
whatever steps feel human beings--the you'll understand more
right to you. clearer your motivation clearly what you need
Differentiation isn't so will be. to do next to help
hard. Change is. Go in students move ahead
a direction that's likely from their starting
to result in some points.
success. Start with one
subject or one class.
Start with 10 minutes a
day or 15 minutes a
week. Just start.

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Make the students your

partners in creating a
classroom that works
well for everyone. Don't
do differentiation to
Invest time in thinking them, do it with them.
through classroom Explain your thinking
routines--giving and ask for their input.
directions handling Enlist their help in
transitions, starting making sure the
and stopping tasks, classroom runs
using materials smoothly. Get their
effectively. Envision input on which
how you want things to approaches work best
work and help your for them.
students do the same.

Differentiation is not a mystery formula that only a

few can understand. It's not a series of mandatory
instructional strategies. It's not a recipe.
It's problem solving on behalf of kids. One step at a
time, all teachers can do that.
Differentiation just asks of us what we recommend
for our students: flexible thinking, intellectual risk-
taking, problem-solving--and a deepening sense of
humanity Carol Tomlinson Differentiated Instruction

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