Differentiation Workshop

What I learned during my differentiation workshop

 Students need to be pre-asses for their learning style.

Not everyone learn the same.  I know that I am more of a visual/kinesthetic learner. You should take some time in the beginning of the school year and get to know your students.  Give them a worksheet to fill out to see how your students learn best. It’s also a plus because it shows that you care about them!

·      Why is D.I necessary for struggling learners?

Improves students performance, validates prior knowledge, and streamlines instruction (focuses on key concepts and principles).

·      Differentiated instruction typically involves modifications in one or more of the following areas:

-Contents: The ‘what” of teaching

  (Formulate essential questions and unit questions that reflect key concepts and skills of what the students need to know.)

-Process: the “how” of teaching

-Products: the end result of the learning

(If you are starting out, you do not have to try and differentiated all three areas, pick one and focus on that.)

·      Flexible Grouping: the goal is to allow students to interact and learn from others.

Group bases on interests, learning styles, student relationships. Each group member should know his/her role.  Do not put all students with the same strengths or weaknesses together in one group (share the love).

     The presenter gave an example of “clock buddy”. Do not tell students what the clock will be use for. At the beginning of the school year, have the student draw a clock with 12,3,6,9 labeled. Ask students to go around and have their clock sign by each other next to the same label number. When you want them to pair up just say something like “ I want you to go to your 3 o’clock appointment. “ Switch the appointment time up with appropriate. This will help students get to know each other and get out of their comfort zone.

Refrain from automatically pairing extremely academically high students with extremely academically low students.  (This is important because both students could get really frustrated. The higher level students might feel as if he or she is doing all the work and the lower level students might feel dumb or worst not learning anything.)

·      Tiered Activities/Products:

Students are provided a more direct instructional match with their instructional needs. The teacher keeps the purpose of the activity the same but provides the students with different levels of complexity, abstractness and open-endedness. The activity selection must contain choices that are relevant and significant to the curriculum and add depth to their understanding of the topic.

Tiered Activity Example:

Student Expectation: Identify that (organic compounds contain carbon and other elements) such as hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen or sulfur.

Divide students into team:

                    Green Team:

                 -Carefully review your books, notes, and marked Websites. Do the following activities:

                     With your teams

1.)  Make observation of the items that have been placed at your lab/table. What are the physical properties of each object? Record them in your notebook.

2.)  What kind of chemical properties does each object have? Record them in your notebook.

3.)  What is the difference between a physical property and a chemical property?

On your own

1.)  Select a card from the product files desk and read the information that has been provided. Create matchbooks foldable for the product that has been described on the card that you selected.

2.)  On the inside of your foldable, classify the properties that have been provided as either being physical or chemical. Describe what evidence would be produced a physical change and a chemical change took place within the object.

3.)  Finally, based on the make up of the product (found on the product file card) justify whether or not this product can be classified as organic or inorganic.

Purple Team:

  -Carefully review the science magazine and bookmarked Web site. Each group member should do the following activities:

           With a partner from your work team

1.)  Select a magazine and cut 15-17 various pictures of objects from it

2.)  Create a classification system for the object pictures selected based on particular physical properties that are noted. Each group should be labeled by the property.

3.)  You and your partner will identify the Product File Card from the Green Team that (closely) matches a picture object that you selected from the first part of the activity.

On your own

1.)  Use the Product File card from a Green Team student and 3 facts about the element that were not included in our classroom study. Include these things on the back of the matchbook foldable that has been crated. Make a prediction about how the element directly before it and after it and directly about it and below it will react.

2.)  Write 2 questions about the element that you researched. Make your questions focus on the use of the element, its composition and reactivity level in nature.

·      Choice Boards:

     work assignments are written on cards that are placed in hanging pockets. (The example she showed was a science fair board with lots of cd covers for pockets to hold the cards)

      By asking students to select a card from a particular row of pockets, the teacher targets work toward students needs yet allows student choice. Of course you do not tell students what each pockets represent or why you use different color cards.

·      Late but not least: Don’t teach in isolation! Teach plan!

      Make each activity as =equally=appealing and interesting as the next. Take each student into account when planning. Provide a variety of ways for students to learn new material.