Differentiated+Instruction+and+Universal+Design+for+Learning

= = = Differentiating Assessments for ELLs = =__Goals and Objectives__:= 1. Create an assessment that provides differentiated opportunities for all of their students to express their learning regardless of their language and/or writing abilities.

2. Learn the basic principles behind differentiated instruction. This session's emphasis is on differentiating products(assessments). A secondary goal is to start to experience methods of differentiating instruction.

3. Begin to learn alternative methods of grouping students within a class based upon informal preassessments.

4 Have a meaningful planning session with our special education co-teachers that defines classroom roles and provides an environment for successful differentiation.

5. Take advantage of the technological resources that are available to ease differentiation.

6. Initiate the conversations about purposeful differentiation of content. This will be a focus of a future professional development day.

7. Briefly introduce teachers to the concepts of Universal Design, however, the bulk of our professional development will be focused upon Differentiated Instruction.

__Opening Activity:__

 * Invite teachers present to take a laptop if they so wish. Explain that they may use one during the session to participate in a LiveBlog of the session but it is not required. (The teacher who expresses the most comfort in knowledge in DI prior to the training will be asked to serve as the LiveBlog panelist who will may take notes, ask questions, and facilitate the "back channel" throughout the training.


 * Additionally, teachers are invited to explore a number of videos that have been placed within the wiki if they are a quick reader. All the videos support ideas from the professional development session. They also serve the added goal of being beneficial to visual/auditory learners and are another example of differentiating content.


 * Teachers will introduce themselves to the others at their table: Talk 30 seconds about 1 method of instruction that helps them learn, and 1 method of instruction that is not helpful for them. One teacher should be assigned the recorder, one teacher should be assigned the speaker for the activity. A third person will be designated to summarize and post the groups responses on the discussion board for this wiki.


 * After the groups have shared out to the entire room, discuss the strategies that were utilized in the opening activity.
 * serves as a preassessment
 * begins to establish classroom procedures
 * asserts that learning can be shared and displayed in a variety of modalities
 * technology is purposefully incorporated
 * not everyone has to do the same thing to participate in the activity


 * Have everyone create a preliminary definition of "Differentiated Instruction" based upon the opening activity.


 * Discuss that this activity can actually be modeled as a form of preassessment of our students' knowledge of a topic of study that we would be beginning.

**__Universal Design for Learning:__**
>> Education.
 * Consider a student who had special needs in your classroom:
 * Seek(without using names) examples of students that teachers had to specifically plan texts, readings, activities for due to physical disabilities, IEP's, or other needs of your students(ex. ELL students who could not speak English)
 * After sharing of examples, discuss that planning so that our content is accessible and our classroom is physically accessible for every student are examples of Universal Design for Learning.
 * Have all teachers read a copy of Christina Samuel's "Universal Design" Concept Pushed for
 * Upon completion of the reading, demonstrate two examples of Universal Design applied to the article:
 * Ability to view article on proquest and "zoom text" in Firefox and/or Internet Explorer is one example of Universal Design.
 * Ability to use SpeakingFox to have article read to a student who is a struggling reader.
 * Have closing discussion between social studies teachers and special education teachers regarding the known disabilities our students' currently possess and how we can design activities in our classroom to make them accessible to all of our students.

**__Constructing Knowledge About Differentiated Instruction:__**

 * Shift gears by discussing how Differentiated Instruction is similar to Universal Design but more focused in the specific student you have, their specific instructional needs, and planning for multiple paths for success.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2006, April). An Alternative to Ability Grouping. //Principal// //Leadership, 6//(8), 31-32. Retrieved from Proquest database. (1020311841)
 * Please read the attached article from Carol Ann Tominson entitled [[file:AnAlternativetoAbilityGrouping.pdf]]

Upon reading the article:
 * Choose 1 sentence, 1 phrase, and 1 word to represent main ideas/important concepts from the article.
 * Discuss these as a group. Have one member of your team your groups ideas on the LiveBlog.
 * This activity was adapted from "The Text Rendering Experience" found at the National School Reform Faculty(http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/learning_texts.html) [[file:text_rendering-1.pdf]]


 * Discuss with your group what may be some barriers to adopting a classroom model that is not purely based upon ability grouping.
 * Point out to teachers that this development is particularly timely as we are in the process of "flattening" our levels in 10th through 12th grade over the next three years.

What is Differentiated Instruction?
 * Teachers will be shown [|Dr. Raymond S. Pastore's website on Differentiated Instruction]. (Use of polyvision smartboard)
 * Emphasize lists of What DI is and What DI is Not.
 * Emphasize :
 * "Differentiated Instruction provides MULTIPLE APPROACHES to content, process, and product"
 * "Differentiated Instruction is A BLEND of whole-class, group, and individual instruction."


 * Direct teachers to Strategies Listed on the website.
 * Provide teachers with a printed copy of the lists.media type="youtube" key="tRP_qM9B_Wk" height="272" width="329" align="right"
 * Have teacher highlight all the strategies they use within the classroom.
 * Teachers will discuss at their tables their findings from the variety of strategies that are identified.

//Teachers will create an updated definition for Differentiated Instruction.//


 * How does the image below help clarify your definition of Differentiated Instruction?
 * How does the presence of the image below serve as an example of Differentiated Instruction?

Each groups' updated definition should be posted on the discussion tab of this wiki. Everyone will compare and contrast their first definition with their second.

__Implementation and Practice:__
Now that we have read and discussed some of the benefits of alternative groupings of students, identified 3 key areas of differentiation, and begun to determine what DI is and what DI is not, let us turn to how we can practically and gradually implement elements of Differentiated Instruction.

How do I begin to implement Differentiated Instruction?

Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson takes a very pragmatic approach to implementing Differentiated Instruction. DI is not individualization. DI does not have to occur in all three areas of Content, Process, and Product at the start. DI can be implemented gradually. Focus on two groups and the product within your class(This product is a grade level assessment that the grade level teachers you work with have decided to practice differentiation upon). Focus on a product, an assessment that can be completed in a variety of different ways. Click on the link below to read parts of a LiveBlog interview with Dr. Tomlinson. While 3:06-3:10 has the bulk of the information on how to get started, if you are a quick reader, explore the interview more or take advantage of the to view the video about Differentiated Instruction below while the rest of your group reads.
 * Exploring Differentiated Instruction**

media type="youtube" key="oS45ZkIh_rA" height="364" width="445"

Today we are going to practice differentiation of product. In other words, how do you create assessments that allow a wide range of learners to display their learning? Read p3 of Kelly Anderson's "Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students". While we will read other portions of this later in the year, p3 provides specific suggestions for differentiating assessments.

1. Once you have completed reading p3 of Anderson's article, organize yourselves into grade level social studies groups. Each group should have one special education teacher to provide suggestions regarding accommodations for students within the grade level.

2.Choose one of the sample assessments within your group and differentiate it to allow its application for at least 4 different types of learners.
 * Consider inclusion, gifted, auditory, artistic, verbal, individual, collaborative, informative, creative, and more.
 * Utilize your laptop or one provided to create a differentiated assessment that you will implement in the next month.

3. Upon completion, assign a member of the group to respond to this prompt found in the discussion tab above:
 * "What challenges did your group face and overcome in differentiating a product for your class." ****

4. Take 10 minutes to have groups share the products/assessments they created. Emphasis should be placed upon the variety of students the adapted product would apply.

__Conclusions and Wrap-up:__

 * Technology, Universal Design, and DI:
 * Use Polyboard to develop a list with the teachers of all the ways in which technology was used to Differentiate Instruction within the professional development session.
 * Have teachers expand upon this list by brainstorming with their groups at least 3 other ways that technology could be used to assist Differentiated Instruction. Ask a teacher to post that list on the wiki as a discussion thread that can be added to and built upon throughout the year. The discussion, along with this wiki can serve as resources throughout the year for teachers as they begin to implement elements of Differentiated Instruction.
 * Thank all for their focused participation as well as wish them luck in using the assessment/product they created. Remind them that our next session will focus on differentiating content.


 * Please complete a survey about today's training. It will assist us in preparing next month's professional development early dismissal which will continue expand our learning of Differentiated Instruction.

=Citations:=

Anderson, K. M. (2007, Spring). Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students. //Preventing School Failure, 51//(3), 49. Retrieved from Proquest database. (1260881661)

Hall, T. (2002). //Differentiated Instruction// (Monograph). Retrieved from National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum website: http://www.cast.org/ publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.

Pastore, R. S., Ph.D. (2009, August 1). //Differentiated Instruction//. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from Bloomsburg University website: http://teacherworld.com/di.html.

Samuels, C. A. (2007, October 31). "Universal Design" Concept Pushed for Education. //Education Week//, pp. 1-2. Retrieved from http://p2047-ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ pqdweb?did=1385212551&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=3552&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Tomlinson, C. A. (2006, April). An Alternative to Ability Grouping. //Principal// //Leadership, 6//(8), 31-32. Retrieved from Proquest database. (1020311841).

Tomlinson, C. A., & Rebora, A. (EdWeek). (2009, May 15). //Exploring Differentiated// //Instruction//. LiveBlog Interview presented at http://www.edweek.org/ew/ events/chats/2009/05/15/index.html.