Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom

Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom

Transcript

1. Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom By Dr. Paul A. Rodríguez How Do You Teach? Planning for Challenge and Variety
2. Instruction Through a Lens of Challenge —  Challenge does not mean simply more work, especially not more work of the same kind. —  Educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives presents a useful and time-tested model for examining and differentiating the challenge level of activities. —  Bloom’s higher levels of thinking re-teach or reinforce basic content. —  All students need opportunities to work at all levels. —  Some students need more time than others to develop their content knowledge.
3. Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Refer to page 69
4. Instruction Through a Lens of Variety —  Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences claims that every student has strengths in thinking and learning (p.70) —  Students learn and produce with greater ease when they’re using an area of strength. —  Asking students to work in ways in which they’re less able helps them strengthen those intelligences and widen their learning repertoire. —  Not every concept must be taught in all eight ways. —  The more variety you offer students in the ways you ask them to learn and show what they have learned, the greater the likelihood of reaching more students.
5. Coding Your Map for Differentiation Refer to your Curriculum Map from Chapter 3 (pages 64-65) 1.  On your map, review your list of skills. Code each skill by the relevant levels in Bloom’s taxonomy. 2.  Review your projects and products column. Code each using both Bloom’s taxonomy and Gardner’s categories. 3.  Determine what levels are represented and which are missing. “Do you have enough rigor and challenge?” 4.  Which multiple intelligences are well represented? Which are missing? Do you have enough variety? 5.  Design or redesign instructional activities to add greater variety or increase the challenge level of your activities. Curriculum Map Sample page 71
6. Writing Differentiated Activities: Short and Sweet Analyzing, modifying, and designing learning will be easier if you phrase each learning description as succinctly as possible. Here is the formula: content+process+product=the learning experience content: What are the students learning about? process: What level of thinking is required? product: How will the results of learning be represented and addressed?
7. Writing a Learning Activity Sample wording for learning activity: Compare and contrast a scene in a novel with the movie version of the same scene by presenting your ideas in a story board of words and pictures. content = written and film version of a scene from a novel process = compare and contrast (analysis level of challenge) product = storyboard of words and pictures (verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial product)
8. Matrix Plan The Integration Matrix
9. Matrix Uses Use a matrix to: —  Provide a slate of activities to select from as you build your unit. —  Plan activities to be used with all students in your classroom. —  Design tiered activities for flexible instructional groups. —  Develop “project menus” that offer students a choice. —  Design challenging questions.