It's time for a confession: the phrase
'differentiated instruction' used to be a source of a not inconsiderable amount
of stress for me. Common sense stipulates that each student has unique learning
needs and my desire to provide them with individualized resources and the
'right' methods was strong. Planning these wonderful methods out was an
intimidating concept, however, especially considering the large class sizes we
currently deal with in public schools. When I started my KPTP, my concerns in
this area loomed large: how would I concisely but purposefully explain how I
differentiated instruction? How much was too much? How much was not enough?
What stimulated student progress and what impeded it? What was hovering or
hand-holding and what was making accomodations that would help a student
flourish? How much time would determining all of this require? It is a tricky area; I believe we can all agree on that.
In recent weeks, however, I have become
infinitely more comfortable with this one vague, unwieldy term. According to
Education Consultant John McCarthy, "Traditional classrooms take a whole-group instruction approach because
it is a timesaver for lesson delivery. This timesaver is illusory,"
(McCarthy, 2015). This statement was quite striking to me; of course
differentiated instruction requires more planning but it is a preemptive
measure that ensures students do not follow behind or lose motivation. Creating
effective differentiated instruction, in fact, is the best way to ensure that
your classes make their way through the year with the least amount of
backtracking possible. When implementing differentiated instruction in my
classroom, I have utilized countless methods. After all, now is the time to experiment. I
have practiced supplementing the instructions present in a 504 plan with my own
modifications to fit a student’s current situation and I have provided artistic
students with a chance to include their skills in assignments that may not have
originally called for students to utilize those abilities extensively. Creating
tiered activities has become a focus; it is simple enough to modify one's
expectations between a regular and an honors class; but creating tiered
activities within a single classroom is another matter entirely; there has been
a decent amount of trial and error involved but I have gained much new
knowledge and classroom practices from this endeavor. I have had students that
struggle with putting pen to paper share their final overall thoughts verbally
after practicing their writing strategies. I have allowed students to read
individually instead of with a group if that is their preference. I have
allowed students to organize their dialectical journals in untraditional
manners as it best fits their learning. I have become more open-minded and a
champion of non-verbal cues.
I have presented my students with a good deal
of freedom in selecting what they learn and how they learn it, especially during my Night unit. Considering that particular unit was the topic of my KPTP, however, and I have blissfully left that behind for now, I want to focus on what first drew my attention to differentiated learning and how it has impacted the current unit I am teaching. First semester,
I was excited to find out that the Honors students had the responsibility of
picking out their own books and assessment method for their Outside Reading
Project. Every nine weeks, we have received exemplary products from these classes; grading
products ranging from a giant laminated poster, to an ambitious and complicated
board game, to a diorama that catches the eye of every soul, student or
instructor, who enters my classroom. However, I found myself wishing that the
regular classes had this same opportunity. At this time, it is not completely
feasible for them to start an ORP, considering their current projects, but I
have worked on differentiating my expectations for the autobiographies my
students are currently working on. A student struggling writing a narrative
about her troubled childhood in the 'When I Was Little" segment of the
project was allowed the chance to express her emotions through poetry. I have
coached students one-on-one to help them understand our expectations in regards
to the 'personality' section of the project and I have adapted an assignment
based on student's superstitions to make students who were against the concept
feel welcomed and safe within the school environment while still requiring them
to write the same amount, on the topic of traditions. I have implemented
flexible grouping and allowed oral learners to share their stories with their
small groups when the need arises. Overall, I cannot exactly claim to be the
master of differentiated learning but I am well on my way to figuring it out.
Please, let me know what ideas you have implemented in your classrooms! This is
one of the main areas of growth I want to focus on this month. Thank you in
advance!
Myth-Busting Differentiated Instruction: 3 Myths and 3 Truths. (2014). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-myths-and-truths-john-mccarthy
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI can truly appreciate your initial fears with the term "differentiated instruction." As you note, when you walk into a typical urban classroom, which may brim over with 35 vastly different kiddos, the idea of tailoring instruction to serve all of them equally seems laughable.
The most striking statement from your post to me was "Creating effective differentiated instruction, in fact, is the best way to ensure that your classes make their way through the year with the least amount of backtracking possible." Having observed MANY teachers, I have noticed that those who cut corners or gloss over concepts are only wasting their own time, as they must simply reteach what they've already covered. Naturally, reteaching causes burnout, so in this scenario, everyone loses.
I'm glad that you are so actively reflecting on (and practicing!) creative approaches to differentiation. It looks different in all situations, so we need to sharpen our "with-it-ness" as much as possible. You're an inspiration!
-Mary
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insight on differentiation! Yes, with this term comes some discomfort and uncertainty on the part of the novice teacher. But, what I have come to realize is that differentiation can take so many shapes and forms. The KPTP helped me come to this realization as well as the fact that I was already differentiating without necessarily realizing it. The terminology of educational practices can sometimes get in the way of the practices themselves. From your post, I can tell that you understand this because it seems that you were already practicing differentiation with your student who you worked with and adapted instructional practices for in allowing them to change their writing format for the project to something that flowed and worked for them.
This is perhaps the most important part of differentiating without killing yourself while creating lesson plans. Developing relationships with your students that foster trust and understanding can help inform your instructional decisions. Using this data and information, you can adjust instruction so that it is varied and meets all students' needs to provide an equitable education for all.
Great job Brooke! Keep practicing the art of being a reflective educator it will take you far!
Alexis
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the multitude of ways you've been differentiating for your students! I, too, had/have this fear of differentiation - it feels like a huge vast sea of unknowns doesn't it? I had no idea how much it encompassed or how much I would use it this year!
Like you, I really had to tackle some differentiation head-on for my KPTP. That project was timed perfectly with the arrival of a new student in my 8th grade English class reads at below a 2nd grade level. My mentor teacher and I immediately came up with a variety of ways to meet his unique needs. We were able to allow him to read aloud one-on-one with my mentor while the rest of the class chorally read. We did, like you, allow him to verbalize a lot of work that we had other students write down to ensure he had grasped the topic at hand. I also developed notes for him that allowed him to fully participate in note taking/vocabulary activities. We also changed his seating arrangement and put him in a group of very strong students who had showed great collaborative skills. This proved to be a huge boon for this student - he got a lot of peer instruction and encouragement and he immediately starting engaging more in class-wide activities as a result.
There are so many things we can do to differentiate and I really appreciate all the things you've done and the positive experiences you had with them - your students are lucky to have someone so cognizant of their needs and learning styles!
Thanks for sharing!
-Keely
Love these insightful questions:
ReplyDelete“What stimulated student progress and what impeded it? What was hovering or hand-holding and what was making accommodations that would help a student flourish?”
Thanks for sharing your struggles and your successes in this post, Brooke! Offering students choice in how they show what they know, while providing individualized coaching and encouragement is a great way to differentiate. And your post inspired an informed dialogue among your peers—bravo!