How can I use technology and other teaching strategies to differentiate my instruction?
There is a lot of information about differentiation in the classroom and it seems it has been a hot topic for a while now. I have to be honest and say that I have never truly looked into or learned what differentiation was. My vague understanding of it was that it was a methodology that focused on being able to teach different levels in the same class and pushing them to reach their potential, all at the same time. I have always worked in low-performing schools and have had great success working with the low and mid-level students. When I had classes working with high level students, I did well with them too. But I have always felt that I was not as effective in classes that had a large range of ability levels. This school year this issue has come to the forefront because I have a class with 24 students that has 4-6 advanced, 10-12 low, and 6-8 average students.
What I found while researching and reading is that differentiation is the ideal way to teach, but that it is not always done. Some of the reasons why it may not be incorporated as much as it should be are listed below.
I also found resources that stress the importance of collaboration with other teachers, willingness to learn from other teachers (through peer observations), using data on a regular basis to drive your lessons, and the importance of getting to know the students.
This week I also participated in the web meeting, “Teach Like a Pirate.” Before attending, I had not read the book and was not really familiar with Dave Burgess or his work. One thing that he talked about that stood out to me was when he said, “get to know your students. Find out what they like, what’s the big new tech thing they are into, anything that you find out will help you ‘hook’ them.” I have always felt like I am able to build strong relationships with my students, but I have never applied that to my lessons. I have always used those relationships so they feel safe, confident, and comfortable with me and my classroom. Using that information to help form my lessons is something that I plan on trying in the future and with this research project.
Overall there were numerous resources on differentiation. There were several books that I put into my amazon basket to buy and read for this project and personal use. Below are several of the articles that I found, but I am sure that I will add or change some up in the coming weeks as I continue to research how I can differentiate in my classroom.
Annotated Bibliographies
Rock, M.L., Gregg, M., Ellis, E., & Gable, R.A. (2008). REACH: A Framework for Differentiating Classroom Instruction. Preventing School Failure, 52(2), 31-47. Academic Search Premier, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article focuses on the importance and potential that differentiation can bring to a classroom. It also looked at a special education teacher and a regular teacher in a school and their need for differentiation and the journey they went on. It talked about why there has been in change in classrooms over the past 40 years and why differentiation is needed to help students succeed. It also talked about the differentiating model, myth, and research. The bulk of the article is about the REACH model, which is a blueprint for differentiating in a classroom. The Framework for the REACH model is: Reflect on will and skill, Evaluate the curriculum, Analyze the learners, Craft research-based lessons, and Hone in on the data.
Manning, S. (2010). Valuing the Advanced Learner: Differentiating UP. Clearing House, 83(4), 145. doi:10.1080/00098651003774851
This article talks about the importance of differentiated instruction for the advanced learner, not just those students that need remediation. Manning explains why gifted students may not be getting the education they deserve and how high-stakes testing has somewhat forced teachers to work with the low preforming students more. It provides guidance on how to work with gifted students and differentiate a classroom and/or lessons in an effective manner. Manning also talks about the importance of teachers getting to know their students, building strong relationships, and the need for a well-developed learning environment.
Zuckerbrod, N. (2011). From Readers Theater to Math Dances: Bright Ideas to Make Differentiation Happen. Instructor, 120(5), 31-35. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article explained what differentiation was and provided some ideas on how to accomplish it. It made several good points that really hit home with me. The first was that teachers need to start with the end in mind. For each lesson a teacher should know what the learning target is, then teachers can create different ways for students to learn that material. The article also provided a great list of what types of strategies work for the 3 different types of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile learners. The article also gave good examples of differentiation on all different levels, and one that I could easily apply to my classroom.
VanTassel-Baska, J. (2012). Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R. Gifted Child Today, 35(1), 42-48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article talks about the use of an observation tool to monitor differentiation strategies. There were several interesting quotes from the article that stood out to me, “…there has been considerable evidence from different areas suggesting that how teachers behave in the classroom and the instructional approaches they use significantly affect the degree that students learn.” It provided tools and strategies that teachers can use to effectively differentiate in their classroom. It also talked about the importance of positive teacher behavioral changes and ability to collaborate with coworkers. The COS-R can be thought of as a performance-based assessment with the teacher as the unit of focus. It also focuses on classroom observations and having the teacher communicate before and after with the person observing them. These observations and conversations can help teachers learn from their lessons and observations.
Brimijoin, K. (2005). Differentiation and High-Stakes Testing: An Oxymoron? Theory into Practice, 44(3), 254-261. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article talked about what differentiation is and how it might look in the classroom. It also talked about a case study of a teacher from a state with high-stakes testing. The article followed her through the process of beginning to use differentiation and shared how it affected her classroom and students. The article also talked about the importance of assessments and using the data to drive instruction. The article also explained that expert teachers use a variety of assessments, strategies, etc. throughout the year. The expert teacher will use what is best for the students and their learning. It also provided other strategies and important things to remember when using differentiation in the classroom.
There is a lot of information about differentiation in the classroom and it seems it has been a hot topic for a while now. I have to be honest and say that I have never truly looked into or learned what differentiation was. My vague understanding of it was that it was a methodology that focused on being able to teach different levels in the same class and pushing them to reach their potential, all at the same time. I have always worked in low-performing schools and have had great success working with the low and mid-level students. When I had classes working with high level students, I did well with them too. But I have always felt that I was not as effective in classes that had a large range of ability levels. This school year this issue has come to the forefront because I have a class with 24 students that has 4-6 advanced, 10-12 low, and 6-8 average students.
What I found while researching and reading is that differentiation is the ideal way to teach, but that it is not always done. Some of the reasons why it may not be incorporated as much as it should be are listed below.
- High-stakes testing – teachers may feel like they don’t have the time to differentiate and that they must teach to the test
- Not enough knowledge – it is not easy to be able to differentiate lessons. It requires that teachers have a thorough understanding of their content, their students, and numerous resources (tools) to use with the students
- Too time consuming – it is time consuming to differentiate lessons. What is important for teachers to remember is that you can’t jump in and differentiate everything from the beginning. I learned through my research that it is important to take baby steps and just keep adding on over time
- Uncomfortable for teachers – many teachers teach to students how they learned. Differentiation is a teaching method that forces teachers to get out of lecture mode and try new strategies.
I also found resources that stress the importance of collaboration with other teachers, willingness to learn from other teachers (through peer observations), using data on a regular basis to drive your lessons, and the importance of getting to know the students.
This week I also participated in the web meeting, “Teach Like a Pirate.” Before attending, I had not read the book and was not really familiar with Dave Burgess or his work. One thing that he talked about that stood out to me was when he said, “get to know your students. Find out what they like, what’s the big new tech thing they are into, anything that you find out will help you ‘hook’ them.” I have always felt like I am able to build strong relationships with my students, but I have never applied that to my lessons. I have always used those relationships so they feel safe, confident, and comfortable with me and my classroom. Using that information to help form my lessons is something that I plan on trying in the future and with this research project.
Overall there were numerous resources on differentiation. There were several books that I put into my amazon basket to buy and read for this project and personal use. Below are several of the articles that I found, but I am sure that I will add or change some up in the coming weeks as I continue to research how I can differentiate in my classroom.
Annotated Bibliographies
Rock, M.L., Gregg, M., Ellis, E., & Gable, R.A. (2008). REACH: A Framework for Differentiating Classroom Instruction. Preventing School Failure, 52(2), 31-47. Academic Search Premier, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article focuses on the importance and potential that differentiation can bring to a classroom. It also looked at a special education teacher and a regular teacher in a school and their need for differentiation and the journey they went on. It talked about why there has been in change in classrooms over the past 40 years and why differentiation is needed to help students succeed. It also talked about the differentiating model, myth, and research. The bulk of the article is about the REACH model, which is a blueprint for differentiating in a classroom. The Framework for the REACH model is: Reflect on will and skill, Evaluate the curriculum, Analyze the learners, Craft research-based lessons, and Hone in on the data.
Manning, S. (2010). Valuing the Advanced Learner: Differentiating UP. Clearing House, 83(4), 145. doi:10.1080/00098651003774851
This article talks about the importance of differentiated instruction for the advanced learner, not just those students that need remediation. Manning explains why gifted students may not be getting the education they deserve and how high-stakes testing has somewhat forced teachers to work with the low preforming students more. It provides guidance on how to work with gifted students and differentiate a classroom and/or lessons in an effective manner. Manning also talks about the importance of teachers getting to know their students, building strong relationships, and the need for a well-developed learning environment.
Zuckerbrod, N. (2011). From Readers Theater to Math Dances: Bright Ideas to Make Differentiation Happen. Instructor, 120(5), 31-35. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article explained what differentiation was and provided some ideas on how to accomplish it. It made several good points that really hit home with me. The first was that teachers need to start with the end in mind. For each lesson a teacher should know what the learning target is, then teachers can create different ways for students to learn that material. The article also provided a great list of what types of strategies work for the 3 different types of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile learners. The article also gave good examples of differentiation on all different levels, and one that I could easily apply to my classroom.
VanTassel-Baska, J. (2012). Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R. Gifted Child Today, 35(1), 42-48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article talks about the use of an observation tool to monitor differentiation strategies. There were several interesting quotes from the article that stood out to me, “…there has been considerable evidence from different areas suggesting that how teachers behave in the classroom and the instructional approaches they use significantly affect the degree that students learn.” It provided tools and strategies that teachers can use to effectively differentiate in their classroom. It also talked about the importance of positive teacher behavioral changes and ability to collaborate with coworkers. The COS-R can be thought of as a performance-based assessment with the teacher as the unit of focus. It also focuses on classroom observations and having the teacher communicate before and after with the person observing them. These observations and conversations can help teachers learn from their lessons and observations.
Brimijoin, K. (2005). Differentiation and High-Stakes Testing: An Oxymoron? Theory into Practice, 44(3), 254-261. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article talked about what differentiation is and how it might look in the classroom. It also talked about a case study of a teacher from a state with high-stakes testing. The article followed her through the process of beginning to use differentiation and shared how it affected her classroom and students. The article also talked about the importance of assessments and using the data to drive instruction. The article also explained that expert teachers use a variety of assessments, strategies, etc. throughout the year. The expert teacher will use what is best for the students and their learning. It also provided other strategies and important things to remember when using differentiation in the classroom.