Podcast on Differentiated Learning

Below is a link to a The Inclusive Class Podcast on Differentiated Learning featuring Carolyn Coil.

Listen to internet radio with The Inclusive Class Podcast on Blog Talk Radio

Ten Myths About Gifted Education

Please take a moment to read Carolyn Coil's recent guest-post on CNN's Schools of Thought blog:

My view: Ten myths about gifted students and programs for gifted

(CNN) – American educators have struggled for more than 40 years to define giftedness. Yet even now, there is no universally agreed upon definition of what it means to be gifted. U.S. federal law defines gifted students as those who perform or who show promise of performing at high levels in any one of five categories: general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking, leadership ability or visual/performing arts.

Tools for Differentiating Based on Student Readiness

1. Bloom’s Taxonomy (old or new)
2. Tomlinson’s Equalizer
3. Concept-based Teaching.

1. Most teachers are familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy as it has been a staple of teacher education programs for over 40 years. Originally designed as a means for identifying the degree of abstraction of questions that are typically asked in educational settings, this hierarchical model of thinking is now widely used to assist in the design of assignments and tasks that address different levels of readiness. Whether using the original version of the Taxonomy or the newer one, it is important to keep in mind that Bloom did not intend for his model to be used as a means for labeling students. That is, we should not consider some students to generally be “knowledge-level learners” while others might be labeled “synthesis and evaluation learners.” Rather, we should keep in mind that there are times when even our most struggling thinkers are capable of thinking at higher levels. Similarly, there are certainly times when our most gifted learners must focus on basic recall of information, or lower-level thinking.

Tools for Differentiating Instruction - Part 1

The Next few posts will be about Tools for Differentiating Instruction.

The tools that teachers have at their disposal in today’s classrooms are much richer than the ones we recall our teachers using during our own schooling. We now know significantly more about the brain and how it works than we did just 20 years ago, and this increase in knowledge is producing new educational models and approaches at almost lightning speed. While these new trends may be exciting, with so many new ideas and directions to choose from, teachers often feel the stress of being asked to implement too many initiatives coming at any one given time. How can we possibly know which will really be effective and which are practical in the “real world?”

The next two posts will focus on several models or “tools” that have been proven to  work with students and with teachers. While there are certainly numerous other tools available, these have stood the test of time and have proven to be “doable” for most teachers.

-Tools for Differentiating Based on Student Readiness (Bloom's Taxonomy, Tomlinson's Equalizer, and concept-based teaching)
-Tools for Differentiating Based on A Student Learning Profile (Groupings, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences)

Keep in mind that, regardless of the tools that a teacher chooses to use, the goal in any classroom, differentiated or not, ought to be to aim high so that each and every student experiences an appropriate challenge. Given the fact that our students enter our classrooms with vastly different needs and readiness levels for learning, aiming high for all cannot mean the same instruction and work for all. This is, of course, why differentiation is a necessity in any classroom.

Resource Highlight!

Every now and then, I am going to highlight a product that I think is essential for differentiation in the classroom. Here is the first! Please let me know what you use in your classroom!

Successful Teaching in the Differentiated Classroom is a great resource by Carolyn Coil. Every teacher should own this book! Its a comprehensive guide, to do just that, GUIDE you through implementing and perfecting differentiation in your classroom.
 

Successful Teaching in the Differentiated Classroom

From the website description:

Coil presents the most comprehensive, practical resource you will need to successfully implement the concept of differentiation in your classroom. Following a brief overview of the components and a teacher self - assessment awareness checklist, are chapters with reproducibles, forms, and practical examples for administrators, teachers, students, and parents:

• Flexible Grouping
• Curriculum Compacting
• Independent/Individualized Work - learning centers, resident experts, contracting, anchoring activities
• Learning Profiles
• Product Differentiation
• Strategies: ILP™, Tic-Tac-Toe, Tiering, Encounter Lessons, Technology, Mentors, Mini-classes, Literature circles, Questivities™
• Differentiated Assessment - rubrics, criteria cards, tiering
• Special Groups
• Special Needs
• District and Schoolwide Planning

Use this resource in the school and college classroom, with professional learning communities, as a study group resource, and in staff development workshops. The CD includes customizable WORD files of forms and handouts for teacher and student. Written by Carolyn Coil.

You can purchase the book at www.piecesoflearning.com.

Two Essential Questions in Differentiation:

What is "fair?"

Does fair always mean "the same?"

“Good afternoon," the receptionist greets you. “We’re preparing for your root canal.” “Oh no,” you quickly reply. “I’m just here to have my teeth cleaned!” “Well, I’m sorry but today is our root canal day. Everyone who comes in the office today gets a root canal. That’s only fair!”

It seems many people have the impression that ‘fair’ most assuredly means ‘the same.’ When needs are different, however, fairness has quite a different interpretation.

The idea of fairness is embedded deeply in our culture. Most people interpret being fair as doing the same thing in the same way for everyone. However, in a differentiated classroom being fair doesn’t always mean "the same." Fairness in school does not mean giving everyone the same assignment to complete within the same time period. Instead, it means looking at each student's needs and learning goals, and planning ways to meet those goals in a way that is most appropriate for that student.

You, your students, their parents, and the administrators at your school must all believe in this concept of fairness in order for differentiation to be successful. Because our students and their various learning needs are so different, the necessity for differentiation is obvious. All teachers would like to accommodate each child and meet the diverse needs they have. On a practical level, teachers look for workable strategies that can help them differentiate instruction in a variety of classroom settings.

There is no one magic strategy that works for every teacher in every school with every child. Successful Teaching in the Differentiated Classroom, by Carolyn Coil, focuses on specific practical strategies that you can use to differentiate the curriculum, instruction, and assessments in your classroom. Take a look at the book, decide which strategies and techniques will work best in your classroom with your students. 

Closing the Achievement Gap through Differentiated Instruction

It is difficult to see how differentiated instruction could be of benefit in low-performing schools or how it could help close the achievement gap. However, research done by Karin Chenoweth of the non-profit Achievement Alliance tells quite a different story. She spent two years looking at schools that are making AYP and getting great results under very difficult conditions. The high-poverty schools in her project are from all over the United States. Most perform at the same level or higher as the wealthiest schools in their area. While each of these schools has an individual success story, there are commonalities among them. Their successes come from:

• Teaching using all of the senses, learning styles, and modalities
• Thematic units that combine math, science, literature, history, geography, writing, and the arts
• Integrating the arts into all aspects of the curriculum
• Hands-on projects with differentiated products and performances
• Pre-assessment, formative assessment, and data analysis that drives all aspects of instruction
• Individualized instruction and work depending upon how each student learns
• Flexible grouping based on skill levels and individual student needs

All of these are important elements of differentiated curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Looking at the successes of these schools, it would seem that differentiation is, indeed, a viable approach to closing the achievement gap.