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The How To's of Planning Lessons Differentiated by Learning Profile

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The How To's of Planning Lessons Differentiated by Learning Profile

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Great information about how to get started with planning lessons.

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A short easy-to follow video that gives a definition of differentiated instruction.

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Differentiated Instruction in the World Language Classroom

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Differentiated Instruction in the World Language Classroom

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A very simple discussion on some basic ideas and drawbacks on differentiated instruction.

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Thanks to everyone for joining us for Thursday's #langchat, and thanks especially to our moderators, Erica Fischer (@CalicoTeach) and Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell (@SECottrell). The summary is a little bit late this week but is loaded with great information and some interesting discussion!

Our topic was "How can we differentiate instruction in World Language classes?" The hour-long chat was a fascinating mix of theory and practical tips on differentiated instruction, but also covered several other interesting subjects such as goal setting in the classroom. Go here to check out the full archive, or read the summary below for all the main points.

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What Is Differentiated Instruction?

Participants shared many personal definitions of differentiation, all of which had a similar theme: students have different needs and favored learning methods. Differentiating involves matching your teaching methods to students' needs and providing students with multiple options and paths for learning. It's important not to change your methods for the sake of variety, however; the focus should be on the students' learning, not on the teacher's instruction - @tmsaue1 calls this "differentiated learning."

Why Do We Differentiate Our Instruction?

As students learn in different ways, addressing their different methods ensures that all students are challenged and engaged to learn. Several participants mentioned that differentiating your instruction also helps to increase students' motivation by providing different activities and objectives that keep and attract their interest. In addition to variety keeping the kids interested, letting students choose their own learning paths and activities gives them the chance to choose the path that motivates them the most (@SECottrell).

Choosing and completing work that motivates them can improve their confidence. In addition, @esantacruz13 mentioned that taking the time to get to know students and what works for them also improves students' confidence.

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How Can We Differentiate in the Classroom?

Our moderator, @CalicoTeach, asked "What should we do every day to differentiate instruction?" One of the critical points brought up by @SECottrell is that world language teachers should always act like we believe every child can succeed. The most important factor in learning a language is motivation, not ability.

After establishing this mindset, @mmebrady thinks we can provide different options for learning activities. Here we should let students choose both what and how they learn. Also, it's a good idea to implement different learning methods in activities to appeal to multiple students. Even just using the four elements of a foreign language - reading, writing, listening and speaking - is a good way to address students' different learning styles.

Another way to differentiate your teaching methods is to pick one of the multiple intelligences per day to reach specifically, though not exclusively (@pamwesely). Also, try letting one student be the "star student" for the week, which lets this student pick some activities and goals for the week with the teacher. Another suggestion is to have small groups of students work on the next project, and the whole class votes on the best project to actually do.

Differentiated Instruction through Student Goals

A key element of effective differentiated instruction is to let students choose their own language learning goals for the classroom with the teacher as a facilitator. When discussing goals, remember that goal setting is a learned skill. The best way to start setting language-learning goals is for the teacher to model the process first (@tmsaue1). It's ok to discuss goals for language learning in English - it's unlikely, especially at beginner and intermediate levels, that students have the target language skills to discuss their learning objectives in the language.

To help students feel comfortable setting their own goals and providing feedback on what works, try to cultivate an environment that encourages communication and sharing. Remember that not all students are at the same ages or levels of development (@pamwesely). Asking some students to create their own goals may work; with others it might not. Reasons vary, but students may just be too shy to give feedback publicly. @tmsaue1 suggests giving students opportunities for quiet feedback, such as exit slips or at-home surveys.

A potential issue with student-created goals is that many students might not know the best way to learn or what they want to learn (@pamwesely). It's the teacher's responsibility to provide the necessary support and motivation so that students can make an educated decision on what and how to learn in the classroom. One way to do this is to communicate proficiency standards with students so that their goals match; not doing so could lead students to set goals that are too high and that may lead to disappointment (@tmsaue1). @klafrench created goals with her students by starting with established proficiency standards and picking out key words to include in the class goals.

Worksheets and other activities can help students set goals, too. Before every unit, @MmeNero has students fill out a traffic light document with learning objectives divided by language skills. Students appreciate knowing what the end goal is.

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Problems with Differentiated Instruction

One of the major problems with differentiated instruction is its popularity with educators. As it's become a sort of buzzword, many teachers and educators may be tempted to believe that simply changing up their teaching methods will be enough to bring a different style of learning to their students. Don't fall into this trap! Always have a reason for any changes in teaching methods, and it's a good idea to gather student feedback as you go.

Some students might assume certain learning methods won't work for them, too. We need to help those students try these ways (@CalicoTeach). As facilitators, our job isn't just to give students the information they need to make decisions; we should also push students to continuously challenge themselves.

However, teachers must be careful not to get too involved. @MmeJonesy indicated that it's sometimes difficult to listen to what students want - teachers often have their own agendas they want to pursue. It's not easy to leave decisions such as these up to students, but it's integral to differentiated and student-centered learning. At the same time, goals and paths aren't necessarily good just because the students' helped to pick them themselves, so we need to walk a fine line between too much teacher influence and not enough (@pamwesely).

Finally, we need to make a distinction between differentiating and individualizing our teaching; @tmsaue1 asks is it really possible to address the needs of 150+ students? While an abundance of planning time would make this possible, few teachers have that luxury. It's therefore important to be aware that you cannot hope to cater to the individual needs of every student yourself; this makes student-created goals and other student inputs all the more essential.

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Resources

Thanks again to all the participants of Thursday's #langchat - the archives show that this was one fast-paced and interesting discussion, with views from all angles. If you missed out, join us for the next chat on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST. Be sure to monitor the #langchat hashtag during the week to take part in the vote on our next topic, or visit our Google Docs page to suggest a topic of your own. Also, check out our wiki at http://www.langchat.pbworks.com/.

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Differentiated Instruction in the World Language Classroom | Calico Spanish

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Thanks to everyone for joining us for Thursday's #langchat, and thanks especially to our moderators, Erica Fischer (@CalicoTeach) and Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell (@SECottrell). The summary is a little bit late this week but is loaded with great information and some interesting discussion! Our topic was "How can we differentiate instruction in World Language classes?"

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I chose the following resources because they either pertain to language teaching or give the basics about differentiated learning and teaching.

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Differentiation in the Language Classroom

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Differentiation in the Language Classroom

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More explanation of what differentiated instruction is and is not. The article also includes examples of differentiated instruction in the classroom.

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Differentiated Instruction for the Language Classroom Using Mobile Apps

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Differentiated Instruction for the Language Classroom Using Mobile Apps

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Interesting article that gives ideas to differentiate instruction using mobile apps.

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Kara Mac Donald, Ph .D Faculty Development Specialist, Associate Professor, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC)Unsoon Won, Faculty Development Advisor, Associate Professor, Academic Support Center, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC)

The diversity of learners in our classrooms requires us to adjust our instruction to maximize learning for all students. Differentiated instruction capitalizes on the readiness levels, learning styles and personal interests of learners (Blaz, 2006) and allows teachers to engage with these diverse factors. Recent developments in the mobile learning environment offer a wealth of opportunity to differentiate activities and best meet learners' needs.

DIFFERENTIATING CONTENT, PROCESS AND PRODUCT

We all vary our teaching to accommodate learner differences, thus improving their ability to better connect with and process our materials. We can differentiate, or vary, three components of our instruction: content, process and product. When we adapt content, we adjust what we present to learners or how they access the new information based on their interests, learning preferences, or knowledge of the topic. Differentiating instructional content involves varying the topic, proficiency levels and type of content (texts, audio, or video). When we adapt the process, we adjust activities to allow learners to use different cognitive skills ranging from memorization to creation, often based on Bloom's taxonomy. When we adapt the product, we offer learners an alternative means to demonstrate their learning. Demonstration of learning outcomes takes a variety of forms such as performances, written and oral presentations, debates, or projects such as the creation of short videos. However, we don't have to vary all three components in the same lesson with the same learner. We can make informed choices about when, what and how we will differentiate, for whom and how often. By varying these three dimensions of our teaching, we offer a flexible learning environment that improves our ability to meet the needs of diverse learners.

ADDRESSING LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS TO DIFFERENTIATE ACTIVITIES

Learners are all different. There are the typical diversity factors of gender, culture, ethnicity and race that are often used to characterize learner differences. However, going beyond these differences, every learner brings a myriad of background knowledge, strengths, preferences, personality, cognitive styles, and motivational factors to the classroom. Accommodating learner differences requires that we take the time not only to get to know them individually, but also to consider how their characteristics and diversity can inform our teaching. As part of meeting curriculum standards, offering differentiated activities throughout a course program benefits all learners as it both supports them and challenges them where needed. As teachers, we know to adjust our teaching practice to accommodate students and we may feel comfortable with differentiation in the traditional classroom. However, the conventional classroom is constantly evolving. Differentiated instruction is not a new practice and mobile technology is now an integral part of our personal and professional lives. Yet as teachers, it is likely we have not yet explored how to incorporate mobile technology tools into our classroom practice as a means of differentiating instruction to address learner differences.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Mobile learning technologies, particularly apps, can be a central tool in diversifying language instruction to address learner differences. Through apps, learners can access authentic target language content, create personalized products, and share information from anywhere while taking advantage of the adaptability of mobile apps and communication tools. Similarly, teachers can create podcasts, video or visual content on a variety of topics in the target language using apps such as Pocket WavePad for audio recording or Near Pod for video creation. Teachers can then share their presentations with learners via social media apps or file management apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, GoodReader and so on. Such teacher-created, semi-authentic or authentic content can enrich the language learning experience in multiple ways as learners engage with different types and levels of content and topics. For teachers, important factors to consider are: the possibilities for content delivery to multiple learners, the variety of ways learners can be asked to process that content, and the opportunities for demonstration of learning through productio. For example, there are a number of mobile apps that allow language learners to practice vocabulary, grammar, writing, and pronunciation based on their interests and level. This enables mobile language learners to personalize their learning experience and scaffold it based on their needs and level of proficiency. Our skills and creativity in matching the appropriate tools with our learners' needs promises to have a significant impact on the quality of the foreign language learning experience. It is also helpful to view mobile apps that support language learning as existing within a continuum of interaction, modalities, and mobility ranging from asynchronous self-directed learning with little or no direct interaction on one end of the scale, to interactive synchronous video conferencing on the other end of the scale. We, as teachers, must not only focus on pedagogy, but also be able to select and match the appropriate instructional technology tools to the diverse needs of our students in order to facilitate their learning.

Table 1: Mobile Apps for Differentiation in the Foreign Language Classroom***

Differentiating Content Apps

Target Language (TL) News Apps;

TL Television Station Apps: Viki, BBC, CNN;

Video Apps for TL Lessons/Cultural Content: YouTube, Video Tube;

TL Podcasts/Vodcasts: NPR;

Video/Content Storage and Sharing: Google Drive, Dropbox, Vine;

Image Apps for TL Country Culture/Geography;

Maps for Practicing Directions/Learning Geography;

TL Weather Apps;

TL Vocabulary/Grammar Apps;

TL Reading or Accessing PDF Content: Kindle/iBooks & Adobe Reader.

Differentiating Process Apps (supporting process and collaboration)

Video Conferencing/Chatting: Skype, Google Hangout, FaceTime, Adobe Connect;

Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and various messaging/texting TL apps;

Collaborative Creation/Annotation Tools: Google Docs/Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, GoodReader & Documents by Readdle.

Differentiating Products Apps

Presenting: Keynote**, Prezi, Nearpod, Glogster;

Create Written Content: Evernote, Pages**, Google Docs/Drive, notepad apps;

Create eBook: iBook author, Scrivener, Evernote;**

Storypatch**, Book Creator;

Create Blogs: Posterous, Tumblr, TypePad, WordPress;

Create Audio: Pocket WavePad, Audio Memos, Voice Memos;

Create Drawings & Images: SuperNote;

Create Drawings/Charts/Tables;

Create Videos: Smart Voice Recorder & Power Recorder**.

** indicate 'paid apps.' It is recommended that teachers check the availability of free apps and compatibility with mobile operating systems among students' devices.

***This list is representative of common apps for differentiating content, process and product. Many other apps are available.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES WITH MOBILE APPS

How we assist learners to achieve particular learning objectives will depend on a variety of factors such as content, class size, lesson length, and learner variables. The following is an example of how to effectively use mobile apps to adapt a communicative activity by differentiating content, process and product.

Table 2: Sample Activities: Health - Eating Nuts

Content
Read this article. You'd like to share this story with your friend. Using Twitter, briefly explain to your friend why this is interesting and send them the link

Watch the interview embedded in this article. You'd like to make health recommendations to your classmates. Based on the interview, list and compare how different types of nuts improve health using the chart via the 'Pages' 'Google Documents' or 'Notes' app available on your device.

Listen to this news story. You'd like to share a summary of this story with your grandparents to improve their health. Skype with your "grandparents" and paraphrase the story using examples. Your classmate will play the role of your grandparents. Take turns.

Process
Interview: Create interview questions for your classmates related to the news article. Ask your classmates to record their responses using the Pocket WavePad app or another voice recording app.

Blog: Respond to the news report using the app for the class blog. Comment on classmates' postings.

Report: Make a short news report about the benefits of eating nuts using a video recording app on your device.

Products
Create an E-Poster:Based on the interview results, create a poster in the Glogster app to promote a healthy diet. Be sure to add an audio/video file using WavePad or a video recording app.

Create a Video Clip: As a chef, introduce healthy recipes that include nuts. In groups, create a short video clip recording your cooking instructions. Share the video with your classmates in Google Drive.

Role-Play: Have a conversation with your friend and offer your personal advice for a healthy diet and lifestyle.Record your role-play using the Wave Pad app.

DIFFERENTIATED GROUP WORK

The choice to allocate learners to particular groups can be based on your goals for each learner: reinforce weak skills or leverage strong ones. For example, learners who have weak listening skills can be asked to watch a video interview related to a news topic as the video provides visual support (images or gestures) for the audio. Learners who have strong listening skills can be assigned to the group that just listens to the radio story about the same topic. Without visual support, they will be forced to rely fully on their listening comprehension skills. Learners who need more visual support can be assigned to the group asked to read the article. Conversely, learners can be assigned to groups that allow them to leverage their strengths, placing them in their comfort zone first and then challenging them later. To process content differently, students in groups can be assigned different mobile apps. For example, voice or video recording apps are used for short exchanges, summarizing or giving instructions, while blogging apps are used for critiquing others' opinions. Thus, different mobile apps help students capitalize on their strengths in different skill areas such as writing or speaking, thus allowing learners to work across different cognitive levels. Another way students can process content at various levels is to ask one group to summarize or restate the news story, while a second group interprets the information and makes recommendations. The final outcome for each group is distinct, utilizes different tools to share the information they received from the news sources, and replicates how such information would likely be shared in real-life (e.g. Twitter, Skype, Google Drive, etc). Again, the choice of which students to assign to which task is based on the skills you want your students to build upon, or the amount of scaffolding you wish to provide.

GUIDELINES FOR DIFFERENTIATED ACTIVITIES USING MOBILE APPS

We suggest some guidelines to implement differentiated activities using mobile apps both in and outside the classroom. Although they won't apply to every context and lesson, they are general considerations to bear in mind.

1. Catalog your apps into the following three categories (for further examples, see Table 1 Mobile Apps for Differentiated Activities): Content Apps: offer content through various modes. Identify target language apps that offer authentic materials suitable for various levels of students. Use them regularly to expose students to various types of input such as target language texts, images, audio, and video content. Target language news apps, video apps, or podcasts are good sources of authentic materials and culture. Process Apps: facilitate interaction and collaboration. Identify the different levels of cognitive skills that need to be addressed in learning activities, from low order thinking skills (i.e. remembering) to high order thinking skills (i.e. creating) and define the purpose of the activities. Then, select appropriate apps to differentiate the learning process. Product Apps: diversify the demonstration of learning outcomes. Identify the apps/tools that allow learners to create content in various forms such as photo apps, writing apps, or audio/video recording apps, etc.

2. Norms for the use of mobile devices should be set at the beginning of the program with all learners and the teacher(s). Both parties must agree to what is allowed and what is prohibited. Through co-constructing such norms, learners' preferences and learner autonomy are supported.

3. Explain the rationale for using mobile apps to learners; learners will be more invested in using them if they understand how they support language learning.

4. Monitor learners' activities during the entirety of the class. Providing clear instruction at the beginning of an activity is critical to guide learners in effectively using their mobile devices and apps.

5. In all stages of the lesson, try to replicate real life situations. For example, when do native speakers use Skype or FaceTime? How do they use different communication apps? For what purposes? This process will help teachers select the appropriate tool to facilitate interaction and collaboration. This will also create authentic activities from the learners' perspectives.

6. Maintain consistency and regularly recycle familiar apps; constantly introducing new apps may turn the focus away from language learning and will unnecessarily waste time.

7. Vary grouping strategies regularly by utilizing individual, pair and group work. You may also group students according to interests, language level, and skill strengths.

CONCLUSION

Using mobile apps for differentiated activities not only supports learning but also meets the needs and interests of learners in the digital-age, increasing their engagement with and motivation for learning foreign languages. With the help of mobile apps, learners can take control of their learning process and learning outcomes while collaborating with their peers. In addition, differentiated activities using mobile apps empowers learners to personalize and process their learning content and demonstrate their learning progress. When the selection and use of mobiles apps are pedagogically sound, both learners and teachers can engage in a highly interactive and collaborative learning environment.

REFERENCES

Blaz, Deborah, Differentiated Instruction: A guide for foreign language teachers ( Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education, 2006).

Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. (Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1999).

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Differentiated Activities for the Language Classroom Using Mobile Apps - The FLTMAG

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Kara Mac Donald, Ph.D Faculty Development Specialist, Associate Professor, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) Unsoon Won, Faculty Development Advisor, Associate Professor, Academic Support Center, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) The diversity of learners in our classrooms requires us to adjust our instruction to maximize learning for all students.

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Differentiated Instruction in the Foreign Language Classroom.

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Differentiated Instruction in the Foreign Language Classroom.

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This article provides specific examples as to how language teachers can provide differentiated instruction.

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I am passionate about the language that I teach and want my students to understand that a language is not just words. It is a people, culture, literature, history and much more. I do my best to create a comfortable learning environment and to meet the needs of multiple types of learners while working towards getting them to speak a language.

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Technology Tools to Support Differentiation

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Technology Tools to Support Differentiation

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Classroom Strategies for Working with Diverse Students

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Classroom Strategies for Working with Diverse Students

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Rationale for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

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Rationale for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

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Not all learners are created the same. There are multiple types of learners in every classroom and it is important to address the learners with multiple types of activities and techniques. Differentiation is key to helping students succeed.

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This is another great source for language teaches as they are able to create questions and situations that students an respond to orally.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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VoiceThread is a great tool for language teachers to engage learners and to allow students to practice the language with a variety of speaking options and more.

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design discussions
no-schedule meetings
professional development
collaborate with clients
sales and marketing

replace text-only discussions
interactive lectures
support UDL principles
no-schedule office hours
professional development

student presentations
conversational practice
professional development
rich assessment
safe and accountable

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Transforming media into collaborative spaces with video, voice, and text commenting.

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With Zaption teachers are able to make videos interactive by adding various types of questions. Teachers are also able to check to see how students do on the questions.

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Create a variety of instructional strategies and activities to meet the needs of all students. 

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Create a variety of instructional strategies and activities to meet the needs of all students. 

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Demonstrate respect, collaboration, tolerance, understanding, equity and awareness for all students. 

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Demonstrate respect, collaboration, tolerance, understanding, equity and awareness for all students. 

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Consider student's cultures and language skills. 

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Consider student's cultures and language skills. 