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1. Tiered lessons offer many different paths for students to develop their understanding of a concept. Teachers who use tier lessons already know and have assessed their students' skill levels. These can be set up by need, interest, learning styles, and depending on the number of students within the classroom. Knowing these before hand allows to be prepared with how many tiers needed and which student going where. Feedback from collaborating teachers and staff is important to understand from others' point of views on how it was effective and/or ineffective and what can be changed.
2. Learning centers allow for students to continue being engaged through a variety of activities. These centers should be modeled for students so that they are able to know and understand what they are to be doing during the center time. Learning centers can have a variety of resources including, but not limited to, games, manipulatives, flash cards, and hands-on activities.
3. Increased use of technology typically allows for instant feedback to the teacher on student progression and understanding of a concept. These can be iPads, online textbooks, computer games, smart boards, and more. However, not all schools can afford technology or an abundance of it.
4. Cooperative learning allows students to work together to develop understanding and skills. This can be used in multiple content areas. These groups can be varied based on needs, interests, levels, or anything else beneficial that the teacher can see. There needs to be defined guidelines and expectations for students.

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3 Ways to Differentiate Learning Stations (YouTube)

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3 Ways to Differentiate Learning Stations (YouTube)

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1. Open-ended activities allow all students to do the same activity with each product being different. Students will automatically use their skill level and knowledge to create a product that demonstrates that.
2. Tiered activities allow students to still do the same activity but it is adjusted to their readiness level. An example of this is a memory game. One student might have to match a letter to a picture of something that begins with that later. Another student may be matching synonyms.
3. Student choice activities allow the students to choose from an abundance of resources to complete an activity that they are most interested in. With this, students become motivated to work and take ownership.

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Differentiating Instruction with Rotating iPad Centers (YouTube)

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Differentiating Instruction with Rotating iPad Centers (YouTube)

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Education is traditionally "one size fits all," but this entire school is working on focusing on each student's needs and levels. To help with this, they focus on technology using iPads. Each student gets an iPad that is accustomed to their level and needs. Each student is pre-assessed to determine which apps would be best for them. The students will also use the iPad to record themselves reteaching a lesson so that the teacher can know where they are at in progression and understanding. This video shows how technology can be positively used within the classroom in our modern day.

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Classroom Management During Centers (Teaching Channel)

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Classroom Management During Centers (Teaching Channel)

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- To transition between centers, the teacher turns off the lights until students are quiet. He then turns the lights back on and reminds the students of where they will be going next. He then tells them they will sing their song before moving, which is connected to what they are studying at the time.
- His transitions took an overall 28 minutes altogether, but the expert reminded them that it is still a learning opportunity because they are singing a song that is relatable to the unit.
- With newer centers, first monitor all centers to make sure students are on task and understand what they are supposed to do. Once students understand, the teacher can then create a teacher-directed center that he can be at while the others are left to be responsible for their assignment.
- The teacher should model how to cleanup rather than directing students and helping out as needed. This will then allow the students to take ownership and observe how they cleanup.

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- Establish the learning goal
- Start with a reflection: quote, inference, points, etc.
- Student thoughts?
- Start with a guiding question
- Work off student thoughts
- Students look at each other: usually occurs when students are ready to build onto another student's comment/thought (conversation/discussion)
- Students acknowledge each other: thinking and processing each other's thoughts, use agree/disagree because...
- Focus lesson: embed into discussion once it has come to a good point to introduce this and tie into the discussion that had taken place, continues discussion afterwards
- Prepare as participant rather than teacher/write down own responses and questions

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New Teacher Survival Guide: Differentiating Instruction (Teaching Channel)

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New Teacher Survival Guide: Differentiating Instruction (Teaching Channel)

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- Differentiation means to respond to each student's needs and levels. With this, each student should be able to understand the concept.
- Is it working or not? If the students aren't learning, what can I do to adjust?
- This can be called responsive teaching becasue the teacher is able to respond to student engagement (or not) during the lesson.
- Begin with assessment before differentiating.
- Continuously assess student progress to understand where students are, and the assessment should be accurate and connect to the learning targets and standards.
- Lesson designing: begin with whole group concept, split into groups as needed (same levels, mixed levels, interests, learning style), then students come back together to reflect
- Use multiple resources throughout the teaching year to develop skills in differentiation rather than one resource

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Salman Khan created the Khan Academy, which is a series of educational videos in multiple content areas. It first began when he was helping his cousins. Videos allow for the person to pause the video as needed, review information, and watch at his/her own pace. Students can use these to work at their own pace without having the pressure of a teacher. Khan suggests using these videos as homework assignments for students. They can watch these at home then work on the following assignments in class, especially through student interaction and class discussion. This model of teaching allows for more teacher/student interaction rather than a usual teacher-centered instruction. Khan calls this "humanizing" the classroom.

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Academic contracts allow students to have flexibility and choice in their own learning. Expectations are clear, uses multiple intelligence, ownership is taken, and time and tasks are managed. To use these, teachers will have conference time set aside for students. Students will be given options, choose their option, then conference about it with the teacher. Some contracts will have questions regarding why this option, an outline of the student's plan, and student and/or teacher signature.

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*WHAT:
Problem-based learning provides students with ill-structured problems that are open-ended and challenging, in which they must use information and process from real-world situations to solve them. There is no single right answer. Students will form a hypothesis then test their theory through the process. They must use evidence, make inferences, and support an opinion through factual information.
*WHY:
Students are given an opportunity to connect learning and skills to real-life problems and situations. All students should develop and master the ability to problem solve.
*HOW:
1.Clarify or identify problem = through discussion and questioning
2. Identify resources = background information, information they already know, KND chart (Know, Need, Do)
3. Accessing information = generate sources from variety of places
4. Generating hypothesis
5. Selecting and rationalizing solutions = select a solution think best fits with reasoning
6. Work at own pace and plan own approach
7. Use creative solutions

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Choice boards give students multiple ways to process information and rehearse content and skills. Students are able to work alone or with 1+ partners in a group. The students get to choose their tasks. They can have multiple formats, shapes, and option. They can also be organized around multiple intelligence.

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*WHAT:
A project is an in-depth study in which students explore a topic. This will allow students to engage and reach a deeper understanding on their level of need.
*TYPES:
- Structured = expectations and guidelines are set and work with mastered skills
- Topic-related = students choose topic that interests them
- Open-ended = minimal guidelines, few criteria, loosely structured, encourages risk taking and creativity
* WHY:
- Build on students' interests and satisfy curiosity
- Learn to plan time and develop research skills
- Provides choices, ownership, and responsibility
- Encourage independence and self-directed learning skills
- Work at complex and abstract levels
- Students can work at own pace
- Meaningful, not just time fillers
- Interact with knowledge at higher level
- Further develop concepts and understanding
- Emphasize process AND product
*HOW:
- Designed with end in mind
- Clear learning goals, standards, and objectives
- Age-appropriate and at student level
- Provde suggestion list for students (touches on multiple intelligences and interests)
*PROCEDURE:
1. Choose topic
2. Develop plan of action
- Tiimeline
- Distribution of duties (if group)
- And more...
3. Implement plan:
- Gather ideas
- List resources
- Decide on format
- Refer to rubric
- Conference
- Compile ideas
- Prepare presentation
4. Display and present project
*ASSESSMENT:
Rubrics are designed with clear criteria to establish expectations and grading format. It includes a detailed explanation of the requirements. It should be able to guide students as they work.
*ADJUSTABLE:
The teacher should provide a range of resources that match student levels and age-appropriateness. Students rarely choose a topic that doesn't interest them. Some possible resources are: multimedia, human resources, technology, Internet, and more.

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*WHAT:
Centers are a collection of materials that allow for student choice, increase of social skills, and variety of sources depending on learning styles and needs. Students can work at their own pace and are responsible for their own learning.
*TYPES:
- Structured = specific tasks and agenda developed by teacher
- Exploratory = provide materials and students decide what to do with materials
*HOW:
- Choice = students are given choices in the form of centers with free form movement
- Rotation = students are given centers with various tasks and must rotate between them, typically as a circle rotation, when teacher says
*DIFFERENTIATION WITHIN:
It can be helpful to work with Beginning, Approaching, and High Degree Mastery. The student will first work within their area of need. Once that is finished, they may work in their area of choice.
*MANAGEMENT:
- Clearly defined, effective workspaces
- Label and give materials a "home"
- Students assist in distribution and clean-up
- Prethink management strategies
- Establish and teach rules/expectations
- Common signal to grab attention (for directions, rotation, etc.)
- Always have something meaningful and productive to do in case of early finishers
*ASSESSMENT:
If observing, students can be asked open-ended questions to aid in a discussion and the student explaining their thoughts to the teacher. The teacher can use a quick note-taking system or checklist for this. If working with at a center, this allows for the teacher to do the same type of discussion with students but prepared with what they are working on. Centers are formative assessment, to understand student progress and achievement. Students are also able to self-assess themselves by reflecting after the center, when time permits. This may be done at the center with note cards in a designated location and labeled. The cards can have prompts on them for students to finish with their thoughts.