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Science Teacher Freebies- Great for Extensions

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Science Teacher Freebies- Great for Extensions

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Add diverse voices and fresh content to your lessons with free, high-quality podcasts.

If you haven't thought about how you might use podcasts in your teaching, take note: A 2019 study found that over 50% of people in the U.S. age 12 and up have listened to a podcast. In addition, podcast listening among young people age 12-24 increased 48% from 2017 to 2019. This fresh, engaging medium has gone mainstream and can be a great addition to your lessons.

There are lots of benefits to using podcasts in the classroom. For one, podcasts are free. Plus, you can find podcasts on nearly every topic, from science questions to lesser-known history, and in nearly every genre, from short fiction to in-depth journalism. And, as the popularity of podcasts continues to grow, more creators are focusing on content for young people. So why not give podcasts a try this school year?

To help you get started, we've put together a list of our favorite podcasts for the classroom. We took our best guess for the target grades since we couldn't listen to every episode. Use the grade recommendations as a guide, and age them up or down as needed. Some content in these podcasts can be mature, so always preview the episodes before you share them with students.

Grades Pre-K-2
The catchy soundtrack is the star in this delightful podcast from children's music duo Andrew & Polly (not surprising, since the hosts have created songs forWallykazam! and Sesame Studios). But this funny program also covers a range of topics by talking to actual kids as well as experts, providing thoughtful fun for young ones and their grown-ups.

Grades K-5
Kids are always asking seemingly simple questions that have surprisingly complex answers, such as "Why is the sky blue?" and "Who invented words?" This cute biweekly radio show/podcast takes on answering them. Each episode features several kid-submitted questions, usually on a single theme, and with the help of experts, it gives clear, interesting answers.

Grades 1-6
Similar to But Why, this is another podcast that takes kid-submitted science questions and answers them with the help of experts. What makes this one different is that it tends to skew a bit older, both in its questions and answers, and it has a different kid co-host each week. The result is a fun show that's as silly as it is educational. Teachers can encourage students to take one of the topics and research it more completely or to use it as a jumping-off point for science experiments and research-related questions.

Grades 3-6
Often compared to a kid-friendly Radiolab, this podcast not only addresses fascinating topics but also tries to foster a love of science itself by interviewing scientists about their process and discoveries. The hosts don't assume that listeners have a science background -- but even kids who think they don't like science may change their minds after listening to this podcast. Teaching materials for the episodes are available for purchase on the podcast's website.

Grades 3-8
This fun and fast-moving spin-off of the popular Brains On! podcast is a kid-friendly debate podcast. A kid judge listens to and scores the rousing, fact-based arguments of two contestants. With episodes like "Piranhas vs. Venus Flytraps" and "Pizza versus Tacos," kids will be hooked, and they won't even notice that they're learning how to defend their ideas along the way. Use Smash Boom Best in a persuasive writing or speech unit, or as a fun addition to your science or history class!

Grades 6-12
This Peabody award-winning radio series/podcast delivers scientific ideas in a creative, innovative way. The episodes are a joy to listen to, with a great deal of emphasis put on sound design in addition to the hosts' clever banter. Teachers of science, math, ELA, and other subjects can use full episodes or segments as prompts to get kids thinking or to kick off a discussion. Some episodes feature strong language, so be sure to preview them before sharing with students.

Grades 9-12
Grammar is notoriously boring, but Grammar Girl, part of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, manages to make it interesting, and English teachers everywhere are grateful. The website has transcripts of each episode, but the audio delivery is animated and friendly and probably of more interest to students. This podcast is best for middle and high school students and incorporates both traditional grammar questions and more quirky analysis of new types of grammar (e.g., grammar unique to social media).

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16 Great Learning Podcasts for the Classroom | Common Sense Education

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If you haven't thought about how you might use podcasts in your teaching, take note: A 2019 study found that over 50% of people in the U.S. age 12 and up have listened to a podcast. In addition, podcast listening among young people age 12-24 increased 48% from 2017 to 2019.

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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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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15 Differentiated Instruction Strategies |  Prodigy Game

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Quick List of Differentiation Strategies

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Quick List of Differentiation Strategies

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Make math learning fun and effective with Prodigy Math Game. Free for students, parents and educators. Sign up today!

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https://www.bespokeclassroom.com/blog/2017/2/2/three-steps-for-setting-up-assessing-book-club-in-secondary-ela

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Douglas Reeves

For all the ink that has been spilled regarding the issue of differentiated instruction, little has been said about differentiated assessment. There is no doubt that students come to school with a variety of backgrounds and learning needs, and Carol Ann Tomlinson (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006) and others (e.g., Stefanakis & Meier, 2010; Fogarty & Pete, 2010) have documented the importance of the issue and the potential success of the results.

The devil, as always, is in the details, and as Schmoker (2010) recently noted, some teachers find the demands of creating different lessons for the learning needs of each student overwhelming. Here are some practical ideas for busy teachers who want to meet the different needs of students while managing the demands on their already busy schedules.

Keys to Motivation and Engagement

If we were to synthesize evidence on student motivation and engagement, there are three overlapping concepts that are essential: choice, power, and competence. Any one of these is insufficient to maintain engagement.

Empowered students who exercise choice, doing what they want to do, may be temporarily engaged. But if they never become competent, they will become frustrated and distracted. Conversely, competent students who master a skill but never have the opportunity to enjoy a degree of choice or exercise power over the content and nature of their assessments, will dully go through the motions but never achieve a high level of engagement.

However, when students combine these three powerful elements of engagement, then we have the opportunity to achieve what Jeff Howard (Raney, 1997) has called the "Nintendo Effect": the trance-like level of engagement that students achieve for sustained periods of time when they play video games. Students would not be engaged by merely watching videos; rather it's the improvement in competence and the exercise of power, making choices every minute, that keeps them engaged. These are principles that can be applied in every classroom.

Homework Menus

Differentiated instruction means nothing when every student is told to finish the same 15 problems with instructions such as, "Complete the odd-numbered problems, numbers 1 through 30." A better approach is the homework menu.

Consider a 7th grade math class in which some students continue to struggle with number operations while others are bored by what they consider the low-level demands of the class. The lesson: one-variable equations, such as "In the equation 3 x = 10, what is the value of x?"

An assignment menu would have three columns, each with 15 problems:

The first column contains problems that allow students to practice the basic number operations required for this lesson, including multiplication, division, and decimals.

The second column contains opportunities to practice and master the central challenge of a one-variable equation.

The third column includes two-variable equations and more advanced story problems that include opportunities to create one- and two-variable equations based on a real-world challenge.

Students can choose to complete any 15 problems of their choice.

Some will start in the first column and remain there; they need to practice number operations. Other students will start in the first column, quickly find those problems too easy, and proceed to the second column to finish their 15 problems. Other students may start in the second column and think, "OK, I did this 5 times. Why do I have to do it 15 times?"

These are the very students, by the way, who are going to fail a class despite having passed the final exam. They know the material but did not finish their homework assignments. Rather than engage in a power struggle with the teacher, these students need a next step, and that's where column three comes in. Some of them will proceed to column three and relish the challenge, while others will find column three too difficult and finish their 15 problems in other columns. A few students will do only column three problems.

The Teacher's Perspective

Put yourself in the teacher's position. You are collecting homework as students enter the classroom (a technique that will save teachers at least 10 minutes every day). As you scan the work, you will know instantly who chooses the first, second, or third column and who did no homework at all. You now do not need a theoretical disquisition about differentiated instruction, but you can begin the class as if you are looking through a prism and seeing the entire spectrum of student achievement.

Some students, having at last mastered the skills necessary to begin the assignment, can begin to learn single-variable equations. Others, having failed to do the homework, need to have 10 minutes to finish the task. Others, having moved well beyond the planned task for the day, can begin not with a stultifying repetition of what they already know but with a series of challenging tasks that will engage them and reward their work.

Differentiated instruction, in brief, begins with differentiated homework and assessment.

Menus in Daily Practice

If the homework menu makes sense, then why not expand the concept to an assessment menu. One concept I've used is a menu that allows students to accumulate points in a variety of different ways.

Let's say that 900 points will result in an A, and 800 points will result in a B. Some students might earn a B with the completion of four 200-point assignments. But other students will find such a large project too intimidating. Rather than the all-or-nothing approach that is typical of large projects, the menu system gives these students several other alternatives. They can earn 200 points by completing four 50-point projects or ten 20-point projects.

Some students have the project-management skills (and attentive parents) to complete the 200-point project. Other students need to learn how to assemble a complex project, and for them the challenge of creating smaller projects that lead to the same 200 points is a great opportunity to both demonstrate proficiency in math and also learn to manage complex projects.

From the point of view of a very busy teacher, the implications are clear. Rather than expecting every student to complete a 200-point project, some students will receive feedback every day (perhaps on 20 different 10-point projects), while other students can work independently at other intermediate levels. All of them, however, have the opportunity to earn the same 200 points.

Our ethical obligation as teachers is to ensure that all students have approximately the same obligations but not the identical assignments. We need to ensure that the student who chooses four 50-point assignments or ten 20-point assignments has done at least as much, if not more, than the student who completed the 200-point assignment. In sum, the central challenge of differentiated instruction and assessment is not uniformity of work, but similarity of proficiency.

Differentiated assessment is certainly not a mechanism for lowering expectations for students. Rather, it is a strategy to encourage every student to meet the same rigorous standards in different ways. In addition, differentiated assessment will save teachers, students, and parents from spending time on tasks that are boring, inappropriate, or excessively challenging.

References

Fogarty, R., & Pete, B. M. (2010). Supporting differentiated instruction: A professional learning communities approach. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Raney, M. (1997, Summer). Technos interview: Jeff Howard. Technos, 6(2), 1-11. Retrieved from www.efficacy.org/Portals/7/Article_Downloads/Writings_by_dr_jeff_howard/JeffHoward
.TechnosInterview.pdf

Schmoker, M. (2010, September). When pedagogic fads trump priorities. Education Week, 30(5), 22-23.

Stefanakis, E. H., & Meier, D. (2010). Differentiated assessment: How to assess the learning potential of every student (grades 6-12). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Tomlinson, C. A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding by design: Connecting content and kids. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Douglas B. Reeves is founder of the Leadership and Learning Center in Salem, Mass., and author of ASCD books on educational leadership.

Editor's Note: For an example of an assignment menu, please see Chapter 7 in Reeves's book The Elements of Grading (Solution Tree, 2010). For other time-saving strategies, see Chapter 8 of his book Finding Your Leadership Focus (Teachers College Press, 2011).

ASCD Express, Vol. 6, No. 20. Copyright 2011 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.

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From Differentiated Instruction to Differentiated Assessment

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Douglas Reeves For all the ink that has been spilled regarding the issue of differentiated instruction, little has been said about differentiated assessment. There is no doubt that students come to school with a variety of backgrounds and learning needs, and Carol Ann Tomlinson (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006) and others (e.g., Stefanakis & Meier, 2010; Fogarty & Pete, 2010) have documented the importance of the issue and the potential success of the results.

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Go to navigation for APH PE Kathleen Ellis, Lauren Lieberman, and Dani LeRoux Originally appeared in Palaestra, Volume 24, Number 4, 2009
This article is reproduced with permission. Any further use requires permission from the copyright holder.

With the No Child Left Behind law, teachers are required to be highly qualified in the core area in which they teach. However, is being an expert enough; or better yet, the foundation responsible for a child's education? A great deal of hype has surrounded the use of differentiated instruction as an effective and successful strategy for educating diverse students within the same setting. Expertise in the content being taught is only a fraction of the overall differentiated instruction picture, as in theory, teachers can be experts in their fields, but may not be experts in how to take into account the diversities of learners. An exemplary teacher not only is an expert in his/her core academic area, but has a strong foundation and use of differentiated instructional principles. Differentiated instruction has the focus of diversity, common outcomes, and is student-centered. It is designed to instigate multiple strategies impacting individual students while focusing on a common goal. In other words, the students are all learning identical content, but the strategy for successfully achieving the common outcome/goal is dependent on individual student learning styles and developmental levels (Lieberman & Houston-Wilson, 2009).

Creating An Effective Learning Climate

Differentiating instruction is not a new concept. It has been incorporated as a successful instructional strategy with gifted and talented students for decades. Over the past several years, the advantage of using differentiated instruction in the inclusive learning environment has gained intense focus. Differentiated instruction in and of itself uses instructional strategies based on individual student learning styles and needs. While its success as an all-inclusive instructional strategy is conclusive when effectively incorporated in various learning environments, it was only recently that the value of differentiated instruction was introduced to the physical education setting (Gregory & Chapman, 2007).

Differentiating instruction in physical education is adapted physical education for all learners in an inclusive classroom environment. While adapted physical education has the focus of adapting or modifying the curriculum, activities, or environment to meet the needs of students with disabilities, differentiated instruction has the focus of modifying the content, learning activities, outcomes, and environment to meet the needs of all diverse learners.

When one walks into a typical physical education class, the first thing that comes to mind is diversity-various sizes, shapes, abilities, desires, motivation levels. However, no matter how diverse, teachers must make the physical education environment one that is conducive to learning. Meeting the needs of diverse learners in an inclusive setting involves taking into account what each child needs from this climate in order to feel comfortable, motivated, and successful (see Table 1).

Table 1
Differentiated Instruction Inclusive Strategies

Information to investigate: Facts about the learner
Inclusive strategies based on

Strengths

Background knowledge and experience

Interests

Learning style(s)

Multiple intelligences

Important relationships

Information to investigate: Goals
Inclusive strategies based on

Does the learner have any unique goals?

Are there particular concerns about this learner?

Information to investigate: Facts about classroom demands
Inclusive strategies based on
Content demands-How is content made available to the learners?

Information to investigate: Process demands
Inclusive strategies based on
What processes do teachers use to facilitate student learning?

Information to investigate: Product demands
Inclusive strategies based on

How do students demonstrate what they have learned?

How are they graded?

(Thousand, Villa & Nevin, 2007)

To create an effective learning climate which incorporates instructional strategies promoting inclusion, one may use strategies which are individualized for a given student.

Bethany has low vision and is in a physical education class participating in track and field events. In this case, tactile instruction can be used to teach Bethany the correct form and movement for the shot put, so she can be completely included in the activities with her peers. By focusing on her specific learning style, Bethany can participate in track and field activities.

Knowing the Learner

It is a fairly common understanding among professionals that students differ in their learning styles. In other words, no two students are likely to learn in the exact same way. Some global learning styles involve those who learn best by auditory means, those who learn best visually, and those who learn best by hands on or tactile means. Others may learn best while working with peers, or in small or large groups, or in a more isolated situation (Gregory, & Chapman, 2007). In many cases, students may require more than one learning style to fully grasp concepts being taught. Therefore, understanding individual learning styles and incorporating these into instructional strategies is a requirement, not an option, for differentiated instruction. Knowing your students may be the most important part of differentiated instruction...if you don't know the important aspects of their learning needs and abilities, then determining effective instructional strategies is nearly impossible. Teachers should take into account characteristics of their students when determining strategies to use, such a various learning styles; ways in which students process information; and use of multiple intelligence theory (Gardner, 1983).

Knowing your learners is critically important in successful lesson planning and arrangement of the learning environment, including grouping strategies.

Samantha loves to play soccer, but because she is totally blind she relies a great deal on her auditory ability. Ms. Judge, the physical education teacher, took this into account when planning the lessons and made sure that all equipment used had some auditory device and that small, cohesive groups were incorporated in order to allow more time on task and peer tutoring. In addition, she looked at her learning style as an auditory and tactile learner and made sure her paraeducator worked with her and helped her become familiar with the learning environment and equipment in use. For example, when learning soccer, Ms. Judge had Samantha use a soccer ball with a bell inside, as well as cones which contained beepers so she knew where to dribble the ball. Ms. Judge physically helped Samantha understand how to dribble and gave her verbal and tactile feedback when she was practicing.

Assessing the Learner

Some of us may remember back during our undergraduate years when we took a course on measurement and evaluation (AKA, tests and measurement). Regardless of when or if such a course was completed, one of the take-home messages was that without assessment no programs or instruction can be effectively incorporated with the expectation of success. The first and foremost step for any program or class is to determine a needs assessment. Completing a needs assessment determines students' prior knowledge and skills for upcoming lessons or programs; what areas of interest or overall feelings regarding lessons or programs the students demonstrate; what is needed for students to become more proficient or master skills being incorporated; and to determine skill and understanding levels to format learning groups.

One big thing to remember is that assessment is a continuous, ongoing process. It is completed almost daily, sometimes unconsciously, in order to provide immediate, critical feedback, and make changes in the lessons/programs to ensure learning. Parents are often a good place to gain useful information regarding current performance and unique learning information. As a teacher, there is never a time when assessment is not taking place.

Completion of the needs assessment at the beginning assists in implementing the instructional content and strategies used, informal assessment during the teaching and learning processes assists in ensuring the best learning environment for all students; summative assessment at the conclusion of a learning outcome assists in strengthening future learning outcomes for involved students; and regular self-assessments by the teacher may lead to modifications or changes designed to improve strategies used.

It is important to ensure that students are aware of ongoing assessment and defined success.

During a basketball unit, Janessa was included in the formative rubric assessment. The rubric gave a gold medal to any student who could put three or more basketball-related skills together, such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. They could get a silver for two or more skills, bronze for one or more skills, and honorable mention for participation only. Janessa knew the criteria for grading and worked hard with her partner and friend, Sammy, to get a gold medal. She and Sammy even demonstrated their skills for the class at the end of the unit, allowing the class to see a glimpse of wheelchair basketball!

Grouping Students for Learning

Students can be grouped based on readiness to learn certain content or skills. Table 2 discusses the various ways students can be grouped in order to incorporate differentiated strategies.

Table 2
Grouping Strategies within Differentiated Instruction

Grouping based on: Students' knowledge of a subject
Grouping strategy/purpose

Grouping students with a good knowledge of the subject with peers who have lesser understanding allows for those with better understanding to assist in learning of subject

Grouping students based on knowledge of subject allows for greater attention to specific group based on need

Grouping based on: Students' ability to perform skill or task at hand
Grouping strategy/purpose

Mixed ability groups to encourage peer teaching and cooperation

Focus additional skill building activities with groups showing greater need

Refinement activities for those with higher skills

Grouping based on: Cooperative learning groups
Grouping strategy/purpose

Grouping based on: Interest in a certain area of content
Grouping strategy/purpose
Allows students to choose area of interest and focus on improving skills for lifelong participation

Grouping based on: Peer tutoring
Grouping strategy/purpose

Higher skilled student of same age or older works with peer on specific skills

Less intimidating and likely more comfortable than working with teacher

Benefits both sides in different ways, where one is learning and one is sharing prior knowledge and experience

Grouping based on: Heterogeneous grouping
Grouping strategy/purpose

Grouping based on: Multiple age grouping
Grouping strategy/purpose

Encourages interacting with various ability levels and learning at own rate

Emphasizes child's developmental needs and how best to turn them to strengths

Focuses on the whole child, not just physical development, but also psychologically and socially

(Gregory, & Chapman, 2007)

Ms. Michaels, the physical education teacher, knew the students who had short attention spans, those who could focus for long periods of time, and those who needed some motivation to get moving. She made small cooperative learning groups and combined these learning styles in each group, so the students could motivate each other. Matthew was put into a group as a student who had task persistence and a long attention span, needing only some assistance in activities requiring high balance skills. He, along with his similar peers, Jessica and Michael, helped their group stay focused in Project Adventure to get their group across a moat full of alligators (AKA the balance beam).

Instructional Strategies

As mentioned earlier, differentiated instruction has the focus of diversity. It takes into account not only the content being taught and requires the teacher to be an expert in this area, but also to have a strong foundation of understanding of his/her students, the cognitive learning theory, and strategies for incorporating differentiated instruction. Successful integration of differentiated instruction requires an all-or-none principle. Teachers must be proficient in all four areas or else differentiated instruction strategies are likely not to be effective. Steps for implementing differentiated instruction into the physical education setting include-consistency; planning the program; use of focus activities at start of class; not wasting time; using graphic organizers; using cooperative group learning; using metaphorical and analogous thinking to make meaningful connections; and, awareness of student level of readiness and thinking complexity.

The importance of modifying curriculum and/or equipment to include ALL students is a critical step for any physical educator.

Mr. Estes teaches elementary physical education and his first grade class is one of diverse, mixed abilities. Two of his students, Jonathan and Ryan, have cerebral palsy and use motorized wheelchairs. For the lesson of catching and throwing, he modified the learning environment so that Jonathan and Ryan could catch and throw small and medium beach balls hanging from a line directly in front of them. This allowed them to work at their own pace and level without losing valuable time retrieving equipment. Both Jonathan and Ryan were able to work on their hand-eye coordination and movement of their arms during this activity, which increased their overall upper body movement and range of motion!

Curricular Approaches

Organizing curriculum to meet the various needs of diverse learners is no easy task. Differentiated instruction takes into consideration several strategies related to curriculum approach and organization-learning stations; incorporating projects into your classroom; use choice boards to give students empowerment over learning; use problem-based learning approaches; and incorporate student learning contracts in your classroom.

Bryn's class was working on bicycling and there were a few modifications to this activity based on student ability level. Ms. Rush knew the students' level of readiness, and she introduced several options of bikes ranging from two wheelers, three wheelers, two seaters, to tandem bikes. This allowed her students, regardless of ability or disability, to move up in equipment use as their riding ability progressed. Since Bryn had low vision and had never ridden a bike before, she was able to comfortably start with a tandem bike, allowing her to be successful in this unit.

Summary

Effective teachers take all of the skills and abilities of their learners into account. By differentiating instruction, students are set up for success and are taught to their strengths. Differentiated instruction does take time, energy, attention, and patience; yet, the outcome is well worth the energy. By assessing each student and then setting up effective instruction, grouping, and curricular approaches, every child will be successful. Table 3 provides an example of considerations for programming to ensure that differentiated instruction is appropriately implemented and successful.

Table 3
Example of Considerations for Programming to Ensure Differentiated Instruction

Function: Balance difficulties
Needs: Has difficulty during kicking, throwing, or balance activities
Approach taken by instructor for all students

Set up kicking, throwing, or balance beam next to wall

Allow some children to throw or kick from sitting

Work on throwing and balancing in the pool

Selected References

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Gregory, G. H., & Chapman, C. (2007). Differential instructional strategies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lieberman, L. J., & Houston-Wilson, C. (2009). Strategies for inclusion; A handbook for physical educators. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Thousand, S. J., Villa, R. A., & Nevin, A.I. (2007). Differentiating instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Kathleen Ellis is Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Education in the Department of Kinesiology at West Chester University, PA, and serves PALAESTRA as Department Editor for the Calendar section.

Lauren Lieberman is Professor of Adapted Physical Education at SUNY-Brockport, NY. Danielle LeRoux, is Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Cecil County Public Schools, Elkton, MD.

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Using Differentiated Instruction in Physical Education

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Go to navigation for APH PE Kathleen Ellis, Lauren Lieberman, and Dani LeRoux Originally appeared in Palaestra, Volume 24, Number 4, 2009 This article is reproduced with permission. Any further use requires permission from the copyright holder. With the No Child Left Behind law, teachers are required to be highly qualified in the core area in which they teach.

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DESE Article on  Differentiation for GT Students

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DESE Article on  Differentiation for GT Students

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A MiddleWeb Blog

About a year ago we discussed differentiation in a faculty meeting, and I have been thinking about it on and off ever since.

I'm not sure why, but every time differentiation gets brought up I get very defensive. I feel like saying, "I'm already doing the best I can."

So I let the idea go for awhile. Then I came across a really interesting article in Education Week, "Differentiation Doesn't Work," which garnered much interest when it appeared several years ago. Education Week later ran an article espousing the opposing viewpoint, "Differentiation Does, in Fact, Work."

Reading all the spirited back-and-forth (including many reader comments at both articles) renewed my interest in the subject.

My classroom is so diverse

Every year during a decade of teaching, I've seen first-hand the unique and diverse makeup of my classes. I have the students who are bored because "they get it" immediately, and the students who are frustrated because they still "don't get it." I have students in the middle that I worry are not reaching their full potential.

And this rough categorizing doesn't even begin to take into account differences in student interests, personality, home life, etc. It quickly becomes overwhelming.

Still, I think I keep coming back to differentiation because I know it's important. It makes sense to me that students will do better if we treat them as individuals. I know that's how I like to be treated.

I needed to learn more

I learned something about differentiation in my teacher prep courses, but not a lot stuck with me. So I started my research by asking other teachers at my school how they defined differentiation. One said it meant "tailoring instruction to meet individual student's needs." Another said it is "an attempt to meet each student at his or her appropriate learning level."

I also read several more articles and two books. I had always had the vague idea that differentiation would mean making different assignments for each student in the class, so I was relieved to read that "differentiation does not involve creating separate lesson plans for individual students for a given unit."

A leading authority on differentiation, Carol Ann Tomlinson, states that teachers can begin to differentiate instruction "simply by learning more about their students and trying to tailor their teaching as much as they find feasible." That makes differentiation sound much more doable. (See Ed Week's Differentiated Instruction: A Primer.)

So how do you actually do it?

The thinking of my colleagues and the articles I read made differentiation seem less scary. Yet, I was still not sure how to actually implement it in my math classroom. For more information I turn to two books, Tomlinson's How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms and Marian Small's Great Ways to Differentiate Secondary Mathematics Instruction. (There are actually two related books with this title: see here and here. I read the version by Small & Lin.)

From my perspective as a math teacher I found both books helpful, in very different ways.

Carol Ann Tomlinson's book, How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classroom, provided the incentive I needed to pursue differentiated instruction with determination. She does a great job of helping you see what it might feel like to be a student in your classroom.

In fact, for me the most impactful part of Tomlinson's book was when she wrote from the perspective of different students in her own classes and how they experienced what was happening. She broadly categorizes students as advanced learners, learners who struggle, English Language Learners, and learners "in the middle" - and writes about each. I definitely recognized some of my students in her insightful descriptions, and it affected me deeply.

On the other hand, Small and Lin's Great Ways to Differentiate Secondary Mathematics Instruction provided the framework and the actual logistics to make differentiated teaching work in a math classroom.

The authors listed three elements necessary to differentiate instruction and two core strategies for mathematics. (They even included a template in the back that I will use for lesson and unit planning in the future.)

The 3 elements are:

1.) Big Ideas -What is the focus?

2.) Prior Assessment - to determine student needs

3.) Choice - related to content, process, or product

And the 2 core strategies for differentiation are:

Open Questions - A question designed so that students at different places in their math development can all participate in answering it.

Parallel Tasks - Two tasks that follow directly from the same "Big Idea" - close enough to each other in design that they can be discussed as a class simultaneously. (Perhaps one has more detailed instructions than the other).

There are many ideas common to both books. For instance, both stress the importance of determining each student's "current level of knowledge, understanding and skill," as Tomlinson puts it. Don't just assume all students know something that's key to the task at hand.

Trying it out in my classroom

Bolstered with a new-found incentive and a workable plan, I was ready to incorporate differentiation in my classroom. I thought: If I try to do it now, at the end of the year, with all the craziness that entails, this should serve as a good litmus test to see if this is practical and workable in my classroom.

[ Note: I tried this in my high school Algebra II & Trig class. For middle school math teachers, I think the same basic principles apply. In fact, quite a bit of the content in Small & Lin's book is aimed at grades 6-8.]

My last unit for this year was Probability and Statistics. I thought I would try out some of the suggestions I found. One suggestion was to check on how the topic was addressed in previous grades, so I started by reading through our state course of study for probability, beginning in 6th grade. I made a list of the big ideas. Then I created an open ended question which I hoped would allow all the students to participate at some level and which addressed one of the big ideas of the unit.

Tips from Small & Lin's template

It was very helpful to take the time to read all the standards on probability and gain a better understanding of what I could expect my students to know. And making a list of the big ideas helped me organize my thoughts.

Creating an open ended question was difficult, and I'm not completely satisfied with my end product (but I will keep trying). I ended up giving the students a tree diagram with all the probabilities filled in, and they had to decide on a scenario that might fit the tree diagram. I did notice that all of the students were able to be a part of the discussion.

As a first attempt, it was okay, but I feel sure, with practice, I can create better open ended questions. (Here at the end of the year, I did not have time to create parallel tasks for this unit.)

More time, but well spent

Even my small step towards differentiation took extra time. However, I feel it was time well spent. I don't typically read through the standards from all the previous grades when I begin to teach a concept, but I will from now on. It was enlightening.

Also, my students and I enjoyed the open ended question I devised. We were all trying to think of different scenarios for the probability tree and almost everyone participated.

Here's a big takeaway: I've begun to think of differentiation as a lens to examine my instruction as opposed to it being just something else I have do or feel like I'm supposed to do.

Like most endeavors, the effort to differentiate raised additional questions:

What does a really effective open-ended question look like?

How do I create good parallel learning opportunities that "scaffold" differently?

How do I accurately access my students' "knowledge, understanding, and skill"?

These are questions that I will continue to try to answer as I work on my units over the summer.

Some final thoughts

At this point, I do think differentiation is achievable in my classroom to some degree. I also think that the current grading structure most schools adhere to will make certain aspects of differentiation difficult or impossible.

In the current structure, as students move up through the grades, it is not feasible to grade them based on their progress as opposed to their mastery of content. Add to that the importance placed on standardized testing and on achieving a certain score. The intense focus on scores and grades seems to violate the spirit of differentiation.

All that said, to the degree I can get to know my students, and plan for meaningful lessons, and try to push my students a little out of their comfort zones, I will try to do so. If anyone has any suggestions, or more clarity on this topic, please share!

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Is Differentiation Really Doable in Math Class?

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A MiddleWeb Blog About a year ago we discussed differentiation in a faculty meeting, and I have been thinking about it on and off ever since. I'm not sure why, but every time differentiation gets brought up I get very defensive. I feel like saying, "I'm already doing the best I can."

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How to Accommodate Different Learning Styles - UMass Dartmouth

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We all have a way in which we best learn. Odds are, every student in your class has a different preferred learning style, which can make it difficult for you to be the most effective teacher. However, by trying to incorporate various methods into your teaching, you may be able to reach the majority of your students.

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Differentiation in Content Areas (Including PE and Art!)

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Differentiation in Content Areas (Including PE and Art!)