Differentiated instruction by Wikipedia definition means “providing students with different avenues to acquiring content” and “and to developing teaching materials so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability.” For me differentiated instruction always meant special education and how we could water down the curriculum for special education students so they could pass. I went through several years with special education teachers that thought this was the best way to include them in the classroom and was to water down the curriculum and make it as easy as possible for students to pass – teachers even going as far as giving them the answers so they could pass. What I know now is that differentiated instruction is about ALL students.
In the article we read by Fran Schumer, One Classroom, Many Minds: A Paddle for the Mainstream, Ms. Caggiano’s class is my ideal classroom. There used to be a belief that all students had to be doing the same thing at the same time in order to be learning. If they all didn’t do the same project or the same worksheet then it wasn’t “fair” and they wouldn’t be learning. What Ms. Caggiano’s classroom showed is that having kids doing different activities, structured to their learning and ability is a more effective method of instructing. As a teacher it would be much simpler to teach and instruct to everyone the same lesson but not everyone has the same ability level or learns the same way. In the article by Schumer she says the instead of asking “What am I supposed to teach now” ask “What does the student need to learn next and what is the most effective way for me to teach it?” The one size fits all approach to education does not allow us to meet the needs of all students anymore. In fact in many schools the one size fits all approach doesn’t even reach the majority as the population has changed. But then did the one size fits all approach ever work? On the outside it may have appeared to, but even the students who we thought were learning were probably just playing the game of school. They knew how to jump through the hoops, give the teacher what they wanted and get an A, but looking back on it were they really learning?
By employing the use of technology we can truly differentiate and develop a community. By employing a flipped class (where students listen to lectures and videos outside of class as homework) the in class activities can be tailored to learning styles and abilities and students can receive more one on one assistance. With the use of technology students can then be working on all different projects and assignments. In an elementary classroom if a students in struggling with a math concept they may be playing math games to help improve a skill while someone else might be making a video show me of the math concept for other students. At the high school level students can group together according to interests. For instance in science class there might a group who wants to make a video about a topic while another group wants to record a song about it. Students can group together according to their interests and then bond together over those interests. As a teacher instead of giving the standard class project and everyone makes a poster or a power point. Students now have the power to choose what their finished product will look like, thanks to technology. Technology can have a major impact on a teachers ability to differentiate instruction. This article in eSchoolNews provides further information and ideas.
Last year I flipped my biology classes and found this method to really be effective. I have my own channel on iTunes where students can listen to my lectures and then we work on things in class together. Since I am working more one on one students I get a true picture of students abilities and using more formative assessment I can see who needs what activities and how to group them according to ability. Formative assessment is key to differentiating instruction on a daily basis in the classroom. In two articles one by Holli Levy and the other by Rick Stiggins they explain the need for formative assessment to differentiate instruction. Some of my favorite formative assessment tools are Google Surveys, exit tickets and My Favorite No’s. I also find technology very useful for collaboration. Students can create projects together and work on them jointly using Wiki’s and cloud computing like shared documents on Google.
Differentiated instruction is no longer the four letter word it used to be for me. What it really means as that I am looking at the individual needs and abilities of each learner and adapting instruction for each learner to meet their needs. Be using technology and formative assessment I can differentiate instruction for everyone. I can stretch the learning of the highest achieving and remediate for the lowest ability all in the same classroom. With technology I can also group students by interests and differentiate even larger projects and assignments and student can easily work together on shared documents and assignments. While I am just venturing on my flipped classroom journey and differentiating more and more I can envision my classroom and the community I want it to be.
Resources:
Differentiated Instruction - Resource for all things differentiated instruction. Great graphic about what is differentiated instruction.
Jacque Melin - Professor at Grand Valley State University. Series of power points on differentiated instruction and formative assessment. Flipped Classroom - Infogrpahic that describes a flipped classroom.
Webster City Biology Podcasts - Channel on iTunes for my biology podcasts.
Melissa thank you for the great insights into a "flipped classroom". I am marveling at the timing of reading your blog, as I was just introduced to the terminology of "flipping" a classroom by my soon to be freshman son earlier today while having lunch at McDonalds. We were discussing Khan's math videos and the process of watching and taking notes at home then working out problems and misunderstandings at school the next day. He informed me that one of his teachers last year "flipped" the room and it did not work. I had never heard this term before. I was shocked that he knew this strategy of teaching! (So needless to say gained much needed background knowledge from your infographic on flipping a classrooms.) My son did not see this technique as successful in his classroom. I can see how a teacher would need to have some experience and a level of proficiency with technology to execute this differentiated learning to it's designed purpose.
ReplyDeleteI also want to thank you for the link to the audio pod-casts. I bookmarked the link in hopes that this may be a tool I can begin to use with my elementary students.
Your conviction to teach all children from where they are at using a flipped teaching style is exciting to learn about. I can see how this gives all your students ownership and investment in their educational outcomes. Hopefully with this strategy students will find a higher degree of interest and motivation in their learning as well.
Thank you for your insightful sharing and best of luck with your flipping!
Jen
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your work here. It's really inspiring to read about the experiences at the front line of some new innovation--and I think this notion of the flipped classroom is pretty darn interesting.
Thank you so much for sharing your iTunes channel. I just briefly glanced at a lecture, but I was impressed with the graphics and quality. Clearly, I think a teacher could build up such a library slowly, and in such a way, slowly rethink how he or she supports students in their learning journey.
I'll note a couple of somewhat depressing things. First, you experience with special education. That is just a sad story. I understand how this can happen, but how in the world would the scenario you describe ever benefit a kid?
Second, I worry about Jen's son's experience. I worry anytime we introduce a new innovation, and decisions are made about failure and success after just a little time at it (I know this is just her son's impression, but it worries that the label "didn't work" has already been attached to it).
While I generally see a lot of potential in flipping, I worry that it will be rather "flat" if this if we don't also adjust the assessment paradigm. This is where I think it's so cool that you are doing formative assessment and summative projects IN ADDITION TO flipping. Kids are just working individually at home and in class, but collaborating putting their flipped lecture to use in real-world scenarios! At least in the middle and high school settings, that is where I see the most interesting potential?
Do you agree? Is this generally how you are doing things?
Ultimately, the movement for DI and flipping might lead to a rediscovery of the child-centered movement. That is my greatest dream! I am glad you are part of helping construct it, for as you say: "What it really means as that I am looking at the individual needs and abilities of each learner and adapting instruction for each learner to meet their needs."
Thank you so much for your work, and most of all, your enthusiasm!
Kyle
Kyle - The danger of the flipped classroom is that it can make lazy teachers even lazier. If you do a flipped classroom wrong I can see where Jen's son would have had a bad experience. If you do a flip classroom wrong you will see a teacher sitting at his/her desk while the students work and that is not the intention of the flipped classroom. Running a flipped classroom is exhausting! I am on my feet, running about and helping kids more than ever before and before I could just stand there and lecture - no more high heels for me:) If you roll the flipped clssroom, with formative assessment and differntiated instruction you can come out with a dynamic classroom. There will be tecahers who see this as the easy way out. I can see teachers who will take that attitude that the kids listen to lectures and watch videos outside of school and I get to sit there while they work on worksheets the next day. The true idea is that kids come to class with the information already, teachers can use formative assessment to see who got the information and understands it and based on the formative assessment instruction can be differentiated.
DeleteThere is a great deal of potential when kids come to class with the information and then can collaborate with classmates about the information and solve problems creatively.
I agree with you that there is tons of potential for increased student engagement, collaboration, DI and problem solving and the flipped classroom can be a tool that leads to alot of that but it must be done right or students like Jen's son will have a bad experience.
Melissa