Science for All: Differentiating instruction and assessment in inclusive science

classroomsMatthew Anthes-Washburn

Nathan GroverDenver East High School

What do you think:What is differentiated

instruction?

Meeting the needs of all learners:

Who are your learners?

What is differentiated instruction?

• Readiness

• Interest

• Learning style

Traditional instruction: A Linear Model

Bored

Lost

Unmotivated

Confused

Teacher and a few

students

Differentiated instruction

Everyone has a

common experience

Lear

ners

’ exp

lora

tions

diff

er

An analogy: Rock Band!

• Common experience, individualized access

• Differentiated by readiness• Difficulty level

• Differentiated by interest• Choose instrument• Choose songs

• Differentiated by learning style• Practice mode• Group vs. solo• Online

People LOVE Rock Band!

• Rock Band and Guitar Hero have grossed over $3 Billion

• No matter what your difficulty level, you get:• Lots of positive feedback• Goals and achievements

• When you practice, you get better at it.

• Share the experience with friends

What do you do in your classroom that is like Rock Band?

Differentiating instruction in your classroom: practical

examples• A inquiry investigation

• A mini-lesson

• A problem set

• A unit project

An inquiry investigation

• Everyone: Learn the protocol for the experiment and do one trial

• 10 minutes: Do several treatments and multiple trials of a variable your team chooses.

• Challenge for teams that are “cooking”

A mini-lesson

A problem set

• Traffic signals:• Green: I understand and

I can help

• Yellow: It’s challenging, but I’m with you

• Red: I need help

• Can be used for flexible grouping• Greens tutor reds

• Teacher helps yellows

• Traffic signals:• Green: I understand and

I can help

• Yellow: It’s challenging, but I’m with you

• Red: I need help

• Can be used for flexible grouping• Greens tutor reds

• Teacher helps yellows

Sports on the Moon: a sample unit

Differentiation of a unit project

• Readiness

• Interest

• Learning style

Unit PlanningUnderstanding by Design, McTighe & Wiggins

•A model for setting curricular priorities

•Three domains, enduring understanding at the core.

•Reminds us what we really want students to know: “If I saw a student again 10 years later, I would be happy if they remembered this.”

Important to know and do

Enduring understanding

Worth being familiar with

The Pyramid:Differentiation by

readinessOur goals:

• The pyramid has a strong foundation: standards

• Present challenging instruction at each student’s level.

• Foster learning environment where all parts of the pyramid are recognized, and progress up the pyramid is valued.

All students should understand or do

Most students will

understand or do

Some students will

understand or do

Assessment: a typical rubric

A B C D

Define 10 terms

Define 8 terms

Define 7 terms

Define 6 terms

Student A•Diligent•Motivated because she does what is asked of her•Gets an “A”•Doesn’t necessarily understand deeply

Student B•Finds all the work ahead of her discouraging.•Might do 7 just to pass•Might decide not to play the game at all

Assessment and the layered curriculum

• Kathie Nunley, www.help4teachers.com• “Layered” curriculum encourages students to

progress at their own pace to higher orders of thinking.

The Pyramid:Another look at readiness and

orders of thinking

• Each step up the pyramid is an increase in the order of thinking required.

Explain

Connect to evidenceClarify

IntegrateApply

Innovate

Sports on the Moon

What to notice

• “A,” “B,” and “C” levels are associated with orders of thinking

• Start by planning the foundation: Proficiency (C level) is the minimum standard for satisfactory completion

• Meets your state standards• Meets your criterion: What do I want them to still know in 10

years?

• To move up a grade, a student must change their mode of thinking to deeper understanding.

• Revision

• Self-assessment

• Progress on rubric

What level would you rate this explanation?

Pushing an object on the moon is different from lifting it, because pushing an object it would weight the same as it would on earth. It will feel the same using your arms, and legs bends pushing an object on the moon, and on earth . When you lifting an object the object attend to float upon gravity pulling away from the moon. No matter how heavy an object weight when it comes to lifting it on the moon it has a less mass. Its different on earth gravity is pulling down when you lift and object, and it does not attend to float as on the moon. It add more more weight on your arms, you use more of your muscles, and energy when you lifting an object on earth.

Sports on the Moon

What level would you rate this explanation?

• Football is a contact sport that involves players tackling each other to the ground. The problem with this on the moon is that it is harder to push an object than to lift an object. Because of this our group decided to make the game a little interesting. Instead of playing by running on feet, the players will move on their knees. Instead of tackling the opponent (pushing) the players must pick the opponent up and throw them over their back. This eliminates the gravitational factors on the moon involving pushing a lifting.

Rubrics, presentation available online:

www.awzone.com

files