FLEXIBLE GROUPING

Bringing the meat and potatoes to DI

Flexible grouping

Teachers, bring the meat and potatoes of Differentiated Instruction to your students. Engage them in small group activities and instruction in a systematic and motivational way. Learn how flexible grouping allows for more differentiation, when to incorporate flexible grouping, the advantages and cautions inherent in such a system, and practical, easy, and fun ways to design and manage your groups.

Today’s Agenda

Introductions Definition and purpose Grouping structures Research Formative assessment Managing flexible groups DI strategies that support flex groups Closure

Group Resume

By alphabet groupings Identify and brag about

your group’s resources Should include any

information that promotes subgroup as a whole

Topics can include: background, experience, positions, accomplishments, hobbies, families, etc.

TEACHERS R US

Berks IU

Objective

Desire experience creating flexible groups that increase knowledge

Qualifications 12 years teaching Masters Degrees Some knowledge of DI Hobbies include: skiing& reading

Knowledge Transfer

aaa

Dialogue

Learning by doing

Socializationsympathised knowledge

Externalizationconceptual knowledge

Internalizationoperational knowledge

Combinationsystemic knowledge

Tacit knowledge Explicit knowledge

to

from

Tacit knowledge

Explicit knowledge

Sharing experience Networking

Whole group-set the stage for flexible grouping

Description Rationale DI connection When to use it Advantages Cautions

Flexible Grouping

Occurs when there is a whole group assessment or instruction initially; and then the students are divided by their need for either review,

Re-teaching, practice, or enrichment. Such grouping could be a single lesson or objective, a set of skills, a unit of study, or a major concept or theme. Flexible grouping creates temporary groups for an hour, a day, a week, or a month or so. It does not create permanent groups.

Take a look

ReadinessInterestLearning profile

Group Arrangements (like/unlike/size)

Teacher choiceStudent choiceRandom

Planning for Grouping:Questions to Consider

When does grouping benefit students? When does grouping facilitate

instruction? Which activities lend themselves to

group work? How do you determine group

membership?

When does grouping benefit students?

When the task requires input from different types of learning styles and perspectives.

When the subject matter is new for all students.

When it allows gifted students to be engaged in real learning.

When does grouping facilitate instruction?

When it: allows both for quick mastery of information and ideas allows for additional exploration by students needing more time

for mastery allows for both collaborative and independent work gives students and teachers a voice in work arrangements allows students to work with a wide variety of peers encourages teachers to “try out” students in a variety of work

settings keeps students from being “pegged” as advanced or struggling

Grouping and the Gifted Student

The gifted student ranges in his/her strengths and weaknesses just as do all students

Students are different from each other and challenged when provided programming at the appropriate level of instruction

Teachers must look at each student individually MCPS content curriculum contain adaptations that are

suitable for the gifted student in the cluster grouped classroom

Flexible Grouping for the delivery of instruction is the cornerstone of appropriate differentiation for the gifted student

Which activities lend themselves to group work?

Group Work - Old and New

Task is usually a project Some students do more work

and take most responsibility Some students are ignored by

others in group Some students feel success,

others feel frustration Each student cares most about

what he/she learns and what grade he/she receives

Task may be a project, brainstorming, problem solving

Shared work and responsibility Participation of all students is

encouraged Each student’s ideas and work

are valued Students care about group

learning

Activities for Heterogeneous Grouping

Open ended activities with use of strategies such as critical thinking,, development of concepts and generalizations

Multidisciplinary themes When presenting new content Examples: Hands on Science

experiments, and current events activities

Appropriate Activities for Appropriate Activities for Heterogeneous Grouping:Heterogeneous Grouping:

Critical Thinking Concept and Generalization Whole Language

Experiences Multi-disciplinary Units Open ended discussions Examples: Hands-on

science experiments and Current event discussions

Appropriate Activities for Homogeneous Grouping:

Drill and Practice Math computation Studying for recall type

test Answering

comprehension questions about a novel

Turn and talk

Proximity partner Turn to partner to review lecture guide

Spotlight Share

One member of pair called on to answer Major point Misconception Concern

Group Membership

Can be determined by:

Readiness

Interest

Reading Level

Skill Level

Background Knowledge

Social Skills

Grouping Method

TAPSTeacher AssignedStudent SelectedRandom

Creative ideas for forming groups

Popsicle sticks with names – last one picked chooses group

Clock partners

Stickers on card, find matching sticker

Birthdays in seasons

Puzzle pieces

Team hiring and resumes

Other resources for forming groups

Use contribution reminder cards Pass out colored chips and put in center after

each contribution Rank students by ability and put in array of 3

across Group reflection form – use a rubric

And the research says…

Text-based seminar Read the article

Text-based Seminar

All read pp. 1 &2, 26-29 Divide the article into 4 parts (Models 1-4) Each member reads a section After reading, discuss this framing question: How can

flexible grouping increase achievement in my class? Protocol: Each person in group refers to one quote

from the text and explains how this quote supports their response to the framing question.

Other members take turns in responding to group members’ quotes.

Take a look

Watch the video Trio learning

Rotating trio exchange

Sit in groups of 3 Assign each a 0, 1, or 2 Discuss the following question:

How does heterogeneous grouping support higher level thinking of all members?

Rotation: 1’s move clockwise, 2’s move counterclockwise, 0’s stay put

Continue the triad discussion

What first steps will you take to employ flexible grouping?

What barriers might hinder the implementation of flexible grouping and what can you do to remove those barriers?

How can a teacher ensure the appropriate level of challenge for each student?

PRE-ASSESSMENT

The purpose of pre-assessment is to determine what students know about a topic before it is taught. Pre-assessment will help the teacher determine flexible grouping patterns and should be used regularly.

Equity

Pre-assessment Strategies

Teacher prepared pre-test KWL Charts /Graphic

Organizers Writing Prompts/Samples Guess Box Student demonstrations and

discussions

Student products and work samples

Show of hands/EPR Every Pupil Response

Standardized Test Data Teacher

observation/Checklist

Formative assessment

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting pupils’ learning. It thus differs from assessment designed primarily to serve the purposes of accountability, or of ranking, or of certifying competence. An assessment activity can help learning if it provides information to be used as feedback, by teachers, and by their pupils, in assessing themselves and each other, to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged.

Such assessment becomes ‘formative assessment’ when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet learning needs.

Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall & Wiliam, 2002

Types of formative assessment

Long-cycle– Span: across units, terms– Length: four weeks to one year– Impact: Student monitoring; curriculum alignment

Medium-cycle– Span: within and between teaching units– Length: one to four weeks– Impact: Improved, student-involved, assessment; teacher cognition

about learning Short-cycle

– Span: within and between lessons– Length:

day-by-day: 24 to 48 hours minute-by-minute: 5 seconds to 2 hours

– Impact: classroom practice; student engagement

Aspects of formative assessment

Where the learner is going

Where the learner is How to get there

Teacher Clarify and share learning intentions

Engineering effective discussions, tasks and

activities that elicit evidence of learning

Providing feedback that moves learners

forward

Peer Understand and share learning intentions

Activating students as learningresources for one another

Learner Understand learning intentions

Activating students as ownersof their own learning

Examples of formative assessment

Learning intentions– “sharing exemplars”

Eliciting evidence– “mini white-boards”

Providing feedback– “find it and fix it”

Students as owners of their learning– “colored cups”

Students as learning resources– “pre-flight checklist”

Activity

Regroup by job alike groups Identify formative assessment strategies

useful in your class

Management of Groups

Goal of the Activity– Total number of Pupils in Class– Number of Groups– Number of Students in a Group – Roles within the Group– Teacher Role

Management strategies

Chart of management ideas

6 Hat Thinking

In groups of 6 Read the article from one of 6 roles Discuss using references that support your

own role

Exit cards

What stands out as new knowledge for you?

What questions do you still have?

Other comments?

Assessment

What questions remain?

Name tag mix-upName tag mix-up

Complex Instruction

Complex Instruction evolved from over 20 years of research by Elizabeth Cohen, Rachel Lotan, and their colleagues at the Stanford School of Education. The goal of this instruction is to provide academic access and success for all students in heterogeneous classrooms.

Research has documented significant achievement gains in classrooms using such curricula.

Complex Instruction (CI) has three major components.

Multiple ability curricula

Development of higher-order thinking skills through group work activities organized around a central concept.

The tasks are open-ended, requiring students to work interdependently to solve problems.

The tasks require a wide array of intellectual abilities so that students from diverse backgrounds and different levels of academic proficiency can make meaningful contributions to the group task.

Instructional strategies

Teacher trains the students to use cooperative norms and specific roles to manage their own groups .

Teacher is free to observe groups carefully Provide specific feedback

Treat status problems

The more that students talk and work together, the more they learn.

Students who are social isolates or students who are seen as lacking academic skills often fail to participate and thus learn less than they would if they were more active in the groups.

Teachers use status treatments to broaden students' perceptions of what it means to be smart, and to convince students that they each have important intellectual contributions to make to the multiple-ability task.

Processing

Individual and Group accountability activities which reflect the success of:– The student– The group– The objective for the teacher planned activity

Practice designing flexible grouping structure for given set of classroom data & lesson

Station activity

Investigate DI structures that support flexible grouping

– Anchor activities– Tiered lessons– Stations/Centers

Rotate every 20 minutes

PMI Chart

Plus (+) Minus (-) Interesting

Station

Tiered lessons

Anchors

Assessment

1. In the acronym TAPS, which word(s) do(es) not allow for differentiation?

2. T/F: Flexible grouping implies putting students into ability groups.

3. Name at least 2 DI strategies that support flexible grouping.

4. What are 2 problems for historically based arguments for heterogeneous classrooms?

Assessment responses

1. T – total group2. F - many reasons for grouping arrangements3. Compacting, Complex instruction4. Struggling learners must be met where they are.

Advanced learners often given more work, asked to be peer teachers, or left alone as they are already up to par.

Summarize

In job-alike groups Create 30 second commercial Reasons to support or oppose flexible

grouping

Keeping flexible

Exercise the strategy

Switch your groups regularly

Have fun!

Thank you!

Please complete the evaluation Contact me with any questions

barbara.launi@rtsd.org

Flexible Grouping for the delivery of instruction is the cornerstone of

appropriate differentiation for the gifted student as well as all students. The use of Flexible Grouping assures Success for

Every Student.

Readiness group tasks

Cooperative grouping strategies Group members’ roles Learning styles inventory

http://www.metamath.com/multiple/multiple_choice_questions.html

Modality preference groups

Visual Auditory Hands-on

Find cooperative group strategies from handouts and on-line resources. Make a chart.

Put the group roles from the resources on the chart.

Participate in lecture-format and complete chart of strategies.

Finish the chart with group roles.

Make index cards of cooperative group strategies with purpose on back.

Make a charades game of group roles.

Agenda

Microlab – How do we honor all learners in variable grouping?

Read all about it! Share Evaluation

Today’s Agenda, continued

Sit in groups (by modality preference) Learning styles activity on management of

flexible groups Brainstorm ideas for grouping by readiness,

interest, & random Whole group share – dot vote