Nancy Heilbronner
University of Connecticut
With Thanks to
Sheelah Sweeny,
Rhode Island College
DifferentiationWebquestsPPA WebquestsWays to Differentiate PPA Webquests
Matching the given content with a student’s interests, abilities, and learning styles through various instructional strategies.
Sally Reis
From Get Off My Brain, by Randy McCutcheon, illustrated by Pete Wagner
MYTH! Busy work is a waste of students’ time. If students finish early, have them do something challenging and meaningful. However, with appropriate differentiation, down time should occur less frequently.
MYTH! Capable students should get work that is qualitatively different, not quantitatively more. Also, gifted students need only 1-2 repetitions on something that an average child needs 7-8 repetitions to learn.
Differentiation – Is It Effective?
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/reports/rbdm9204/rbdm9204.pdf
An Analysis of the Research on Ability Grouping: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
James A. Kulik, Ph.D.
• Meta-analysis– Differentiation is effective (learning gains) when you alter the curriculum for students to adjust for their previous knowledge and skills, and it’s ineffective when you don’t.
Multiple Approaches - differentiate through the content, process & product
Student Centered - engage all learners at their own level
Varied Groupings - whole group, small group & individualized instruction
Organic - teaching & learning evolves from needs of the students
Tomlinson, 2001
Interest
Readiness
Learning Style
ASSIGNMENT:
On a piece of paper rank from highest (1) to lowest (4) your preferred expression style Write Draw Act Sing
Activity
Create a representation that would explain the characteristics of gifted students to others.
You MUST use your LEAST favorite learning style. Find your group and begin.
1. How did you feel while doing this activity?
2. What is this like in our classrooms?
This simulation, however, is a bit like using remedial instruction. If we never let students do what they like and are good at, we never see their potential.
Is it fair?Addressing ConcernsSET THE EXPECTATION EARLY, SET IT OFTEN.
CONTENT
PROCESSPRODUCT
What should a student be
able to do as a result of this
study?
Activities designed to
help students
make sense of content?
How will student
demonstrate understandi
ng?
The content is what students are learning about. Differentiate by:
Providing a wide variety of learning materials;
Providing texts and trade-books with different levels of sophistication (e.g. viewpoint, technical language);
Requiring the use of primary source materials;
Requiring Interviews with individuals in the field.
The process is what students are doing - how they are using the information. Differentiate by:
Increasing the complexity of the task; Requiring higher-order thinking skills Requiring skills used by working professionals in the field.
The product is the final work product - it is how students demonstrate their learning. Differentiate by:
Making the product more complex; Assigning leadership and more complex roles during the webquest;
Use of higher-order thinking skills through debate and/or presentation by the identified students.
IntroductionTask ProcessEvaluationConclusionCredits
Webquest Page http://webquest.org/index.php
A Guide for Creating a Webquest
http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/webquest/quest-a.shtml
Science Sites
Franklin Institute Museum of Science http://www2.fi.edu/
Keystone Science Network www.keystone.fi.edu/index.shtml
The Scientific Method http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html#Heading3
National Science Teachers Association http://www.nsta.org/
Social Studies Sites
American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
Library of Congress www.loc.gov
History Matters http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
National Council for the Social Studies http://www.ncss.org/
ASPCA http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_ri_home
English/Language Arts Sites
The Write Site http://www.writesite.org/
Time for Kids http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/
Research & Writing http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/stepfirst.htm
Research Sites
The Research Process http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/
Thinkfinity http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx
Rand Corporation http://www.rand.org/
Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/
Math Sites
Math Forum• http://mathforum.org/
The World of Math Online • http://www.math.com/
Interactive Math Dictionary for Kids• www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com
NCES Kids Zone• http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/index.asp
What is the problem?Where is the evidence?What are the causes?What is the existing policy?What policies can you create to correct the problem?
What is the best policy to correct the problem?
Use this description to hook students - get them excited and interested. Include questions, strong verbs and examples of higher order thinking to engage students at all ability levels.
When directing students to resources, make sure the resources are varied in type (web-based, books, reports, graphs, surveys, etc.), reading level and level of analysis.
Choose a topic that is multi-faceted, which will increase the complexity of the research and analysis. Give students opportunities to explore multiple causes.
Provide opportunities for students to utilize different formats as they evaluate causes.
Choose resources that are varied in form and reading level. Consider newspapers, news magazines, online news sources as well as books, websites and government reports.
Give students opportunities to explore why certain policies were put into place. What role does politics play in policy making?
Have students consider more than one solution/policy. The team can evaluate the choices to choose the best option.
Policies should consider multiple criteria and constituencies (social, economic, academic, political, emotional, etc.)
All students should be involved in higher-order thinking, including evaluation.
Provide structures to help students evaluate policy options.
Content &
Process
Consider multiple presentation options to pique student interest and take advantage of students’ strengths.
•Poverty•http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/crit7/donaldsonwq1.html
•English Suffragists•http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/crit7/chomawq3.html
•Industrial Revolution•http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/crit7/archerwq2.html
By ROLE Works well if roles are meaningful (e.g., researcher, project manager, editor, presentation manager)
Roles must be CONTRIBUTE TO LEARNING.
By TASK Each role is tiered by readiness.
Students select roles based on interest. Instructor selects tiered groups.
Make sure each role is meaningful, and contributes to the overall process and to student learning.
Example: Group manager – for student with strengths in people skills, conflict management, etc.;
Researcher – for student with strengths in reading, organization, note-taking, outlining, etc.;
Production – for students with strengths in writing, storyboarding, language, layout, etc.;
Technology – for students with strengths in computer software such as PowerPoint;
Artist – for students with strengths in the arts.
A word of warning: Each student should contribute to the knowledge-building process;
Each student should contribute to the overall presentation(s);
Roles are primarily for “who’s in charge” purposes.
Differentiation is by readiness. Form 2-3 groups for each role that are differentiated by complexity.
Knowledge:arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce, state
Comprehension:classify, describe, discuss, explain, express,
identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate
Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule,
sketch, solve, use, write
Analysis:analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate,
discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose,
construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan,
prepare, propose, set up, write.
Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach,
choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select,
support, value, evaluatehttp://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/bloom.html
Sentence Stems \http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm
Knowledge - Content: What happened after…? Product: Make a timeline of events.
Comprehension - Content: Tell what happened in your own words. Product: Illustrate what you think the main idea is.
Application - Content: Group by characteristics… Product: Construct a model to show how it works.
Analysis - Content: How was this similar to… Product: Construct a graph to illustrate selected information.
Synthesis - Content: Devise your own solution… Product: Create your own product…
Evaluation - Content: Judge the value of… Product: Prepare a list of criteria to judge…
Determining reality & fantasy
Determining benefits & drawbacks
Identifying value statements
Identifying points of view
Determining bias
Identifying fact & opinion
Determining the accuracy of information
Inductive & Deductive thinkinghttp://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/typeiips.html
• Judging essential and incidental information Determining relevance
• Identifying missing information
• Judging the credibility of a source
• Determining warranted & unwarranted claims
Critical Thinking Skills
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/typeiips.html
Recognizing assumptions
Recognizing fallacies
Detecting inconsistencies in an argument
Identifying ambiguity
Identifying exaggeration
Determining the strength of an argument
-Albert Einstein
It’s time to get your ducks in a row…
www.gifted.uconn.eduwww.creativelearningpress.comHow to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, 2nd ed. By Carol Ann Tomlinson
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