Differentiation

Online Class 11/10/12
Please read the following article - The Differentiated Instruction Mind Set (9 pages)

Differentiation Projects -
==Provide a short 2-3 paragraph "teaser" to make us want to learn more about your differentiation topic that you will be sharing in an online presentation for classwork the week of 10/27: (See the class map for 10/6 online class for complete directions)==

**Tiaa - Gifted and Talented Programs**
What is gifted and talented programs? Here is a little infomation to get you thinking. Children and youth with qutstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performin at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment. (US Department of __Education__, 1993) A child that fits the requirments for a gifted and talented __program__ has to have talent in the following areas.......__academic__, artistc, athletic and social. A lot of __schools__ limit theirs to just academic.

When identifing a a gifted and talented student it is usually done within the school and there are no nation-wide or state-wide standards to identify a student for gifted and talented. Parents who feel that their child should be in a gifted and talented program have to get recommendations from __teacher__, parent, self and peers. __Schools__ usually do not pick __students__ who have behavior __problems__. Well this is enough for now............

Tiaa - Thanks for this great "teaser" and for getting us to know the definition of Gifted and Talented. Your comment related to not being nationwide or state criteria is fascinating to me... I think a good debate/discussion question for all of us is to ask if there should be. I'm wondering why these criteria and standards have not been established. Is there political motivation behind it? Thanks for getting me thinking about this differentiation topic! Geri Tiaa this is a very interesting topic since many students are talented in area and they are over looked and bored in __classes__. My experience has been that many students have a challenge finding __schools__ for the gifted and talented and being accepted by meeting the requirements for entry. It's very expensive. Denise

[[file:Gifted and Talented 3.pptx]]

 * Please Post Feedback for Tiaa here under each bullet point. Use a different color and add your name.**

Tiaa your information was concise- Denise
Tiaa your information was accurate and straight to the point. I think that we all have giffted and talented students in our classrooms. The trick is trying to find a way to challenge them all on their level and realizing that every student in our class has a talent. - Caryn

Tiaa, you did a nice job of breaking down the different areas of Gifted and Talented kids and their profile. I agree with Caryn in that we all have them in our class. I really thought it was interesting to hear that we should talk with them and give them a voice in what they want to do and how they want to learn.~Christen

* __information__ provide is clear and shared with an appropriate amount of depth related to the topic, ==== Tiaa, your information was clear with specific examples of what does and does not drive the learning of a gifted and talented student. Your information mention how gifted and talented students should have a voice. This is a very difficult thing for teachers to do, but if teachers listened more, we may do a better job of meeting our students needs. -Caryn ====

* is engaging and interesting for teachers at all levels,
==== Your presentation about strategies and behaviors of gifted and talented students was an eye opener. To hear that gifted and talented children may not enjoy working in groups because they end up doing most of the wor while the other students in the group sit back and relax is a very true piece of data. I have observed this with my own eyes. -Caryn ==== ====*It was nice that you added what we as educators can do to reach out to help these students. I get so stressed out when I have a kiddo that is soaring above the grade level and often not really know where I should go with them.~Christen====

* is professional-looking and visually appealing.
Your presentation is professional looking and informative. - Caryn

Other Feedback:
Tiaa, do you have a gifted and talented pull-out program at your school? If so, at what age/grade are students eligible for gt services?~Christen

Christen, no we do not have a gifted and talented pull out program. I wish we did because some of the kids are really beyond their grade level~Tiaa

= Response to Intervention...(RTI) = Are you looking for something __new__ to try with your class? Do you feel like it has been ages since we have had a great idea in the area of __education__ to help __students__ and achieve better __test__ scores? Are you looking for something because your day is just not quite filled enough with other things to do?? Well, do I have the answer for you! You've gotta try this! I mean wait, nevermind...you HAVE TO DO THIS! No really, I mean you really HAVE to do this!
 * Christen - RtI**

RTI is a general framework that involves research based instruction and interventions. It also involves regular and consistent student progress monitoring. RTI is data driven and data is used to make educational decisions. The basis behind RTI is basically a better more sound way of identifying students with learning disabilities. It is different than the previous way of identifying students with learning disabilities (ability achievement discrepancy . RTI uses the outcomes of targeted interventions and the past way was to use a mathematical discrepancy between scores achieved on standardized assessments.

RTI is separated into three tiers instruction is given within each tier and the intensity of support goes up with each tier as the ratio of students goes down. Tier 1 is basically your core __curriculum__ that is given and taught to the majority of students (80%-85%). TIer 2 are students that are given additional supplementary interventions which are often delivered in a small group. Of the students in TIer 2, 3-6% of them will __continue__ to struggle and will then receive Tier 3 intervention services and very often one-on-one support.

If you are so excited that you cannot wait to give it a try, never fear! RTI is and will be a mandated law in ALL Wisconsin schools by December of 2013! Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Christen, Love your energy and "excitement" surrounding RtI.:) You have provided a good teaser related to RtI, what it is and that it will be mandated. I'm looking forward to hearing what you believe to be the pros and cons (benefits and drawbacks) of this mandate and process. Thanks. Thanks for the heads up, awaithng to hear more. Denise

Christen's Differentiation Project:



 * Please Post Feedback for Christen here under each bullet point. Use a different color and add your name.**

* includes helpful, accurate and interesting information related to all questions stated above,
Christian I had no idea what RTI was but after reviewing your project I have a better understanding. You did a very good job at explaining what RTI is and how it works. I like how you broke it down into tiers and explain what happens in the tiers. Reading the drawbacks made me laugh because it seems as though we as teachers get all these things put on us but no one thinks about where the time is to do all of this stuff. Some of the stuff is useful to us as teachers but some is a waste of time. ~Tiaa

Wow thank you Christen, you took charge as aperson very knowledgeable about your topic. It showed me the curriculum we will be using should attract the students attention and show growth on assessments. Denise

Christen, your presentation is excellent. It is very informative for someone who has never heard of RTI and a good reveiw for schools that are using RTI at this time. We used RTI last year and the year before and we saw great gains with our students' academic and behavior progress. This year we are not using RTI and I do not know why. -Caryn

* information provide is clear and shared with an appropriate amount of depth related to the topic,
Going through and reading the information that you provided for your presentation I feel that it is really clear information about RTI. I was able to understand the process of RTI though your presentation. I really like how you added the information on the tiers. I have a feeling that our school will be doing this soon and with your presentation I have a jump on what I will need to do. Thanks!!!!~ Tiaa

Yes, you shared enough to help us understand and connect to the instruction process ana well as the process and I'm a process person. Denise

Christen, your information is clear and concise. You did a good job of pointing out the benefits, the steps to implement RTI, the preparation it takes, and the many ways that all staff members can be on board with the process. Your presentation is so clear that a person who is not in the education field can read and understand the steps to implementing a successful RTI program. -Caryn

* is engaging and interesting for teachers at all levels,
This presentation was very engaging and interesting. I like how you put the pictures in to really connect to what you were talking about on the slide. It really made it more interesting.~Tiaa

The creativeness, skill and techniques used in this presentation was entreaging and keep your attention causing you to follow tot he end in aw. Yes, professionals at all levels could appreaciate this presentation. Denise

Christen, I agree with Denise. I think that you should print this out to give to teachers who have problems believeing in RTI and those who would like to implement this program for the first time. You were very clear about the differences between Tiers 1, 2, and 3 and how to move students back and forth through the tiers as a need arises. Show this to your principal. - Caryn

* is professional-looking and visually appealing. Chisten you did an great job on your presentation. You conntected the concept with the pictures and you put the slides in a order where it was very easy to understand. ~Tiaa

I felt it was professional and could be used for a training. Denise

Christen, your presentation is professional looking and very helpful to educators. RTI is a good way to meet the needs of children who are not learning what they need too in Tier 1. - Caryn

Other Feedback:
= Denise - Challenges and Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms = Inclusive Classroom

Inclusion is about the child’s **__right__** to __participate__ and the school’s **__duty__** to accept the child. An emphasis is placed upon full participation by students with disabilities and upon respect for their social, civil, and educational rights. Inclusion gives students with disabilities skills they can use in and out of the classroom. A fully inclusive schools programs is restructured so that all students learn together.
 * Inclusion** in education is an approach to educating students with [|special educational needs].

The proportion of students with disabilities who are //included// varies by place and by type of __disability__, relatively for students with milder disabilities. Students in an inclusive classroom are generally placed with their chronological age-mates, regardless of whether the students are working above or below the typical academic level for their age. Also, to encourage a sense of belonging, emphasis is placed on the value of friendships. Teachers often nurture a relationship between a student with special needs and a same-age student without a special educational need.

It is said that all students can learn and benefit from education, and that schools should adapt to the physical, social, and cultural needs of students, rather than students adapting to the needs of the school. Therefore the instruction adapts the learning styles and Gardner 7 Multiple Intelligences styles of instruction. The teachers increase the use of mani

pulative to reinforce skills and produce strategies. Like identifying patterns and using groups, projects, peers, partners one on one, hands on lessons leading toward life skills.

Denise - thanks for the teaser! I am sure you will be sharing much information about the benefits and challenges of the inclusive classroom. It would be interesting to hear what your own students think about this topic... will you have the chance to informally talk to them for their impressions?

* includes helpful, accurate and interesting information related to all questions stated above,
Denise i like how you set your presentation up. Your defined your terms which is helpful when explaining something. You are very accurate with how you presented the presentation. First you tell us what inclusion is and then how we can invite the students in. I think that this is really important because i think at time some students feel left out and we need ways to make them feel invited/wanted in the classroom.~Tiaa

Denise, such a good point about students with disabilities should be placed with students that are working at or around the level in which they are working on rather than simply placing them with students of the same chronological age. ~Christen Your topic and my topic really go hand in hand. You hit the nail on the head when you said that plans need to be made with specific goals and modifications. RTI takes it 3 steps more with the data and tracking of research based interventions.~Christen

Denise, wow!! I have been blown away by the staggering percentages with 70% of special needs being African American Students (mostly boys) and the other percentages presented as well. It is very important that students with special needs are not made to feel that their disability is who they are. Inclusion creates a learning system where every child is given the chance to rise to challenges and receive special help and provisions as needed. - Caryn

* information provide is clear and shared with an appropriate amount of depth related to the topic,
I feel that the information that you provided is very clearn and it is the appropriate amount of depth related to the topic. I really like how you stated the child's role in being included. I like how you stated that there should be professional development. I have been saying this for years. I feel that we as teachers should have some if not all the training that special ed teachers get. I feel very frustrated when i have a student who is special need and do not know how to help them because i have not been trained appropiately. ~Tiaa *Denise, nicely broken down! You wrote out the information in a very easy to understand way. It provided helpful information for educators and you used a lot of examples. I like how you began with a quote ;)~Christen Denise, I loved the comments that were made to teachers. The comments give teachers specific examples of how teachers need to tweek their lessons and ways to make students that are part of the inclusion program feel comfortable with their strengths, weaknesses and talents. Like Tiaa mentioned above, many regualr education teachers (like myself) did not have much training in Special Education. I do see how differentiation can help to meet the needs of regular, special, gifted and talented, as well as the learning differences between boys and girls' needs. - Caryn

* is engaging and interesting for teachers at all levels,
Your presentation was very engaging and interesting. I like how you included your pictures....they fit very well with what your are saying on the slide. The information that you included was also engaging. It made me want to talk with are principal and see if there is anyway that we could connect with some special ed teachers that can help us with teaching students with special needs. Our school does not provide special needs programs but we do get student who have IEP's and the school as that we try hard to follow them eventhough we have not been trained.~Tiaa *Your presentation was very easy to read and followed a very easy to understand process of information~Christen Denise, I agree with Christen that your presentation was very easy to read and was straight to the point about how teachers need to keep inclusion at the forefront of their classrooms and to be aware that all students should feel included.- Caryn

* is professional-looking and visually appealing.
Very good job....you included a lot of helpful information!!!!!!!!!!!~Tiaa Denise, your presentation is professional looking with lots of intriguing information about Speicla Education and how important inlcusion is to the well being of speicla and regular education. -Caryn

Other Feedback:
I wonder how many schools break the law when it comes to learning with the least restrictive environment~Christen

**Caryn - Boys vs. Girls' needs (gender differences)**
Have you heard the saying, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus?" Well, it seems to be true. Starting from the minute boys and girls are born their needs and wants are different. They approach tasks and solve problems differently. Parents tend to give boys more freedom than girls and gender roles are placed on both very early in life. Has these opposites carried over and acknowledged in the classroom?

No! Let's start first with some of the percentages that are staggering. Boys earn 70% of the D's and F's given on report cards. Boys make up 80% of the discipline problems and are 70% of the student population with learning disabilities (80% who take Ritalin for hyper activity). Boys are 1 to 1 1/2 years behind girls in reading and writing and make up 80% of the High School dropouts. Women have always said that we do most of the house work, taking care of the children, while working an 8 hour job as well. This is why, girls are better at multitasking. Girls are able to store more detail in our memories, make faster transitions, make fewer impulsive decisions and have 15% more blood flow in the brain. Girls have better listening skills.

The __next__ time you are in your classroom, take a look at your students- girls behaviors verses boys behaviors. Who is able sit calmly in their seats for the majority of the lesson? Which students seem more organized and have better penmanship? Who needs more space and prefers to work alone? Which students tend to act out or disrupt class when they are bored?

Bill McBride the author of __Entertaining an Elephant__ states in his article called //Teaching to Gender Differences// that ,"girls behavior becomes the gold standard". Nevertheless, boys and girls learn very differently because of their personal and educational needs. I will present some suggestions for teaching boys and teaching girls that will make reaching both gender's educational and personal needs.

Caryn - WOW, the statistics are "staggering" related to how poorly boys do in school than girls. Maybe we are teaching boys wrong - they definitely do not learn in ways in which we teach in schools - sitting in desks for long periods of time, little time for collaboration, one short recess only, etc... I've seen this with my own son. So looking forward to hearing about the best ways to meet the genders' needs!

I'm excited to hear more. I have seem this in action over my years of teaching. Now when wil we address if. Denise

* includes helpful, accurate and interesting information related to all questions stated above,
Caryn, I like the data, statics and comparison. I learned what makeas a per react as they do, while we want a calming responce. Denise Very helpful information in your presentation. I love the poem that you have at the beginning of the presentation. I can agree with your saying that men are from mars and women are from venus. I believe that we have totally different needs. You are very accurate with your brain reseach and it is quite interesting info and helps me understand why some of the things are going on in my classroom. ~Tiaa

Love the fact about how boys compartmentalize information. HA! This reminds me of my husband and explains A LOT! It also just amazes me that boys and girls can be put in such seemingly accurate profiles! When I was reading through the classroom behaviors it was just so interesting that mostly all the girls and boys in my class fall into most of those behaviors. ~Christen

* information provide is clear and shared with an appropriate amount of depth related to the topic,
Yes, your material was clear ans I could relate to many of the details. Denise Yes everything is very clear and very detailed. ~Tiaa

* is engaging and interesting for teachers at all levels,
I believe this would be crucial for all teachers to know ans thir expectations would be altered. Denise

I found it very interesting. This is one of those subjects that we all know about but personally I had forgotten all the details and how many ways boys and girls are different! Thank you for including the ways in which they learn best. It was a nice refresher and you included some really good reminders that we all will find helpful and be mindful of! Nice job!! I enjoyed reading your presentation and it is very evident that you spent a lot of time researching and putting it together! :) ~Christen

This presentation was very interesting. I learn new things that I did not know before and can better undertand my children in my class and help them with their needs. I think that this presentation should be shared with all teachers because i hear a lot of teachers complaining about the boys in their class and maybe after seeing this they would have a better understanding how boys and girls are really different.~Tiaa

* is professional-looking and visually appealing.
Yes, visually pleasing. Denise

Caryn, I really enjoyed your graphics. Was the illustration on how girls learn best an actual drawing of one of your kiddos? Looked like a child drew it. I thought it was very organized and easy to understand! Very applicable too!~Christen Very professional and easy to understand. Great Job!!!!~Tiaa

Other Feedback:
I saved it for you so we could view it. Denise

Caryn...I loved the way you started your presentation with the poem :) very cute! ~Christen

Definition of Differentiation:
In [|//EdSpeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon//]//,// Diane Ravitch defines differentiating instruction as a form of instruction that seeks to "maximize each student's growth by recognizing that students have different ways of learning, different interests, and different ways of responding to instruction. "In practice, it involves offering several different learning experiences in response to students' varied needs. Educators may vary learning activities and materials by difficulty, so as to challenge students at different readiness levels; by topic, in response to students' interests; and by students' preferred ways of learning or expressing themselves" (p. 75).

To gain more information about differentiation and how to bring it into your teaching repertoire, we are going to gain some background knowledge on related topics. See the list below for some related topics we are going to learn more about:

- __Autism spectrum__ - Gifted and talented programs/students**~Tiaa** - RtI (Response to __Intervention__) ~**Christen** - Second Language Learners - Cultural Differences/Ethnicity - Boys vs. Girls' needs (gender differences)~**Caryn** - Multiple Intelligences/Learning styles - Using __technology__ to assist learners - Inclusive classrooms - Challenges and benefits to all students- **Denise Owens** - Brain based learning

**Please choose a topic from the list. Place your name by it and SAVE.**
__Begin__ doing research on the following questions. Next week you will receive directions for taking what you learn into an online presentation for your colleagues to learn from you related to the topic.

1. What is it? What does the research say about the topic that would be helpful for teachers to know? 2. What are the challenges teachers face related to your topic? 3. We learned in class that there are three aspects to differentiation: **Student readiness**, **student interest and motivation** and **student learning profile** (how a student takes in information and processes it). (See the Carol Tomlinson video at [|www.differentiationcentral.com] for review if desired). How do these three fit into your topic? (Note, one or more may be more applicable than the others.) 3. Suggestions for teaching methods and strategies these students' needs across all grade/age levels and content areas