What is Differentiation? - Carol Ann Tomlinson

1 Copyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20101 Four Non-Negotiables ofDefensible DifferentiationCarol Ann TomlinsonWilliam Clay Parrish, Jr. ProfessorUniversity of CollegePresentation for Elementary EducatorsApril 1, 2010 what is differentiation ?(Making Sure We re on the Same ) adefinition ofdifferentiation you feel clarifies its key intent, elements,and to a newteacher what differentiation isin terms of what a teacher would be doing in the classroom and why. Your definitionshould create animage of differentiationin action in a real a metaphor,analogy, orvisual symbolthat you thinkrepresents andclarifies what s important to understand Pick a column2. Write or think silently3. Be ready to share when time is calledCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20102 Sternberg s Three IntelligencesAnalyticalPracticalCreative differentiation Is a teacher s response to learner s needsGuided by mindset and general principles of differentiationRespectful tasksFlexible groupingContinual assessmentTeachers can differentiate throughContentProcessProductAffect/Envir onmentAccording to students ReadinessInterestLearning ProfileThrough a variety of instructional strategies such Learning/Interest Independent Quests & Web CurriculumBldg.

2 CommunityDifferentiation isa sequence of common sense decisionsmade by teacherswith a student-first orientationAdam Hoppe, 2010 Copyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20103It s making sure each student learns what he or she should learn by establishing clear goals, assessing persistently to see where each student is relative to the goals, and adjusting instruction based on assessment information so that each student can learn as much as possible as efficiently as about How do these definitions mesh with yours? what else wouldyou add to thedefinitions?Copyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201041 Quality DIBegins with a growth mindset, moves to student-teacher connections, & evolves to Success comes from beingsmart Genetics, environmentdetermine what we can do Some kids are smart some aren t Teachers can t override students profiles Success comes from effort With hard work, most studentscan do most things Teachers can override students profiles A key role of the teacher is to sethigh goals, provide high support,ensure student focus to findthe thing that makes schoolwork for a studentCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20105 Note key attributes of Captain Sullenberger s thinking during the time he wasmaking decisions about the problemhe encountered and was acting onthose do you find to be the most compellingthing he has to say?

3 Why does itstrike you as the most important?How would you characterize him as a pilot basedon this interview segment? what does any of this have to do with teaching?Host: We entered all of the flight data into a computer (speed, location, landing distance, etc.)Sir, the computer said you couldn t land the plane Sullenberger: Then I m glad a computer wasn t flying the Carol Tomlinson 3/20106 MindsetWhoWhereWhatHowCoverage it TakesShapes Student Self-PerceptionBuilds or Erodes Group TrustI teach what I believe you can learnTALK ABOUT does teacherMindset impactwho, where, what , &how we teach? what are the implicationsof mindset fordifferentiation??Question:In what ways do yourfaculty and schoolsupport development of afluid teacher and student mindset?In what way do your faculty & school encouragedevelopment of afixed teacher and student mindset?Copyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20107 MINDSETCONNECTIONSCOMMUNITYT eacher-Student Connections Bridge the Risk of LearningConnecting with KidsTalk at the doorEarly interest assessmentsSmall group instructionDialogue journalsStudent conferencesOpen room daysAsk for student inputInvite examples, analogies, experiencesSeek student input on classUse Socratic or student-leddiscussionsShare your own storiesListenSeek varied perspectivesShare own interests,questions, plansStart class with kid talkGo to student eventsWatch before & afterschool, at lunchKeep student data cardsTake notes during classAttend extracurricularactivitiesBuild curriculum on student culture & interestsCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20108 Teachers discover that they need to develop and maintain personal relationships with the students they teach --because for most students, meaningful interaction with a teacher is a precursor to academic , 1983 inThe New Meaning of Educational Change(3rd Edition)

4 By Michael Fullan2001, New York: The Teachers College Press, p. 33 MINDSETCONNECTIONSCOMMUNITYL isteningRespondingWorkingProblem SolvingCelebratingHow Community Evolves over TimeCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/20109 Building CommunityBuilding Community Establishes the framework for a responsive classroomEach student s need for a next step Responsibility for own growth We ve got your back mentalityCompetition against self (vs. others)Fair as each student getting what he/she needs to succeedWorking like colleagues Begins with teacher mindset Extends to student belief in one another Supports the belief that we win or lose together Ensures security/safety necessary for academic growth Enables students to work as a team Provides the teacher with teammates tooCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201010 Because my teacher treats me with respect,I feel a sense of dignity in this my teacher treats every one of us with respect,We are respectful of one my teacher sees our possibilities,I am beginning to see them my teacher says sweat makes winners,We re learning to my teacher works hard for me,I want to work hard for my teacher won t settle for less than our best,We aim high more my teacher says we are responsible for one another,We help one another my teacher helps us see ourselves through her eyes,We see hope in my teacher is a great coach.

5 We are a great We Came to is no textbook orpacing guide orset of instructional strategiesthat can substitute for a teacher s belief in and connection high quality curriculumcan play a key role in fluid mindset,connections, and community!2 Quality DIIs rooted in meaningful Carol Tomlinson 3/201011 THINK ABOUT do/should teachers/curriculum developersdo to make sure curriculum is sound?That it feeds young brains appropriately?Planet MI TaskV/LWrite a story about your planetL/MMake a chart that compares your planet to EarthM/RMake up a song about your planetB/KMake up or adapt a game about your planet (Saturn ring-toss, etc.)Beware of Twinky DICopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201012 QUALITY CURRICULUM:THE SHORT VERSIONE ngagement + Understanding = SuccessQuality differentiation Teaches Up and ensures Respectful Tasks (based on essential understandings, equally engaging, requiring high level thought forall students).Our goal should always be to create the richest, highest qualitycurriculum we know how to , differentiate to enable the largest possible number ofstudents to succeed with should always be about lifting up---never aboutwatering down!

6 !Copyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201013 Teaching up is strongly connected to both teacher & student How does that work?Novel Think-Tac-Toebasic versionDirections: Select and complete one activity from each horizontal row to help you and others think about your novel. Remember to make your work thoughtful, original, accurate, and a pair of collages that compares you and a character from the book. Compare and contrast physical and personality traits. Label your collages so viewers understand your thinkingWrite a bio-poem about yourself and another about a main character in the book so your readers see how you and the characters are alike and different. Be sure to included the most important traits in each a recipe or set of directions for how you would solve a problem and another for how a main character in the book would solve a problem. Your list should help us know you and the and write a greeting card that invites us into the scenery and mood of an important part of the book.

7 Be sure the verse helps us understand what is important in the scene and a model or map of a key place in your life, and an important one in the novel. Find a way to help viewers understand both what the places are like and why they are important in your life and the characters .Make 2 timelines. The first should illustrate and describe at least 6-8 shifts in settings in the book. The second should explain and illustrate how the mood changes with the change in books of proverbs and/or quotations, find at least 6-8 that you feel reflect what s important about the novel s theme. Find at least 6-8 that do the same for your life. Display them and explain your a key character from the book to find out what lessons he/she thinks we should learn from events in the book. Use a Parade magazine for material. Be sure the interview is several songs you think reflect an important message from the book. Prepare an audio collage. Write an exhibit card that helps your listener understand how you think these songs express the book s Think Tac-Toeadvanced versionDirections: Select and complete one activity from each horizontal row to help you and others think about your novel.

8 Remember to make your work thoughtful, original, insightful, and elegant in a bio-poem about yourself and another about a main character in the book so your readers see how you and the character are alike and different. Be sure to include the most important traits in each character in the book is being written up in the paper 20 years after the novel ends. Write the piece. W here has life taken him/her? W hy? Now, do the same for yourself 20 years from now. Make sure both pieces are interesting feature re a profiler. Write and illustrate a full and useful profile of an interesting character from the book with emphasis on personality traits and mode of operating. W hile you re at it, profile yourself a town/place you feel is equivalent to the one in which the novel is set. Use maps, sketches, population and other demographic data to help you make comparisons and a model or a map of a key place in your life, and in important one in the novel. Find a way to help viewers understand both what the places are like and why they are important in your life and the characters.

9 The time and place in which people find themselves and when events happen shape those people and events in important ways. Find a way to convincingly prove that idea using this out about famous people in history or current events whose experiences and lives reflect the essential themes of this novel. Show us what you ve a multi-media presentation that fully explores a key theme from the novel. Use at least 3 media (for example painting, music, poetry, photography, drama, sculpture, calligraphy, etc.) in your several songs you think reflect an important message from the book. Prepare an audio collage. Write an exhibit card that helps your listener understand how you think these songs express the book s Carol Tomlinson 3/201014 However we conceive it, every lesson plan should be, at its plan at its heart, motivational plan. Young learners are motivated and engaged by a variety of conditions. Among those are:noveltycultural significancepersonal relevance or passionemotional connectionproduct focuschoicethe potential to make a contribution orlink with something greater than selfTomlinson 2003 Fulfilling The is theMeaning Meterin your school orclassroom?

10 what s your evidence?Why does it matter?WOW! Carol Tomlinson 3/201015 Teachers Must Distinguish Between:Enduring UnderstandingsImportant to Know and DoWorth Being Familiar WithPlanning a Focused Curriculum Means At the Very Least Clarity About what Students Should ..KNOW Facts Vocabulary Definitions UNDERSTAND Principles/ generalizations Big ideas of the discipline BE ABLE TO DO Processes SkillsCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201016 KNOWF acts, names, dates, places, information There are 50 states in the US Thomas Jefferson 1492 The Continental Divide The multiplication tables Procedural information (how )UNDERSTANDE ssential truths that give meaning to the topic Stated as a full sentence Begin with, I want students to understand (not or or what ) Multiplication is another way to do addition. People migrate to meet basic needs. All cultures contain the same elements. Entropy and enthalpy are competing forces in the natural world. Voice reflects the ABLE TO DOSkills (basic skills, skills of the discipline, skills of independence, social skills, skills of production)Verbs or phrases (not the whole activity) Analyze Solve a problem to find perimeter Write a well supported argument Evaluate work according to specific criteria Contribute to the success of a group or team Use graphics to represent data appropriatelyCopyright Carol Tomlinson 3/201017 ConceptsPrinciplesEssential QuestionsLens on As A Mobile In BalanceAbstractConcreteMeaningToolsExemp larsTomlinson 98A Powerful Activityis one in whichStudents make or do somethingUsing essential knowledge and essential skillsIn order to arrive at or explore an essential knowledge and skills are in service of understanding,NOT ends in themselves!