A Frank Discussion on DI by Adrienne Deckard, Central HS Science Dept
A few weeks back I found myself hosting a group of
science education students from Missouri State University. This group of bright
eyed fledgling teachers had flocked to the science department at Central High
School to learn about the inner workings of the Project Lead the Way Biomedical
Science program. I had my students present their greatest work, science fair
style, and afterward I answered any of the questions my students had not
entirely clarified. But after
interacting with the students and observing their work, the visiting future
teachers had noticed something very interesting about the demographic of my classes.
You see, the Scholars Program at Central High School places gifted middle
school students right into high school classes. It is also not terribly
uncommon to see an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old senior finishing their last
credits to graduate. Not only do we have a broad range of ages at Central, but
we host a very large variety of interests, readiness levels, and socioeconomic
statuses. The International Baccalaureate draws students from all areas of the
city to this Title 1 school located within walking distance of downtown. My
classes represent literally every age, sex, ability, interest, and background
imaginable - a DI nightmare, in a nutshell. And these college students had big
questions about just one thing: how on earth do you teach to such an incredibly
broad range of students? This is how I found myself with a big group of college
kids sitting on the floor of the gym in a big circle, just like at summer camp.
I pulled up a table and hopped up on top of it, like I always do back in the
classroom. Then we shared ideas about differentiating instruction. These ideas
have since been organized into four basic steps that can be used to help you
differentiate instruction in your classroom.
Step 1 - Start at your
metaphorical control panel. DI should be your default setting. Before assigning an activity, ask yourself,
“What am I teaching? What am I assessing? What are my objectives?” Backward
design is at the heart of DI; you have to have your end goal in sight. Be sure
your instruction and assessments are actually aligned to your objectives, and
pay largely marginal attention to the rest. Is there a reason you chose that
person, process, story, etcetera? Sometimes there is. But if there is no justifiable
reason not to, allow students to choose from a selection of topics or
activities that best suit their interests. For example, is your student going
to respond better if you give them a global humanitarian issue to consider, or
do they need a very personal right-in-your-own-backyard topic to ignite their
interest? Whatever it takes between here and there, allow choice if you lack a
good reason not to.
Step 2 - Stop thinking
in terms of delivering your material and start thinking in terms of guiding
your students to the material. If
backwards design is at the heart of DI, inquiry based learning is its soul. As
teachers, collectively we have a hard time accepting that content does not have
to be delivered directly by us. In other words, the content an instructor is
responsible for teaching does not, in essence, need to flow exclusively through
the instructor. First of all, if you are insisting on being the gatekeeper of
your students’ knowledge, you are exhausting yourself. If you give them a book
or a computer or a video or an experiment or let them interview someone and
tell them to find it themselves, you and they can both stretch yourselves a lot
farther. I like to call this the “Pied Piper” approach. You aren’t going to
push a colony of rats to exactly wherever it is you want them to go. But you
may be able to guide them into finding it themselves. Give them opportunities
to hear it, see it, play with it, build it, etcetera. Let them explore the
material themselves, instead of depending on your mouth to deliver it to them. Just
a heads up – they probably aren’t listening anyway. On average students only
retain about half of what they hear, and after two days that number drops to
about one fourth (Hatesohl, 1993). Lead them to the material and then let them
decide (or help them choose) how to obtain it. Provide lots of variety among
learner processes to ensure that all of the different learner profiles are
accommodated.
Step 3 - Stop using your
classroom management needs as a reason for not differentiating instruction. Is it necessary to use the same
assessments for every student? Or is that test, assignment, or rubric based on
your needs to manage time, materials, and students? Often times we find
ourselves requiring the same assignments from all students for the purpose of classroom
management. We all understand the high school teacher has upwards of 150 students
who copy each others’ papers and turn things in late and miss class. Of course
it isn’t realistic to accept all work whenever they all feel like turning it
in. But strive for efficiency so you can eliminate as many of the little things
designed to benefit you instead of the student. Try to introduce your students
to a variety of options and let them choose (with assistance, if necessary). For
example, do your teaching and learning objectives really require them to write
a paragraph? Or can they illustrate the concept with a diagram? Could a skit
designed and performed by the student(s) assess the same level of learning or
the same material? Again, always return to the question, “What am I teaching?
What am I assessing? What are my objectives?”
A
short note on special accommodation needs: “If it is essential for some, it is
good for all (Hargreaves, 2011).” Is there a reason you don’t want them to have their questions read to them? How about
typing their answers? Why do you care if they need an unlimited amount of time
on their test (within reason)? If you’re going for ACT preparation skills,
fine. But do they really need to be assessed and docked points for learning
skills (as opposed to subject content) on every assignment? Some program
models, such as the IB Program, teach Theory of Knowledge and Approaches to
Learning and assess using Extended Essays and Personal Projects. These programs
teach and assess learning skills explicitly and to some degree separately from
content. Again, what are you trying to
teach? What are you going to assess? What are your objectives? If there isn’t a reason not to allow
something, try to allow it. By the time that 504 or IEP is completed, the DI
teacher has already offered most accommodations.
Step 4: Think of
providing content, materials and assessments in more of a buffet-style, instead
of choosing your students’ metaphorical meals for them. This will allow you to scaffold
appropriately. Think about that triangle of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Some students
require a lot of lower-level scaffolding to build on and will produce just a
small number of higher level products. Others will need a relatively smaller
amount of lower-level introduction and review, and will readily construct and
evaluate using their newly learned content knowledge.
Scaffold
materials based on levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Some students require more
activities at lower levels; others will readily synthesize and evaluate.
In other words, assist them in selecting their entrees,
but avoid cutting their food for them. Not only is micromanagement too
inefficient and exhausting, but it is rather arrogant to presume you are at the
cap of your students’ capacity for learning new content. A room full of teenagers
can be far more powerful and more knowledgeable than any single instructor.
The Dos and Don’ts of
DI. Do be deliberate
about your objectives and make DI your default setting. If there is no reason
to withhold choice, then choice should be provided (with assistance, if
necessary). Present a variety of avenues for students to access material and
guide them to discovery of content. Offer a selection of assessments that allow
students to best communicate their understanding. Don’t be stingy with
accommodations or evaluate based on your classroom management needs. Don’t
require the same scaffolding to every student. More work does not mean better
work, so you have to be sure to consider which direction the student’s triangle
is pointed. And don’t hesitate to reconsider what you are doing to
differentiate instruction in the classroom. Great
minds DON’T think alike.
