One Room Schoolhouses: What Might They Teach Us About Differentiation?
by Alma Pettenger, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

Standard #3: Curriculum Implementation 
Quality Indicator #2: Develop lessons for diverse learners

I have fond memories of watching the American television drama Little House on the Prairie when I was a child. I enjoyed learning about the simplicity of life in the 1800’s.  As an educator I marvel at the challenges the teacher, Laura Ingalls, faced in a one room schoolhouse. She had to divide her time, her resources, and the content between students who didn't know the basic skill of holding a pencil and students who were already proficient readers. 

“Students are more diverse than ever – culturally, emotionally, economically, physically, and intellectually” (Wormeli, 2007, p.3).  Although the one room schoolhouse model is almost extinct in the United States, its underlying theme of differentiation is very much alive in our schools today.

Why did one room schoolhouses work?

A safe classroom environment is one of the fundamental building blocks of effective differentiation.  Josh Getlin, a New York City writer, spent some time at a one room schoolhouse in South Dakota. When he asked the teacher this very question, her answer was: “It works because we are basically one large family unit…” (One-Room School – Little School House on the Prairie).  If we are to implement effective differentiated instruction, teachers must learn to build trusting learning environments where students feel free to take risks and make mistakes.  By teaching the value of effort over talent and ability, a teacher creates a safe classroom environment and communicates clearly that every student can succeed. “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment” (Dweck, p. 20).

Assessment is critical in academically diverse classrooms; it is how teachers know the readiness levels of their students.  Readiness is a student’s entry point relative to a particular understanding or skill (Tomlinson, p. 11).  In the old, one room schoolhouse, students moved on as they mastered goals and skills.   Today, to achieve effective differentiation, assessment must be ongoing and diagnostic (Tomlinson, p. 10). The teacher must ask, “What do my students know before the instructional sequence begins? How is their learning progressing?  How did they measure at the end of the unit? What should I plan next for them? Assessment informs instruction; without it, purposeful differentiation is simply not possible (Heacox, p.25).   

Knowledge of students is what allows effective teachers to make appropriate decisions about the learning experiences that will lead learners to academic achievement.  Keith Hall is a 13 year old boy who attends a one room school house in Alabama.  When asked about his success in his current school compared to his previous school, he said: “This one is different… At my old school, it would take them half the year just to know you.  Here, they keep track of stuff…” (Wilgoren, 2000). In addition to knowing students’ readiness levels, effective teachers seek to know students’ interest and learning profile.  Interest refers to a student’s affinity, curiosity, or passion for a particular topic or skill while learning profile has to do with how we learn (Tomlinson, p. 11).

Some educators consider differentiation  a passing fad. However, the one room schoolhouse has taught us that effective teachers have long been differentiating instruction. “Going forward, teachers will need the strategies of differentiation until the day they walk into classrooms where all students are at the same readiness level, learn at the same pace in the same way, and exhibit similar interests. Obviously, this day is unlikely to arrive” (Heacox, p. 19).

What might be some changes you could implement in your instruction to meet the diverse needs in your own one room schoolhouse?


Dweck, Carol S (2006). Mindset. The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballatine Books

Getlin, Josh (1997).  One-Room School – Little School House on the Prairie. Deadwood Magazine.  Black Hills, South Dakota.  Web. Nov. 2014.

Heacox, Diane (2007). Making Differentiation a Habit. Free Spirit Publishing.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann (1999). The Differentiated Classroom. ASDC.

Wilgoren, Jodi (August 6, 2000). The one-room schoolhouse. The New York Times on the Web.  Web. Nov. 2014.

Wormeli, Rick (2007). Differentiation: From Planning to Practice. Stenhouse Publishers. 

Standard #3 of the New Missouri Teacher Evaluation System – Curriculum Implementation 
by Hope Gallamore, SPS Secondary Reading Support Specialist and Ann Wallenmeyer, SPS Coordinator, Strategic Instruction

As our world becomes more complex, the expectations for student learning have increased. The sheer quantity of standards our students must “know and be able to do” requires a thoughtful integration of standards across the curriculum. Teachers are called to move from teaching any objectives to intentionally selecting essential national, state and district standards.  

The new Missouri teacher evaluation system captures this expectation for teachers in Standard #3: Curriculum Implementation.  This standard includes three quality indicators:  implementation of curriculum standards, lessons for diverse learners, and instructional goals and differentiated instructional strategies. 

To assist classrooms with the implementation of these rigorous standards, teacher teams in SPS meet to select aligned resources and create curriculum guides.  These guides, created “for teachers, by teachers,” include success criteria, formative and summative assessments, instructional strategies, and differentiated activities.  Teacher teams are also working to identify prioritized standards along with proficiency rubrics to help focus instruction around the curriculum standards.  The guides are housed in Canvas for easy access: https://springfieldpublicschools.instructure.com/courses/181130/pages/curriculum.

In SPS, “learning is personal” and teachers continue to work to integrate process skills seamlessly with content by creating real-world applications that engage students. Teachers are finding additional support for student enrichment and intervention with products such as ALEKS, i-Ready, READ 180, System 44, and supplemental materials found in the current SPS adopted resources.  Teams provide additional support for the workshop model, guided reading, and writing across the content areas to help differentiate learning and engage students. 

The Curriculum Team continues to listen to your input as they seek additional ways to support learning for ALL students.

For your reference, this is the description of Standard #3: Curriculum Implementation:

The teacher recognizes the importance of long-range planning and curriculum development. The teacher develops, implements, and evaluates curriculum based upon student, district and state standards data. [SB 291 Section 160.045.2 (1) Students actively participate and are successful in the learning process; (2) Various forms of assessment are used to monitor and manage student learning; (3) The teacher is prepared and knowledgeable of the content and effectively maintains students’ on-task behavior; (5) The teacher keeps current on instructional knowledge and seeks and explores teaching behaviors that will improve student performance.]

Quality Indicator 1: Implementation of curriculum standards
Quality Indicator 2: Lessons for diverse learners
Quality Indicator 3: Instructional goals and differentiated instructional strategies

Using Student Assessment Data to Analyze and Modify Instruction with a Focus on Collaborative Data Analysis Process
by Jill Palmer, Manager, Quality Improvement & Accountability

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but assessment data can speak volumes. Assessments can provide a snapshot of what students know and what needs to be completed to meet their academic needs. Through analysis of assessment data, educators can make informed decisions that positively impact student achievement. Assessment is an integral part of the instruction process and is crucial for helping students learn.

The steps listed below will assist collaborative teams to evaluate assessment data and guide instructional practices. Leading steps and questions for analyzing assessment data include:

Collect and chart data and results: What do the data say?

• What are we attempting to measure/monitor?
• Did we include too many items on the assessment, or was it the right length?
• Did our assessment measure what we need to monitor?

Analyze strengths and obstacles: Analyze, and then prioritize

• What is an example of a proficient response?
• What learning needs are evident?
• Do any responses standout?

Establish goals: set, review, revise

• Do we complete all the details related to a powerful goal?
• Are we all committed to helping students reach their learning goal?
• What obstacles stand in our way?

Select instructional strategies

• How will we monitor progress and rigor?
• How will we know if we’ve achieved proficiency?
• What strategies will we implement for those students who lack foundational knowledge?

Determine results indicators

• What responses to questions will reveal specific strategies were effective?
• How will we know if students are learning as a result of our specific instructional strategies?
• What questions will reveal specific, but on-target learning?

I encourage you to adopt a systematic process for using data in order to make instructional decisions and meet students' learning needs.  Once the process is in place, the cycle repeats.



Hamilton, L., Halverson, R., Jackson, S. S., Mandinach, E., Supovitz, J. A., & Wayman, J. C. (2009). Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2009-4067. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

 

 

 

Taking Time to Reflect Supports Learning
by Myki Williamson, Professional Learning Specialist

STANDARD # 7: Student Assessment and Data Analysis
Quality Indicator #2: Assessment data to improve learning

Reflection is a powerful tool for transforming learning beyond isolated skills to integrated understanding.  In their book Data-Driven Dialogue, Bruce Wellman and Laura Lipton write, “Adults do not learn from experience, but from processing experience.”  If we apply this theory to learners of all ages we can conclude that the most significant learning occurs when the learner takes time to process, or reflect on, that new learning.

The power of reflection can support all areas of our lives.  For example, one of my favorite things to do is plan Thanksgiving dinner.  I don’t wait until family members sit down for their first bite to reflect on how everything is going.  The process of reflection begins when I remember what went well, and what didn’t go so well, for previous Thanksgiving meals. Reflection is a continuous part of my process as I plan, cook and share my ideal meal.   I begin by anticipating my ideal meal, and then I actively reflect and adjust as I look for recipes, shop for supplies, and plan the preparation of each dish.  Finally I take time afterwards to recall how the actual event went compared to the picture in my mind.

We can apply the same process to our classroom.  While we are accustomed to reflecting at the end of a lesson, I suggest that doing so before and during the lesson helps create a culture of risk taking and higher level thinking.  Having students reflect at the beginning of a lesson activates prior knowledge.  As the lesson progresses, stopping to process and integrate new understanding with previous learning makes information transferable.  Finally, reflection at the end of the lesson helps students check their thinking and plan where they need to go next with their learning. 

Below is a list of questions from Thomas Farrell's book Reflective Practice in Action: 80 Reflection Breaks for Busy Teachers. To support your students as they reflect, consider posing questions from this list based on where in the lesson you want students to pause to process their thinking.

Anticipatory Reflection – This allows students and teachers to plan, decide on a course of action and anticipate outcomes.

• What might be some things I want to be able to do at the end of this lesson/unit/activity?
• How might I be able to show my understanding of new information?
• How could this information help me become a better_______?

Active Reflection – This allows the students and teachers to process new information as the lesson unfolds.

• How is what I’m learning connecting to what I already know?
• How comfortable would I feel explaining this information to a new student?
• What might be some ways I can help myself figure this out?

Recollective Reflection – This allows the students and teachers to make sense of past experiences and create meaning for those experiences.

• What do you think today’s lesson was about?
• Which part of the lesson was the easiest? Hardest?
• What changes could be made to help you as a learner?

As I begin to consider my favorite meal of the year, I hope you too will consider how a regular reflective practice could benefit your students.
 


Farrell, Thomas (2004).  Reflective Practice in Action: 80 Reflection Breaks for Busy Teachers, Corwin Press.

Wellman, Bruce and Laura Lipton (2003). Data-Driven Dialogue: A Facilitator’s Guide to Collaborative Inquiry, MiraVia.

 

 

 

Knowing Where You Are Going and How to Get There
by Angela Mansel, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

STANDARD # 7: Student Assessment and Data Analysis
Quality Indicator #2: Assessment data to improve learning

November is the start of what can be a frantic season of traveling to see family and friends. As we prep for trips we not only map out a travel plan but we also consider what to do when there are bumps along the way. What if the flight is delayed or the highway is under construction? What detours will be required?

The journey of learning for our students requires similar planning. What is our destination? How are we going to get there? What detours do we need to be prepared to take?

Formative assessments are the “travel guides” teachers use to help gather the answers to these questions. These assessments offer guidance to teachers on how much more “traveling” students still need. Students also benefit from knowing the results of formative assessments as it stimulates growth and initiates self-regulation within the student. So share formative assessment information with students, and they can also plan for the journey.

Formative assessments are not special quizzes or something extensive that teachers have to add into their lessons. These on-going assessments are simple checks of learning for the purpose of informing students and teachers on what the next steps are in making it to the final destination.

The following are a few examples of informal, formative assessments.

Questioning/Directed Discussion - Ask students questions about what they have learned or what they are to learn. It might be to simply restate in their own words what they have learned, or how it connects to something they have already learned. A variation that allows more students to share answers and to collaborate with a peer is to use the Kagan Cooperative Learning structure Timed Pair Share.

Entry or Exit Slips - Pose a specific question about the content and have students respond in writing.  This can occur as students exit the class or the next day as they enter. The teacher looks for a critical mass in relation to how the majority of students respond.  This information can guide the teacher in making decisions about the next lesson.

Brain Dump – Give students an opportunity to either write down or tell a partner everything they learned during the lesson. The teacher either collects the written information or monitors the partners to see what misconceptions may have occurred.

Rate of Understanding – Ask students to rate how well they understand the lesson.  Here are three methods for rating understanding.

1. Show of fingers, 0-5 (or sometimes called fist to 5)
2. Show of thumbs up, down or sideways
3. Show a colored card.  Red is for “Stop! I don’t understand.”  Yellow stands for “I’m starting to understand but I’m still not completely there.”  Green is for, “Keep going. I understand.”

No matter what type of journey you are planning, knowing where you are going and how you are going to get there helps make the experience not only more efficient, but more enjoyable in the long run. Wishing you all safe travels (both in learning and on the road)!


Black, P., & William, D. (2010). “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment.” Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 81-90.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York, NY: Routledge.

Moss, C. M. & Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing formative assessment in every classroom: A guide for instructional leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Sousa, D.A. & Tomlinson, C.A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Being Sensitive to Cultural, Intellectual, and Physical Differences
by Kim Anderson, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

Standard 6: Utilizing Effective Communication
Quality Indicator #1: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Imagine it is noon at Christmas time and the mall parking lot is packed as you struggle to your car with arms full of bags. You notice someone walking up behind you, but it doesn’t faze you as a woman brushes past you to find her parked car among the masses. That same night, however, you are at the same mall at closing time and the parking lot is almost empty. It is dark outside, and no one is around except that one person walking up quickly behind you. Do you feel the same ease you felt earlier that same day? Probably not. Just as adults experience different levels of comfort and anxiety depending on the situation, students feel these same emotions in our classrooms.

Paying attention to how your students feel in each classroom situation can help prevent anxiety and can decrease misunderstandings and missed opportunities for relationship building. Two ways teachers can improve communication is by respecting proxemics and by paying attention to paraverbal messages.

Proxemics is the personal space surrounding a person, a personal bubble. When someone invades another person’s proxemics his anxiety will increase.  This can escalate situations that could have been prevented had the individual’s personal space been respected (Crisis Prevention Institute, 2006). Most students come to us with an ingrained understanding of personal space; however, there will be times when you might have to teach someone that they have a proxemics “bubble.” A kindergarten teacher I once observed used suspenders to put hula hoops on her students for an entire week during their hallway/transition time. The rationale was that every time a student moved too close to a peer the hula hoop would invade someone else’s bubble. For the rest of the year her students respected the personal boundaries and bubbles of their peers.  

Many factors can affect a person’s proxemic needs including gender, age, size, cultural background, position of authority, or familiarity. For example, a kindergarten teacher typically expects students to invade her proxemics with hugs, but a high school teacher would not expect or allow the same behavior from his teenage students.

Being mindful of a person’s proxemics might be all you need to be a support in a stressful situation.  I once worked with a student who was emotionally out of control. He was crying, banging his hands on the wall and kicking his feet while sitting on the floor. Walking into the room I had no idea why he was in distress but I knew standing over him would make him feel threatened and would heighten his anxiety. Instead I sat on the floor beside him with an arm’s length between us for respect and safety. He immediately calmed down, and we were able to process through the situation. Simply getting on his level was all it took to decrease his anxiety. Getting in rapport and respecting a person’s proxemics can help you communicate more effectively with those you encounter each day.

Another important attribute to consider when conveying a message to others is your paraverbal communication. “It is extremely important to not only pay attention to what you say but how you say it. Paraverbal communication is often called the ‘link between nonverbal and verbal communication.’ Only a minute percentage of the message we deliver to a person is delivered through words” (Crisis Prevention Institute, 2006).

Four things you want to remain mindful of in your voice during communication are your tone, pitch, volume, and cadence (the rate in which you speak). Click on this link to hear and see some examples of how these four factors may affect your communication with others.

Taking the time to truly listen to what an individual is saying, not only with his words but also with his non-verbals sends a message of patience, attention and understanding and can often prevent a miscommunication.

Being mindful of proxemics and paraverbal communication is vital to being an effective educator. Being able to understand the messages of others and successfully relaying your own intended message is the very foundation to any positive relationship. Because we know students learn better from those they have positive relationships with we know these elements are essential. Take time to listen not only to the words of your students but notice what they are communicating through their actions.

CPI. (2006). Instructor Manual for the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training Program. Milwaukee, WI: Author.

The Power of Paraphrasing
by Sarah Logan, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

Standard 6: Utilizing Effective Communication
Quality Indicator #1: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Superheroes are best known for their extraordinary abilities, exceptional courage, and exceedingly magical powers. Teachers certainly possess a number of qualities that meet the eligibility requirements for becoming a superhero. One of a teacher’s magical powers is the ability to navigate communication with a multitude of customers.   One specific communication tool available achieves immeasurable results time and time again.  This single tool illuminates and shapes thinking, while enhancing relationships.  This tool is paraphrasing.   The power of a paraphrase is unlike anything else known to man. 
In the words of a former 5^th grade student, paraphrasing is “saying the same thing without saying the same thing.” Whereas there is truth to this explanation, a paraphrase can be much more. As a listening tool, a paraphrase demonstrates that you are seeking to understand, that you are interested in hearing what a person has to say. A paraphrase invites the speaker to clarify and refine his thoughts.

Three types of paraphrasing allow teachers to demonstrate superhero qualities:

X-Ray Vision (Acknowledge & Clarify)
In an acknowledging and clarifying paraphrase, you simply offer an emotion or reflection of the person’s thinking. To a student, you might say, “You’re disappointed that your idea ...” To a parent, you might offer, “You’re concerned because your child ...” To a colleague, you could say, “You’re wondering how we can ...” The key to crafting this type of paraphrase is to look for the message beneath the words you’ve heard.

Leaping Tall Buildings in a Single Bound (Summarize & Organize)
Oftentimes, people will give you a lot of verbal information at one time, especially when they are processing complex subjects. When this occurs, it may be helpful to use a summarizing and organizing paraphrase. A summary of key points or organizational framework of ideas may help someone synthesize their thoughts. With a student you could say, “You’re thinking the first step is to _____and from there you would ____.” With a parent it might sound like, “So the goals you have in mind for your child are _____, _____, and _____.” When speaking with a colleague, you might say, “On one hand, we want to _______, but on the other hand, we need to ______.” This type of paraphrase allows you to capture a great deal of information in a succinct way.

Elasticity (Abstracting)
An abstracting paraphrase can identify a particular value or belief underlying a person’s thinking, or it can give a concept label to a recurring pattern of thought. If you’re speaking to a student, it might sound like, “You’re a person who believes that……” If you’re talking with a parent, you could say, “An important value for your family is……” When interacting with a colleague, you might say, “An assumption you’re operating from is that……” The power of an abstracting paraphrase is that it stretches thinking by inviting a different perspective.

When combined with pausing and nonverbal signals that you’re actively listening, a paraphrase just might be one of the most powerful communication tools you can use in your role as a superhero-like educator. (The cape is optional.)

For more information about paraphrasing, please refer to Cognitive Coaching Seminars® Foundation Training Learning Guide 9^th ed.by Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston and Jane Ellison and Carolee Hayes. (2012). Center for Cognitive Coaching