Being relatively "new" on the teaching scene (with less than 5 years experience), I was able to benefit from a teacher education program that put a great deal of emphasis on both differentiation and building strong classroom communities. It wasn't until later in my career (and by later, I mean a year or so) that I realized how completely tied together these two concepts are. Differentiating instruction strengthens classroom communities by valuing each student's needs as well as their strengths. Instead of competing, students are set up to work together, helping one another and experiencing success on a larger community level. A strong classroom community also perpetuates trust, a key factor when it comes to students working together and helping one another.
I try to work differentiation into my classroom and lessons whenever I can, however, as Cheryl Caggiano stated in Fran Shumer's NY Times article, One Classroom, Many Minds; A Paddle for the Mainstream, "It's crazy, insane, and I don't get paid enough." I find that it is greatly difficult to find the time to really integrate as much differentiation as I would like, not to mention it's a fairly daunting task to effectively place 130 high school English students in strategic groups. I have, however, found success in a few different areas:
When it comes to writing essays or papers, I like to give my students choices (as most teachers do - who wants to read the same essay 130 times?!?). Halfway through my first year, I decided to integrate some differentiation into my students' writing choices to see what happened. I spent a lot of time discussing with each class the different options, the challenges of each prompt (including which was "least challenging," "most challenging" and so on), and the various expectations I had. I was also very clear about one thing: I greatly respect individuals who challenge themselves, especially when it comes to students' writing. My classes were made aware that hard work was taken into consideration when it came to grading; in other words, a struggling writer who put forth the effort and pushed him/herself when choosing a prompt would be more 'highly appreciated' than a strong writer who decided to take the easy way out. Surprisingly (or not, really), my students did a phenomenal job of gauging their own writing skills, taking on challenges, and pushing themselves towards higher order thinking skills, more so than they did when I would require everyone to write the about same thing. Out of approximately 90 students, I only had to speak to one or two who were still trying to take the easy way out. Conversely, there were quite a few of my struggling writers who took on the prompt that posed the greatest challenges. Through peer editing and small group work, students were able to weigh in on one another's ideas without feeling superior or inferior in their own. They worked cooperatively and improved collectively. In the end, only 3 or 4 students did not turn in a paper (a dramatically lower number than usual), the students' writing was very engaging, unique, and interesting, and I could easily tell that a number of students were taking risks with their writing and ideas rather than writing "safely" as they normally did. In other words, it was a vast improvement.
Another area in which I was able to differentiate was when staging a mock-trial after we read Antigone. I had experienced the execution of a similar project during my student teaching year and couldn't wait to replicate it in my own classroom. We started by discussing the various roles in the trial. Then, students had to fill out an application (constructed to resemble a job application) to apply for the two roles they would like to fill during the trial (lawyer, judge, witness, jury member, etc.). It was time consuming to go through all the applications and decide who would do what, however, it allowed for me to give appropriately challenging roles to my students and group them strategically. Again, students felt a great deal more ownership over their work and were highly engaged in the process. Coupled with the fun of having students show up on trial day in togas and costumes (for which they received some extra credit points), the trial was a huge success in each of my four classes, mostly because everyone was engaged and committed to their part. It was understood that every student was needed for the trial to go well; each community member was valued and, consequently, rose to the occasion.
I have also done some work with literature circles, however, I am wondering if anyone else has experienced success with differentiation in a high school classroom. I feel as though there is a fine line between "worth it" and "insane" when it comes to the time spent setting these differentiated experiences up, however, I recognize the great benefits they offer students. I feel as though my most successful differentiated teaching experiences are those that do bring the classroom community together and make each student feel valued for his or her contribution. This is something I would really like to do more of in the coming years (differentiated instruction resources).
Nel Noddings in her article, "What Can Teachers Learn from Research?" discusses a differentiated, team-teaching classroom that looks beyond the realm of expecting students to all learn and move at the same pace just because they are born within the same year. Created by Noddings and three of her colleagues was an Algebra II classroom that contained about 70 students who were divided into groups according to the area in which they currently needed instruction. Much like the tech-saavy Khan Academy, students were able to work through material at their own pace. In Nodding's classroom, however, students moved on to a new group and different teacher when they had completed the chapter, so more student interaction was involved during instruction than Khan's Academy online. A result of this set-up was essentially ultimate differentiation: students were able to learn and advance when they were ready, not when it was time for everyone to move at once. Students who needed additional help were able to receive it, while those who understood concepts quickly were able to advance further, continuing to challenge themselves. To me, this method of teaching seems so effective and so logical (if scheduling permits, I am hoping to try it out with one of my colleagues this year). After seeing the possibilities associated with such teaching methods, the concept that all students should learn and advance at the same rate is the one that seems so ridiculous and far-fetched, rather than the other way around.
I have found that one of the greatest values of differentiated instruction is making every student feel important and valued; this concept is further supported by the strong community connections established amidst these processes. Kahn's Academy not only differentiates instruction completely, but allows for a great number of opportunities for students helping one another, tutoring one another, and valuing one another for their various strengths. Therefore, not only are students learning material, but they are also working cooperatively and building a strong classroom community.
Emily Pilloton's design-focused classrooms take the benefits of a strong classroom community, differentiated instruction, and cooperative learning even further by involving the greater community. In her design classes, students must work together to form real solutions for community problems. They learn through failure, formulating then testing and modifying prototypes before implementing their solutions. Not only does this establish a strong community within the classroom, but it also carries these relationships out into the larger community, valuing students' contributions to their town. Students are given both a place and a purpose, both of which are highly important goals when it comes to teaching.
We hope our students emerge from public schooling as motivated, dream-inspired individuals who will fix the problems created by the ignorance of generations before them. Students must first be taught, however, that they are unique, valued, and important in the world; otherwise, where will they gather the confidence to even venture out? Differentiation shows students they they are important members of the classroom and that their learning and development is important. Strong communities further enforce this feeling of value, showing students that they are needed and appreciated. Such principles should be an integral part of the classroom, embedded in the structure of education itself. Instead of trying to make each student fit a mold of a "successful" student who can perform well on standardized tests, we should be helping them find their place and purpose first in the classroom and local community so that they can fulfill their potential far beyond.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting over the five year teaching hump! It’s all downhill from here. I love the fact that you are realistic in your expectations for differentiation within a classroom. I have never figured out how English/LA teachers are able to deal with processing so much student writing, especially that writing which is so difficult to read because it is sub-par. I had over 400 students in my bands this past year and I like to think that, much like you, I differentiate when I can, as it is in the best interest of the individual student. In my classes (roughly 40-50 students at a time, playing eight different instruments) I allow the students to differentiate for themselves. Much like your writing prompts, which allow the students to choose different levels of difficulty for their writing, I allow the students to choose which excerpt of music that they want to play for their playing quizzes. While I don’t state it as obviously as you do, the students are well aware of which excerpts are more difficult than others, and more often than not, many students work themselves up to play the more difficult excerpts. Thus, making themselves better players without intervention from me. In a different vein, I also allow those students that naturally achieve at a higher level to individually tutor those students that are struggling. These students use practice rooms during a portion of class for their tutoring sessions so they can work at their own pace. And while I am sure there is a mix of musical progression and socialization going on during this time, both are good for the class as I try to choose people that would not normally socialize with one another. I figure, the more connections I can make, not only will the band be better, but the students will have healthier relationships outside of my band room.
In your post, you mention the article by Noddings where she mentions that students should achieve at the same pace just because they were born in the same year. I agree, however, doesn’t this call into question the entire curriculum of standards and benchmarks? I have often wondered what would happen, if the bureaucrats would allow teachers to teach those things that are necessary, rather than a long laundry list of facts and subjects that are, arguably, not important to the average citizen. I think such an approach, would open the doors to limitless differentiation.
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your work in this post! As Brad says, it is refreshingly honest, but that said, it is also shows how hard you work at your craft, and how many great things you are obviously already doing!
As a former social studies teacher, I have done lots of mock trials with my students, and they are almost always a big hit! We learn a lot, and we have fun. I have run mock trials with first graders as witnesses and eighth graders as lawyers--it is a blast!
I would never have connected DI to mock trials, but of course, the two are intimately related. They provide multiple opportunities to meaningfully engage and contribute, in this case, to a larger whole (a condition that is sometimes missing in DI work).
The example of the writing prompts, especially given the success you had, is another great example. As I was reading that one, I started wondering why you didn't even vary genre as well as prompt--a comic strip, a music video, an essay, a poem. OK, you were probably teaching a unit on the persuasive essay or something. But one thing that I think that makes for the best DI is when there is really no "harder" or "easier" in the options--just different tasks that require different skill sets.
I have published a fair number of academic essays and research reports, but never a graphic novel, nor a love poem. Is one harder than the other? Does one have more social value than the other? (Trick question: love poems are more important than research.) What I am driving at is that the choices in differentiation might work best when they are all equally but differently hard--drawing thereby on a fuller range of human skills, interests and talents.
I am with you that this can all be too much. One thing I am learning by reading the posts in this cycle is that DI seems to go better when it is based on formative assessments of the actual needs and gaps in your classroom--in that way, the types of tasks and options that are needed become more clear. Just something to think about.
Thank you again for your work. You linked to a lot of outstanding articles! I love the work of Nel Noddings, but had never read the piece you linked to. Thank you!
Kyle