Differiented Instruction

g activities. 1es that you can . Here are some

ng a pamphlet,

I allow students

esigned work. to quarters, and ,ints of a lecture. our room. Each

1g to one unit of ,, TheAdventures ~s. Students are s, classified ads, ublish the news-

to a small group

;e-scale visuals. mall groups, so

ts in a comer of ; else. bibliography of

Solution to Obstacle 4 I Don't Know- How-

A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISSUE

One of the biggest hurdles to differentiation is just knowing where to start. There are very few models designed for the high school classroom. It is for this very reason that I developed Layered Curriculum. Using my own classroom as a laboratory, I experimented with a variety of teaciling strategies and a combination of designs to find something that would actu­ ally work in a high school classroom. It was apparent that mum of what was going on in my public high school, and more specifically in my class­ room, wasn't working for a significant number of students. I wanted something that would meet the needs of a very wide range of abilities and learning styles and yet be manageable for me as a teamer and encourage students to work at their maximum ability.

Like most learners, I started out teaming in a rather traditional high school setting. Teacilers in my school and especially in my department relied heavily on lecture and textbooks for instruction. Most teachers used only one textbook for their classes and used the publisher-provided ancil­ lary materials, such as worksheets and study guides, as their sole teaching materials. Science lab activities were also generated from the textbook, with little or no original lab work designed and implemented by students.

Despite the very wide variety of abilities, cultures, and learning styles in our diverse population, only one curriculum implementation was used to serve all students. No provision was made for learning modalities, read­ ing ability, or cultural perspective. Because teachers had the freedom to implement the curriculum as they cilose, the programs were generally teamer-centered and teaciler-driveri, with few ciloices available to matcil the students' individual needs.

Because of all these factors, students showed a genuine lack of interest in the curriculum. Truancy rates at my school were high. Many students were not successful. Time on task was very low, and students did not feel

23

24 Differentiating the High School Classroom

they had any control or choice in their instructional plan. A survey was conducted to get student and faculty views on instructional strategies and student engagement. The results were that while most teachers would like to offer other teaching strategies, they still spent the majority of class time engaged in teacher-centered lectures and textbook activities. Students responded that they were expected to spend about 70 percent of their class time either reading out of a text or listening to a lecture. Off-task behavior in classrooms was as high as 75 percent, however. In other words, at any given time, three out of four students in any classroom were doing something other than what was designated as the learning activity. Not surprisingly, failure rates were high. Something had to be done.

While some failures were due to excessive truancy, there were many other causes, and many of these causes were the same things that were producing the off-task behavior: limited English skills, low reading ability, and a general lack of interest in the class activity.

It was in this very teacher-centered environment that I began to experi­ ment with alternate ways of setting up my classroom and delivering instruc­ tion. My goals were to increase student involvement and engagement and decrease the unacceptable failure rate.

SOLUTION STRATEGIES

The Easiest Road to Differentiation Is Student Choice

I found that I, like most teachers, divided a typical class period into two sections: part one included some type of whole-class instruction, and part two involved some type of independent seat work. For example, I usually started each class period out with a lecture. I would stand at the front and introduce a topic to the students as a whole. That took half to most of the class period. The second part of the lesson involved students' doing some type of work, such as answering questions from the text, com­ pleting a worksheet packet, or carrying out a small-group activity or lab. If my lecture took most of the period, this independent work might take the form of a homework assignment.

So the most obvious place to start differentiating was in the indepen­ dent seatwork. This way I could still keep my class lecture, which I felt was very important for a number of reasons, but I could allow some variety in the seatwork. And so I began offering students a choice in their indepen­ dent work. Sometimes it was a choice between bookwork and worksheets. Sometimes it was a choice in labs or group work versus solo work. Once I got started, I found that havirtg these choices was actually fun for both the students and me. I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with variations in the seatwork. I learned a lot by watching what students chose. Sometimes I would offer a rather standard type of assignment and discover that no one chose it! Those moments were quite insightful.

Solution to Obstacle 4: I Don't Know How 25

Cl. A survey was tional strategies t teachers would majority of class tivities. Students percent of their lecture. Off-task ·. In other words, oom were doing mg activity. Not done.

~ere were many hings that were , reading ability,

began to experi­ !livering instruc­ :mgagement and

lass period into instruction, and <. For example, uld stand at the hat took half to ·olved students' m the text, com­ , activity or lab. rork might take

in the indepen­ which Ifelt was some variety in 1 their indepen­ md worksheets. lo work. Once I fun for both the th variations in ose. Sometimes liscover that no

As I went along, the choices for independent work got more varied and creative. Sometimes I could think of three or four different assign­ ments that would teach the same objective. The list got rather complicated, so I started writing all the options down for the week, by day, and gave that menu of planned options to the students ahead of time. Now they could look ahead and plan what types of activities they might want to work on as the unit progressed.

Add a Second Piece: Accountability

After we had a fairly smooth-running class designed around these two pieces-my teacher-centered whole-class instruction, followed by their choice in independent seatwork, practice, and elaboration-I found a need to increase the accountability in the room. As has occurred to many of us in education, just "doing" an assignment does not necessarily mean students have learned much from the assignment. Nor does this "doing" give us any indication of whether mastery has occurred or whether the students need more practice or a review. Awarding credit for "doing" assignments has been one of the most vulnerable holes in our traditional education system. By awarding points for merely doing work, we've made the unspoken assumption that learning has occurred, but as most of us know, that isn't necessarily the case.

The public scratches their head in wonder as to how students can pass through 12 years of schooling and come out at the other end sometimes still very ignorant. But educators know very well how that can happen. We don't have a learning-accountability system built into our traditional grad­ ing schema. With the exception of tests, exams, and quizzes, students are often given point credit for work with no accounting of whether or not they have learned or need more practice or even whether they are in fact the author of the work they turn in. This problem was created because a grading scheme oftentimes awards so many points for this no-accountability work that it overrides the points awarded to the accountability assign­ ments such as tests and quizzes. Let me illustrate my point.

Walter Leilana turns in every homework assignment given in his earth science class. He comes each day, works on class work, and is punctual with all those assignments as well. Walter struggles with school and is a rather reluctant learner but has learned how to "play the game." He has a lot of friends and is a very sociable person, which gets him a lot of help on his assignments. Often the work he does himself is very little and of poor quality, but he part­ ners up with the right people before turning things in. While Walter never does very well on tests, they count for only 20 percent of his grade, so Walter actually manages to get a C+ in earth science.

26 Differentiating the High School Classroom

Berna Washington is a very bright student who is often bored in earth science because much of the material is a repeat of what she gleaned from her science classes in middle school. She loves science and spends a tremendous amount of time watching science documentaries on television and remembers nearly everything she has ever read on the topic. She doesn't have to work hard on earth science and actually prefers not to as she finds the assignments boring and a waste of time. She spends most of her homework time on more challenging subjects. Consequently she doesn't tum in a lot of her homework assignments and has quite a few "no grades," despite the fact that she makes rather high marks on all her tests. Because she does so few homework assignments, her class work is poor, and the exams count for only 20 percent of the grade, her course grade suffers. Berna ends up with a B- for her grade in earth science.

Berna and Walter have similar grades in earth science, a C+ and a B-. Both of these students have "passed" earth science, and both have grades that would not necessarily worry their counselors, teachers, or parents. On the transcript, they look fairly good: not excellent, but average. Outsiders viewing the grades would assume Berna and Walter know roughly the same amount about earth science. The reality is that there is a great deal of difference between what these two students know, how they function, and where they need to go now in terms of their science education. But you can't see that from a grade. Unfortunately that's all most of us have to look at when making judgments about guidance, school success, and student achievement. So what's wrong with the system? There's no accountability at the day-to-day level.

Therefore I needed to add another component to my model: account­ ability. Points were now going to be awarded partly or wholly for what was learned, not on what was completed on paper. I discovered that with a 30-second discussion, I could assess whether students learned or not. If you choose the end-of-the-chapter question assignment, I as the teacher could just choose one of those questions at random and ask you about it. If you could answer it, you would get the points for the whole assignment. Too harsh? Then perhaps I'd ask you two questions, each worth half the points of the assignment. That sounded better. If you did a worksheet, could you explain something from the worksheet to me quickly? If you lwatched a video, could you summarize what you thought were the main ., points? If you did vocabulary flash cards, could I pick one or two of them at random and have you define those terms in your own words?

Eureka: accountability! It no longer mattered what was down on the student's paper, or for that matter whether anything was down on paper. What mattered was, did learning occur? If you could watch the video and give me a really good 60-second summary of the main points, including

Solution to Obstacle 4: I Don't Know How 27

some reflection, I found that mum more productive than a piece of paper where you wrote a few things down once in awhile while watching the movie.

If a student wanted to read the text chapter, look over the end-of­ chapter questions, and be prepared to answer any of them at random, face­ to-face, that would be much more telling to me than paperwork of copied text passages.

This was no small shift from the students' perspective. Imagine if points in smool were awarded only for learning and not for how you got to that point? It was a different world for them. Many were angry. I had manged the rules. "I did it, doesn't that count?" and "Well, I don't know­ it's right there, though, on my paper" suddenly were worthless state­ ments. The statements had to be replaced with "Here's what I learned" or "Wait, I have to look over this and study a bit" and even the exclamation, "You mean I don't have to write it all out? Wow!"

This required plain, easy-to-understand rubrics, or grading criteria, for the students. They had to know ahead of time how points would be awarded so that they would be prepared. Mum to my delight, I found two wonderful teamer advantages to this approam: First, the rubrics could be written rather generically so that they fit any lesson topic (after all, vocab­ ulary flash cards are vocabulary flash cards whether they are for genetics, bacteria, or mammals). The second big plus was that all this class discus­ sion cut down on the amount of paperwork I was grading at home. Yes, class time was a busy time for me. I was circulating, assessing, and indi­ vidualizing the instruction as needed, and at the end of the school day I was exhausted. But I also was finished! There wasn't mum to take home because it was graded during the day. This was a nice trade-off.

The Final Piece: Encourage Higher-Level Thinking

Things were running smoothly after some practice. Students had moice, I had my opportunities for whole-class instruction (my lectures), and students were actually thinking their way through assignments because they knew they had to learn something in order to gain any points. My classroom was a much less stressful environment than it once was. But something was still missing. I was not assured that my students would learn to think at more and more complex levels. I wanted to make sure that students were encouraged to think and process information at all levels described in Bloom's Taxonomy. Sure, they had lots of opportunity to gather new information on a topic, but they also needed to play around with the new ideas, apply them to previously learned information, manip­ ulate the ideas, or compare them to other ideas, and they needed to do the type of thinking essential to adult life: critical thinking.

And so the final piece of Layered Curriculum was added: the layers. Could I require students to think more complexly in order to improve their

often bored >eat of what ,I. She loves rung science ~rything she ard on earth 1ssignments 1ework time ~'t tum in a 'no grades/' all her tests. ·classwork e grade, her ade in earth

aC+ and a B-. Jth have grades ., or parents. On rage. Outsiders JW roughly the s a great deal of ,y function, and cation. But you us have to look ss, and student > accountability

node!: account- ,holly for what vered that with learned or not. I as the teamer ;k you about it. Jie assignment. worth half the i a worksheet, iuickly? If you were the main or two of them ·ords? s down on the lown on paper. the video and

,ints, including

l t i;

~ --~ '

~<

j ~ ~ "~ I 1'

J, ,:{

t t -of\ '.'1

-f

28 Differentiating the High School Classroom

grad~? What if I ~ed the actual letter grade to the elaboration of study? L~o~ng at Bloom s Taxonomy, I could see that the types of learning or thinking could easily be divided into three blocks or, as I thought of them, three layers. The bottom layer dealt with adding to one's bank of knowl­ edge, or what I casually thought of as "trivial pursuit." The middle layer deals with things like compare and contrast, apply, demonstrate, hook to prior knowledge, or what I casually thought of as "play around with it." The top layer deals with critical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation, or what I casually thought of as "voting."

LAYERED CURRICULUM™: a teaching model that divides the learn­ ing process into three layers based on the complexity of the student's thought process.

Layered Curriculum™ asks students at each layer to:

C Layer: Gather information

B Layer: Apply or manipulate that information

A Layer: Critically evaluate an issue

j

i j

1

So there were the three layers to Layered Curriculum. I would start by asking students to gather information, and then ask them to play around with that new information and finally to critically analyze an issue on the topic, as a voter might do. The layers were then named C layer, B layer, and A layer because the letter grade the students would earn would be based on the complexity of their thinking. Now a letter grade earned in my class had some consistent meaning: A student who earned an A was one who could gather information, manipulate that information, and critically evaluate the topic with some level of proficiency and accountability.

Putting a unit into a Layered Curriculum format was fairly simple. I just took what I wanted the students to learn and divided it into the three layers: basic knowledge, connections to previous information, and a critical evaluation of real-world issues. I offered students a choice of objectives where I could. I still dedicated a good part of my class period as whole-class instruction and awarded points to students for listening to my lecture and taking lecture notes. I allowed students the option of working quietly on another unit assignment if they did not want to listen to the lecture----although nearly all of them chose to listen to the lecture

Solution to Obstacle 4: I Don't Know How 29

Jration of study? es of learning or thought of them, s bank of know!- The middle layer onstrate, hook to around with it."

1d evaluation, or

ides the learn- f the student's

er to:

Jn

I would start by 1 to play around ~ an issue on the C layer, B layer, I earn would be de earned in my ,d an A was one m, and critically ,untability. 1s fairly simple. ·ided it into the 1formation, and ~nts a choice of my class period 1ts for listening ts the option of )t want to listen n to the lecture

f, ,' < r: ' ,1: ' ''" f

~1 ,'.1

); d, tt ,1 ¥

,.a:

~

,;;

J:i

't

'

!

every day. I required some type of accountability to earn points on most assignments. The model worked beautifully.

Layered Curriculum works well in a wide variety of subjects and grade levels. Because of its flexibility, it is one of the easiest ways to differ­ entiate a high school classroom. Teachers can shift emphasis among layers based on the needs of their subject. Whole-class direct instruction can be used for some or nearly all of the work. Student choice can be added where possible. You can start slow and small, with a tremendous amount of struc­ ture and teacher control, and work into more variety and more layers as you and your students gain more comfort and feelings of self-efficacy and confidence. It's very adaptable. (For more information, see Nunley, 2004, or http:/ /help4teachers.com.)

PRACTICEASSIGNMENTS FOR OVERCOMINGTHIS OBSTACLE

Try building a unit of Layered Curriculum. to know and divide it into the three layers.

Take what you want students

What basic new information do you want them to learn? How can they apply or connect that new information to prior knowledge or other infor­ mation, and what topics are currently being debated in the real world that relate to this subject?

Practical Solution Idea 4.1: Write a variety of ways students might learn your C-layer objectives.

Offer students two or three choices in how students can learn those objectives. You may not be able to offer choices for every single objective, but look for places where you can offer some choice.

Practical Solution Idea 4.2: Write down your B-layer ideas. Offer two or three ways students can apply their new knowledge or

demonstrate it or show some mastery of it. Interdisciplinary assignments work great in this layer.

An example of a B-layer assignment might be, Watch the game Sunday (Superbowl, Red Sox, Lakers, etc.). Write the next day's sports column. Include at least three graphs and two statistical analyses.

Thomas Armstrong (1999), in 7 Kinds of Smart, gives many examples of mind activities for teachers to use. to generate ideas for lesson planning. Can you learn math musically? Can you study astronomy through art? Visualization, imaginary games, and musical challenges all can start your creative thinking. Find ways to help students find their hidden skills and strengthen their obvious skills.

30 Differentiating the High School Classroom

Practical Solution Idea 4.3: Discover your A-layer issues. Brainstorm with colleagues to find some current events for A-layer

work. It is important to get ideas from colleagues or other people outside your field or discipline. They frequently come up with the most creative A-layer, real-world issues and questions. Any time I've been stumped for an A-layer assignment, I check with teaching colleagues or peers outside the field of education.

A-layer questions are real-world issues that may have no objectively right or wrong answer as they involve value judgments. They are issues that people are voting on and debating. They are issues about which you can find research to support more than one view. Examples are such ques­ tions as the following: Are pesticides on crops bad for us? Who is the better actor? When is it genocide and when is it a civil war? Should we require exit exams for graduation from high school? Does the school cafeteria serve a balanced meal? (For more information see Nunley, 2003, 2004.)

rents for A-layer ,r people outside :he most creative >een stumped for or peers outside

,e no objectively . They are issues ibout which you es are such ques­ Who is the better 1ould we require school cafeteria

i/,2003, 2004.)

Solution to Obstacle 4: I Don't Know How 31

Worksheet for Designing a Layered Curriculum Unit

Unit Title: ____________ _

C layer

What BASIC new knowledge do I need them to know/learn?

Objectives: Some assignment choices

for each objective:

B layer

How can they apply this new information to previous information? - Apply, compare, manipulate, demonstrate

A layer

What debatable issue in the real world deals with this topic? Current events, debates, leadership decisions

Accountability ideas:

Oral defense, homework, group think/ discuss, quizzes, partner share

Objectives:

Objectives:

Some assignment choices:

Some assignment choices:

Copyright © 2005 by Kathie F. Nunley. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Differentiating the High School Classroom: Solution Strategies for 18 Common Obstacles, by Kathie F. Nunley. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, www.corwinpress.com. Reproduction authorized only for the local school site or nonprofit organization that has purchased this book.

32 Differentiating the High School Classroom

EXAMPLEOF A LAYERED CURRICULUM UNIT

Bacteria (Kingdom Monera)

NAME ______ _ DUE DATE ___ _ Points possible: 100

C Layer: Section I-Basic Understanding (65 points maximum)

l. Take notes from daily presentations. (5 pts/day. MUST BE PRESENT) 1 2 3 4 5

2. Watch the DVD on bacteria. Take notes. Include information on bacteria shape and arrangement and ways to prevent bacteria growth. (15 points)

3. Using materials of your choice, make a three-dimensional model of a prokaryotic cell. (10 points)

4. Make 15 vocabulary flash cards using the vocabulary terms from this unit. Be able to define the terms IN YOUR OWN WORDS. (10 points)

5. Read Chapter 20 in HBJ. Be able to answer all the "Reviewing the Section" questions. (15 points)

6. Using construction paper and plain paper, make a 10-page children's book on 10 ways to prevent bacterial infections. illustrate your book. (15 points)

7. Answer question 15-20 on page 312 of the HBJ book. (10 points)

8. Write two paragraphs, one on ways bacteria are helpful to humans and one on ways bacteria are harmful to humans. This MUST be done in a language other than English. (10 points)

9. Pass a quiz on the shapes and arrangements of bacteria. (10 points)

10. Research three types of bacterial infection: botulism, tetanus, and strep throat. Write a small, half-page report on each. List your sources of information. (15 points)

B Layer: Section II-Labs (15 points each) Choose one. These must be done in class!

l. Which surface in the school contains the most bacteria? Which the least? Using a plate with agar, swab and streak between 5 and 7 sources of bacteria around the school. Describe your colonies using the correct terms. Compare and contrast them.

2. Does hand washing reduce bacteria numbers? Prove your hypoth­ esis using fingerprints and a plate with agar.

IT

ints possible: 100

imum)

day. MUST BE

information on ,revent bacteria

1Sional model of

lary terms from OWN WORDS.

"Reviewing the

I-page children's .trate your book.

,k. (10 points)

lpful to humans This MUST be

eria. (10 points)

n, tetanus, and ~ach. List your

These must be

acteria? Which between 5 and r colonies using

e your hypoth-

Solution to Obstacle 4: I Don't Know How 33

3. Do current face cleansers reduce bacteria present on the face? Use a plate with agar, face cleansers, and the Staphylococcus epidermidis from the tip of your nose. Describe the colonies.

A Layer: Section III-Use an A-Layer Assignment sheet to analyze one of these issues. (20 points)

1. What issues are we currently facing due to the overuse of antibiotics?

2. Would a campaign to encourage hand washing reduce the rate of illness at our school?

3. What role should government play in making our meat safe to eat?

Grading Scale: 86+ =A, 71-85 =B, 56---70=C, 40--55=D NOTE: You will have a SO-point exam on this unit on ______ _

(More sample units are available at http:/ /help4teachers.com.)