It's easy to be frustrated at the numerous "trends" in education.  Educators are constantly bombarded with new ideas, new vocabulary, and yes, new policy.  It seems that just when teachers have mastered understanding and implementation, the trend loses its luster and a new one replaces it. One educational trend in particular, differentiation, has inspired both love and hate.  Critics say it's an impossible goal to customize every lesson for every learner.
Advocates claim that each student deserves to be taught at the correct level of difficulty; otherwise, it's a futile endeavor.  I am going to ride the fence on this one and say both positions have merit. Critics have a point about the overwhelming feeling teachers get when they begin to think about personalizing lessons. To make matters worse, PD on the subject can be confusing, intimidating, and guilt-ridden. Supporters believe that a teacher can be more intentional in planning lessons that benefit the maximum amount of students.  Most “new” ideas in education begin with a perceived shortcoming.  In the case of differentiation, could it be that years ago most high school teachers lectured, assigned homework, and gave a test at the end of a unit and moved on to the next unit? I know that was standard for my high school experiences!  Even if you are uneasy about the "differentiation situation,"  take a look at the protocol below.  With the help of Bruce Campbell, I have listed ways to incorporate differentiation in the classroom.


TIER TIME (Writing, Reading, Discussion)

Description: Comprehensive in manner, Tier Time outlines various approaches to differentiation within a classroom. Author-teacher Bruce Campbell encourages teachers to use more than one approach within a lesson.  

Application: Tier Time is appropriate for all classes and levels of students.
 
Process: Examine the six different approaches:

• Tier by level using Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• Tier by complexity as it addresses the needs of students at foundational levels as well

                 as the needs of students who are ready for more advanced work.

• Tier by resources by choosing materials at several reading levels and complexity.
• Tier by outcomes so that students use the same materials, but products differ.
• Tier by process as the products are the same, but the ways students create the

                 products vary.

• Tier by product by grouping students via learning styles, personal preferences, or dominant multiple intelligence and creating assignments that correspond with those preferences.  

Campbell, Bruce. “Using Tiered Activities to Differentiate.” 2nd Annual SDE National Conference on Differentiated Instruction: Theory Into Practice. Las Vegas, NV. 18 July 04-21 July 04.

Happy New Year! I hope your winter vacation was all that you needed it to be and more! As for me, I went to the local movie theater and enjoyed escaping reality for two hours, well, really, two and a half hours because of the previews.  It hit me that movie patrons are captive to the previews and not only do they provide interest in upcoming movies, previews also include advertisements and subtle (and not so subtle) reminders about appropriate behavior within the theater.  This simple marketing method works and since students are part of the movie-going pop culture, incorporating a preview slide deck at the beginning of each class or each week will give students something comfortable and meaningful to view as they settle in for the day’s lesson.  Just think of the possibilities of converting marketing methods to the classroom!  

SLIDE DECK (Feedback, Discussion, Writing) 
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Description: Just like movie theaters use a slide deck loop as patrons enter the theater (The loop features things like movie facts, advertisements, trivia, and reminders.), the Slide Deck is used to focus, remind, and inform students as they enter the classroom.
 
Application: Use the Slide Deck in any subject as a class starter either daily or weekly depending on focus.
 
Process: Create an attention-getting slide deck of five to ten slides that will loop as students enter the class. Include slides related to the course material, but also items such as multiple-choice questions, quotes from a reading, a picture with a “What is this?” question, fill-in-the-blank statement, and/or important announcements that outline upcoming deadlines. If available, post the Slide Deck for students to use as an additional resource.