Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 1

Differentiation: a Force for Innovation or the Status Quo? ASCD Annual Conference Houston, TX March 21, 2015 Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D. William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor University of Virginia cat3y@virginia.edu www.differentiationcentral.com Some Things We Know--& Some Things We Do Intelligence is variable Many kinds of intelligence Multi-faceted, not a single entity People process and express learning in varied ways Important to match learning opportunity to strengths in order to develop abilities AND YET, WE STILL TEACH AS THOUGH ONE KIND OF INTELLIGENCE ( SCHOOL HOUSE INTELLIGENCE ) IS ALL THAT MATTERS The brain is malleable Intelligence is not fixed We can grow our brains Rich learning experiences grow brains AND YET, WE STILL TALK REGULARLY ABOUT WHO S SMART, WHO S NOT, TOP KIDS, MIDDLE KIDS, BOTTOM KIDS Some Things We Know--& Some Things We Do The brain hungers for meaning Each brain has to make its own sense of information What the brain doesn t understand, it doesn t learn The brain resists rote and surface learning The brain seeks relevance to build meaning AND YET, WE STILL STRUCTURE CLASSROOMS AS THOUGH THERE WAS ONLY ONE BRAIN IN THE ROOM, MAKING SENSE AS THE TEACHER S BRAIN DOES AND WE STILL TEACH LARGELY FOR SURFACE, ROTE, AND MECHANICAL LEARNING WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR RELEVANCE TO LEARNERS Humans learn when tasks are moderately challenging When work is consistently too hard or too easy, the brain doesn t learn AND YET, WE STILL TEACH AT A SINGLE CHALLENGE LEVEL IN MOST CLASSROOMS MOST OF THE TIME Our schools generally do not provide equity and excellence for all/most students Many experience a pedagogy of poverty A few experience a pedagogy of plenty AND YET, WE STILL STRONGLY FAVOR AND PRACTICE ABILITY GROUPING Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 1

Who is Coming to School These Days On average, 9% of U.S. students do not speak English as their first language As high as 23% in some locations Add students with limited English proficiency & the average is 13% In 2014, for the first time, Caucasian students are no longer the majority in U.S. schools. Their proportion will continue to shrink About 5% of the school population has a diagnosed learning disability Another 15% said to have undiagnosed learning or attention problems Twice as many boys than girls diagnosed Approximately 3 to 5 students in 100 in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD 96% of general education teachers in the U.S. have students with diagnosed disabilities in their classrooms. On average, there are at least 3-4 students with IEPs integrated into each general education class in the U.S. Three of four U.S. students with disabilities spend 40% or more of their day in general education classrooms. Who is Coming to School These Days 13-18% of school-age young people have an emotional or mental health issue 2% of the school population has some form of autism 72% increase since 2007 Boys 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed 35-45% of students are eligible for Title I services due to low income status 22% of students live in poverty 45% live in low income families Associated with emotional, academic, behavioral, & social problems Precise figures on students who are significantly advanced academically are scarce Odds are great that many of these students are significantly and consistently under-challenged in school Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 2

In Fact, Indications are that: Most teachers are aware of students learning differences. Most teachers feel it is beneficial to address those differences in instructional planning and delivery. Few teachers implement differentiation. Of those who do, most differentiate reactively, improvisationally, and/or by assigning students more work if they are advanced and less work if they are struggling. So...What is differentiation? Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning. -Tomlinson (2001) Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 3

Leadership & Management Differentiation is not a set of strategies, but rather a way of thinking about teaching & learning. Three Pillars of Effective Differentiation Philosophy Principles Practices Regarding diversity as normal & valuable Teaching & learning focused on a growth mindset Accepting responsibility for maximum progress for each learner Recognizing & removing barriers to equity of access to excellence for marginalized learners Environment as a catalyst for learning Foundation of quality curriculum Assessment to inform teaching & learning Instruction in response to student needs indicated by formative assessment Leading & managing a flexible classroom Proactive planning to address readiness, interest, learning profile Instructional approaches based on student needs & nature of content Teaching Up Respectful Tasks Flexible Grouping Tomlinson 2013 Environment Curriculum Leadership & Management Instruction Assessment Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 4

THE HALLMARK OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING Environment, Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction & Leadership/Management Working Together Time Materials Inadequate preparation Lack of images The press for test scores Beliefs Space Tradition Peer Pressure Inadequate Leadership Deep Structures of Schooling Teacher as teller/teacher as telling Student as absorber Curriculum as coverage facts/information Kids as dependent and incapable Some kids smart, some not Lessons as something about the subject drill fun loosely linked with goals Pedagogy as bag of strategies Assessment as at the end seeing who got it loosely linked to goals objective Control as synonym for management Fair as treating everyone alike Grades as norms objective separating sheep and goats Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 5

Those beliefs represent the status quo of current classroom practice. Quality differentiation challenges every one of them. It calls on us to re-think each element of our practice, And to re-cast our practice in ways that are boldly different, And substantially better for the young people we teach. That would cause us to struggle. It would also make us vastly more innovative, reflective, and responsive teachers. The nature and role of the teacher and learning environment When the teacher enters the classroom, he sees children who are big and small, coarse and finely featured; he sees sullen faces and noble appearances, ill-shaped and well-proportioned bodies as if they were the representation of creation. And his glance, the glance of the educator, embraces them all and takes them all in. In that gesture lies the vocation, the greatness of the educator. The pedagogical love of the educator for these children becomes the precondition for a relationship to grow. Adapted slightly from van Manen, M. (1991). The tact of teaching: Toward a pedagogy of thoughtfulness. Albany, NY: State University of New York, p. 66. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 6

Success comes from being smart Genetics, environment determine what we can do Some kids are smart some aren t Teachers can t override students profiles Success comes from effort With hard work, most students can do most things Teachers can override students prof iles A key role of the teacher is to set high goals, provide high support, ensure student focus to find the thing that makes school work f or a student Shapes Student Self- Perception Who Coverage vs. Whatever it Takes How Mindset Where Builds or Erodes Group Trust What I teach what I believe you can learn The first and fundamental challenge for teachers is to embrace students as three-dimensional creatures, as distinct human beings with hearts and minds and skills and dreams and capacities of their own, as whole people much like ourselves. This embrace is initially an act of faith we must assume capacity even when it is not immediately apparent or visible. We must hew to the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen because we work most often where aggregating and grouping kids on the f limsiest of evidence is the prevailing common sense, where the toxic habit of labeling youngsters on the basis of their deficits is commonplace. Ayres, W. (2010). To teach: The journey of a teacher (3 rd Ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 7

Invitational Learning Invitational learning requires a transparent commitment to promote learning for all, consideration for a student s prior learning & of what each student brings to the lesson. It requires a sense of fairness and openness to allow students to learn, to make errors & to collaborate in the success of the learning Learning is invitational when the teacher demonstrates: 1) Respect treating all students with the belief that they are able, valuable, & responsible. 2) Trust Lessons lead to collaborative engagement in learning, indicating that the process of learning is as important as the product. 3) Optimism The students get the clear message from the teacher that they possess untapped potential to learn what is being taught. 4) Intentionality Each step in the lesson was specifically designed to invite every student to learn. Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge, pp. 139-140. Using the language of Geneva Gay, differentiation calls on us to care about students (be interested enjoy their company) But not stop there. It calls on us to care for them as well! (see to their welfare see that they have what they need to build a good life) Differentiation is a philosophy of respectful teaching There are surely dozens of eloquent definitions of our modern notion of respect, but being a lifelong student of the classics, I decided to investigate the root of the word, its linguistic foundation. I found that our respect comes from the Latin word, respicio, and its noun form, respectus. Respicio, respicere, respexi, respectus. v. I. look back at; II. gaze at; III. consider; IV. care for, provide for; Respectus, ūs. m.i. the act of looking back (or often) at one This pair of definitions, the linguistic roots of respect, resonates with me because it confirms something that I have thought all along, that respect is somehow inextricably tied to knowing. To look back (or often) at, to gaze at: these actions are characteristic of a person actively pursuing the knowledge or understanding of something or someone. The presence of the prefix re-, meaning back or again, highlights the intentionality of the action. Though the root verb specio can simply mean see, re -specio (respicio) is much more. It is to look, to look often, and to look back. This difference is immense and its connection to respect is striking. (Rachel Barker, UVaStudent) Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 8

As long as a curriculum gap exists, so will an achievement gap. Tracking by its very nature, causes the achievement gap to widen. If one group of students is given an enriched and accelerated curriculum to study and another group s learning is slowed down to a snail s pace by remediation, there can be no other outcome than a gap that widens over time. Providing all students access to the school s best curriculum, with support for those who struggle, gives students the opportunity to achieve based on high learning standards. Detracking for Excellence and Equity by Burris and Garrity, ASCD, p 14-15. Let s Talk To what degree are these elements of effective differentiation the status quo where you work and to what degree would they be a force for innovation in your school(s)? Embracing each student with enthusiasm and optimism. Teaching from a growth mindset belief that each student can succeed with critical content, Seeking to understand and address needs rather than seeking to label and sort Caring for students rather than only about them respecting them The nature and role of curriculum Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 9

The business of schools is to produce work that engages students, that is so compelling that students persist when they experience difficulties, and that is so challenging that students have a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction--indeed, of delight-- when they successfully accomplish the tasks assigned. Inventing Better Schools, Schlechty It s essential to be clear about what a curriculum is and isn t. (A curriculum includes, but should never be limited to a set of standards.) Important Distinction Standards are not a curriculum. A textbook is not a curriculum. A pacing guide is not a curriculum. Those things are part of the ingredients for creating a curriculum. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 10

This is NOT a meal It s ingredients for a meal! You would not take people you care about into the kitchen, point to the ingredients on the counter, and say, Here s dinner. Eat it. To make dinner, you mix the Ingredients in an appetizing and healthful way ensuring the right balance of ingredients In fact - with the same ingredients, you can make a base that you can then use to make many different dishes depending on the tastes and diet needs of your diners. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 11

In other words Standards are mandated ingredients Important But not a meal. Planning, preparing and serving the meal requires teachers who are thoughtful and creative. Differentiation asks us to make dinner, not serve ingredients. (The quality of WHAT we differentiate matters!) A Case in Point 3 math classes 1 st measure, weigh, estimate 2 nd solv e problems from the book and the screen 3 rd design a zoo f or the town Defensible Differentiation: Always Never Teaches Up Waters down Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 12

Plan curriculum first for high end learners Then scaffold up Plan from clear KUDs Use tasks that require careful thought Focus on understanding All students have problems to solve/issues to address All students use key knowledge & skills to explore, or extend understandings All students work with authentic tasks All students must support, explain, apply, evaluate, transfer Criteria for all at or above meets expectations All students must use metacognition, reflection, planning, evaluation As teachers, our efforts must be placed on pushing every student to the very boundaries of what is familiar, and then showing them that beyond this point lies a whole frontier waiting to be discovered. Davis Tran, UVaStudent, 2015 Let s Talk To what degree are these elements of effective differentiation the status quo where you work and to what degree would they be a force for innovation in your school(s)? Designing curriculum with the intent of engaging learners so that they are excited to learn, Making dinner rather than serving ingredients, Planning to teach up. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 13

The nature and role of assessment Formative assessment is the oil that greases the wheel of differentiation. (Davis Tran, Uva Student, 2015) Formative assessment is about guiding, not grading. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 14

Three Functions of Assessment: (Why we Assess) Assessment OF Learning to judge, grade (Summative) Assessment FOR Learning to inform teacher planning (Pre- & Formative) Assessment AS Learning to inform student learning & planning (Pre-, Formative) Effective Formative Assessment Black and Wiliam (1998) proposed that effective formative assessment involves: teachers making adjustments to teaching and learning in response to assessment evidence; students receiving feedback about their learning with advice on what they can do to improve; and students' participation in the process through selfassessment. They concluded that the student learning gains triggered by formative assessment were among the largest ever reported for educational interventions. Heritage, M. (2010). Formative assessment & next generation assessment systems: Are we losing an opportunity. A paper prepared for the Council of Chief State School Officers, p. 2. Effective Formative Assessment: Is a process, not an instrument. Is about feedback to the teacher and students. Has the purpose of helping teachers plan more effectively to reduce the gap between where a student is relative to important learning goals and where the student needs to be. Results in proactive rather than reactive teaching. Engages students in understanding their own proximity to key goals and in developing the skills and attitudes necessary to support their own learning success. Is an essential element in developing a growth or incremental mindset in both students and teachers. Heritage, M. (2010). Formative assessment & next generation assessment systems: Are we losing an opportunity. A paper prepared for the Council of Chief State School Officers. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 15

You know how you re doing We ll use windshield checks Here s how it works You know when you need a check too The strategy most responsible for increased achievement A Potent Formative Assessment Strategy for Addressing Readiness Needs Ede Marquissee Hattie and Yates (2014) summarized a few important points about the role of feedback in instruction and learning. First, feedback must be tailored for students individual skill (or readiness) levels. Corrective feedback is best suited for beginning learners while process feedback is most appropriate for intermediate learners. Elaborated and conceptual feedback is most productive for advanced learners. Importantly, these skill (or readiness) levels will shift for each student depending on content area and activity, so teachers should not assign an unchanging level to their students. (Jordan Buckrop, UVa Student, 2015) Let s Talk To what degree are these elements of effective differentiation the status quo where you work and to what degree would they be a force for innovation in your school(s)? Consistently using formative assessment to guide teacher and student decision-making (assessment as and for learning) De-emphasizing grades in favor of guidance Using formative assessment as a key means of building growth mindsets Providing feedback based on a student s current point of development Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 16

The nature and role of the learning & instruction Students do not simply store knowledge they hear; each student learns in a particular, personal way. Each child gives personal shape to his or her understanding and to the way that he or she comes to understand things. The teacher may be teaching a class of 35 students; but it is always important to remember that all learning is ultimately an individual process. Adapted slightly from van Manen, M. (1991). The tact of teaching: Toward a pedagogy of thoughtfulness. Albany, NY: State University of New York, p. 77. The Teacher The Student The Content Artful Teaching as a Love Triangle Tomlinson, 1995 Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 17

Those outside teaching assume that passion for one's subject is all one needs to be a great teacher. It's necessary, but not enough. To have any chance of success as a teacher, you also have to have a passion for seeing young people develop. You have to like being with them, because as a teacher, you're going to spend a lot of time in their company. And then, you have to figure out ways of making the subject that you feel so passionate about accessible to those who don't yet "get" why this subject is so important. <Dylan_Wiliam_website/Blog/Entries/2011/3/11> The Teacher The Kids The Content Tomlinson. 1995 John Hattie on Differentiation Teachers must know where students are and aim to move them +1 beyond that point; thus the idea of teaching the class as a whole is unlikely to pitch the lesson correctly for all students. This is where the skill of teachers in knowing the similarities across students and allowing for the differences becomes so important. Differentiation relates primarily to structuring classes so that all students are working at +1 from where they start, such that all can have maximal opportunities to attain the success criteria of the lessons. Note that differentiation relates more to addressing students different phases of learning from novice to capable to proficient rather than merely providing different activities to different groups or students. Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge, p. 97. For differentiation to be effective, teachers need to know, for each student, where the student begins and where he or she is in his or her journey toward meeting the criteria of the lesson. Is the student a novice, somewhat capable, or proficient? What are his or her strengths and gaps in knowledge and understanding? What learning strategies does he or she have and how can we help him or her to develop other useful learning strategies? Depending on the student s phase of learning, their understanding of surface and deep thinking, their phase of motivation, and their strategies of learning, the teacher will have to provide different ways in which students can demonstrate mastery and understanding along the way to meeting the criteria for success. It should be obvious that rapid formative feedback can be very powerful for teachers to know a student s phase of learning and then help them to achieve +1 outcomes. Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge, p. 98. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 18

Let s Talk To what degree are these elements of effective differentiation the status quo where you work and to what degree would they be a force for innovation in your school(s)? Work from the knowledge that each student learns uniquely Work with the intent to connect kids with wonderful ideas and powerful skills Work with the determination to do whatever it takes to make that happen for each learner Regularly engage in plus one teaching The nature and role of the classroom leadership & management Convenient for the teacher Distrustful of students Assumes students are one Models a world few would seek Compliance Oriented Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 19

Is respectful of student capacity for self-direction Models a world most would seek Effective for students A Learning- Through- Thinking Orientation Kinds of Management Environments 1. Dysfunctional 2. Adequate 3. Orderly 3a. Orderly Restrictive 3b. Orderly Flexible Relevant Research for School Decisions Academic Challenge for the children of Poverty Educational Research Service, Arlington, VA. p. 11 Has a vision for something good Has the capacity to share the vision & enlist others in it Builds a team f or achieving the v ision Renews commitment to the vision Celebrates successes ABOUT PEOPLE First be a leader Plans schedules Handles details Prepares materials Arranges f urniture Orchestrates movement Practices routines Troubleshoots ABOUT MECHANICS Then be a manager Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 20

A Familiar Sort of Routine Teacher introduces topic Students work on same assigned worksheet or activ ity Students read same assigned material Students do same practice at home Teacher giv es notes on or demonstrates content For whom is this sort of routine really effective in terms of promoting dynamic learning? Susan s Routine Opening question Student selfev aluation Teacher records on clip board Re-teach/scaffold Extension Anchor activities Exit slip for all Computers Notes f or test Card game practice enrich Let s Talk To what degree are these elements of effective differentiation the status quo where you work and to what degree would they be a force for innovation In your school(s)? Create orderly, flexible classrooms that make room for many kinds of kids--& and for thinking Lead kids to be our partners in developing those classrooms Create routines (with kids) that allow for varied learning needs Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 21

The Elements of Teaching Before the Change TEACHER Judging Control Telling Practice/Drill Comply, Attend, Retain Students TEACHER Curriculum Making Meaning Instruction Facilitating Learning Assessment Charting a Course Management Leading for Success STUDENT The Elements of Teaching After the Change Piaget reminded us of the heartbreaking difficulty in pedagogy, as indeed in medicine and other branches of knowledge that involve both art and science that the best methods are also the most difficult ones. Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 22

Too often, teachers, including myself at times during my teaching career, may wonder how they can successfully lead a truly differentiated classroom. However, in the end, one of the most important things to remember about differentiation is that it is a philosophy grounded in a set of principles about what educators feel all students deserve in order to learn. While a teacher s practice may not be perfect, these principles should always serve as a guide to inform decisions and actions. (Jordan Buckrop, UVa Grad Student) Don t confuse the edge of your rut with the horizon! Copyright 2015 Carol Tomlinson 23