Chris Frost - Differentiating for and Anticipating Student Needs - M5U3A2

When I first started teaching full-time, I'll admit that I taught to those students who were engaged, which were my medium to higher-level learners.  Two groups of students, my disengaged learners and ADHD students, were often unfocused and engaging in undesirable behaviors. I was convinced that they didn't want to learn and it bothered me that they were interfering with the learning of others.  It finally dawned on me that I was the one who needed to make changes.  As a result, I shifted my focus to finding ways for all students to learn, regardless of ability level.  I knew this would benefit my disengaged learners and ADHD students, as well as my engaged students, who were sometimes adversely affected by those who weren't.

My disengaged learners had the ability, but lacked the will.  Because I had a habit of calling on students with hands raised and eager faces, I realized that my disengaged learners were not receiving much attention.  I decided to differentiate affect by working to build better personal relationships with my disengaged learners.  Whenever I had a chance, I would strike up a conversation about a common interest or an interest of theirs.  They began seeing me as someone who cared about them and their interests, which helped them focus on me a little more.  From there, I changed the way I called on students.  Rather than calling on students with hands raised, I differentiated the process by pulling name sticks at random.  All of a sudden, students knew that they might be called on at any time, which heightened engagement.  I suddenly had students solving problems on the classroom whiteboard who had never done so previously.  I noticed a change in their participation level, as well as their confidence level.  My disengaged learners finally felt like someone cared about and had faith in them.

Going forward, I will offer students more choice in the process of practicing a skill, which will stimulate disengaged learners.  By giving students options, they feel as if they have some control over their learning, and can choose options that interest them.  This will lead to product differentiation.  I will also have students work collaboratively.  When doing assignments individually, it is much easier for a disengaged learner to "zone out."  When working with a partner or team, there is more pressure to contribute and not let your team down.  I will differentiate content by providing more hands-on learning opportunities.  For example, a simple dry erase board could be used to solve problems instead of a worksheet.  Resources such as math manipulatives and/or technology tools would pique the interest of a disengaged learner.  I will differentiate process by striving to relate what I am teaching to student interests.  Thought will be put into selecting and/or creating assignments that students find fun and relevant.  If students don't understand why a lesson or assignment is purposeful, especially a disengaged learner, they are less likely to be engaged.  The following resources provide suggestions for engaging students and helped me develop the above plan.

http://educationtothecore.com/2015/08/5-strategies-for-reaching-disengaged-students/

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/05/response_several_ways_to_connect_with_disengaged_students.html

http://www.teachmag.com/archives/4190

I had one ADHD student this past year.  She was quite capable of doing the work, but had difficultly getting started, staying on task, and finishing.  Because I knew she was very bright, and I had little knowledge of ADHD, I did very little differentiating of instruction initially.  Over time, I realized that the work she did complete was high-quality, but there was little getting done.  I was expecting her to do the same amount of work in the same timeframe as my medium to higher-level learners.  She would get distracted, lose focus, and I would constantly be redirecting her. It became frustrating for both of us so I decided to change course.  I began differentiating process by setting small goals for her to complete within a certain timeframe.  I would tell her that I expected her to have x number of problems completed by lunchtime.  She was still doing the same work that my medium to higher-lever learners were doing, but content was adjusted to smaller quantities.  This worked wonders and less redirection was required.  In addition, I differentiated the learning environment by providing her with preferred seating where there were minimal distractions and she was close to me.

Going forward, as recommended in the following resource, https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/adhd/adhd-teaching_pg3.html, I will divide content into smaller units.  I will encourage cooperative learning with a partner who I feel is able to keep the ADHD student on track. The Think-Write-Pair-Share strategy provides variety and allows students to express themselves in writing and orally.  To differentiate process, as recommended in the following resource, http://onlineresourcekit-adhd.blogspot.com/p/differentiating-curriculum-teaching.html, I will provide a daily checklist to ADHD students that can be marked as tasks are completed.  Additionally, homework assignments will be written down so that they are remembered.  My plan for next school year is to implement a ticket reward system where students receive a ticket when they are caught in the act of following classroom rules, staying on task, etc.  Tickets can also be taken away if rules aren't followed.  Tickets can be redeemed weekly for prizes, which should help incentivize ADHD students, as well as other students, as described in this resource https://www.education.com/reference/article/add-adhd-strategies-tips/.

Differentiating instruction for learners on opposite ends of the spectrum can be accomplished in a variety of ways.  This past school year, I found I had enough higher-level learners who were eager and willing to help the struggling students.  This was a blessing to me, and it challenged my higher-level learners to be patient, kind, and intuitive.  They had to think of ways to help struggling students gain understanding of a concept.  This required positive communication skills.  Being paired with a higher-level learner, my lower-level learners received peer instruction and feedback, which I found to be quite effective.  Some students respond more favorably to peer feedback than teacher feedback. If formative assessment reveals that a student is struggling, I will often spend time differentiating content with him or her during their specials period.  I try to avoid this unless absolutely necessary because I know students look forward to specials.  But, when necessary, meeting with them during that time gives me an opportunity to work one-on-one with students or in a small group.  If a student is struggling and I sense that he or she is overwhelmed by a particular assignment or its length, I will differentiate the process so that it's not so daunting.  This might mean breaking it down into smaller parts.  Finally, for students who have mastered a concept and are ready for higher-level concepts, I will have assignments on hand that serve this purpose.  I will differentiate content by having them write about what they are learning.  For example, they could write a persuasive or informational essay.  They could write the procedures followed to learn the skill, which might help a struggling student.

Please click the link below to view my flowchart for differentiating instruction based on students' individual needs.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1Inx-1daSyTlGa11TXKXV9Jck6p8efGPPIa1ZQ9mQkos/edit?usp=sharing

References

Education.com. (2014, October 3). Strategies for Students with ADHD. https://www.education.com/reference/article/add-adhd-strategies-tips/

Ford, K. (n.d). Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/differentiated-instruction-english-language-learners

NSW Government. (2015). Differentiating content, process, product, learning environment.
http://www.ssgt.nsw.edu.au/documents/3_content_pro_etal.pdf