Engagement Through Differentiated Instruction

Our problem of practice is engaging students in the classroom that are all on different
levels/paces of learning. How do we keep students involved in the classroom when they are high
level learners while making sure students on a lower level of learning are getting what they need
to be successful in the class? Lower level learners can include students with IEPs, English
Language Learners, or students that dont see the purpose of the class.
Our goal is that students will be able to show their learning through the use of models. On
these models we would like students to show their use of critical thinking to construct and
execute a plan to figure out the big problem or puzzling phenomenon. Students can also
demonstrate their learning through the use of evidence such as data, examples, labs to help show
their growth of knowledge. This evidence should be present on their models for a particular unit.
The important aspect of these models is the ability for students to individualize their presentation
of information.
When doing some background research, we found a great resource to get us started. The
article Differentiated Instruction states, To differentiate instruction is to recognize students
varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning, interests, and to
react responsively. Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for
students of differing abilities in the same class. The intent of differentiating instruction is to
maximize each students growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she
is, and assisting in the learning process. We used this information to help us construct plans for
three different classrooms to incorporate differentiated instruction.

Classroom One: 8th Grade Physical Science

In the article Differentiated Instruction there are five key points made on what one needs
to do in order to enact differentiated instruction successfully in the classroom. The point I will
focus on is engaging all learners.
I teach an 8th grade physical science class. We did a unit about energy and electricity.
The students had some basic knowledge about circuits. They knew that in order for a circuit to
work, electrons had to flow into and out of an object, and have a complete path from one end of
the power source to the other. My students did a lab where they were given basic materials to
build a circuit. They had a battery, aluminum foil, a light bulb, and a piece of tape. The only
instruction they were given was how to make a wire out of the foil and tape. They then had to
make the light bulb light up. They also had to draw examples of the trials that worked and the
trials that didnt work.
There are two purposes for the students drawing out their circuits that did and didnt
work. It allowed them to look back and reflect on what they did that caused their circuit not to
work. It also allowed me to see where the gaps in their knowledge were when I collected the lab.
Based on what the students did right and wrong, I developed a base knowledge for where they
were at with understanding the concepts of electricity.
After looking at the students drawings and initial ideas of how a circuit works, they did a
really nice job. I had several students understand how parts of a circuit must be connected in
order for the bulb to light. They also did a decent job with their drawings. They did have some
confusion on how to make their circuit drawings accurate. I had kids leaving gaps between their
wires and battery, or their wires and bulb. This was something I addressed with the students. I
told them that their drawings have to be accurate so that if they built a real circuit exactly how
their drawing looked, it would work. Based on how individual students did on this lab, I knew
which students would potentially struggle in the unit.
After this initial lab the students learned about the types of circuits (open, closed, series,
and parallel), what types of situations these circuits are used in, and how to build circuits with
actual wires and power sources.
At the end of the unit the students did another lab building more complex circuits. Since I
knew from the first lab who might struggle throughout the unit, I tried to group the students
according to ability. I put a few high achieving students with a couple struggling students in the
hopes of them helping each other understand the material.
All the students had to construct a series and parallel circuit using a set amount of
materials in order to light 3 bulbs. This was a goal that all students were able to accomplish in
varying amounts of time. For the kids who understood the light bulb circuits and finished early,
there was another problem they could work on. At the end of the lab there was an opportunity for
the students to make a circuit that causes a doorbell to ring. It was not a required part of the lab,
so kids who were struggling didnt feel pressured to finish that part, while kids who are advanced
had a challenge to complete.

There were seven lab groups in one class period. I had all seven groups complete the
original series and parallel circuits with the light bulbs. I had six groups move onto the doorbell
circuit. The seventh group finished the original two circuits right at the end of class and did not
 have time to do the doorbell. Out of the six groups that got to the doorbell, four of them
completed the task of making the bell ring. Those four groups were given the additional task of
constructing a series and parallel circuit with the bell and the three bulbs. Only one group was
successful in building these two circuits.
This activity definitely fulfilled the differentiated instruction guideline of engaging all
students. In one class period I had mostly high achieving students, but there were also about four
students with IEPs. Since this lab was very hands-on and visual, even my lowest students were
trying different ways to build the circuits. They were having a great time while also
understanding the information much better than if it was presented as notes.

Classroom Two: 11th & 12th Grade Chemistry

After reading Differentiated Instruction, I planned to use a few different guidelines that
make differentiation possible for teachers to attain:
Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend versus merely measure instruction
Emphasize critical and creative thinking
Provide a balance between teacher assigned and student selected tasks

Coming up on the states of matter and gas law unit of the year, I planned to introduce the
unit using an imploding tanker car as a the anchoring phenomenon. Students were asked to make
an individual representation of what they think is happening and the causes behind it. The
general guidelines are listed below.

Why does the tanker car dramatically change?

What is happening at a microscopic level - air molecules, liquid, gases, solids
How do we represent the factors that cause the crushing?
How do we represent the whole process from beginning to end?

After using these guidelines to create individual models in a framework they chose,
students were placed in groups where they were asked to collaborate and make a group model
that best represented all of their ideas. This allowed students to critically and creatively challenge
themselves. Each group was allowed to use the visual representation that made the most sense to
them. Students were not given limitations in terms of their model. I asked that each of my
students individual ideas be represented on their group models. This was a way for me to assess
where students were starting in terms of knowledge throughout this unit.
 As the students continued to build their knowledge throughout the unit through different
activities and lessons, they were asked to revise their original model. Students were asked to use
a specific color sticky note to show ownership of their ideas. This allowed specific students to
show growth and ownership of their ideas. The more the students revised throughout the unit, the
more opportunities the students had to show their growth in understanding of the material. These
students were again allowed to represent their thoughts and acquisition of knowledge in
whatever way they chose as long as the general guidelines were followed. This gave the students
more responsibility in their own learning.
Data was collected through the use of the different color sticky notes and the abundance
of revisions throughout the unit. Students had the ability to show their thoughts in the method of
their choice whether it be a picture, visual flowchart, words, etc. This allows the lower level
learners to show basic understanding in a way that made the most sense to them. This allowed
the higher level learners to show their knowledge at a deeper level in a way that made sense to
them as well.
Below, I have given the data collected for two groups. I classified the members of the
groups as lower, middle, or higher level learner and critiqued the additions/revisions they made
on their models.

Group One - Total Revisions: 8

Level of learner Number of Contributions to Model Additions

Model

Lower 2 Model additions were surface

level. No evidence was used
in additions. Noticeable
increase in engagement from
previous unit without models.

Middle 2 Model additions used some

evidence. Noticeable increase
in engagement from previous
unit without models.

Higher 4 Model additions used

evidence from classroom
activities. Small increase in
engagement.
 Group Two - Total Revisions: 15

Level of learner Number of Contributions to Model Additions

Model

Lower 3 Model additions used some

but very little evidence.
Noticeable increase in
engagement.

Middle 7 Model additions used some

evidence from classroom
activities. Noticeable increase
in engagement.

Higher 5 Model additions used several

pieces of evidence from
classroom activities.
Noticeable increase in
engagement.

Although not all of my students are not using evidence as much as I would like, there was
increased engagement throughout the class. Students took more ownership of their ideas and
were more confident in those ideas. Giving these students the freedom in their representation of
knowledge increased interest in the task at hand and helped the students retain information for a
prolonged period of time.

Classroom 3: 10th/11th Grade Chemistry Class:

One of my Chemistry classes during my year of student teaching at Sterling Heights

Stevenson High School I had a group of students where it seemed nobody came from the same
educational background. Some students have never taken an Algebra class before, some students
already were taking an Analytical Chemistry course and some students were still trying to learn
English as a second language. In order to put all of my students in a position to succeed I
searched to pull helpful information and tips on how to differentiate my instruction.
 With this particular project I focused on a unit of different types of chemical equations;
what are products/reactants, states of matter and predicting what would happen given two
reactants in a chemical equation. One of the two guidelines that I looked to follow in
Differentiated Instruction are to Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend versus merely
measure instruction. The way that I set up this unit put an emphasis on reaching further and to
create as many scientific ideas as possible about a multiple reactions. The other guideline I am
following is to Emphasize critical and creative thinking as a goal in lesson design. Many
chemistry courses focus on the systematic approach to identify chemical equations and I believe
that is not the best way to learn the science behind it. The best way for students to learn is to
have them discover different types of equations and to critically think about the patterns that
occur in different reactions.
I started the unit by showing my class a video from The Simpsons where acid rain was
causing all sorts of chaos in the cartoon. I then showed students before and after pictures of
granite statues after they have been distorted by acid rain. The students were to create models in
groups of 4 (the groups were randomly assigned at the beginning of class) of what science
happened in order for this phenomena to happen. Most groups decided the best way to show
their thinking was with a before and after chart. I pressed all of the groups to zoom in on a
molecular level and encouraged them to put all ideas on the model.
As I moved around the classroom a common theme I observed from all of my students is
that they were afraid to write down something wrong. Once I assured them that writing down
something wrong will not impact their grade, students starting coming up with tremendous
ideas of how to explain this phenomena. I made sure to spend time with groups that had an
English Language Learner student in their group (I had 3 ELL students in the class). I made the
decision to place these students separately because I wanted them to become comfortable with
conversing with other students in the class.
The original models produced a wide range of ideas from the students about how the acid
rain distorts the granite statue. I took all of these competing ideas and structured our activities
for the rest of the unit in a way where we will discover what is really happening with the statue.
One group had the hypothesis that acid rain was sticking to the granite and dragging it down to
the bottom of the statue. This group proposed that at the bottom of the statue there should be a
pile of granite. Scientifically this hypothesis isn't exact but I can use their idea of sticking and
relate it back to how molecules distort with other molecules in chemical bonds.
 As the unit carried on there were two times where the groups got back together and
revised their models. Students were to place sticky notes on their models that identified one of
the following:
- A pink sticky note was used to show a revision of an idea
- A yellow sticky note was used to show an addition to their model
- A white sticky note was used to show questions that they still had about the phenomena
In order for each student to have a role in the group I made the rule that each student had
to place at least 3 sticky notes on their model. They had to place their initial each sticky note so I
could see what each student contributed to their model. I believe this form of differentiated
instruction pushes every student to think creatively about what revisions to make on the model.
Students that have a good understanding of the material will push themselves to come up with a
creative revision and help students that are struggling coming up with a revision. Separating the
sticky notes gives me a chance to see where the class feels they need more an additional
activity/discussion on a certain topic.
At the end of the unit I saw that my ELL students were more engaged in class and one of
the students started to participate in whole classroom discussion on a daily basis. Giving
students an open-ended assignment like creating a model with little guidelines caught students
off guard because they were given room to be as creative as they want. This lead the ideas to
flow and with me pressing them every step of the way, the ideas to solve this science phenomena
of acid rain flowed as well.