Transcript The Role of the Teacher in a Differentiated Classroom

The Role of the Teacher in a
Differentiated Classroom
Presentation by:
One member of the History Wolf pack
Mr. Gregory
Opening
• Tell me what you
think of when you
see the following
pictures?
The Teacher’s Role in a Differentiated
Classroom
• When teachers differentiate instruction, they
move away from seeing themselves as keepers
and dispensers of knowledge and move toward
seeing themselves as organizers of learning
opportunities.
• Focus less on knowing all the answers, and focus
more on reading their students.
• Teachers who differentiate instruction focus on
their role as a coach or mentor, give students as
much responsibility for learning as they can
handle, and teach them to handle a little bit
more.
The Teacher’s Role con’t
• Teachers grow in their ability to
• 1) assess student readiness through a variety of
means
• 2) “read” and interpret student clues about
interests and learning preferences
• 3)create a variety of ways student can gather
information and ideas
• 4) develop varied ways students can explore and
“own” ideas
• 5) present varied channels through which
students can express and expand understanding.
Best Practice Accounts for Varied
Learners
• Recall daily that no practice is truly best
practice unless it works for the individual
learner.
• Most of us who teach know that a lesson that
“hooks” students has many merits.
• Differentiation affirms that principle but
reminds us that what may “hook” one student
might well puzzle, bore, or irritate others.
Learning to Lead a Differentiated
Classroom
• This is a learned skill, since all of us are still
learners.
• Teachers who become comfortable and
competent with differentiation almost
inevitably develop skills of: PLEASE LOOK ON
PAGE 17 FOR A LIST OF SKILLS
Three Metaphors
• Let’s look back at the opening exercise, we
looked at three pictures. Those three pictures
show the three metaphors of the role of a
teacher in a differentiated classroom.
• 1) The director of an orchestra
• 2) The Coach
• 3) The Jazz Musician
The Director of an Orchestra
• The metaphor generates the image of a leader
who know the music intimately, can interpret it
elegantly, can pull together a group of people
who may not know each other well to achieve a
common end, even though they all play different
instruments. There’s a time in rehearsals for
individual practice, a time for sectional practice,
and a time for the whole group to work together.
• In the end, the director of the orchestra helps
musicians make music, but does not make the
music themselves.
The Coach
• A good coach has goals for the team, but also
every individual on the team. Practice will likely
involve common activities, but will also likely call
on each player to improve areas of weakness and
polish areas of strength. The coach is generally
part psychologist, having to understand what
motivates each player and use the understanding
to get the player to sweat and even risk pain in
order to develop their skill. Also, however, the
coach must build a team spirit that transcends
individual concerns. The coach is active during
both practice and the game-but, however the
coach does not play the game.
The Jazz Musician
• Improvisation combines with a high level of
musical competence to enable a jazz musician
to think both inside and outside the box. The
jazz musician has the whole picture, but can
add new notes, change tempo, step back for a
soloist to assume the spotlight, or become the
soloist in the spotlight. A piece becomes
longer or shorter, more plaintive, or more
playful as the mood of the group dicates.
• A good differentiated classroom is jazz!
Rules of Thumb for Differentiating
Instruction
• 1) Be clear on the key concepts and generalizations or
principles that give meaning and structure to the topic,
chapter, unit, or less you are planning.
• 2) Think of assessment as a road map for you thinking
and planning
• 3) Lessons for all students should emphasize critical
and creative thinking
• 4) Lessons for all students should be engaging(even
though you may not always achieve this goal, but
something you strive for)
• 5) In a differentiated classroom, there should be a
balance between student-selected and teacherassigned tasks and working arrangements.
Closing
• Looking at the three metaphors we have
discussed today, which type of teacher are
you, the director of the orchestra, the coach,
or the jazz musician? Why?