Maximizing Student

Growth and Individual

Success Through
Differentiation

Shea Williams

Shea Williams

LAKEVIEW
HIGH
SCHOOL
Battle Creek

Spanish Major
Math Minor
Concentration
in Secondary
Education

Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Algebra 1
Geometry

SOLVING INEQUALITIES

x+25
3(x-2) + 13 > 21
7 - 4 < 3x 5 52 + 8

LEVELS OF LEARNING
The level of dif ficulty of a question depends on the abilities of
an individual student , not an entire grade level
There is no universal level for all students in one class

WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATION?
Dif ferentiated instruction allows all students to access the
same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning
tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students needs
( H a l l , S t r a n g ma n , & M eye r, 2 0 0 3 )

Compacting
Tiered Assignments
Interest Groups
Flexible Grouping
Choice Boards

Tiered assignments are designed to instruct students on

essential skills that are provided at dif ferent levels of
complexity, abstractness, and open -endedness. The curricular
content and the objectives are the same, but the process
and/or product are varied according to the students level of
readiness.
( T h e A c c e s s C e n te r, 2 0 07 )

WHY DIFFERENTIATE?
Ensure students receive instruction that they can
comprehend, no matter their level
Group 1
Student A:
Student B:
Student C:
Student D:
Group 2
Student A:
Student B:
Student C:
Student D:

78, 70, 50, 61

71, 71, 73, 73
71, 52, 54, 49
70, 61, 42, 61
100, 100, 81, 89
100, 100, 85, 96
92, 100, 76, 81
92, 83, 81, 85

Homework points
55/160
114/160
135/160
40/160
145/160
65/160
135/160
148/160

STUDENT WORK
Group 1

Group 2

DIFFERENTIATION ACTIVITIES
Various scaf folding in each activity

One focus group works directly with

teacher
Other groups made up of three to

four students
Work through practice problems
Checked when complete

Move onto next level

Extension group works together on

enrichment activity

INEQUALITIES UNIT

INEQUALITIES UNIT

INEQUALITIES UNIT

INEQUALITIES UNIT

Goal for all

students to
complete by the
end of the hour

INEQUALITIES UNIT

INEQUALITIES UNIT

HOW DO WE GAUGE SUCCESS?

Student grades

HOW DO WE GAUGE SUCCESS?

HOW I GAUGE SUCCESS

Student confidence
Students learning how to advocate for
themselves

Students accept that they will make mistakes

Learn how to gauge your own individual

success

INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS
Change in classroom culture
Students supported each other and were willing to work with anyone
else in the classroom at any point in time

Students views of the intervention group

Negative views at first
This changed how I approached grouping the students

Self-selected groups
Students were more open to being a part of the intervention group
when they were able to self-select

WHY THIS MATTERS

Math is hard

BUT MATH IS IMPORTANT

NEXT STEPS
How do I use
differentiation
when I am by
myself in the
classroom?
How can the group
intervention
strategies be
transformed into
individual
activities?

SOURCES
Hal, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A . (2003). Dif ferentiated instruction and impli
cations for UDL impleme ntation. National Center on Accessing the General
Curriculum. Retrieved July 9, 2004 from:
htp:/www.k8accesscenter.org/trai ning_resources/udl/difinstructi on.asp

Dif ferentiated Instruction for Math (2004): 1-5. Dif ferentiated Instruction for
Math. American Institutes for Research, 2 Feb. 2005. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Mrs. Sara Johnson
Mr. Lonnie Goodman
My Lakeview High School students
Dr. Suellyn Henke
Dr. Nonye Alozie
Albion College Education Department
All of my fellow student teachers
My family

QUESTIONS?