Differentiation

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Chad Prather is a member of the DI development team, so as a young teacher with a new baby, he shared practical ideas to use differentiation in the classroom without getting overwhelmed. He went over common mistakes that newbies do and suggests a starting place within the unit cycle so teachers can get their feet wet rather than dive in.
 * **Mana'o** || **Resources** ||  ||
 * **Helping Teachers Navigate Differentiation Successfully and Have a Life**

This session was totally packed. I was the volunteer for this and I had to chase people out, find seats and bring in more seats. You'll see from the handouts, he totally shares everything. --Cathy || || || In your classroom, is the teacher the only one asking questions? This session looked at strategies for generating questions and suggested ways to manage class discussions and small-group conversations, as well as differentiating for readiness. || ||  || Martha Kaufeldt, Gayle Gregory, Begin with the Brain, Scotts Valley, CA
 * **Questioning to Engage and to Learn** Sandra Page, Chapel Hill, NC
 * **Finding Each Student's "Sweet Spot": Optimizing Engagement and Learning**

The handout talks about differentiation through finding each student's "sweet spot" for for learning by surveying prior knowledge, discovering learning preferences, and determining how success was achieved in the past. || ||   || Robert Williams, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, Houston, TX
 * **Integrating 21st Century Technology into the Differentiated Instruction Classroom**

This is really a tech session, but it talks about 21st century teaching strategies in a differentiated instruction classroom. What got me to stay was the first topic - why the game Angry Birds is so addictive and how we need to bring those ideas into our classroom. || ||  || His presentation challenged educators to consider whether or not current scheduling and resulting teaching practices promote respectful learning opportunities for all. He also shares practical ideas of how educators might use intervention and enrichment times to better meet students' needs.
 * **Using Flexible Scheduling to Provide Respectful Learning Opportunities for All Students,**
 * Eric Carbaugh, James Madison Univeristy, Harrisonburg, VA**

In considering flexible schedules:
 * How does it benefit the students?
 * How does it benefit the teachers?
 * What is your biggest concern? || [[file:3239 handouts_carbaugh_final.pdf]] ||  ||