Goal: Making Differentiated Instruction a part of the math department culture.
| Action Steps | Person (s) Responsible | Timeline: Start/End | Needed Resources | Evaluation |
| 1. Review observation logs and lesson plans of all math teachers to determine the frequency of differentiated lessons | H. Patel | May 1 – June 1, 2011 | · Weekly Campus Content Instructional Specialist logs · Lesson Plans · Spreadsheet to collect data | · How many lessons per week (on average) does each teacher differentiate part of their lesson? · How much of that lesson is differentiated? |
| 2. Survey the department about what the obstacles to differentiating in their classroom are. Include a self-assessment portion. | H. Patel | May 16 – June 6, 2011 | · Survey Monkey · Or other anonymous survey tool | · Does the survey stay on point? · Does the survey lead them to answer certain ways or is it neutral? · Will the teachers actually do it? |
| 3. Collect and analyze the data from the surveys. | H. Patel | May 17 – June 13, 2011 | · Spreadsheet to collect results of survey · b | · What are the obstacles listed? · Are the obstacles within our control? · How do they rate themselves compared to what the data from Step 1 indicates? · How do the opinions of the “high” rated teachers differ from the “low”? |
| 4. Gather information regarding electronic learning resources available for teachers in the classroom. | H. Patel K. Sodolak (resource person) K. Massie (resource person) | March 14 – June 6, 2011 | · Open Internet resources · Software purchased by district · Software purchased by school | · Do we currently have access to these resources? · Are any being utilized right now? · Where would I go for more information on these resources? |
| 5. Analyze the usefulness of each electronic resource. | H. Patel | March 14 – June 15, 2011 | · Open Internet resources · Software purchased by district · Software purchased by school | · How easy is the resource for students to use? · How easy is the resource for teachers to use? · How customizable is it? · What learner skills is each resource best for? · What are other strengths / weaknesses? |
| 6. Review how each of the above topics fit into the Cornerstone framework. | H. Patel M. Welch (resource person) | May 23 – Aug 10, 2011 | · Cornerstone training manual · Cornerstone notes | · Which of the four quadrants of the Cornerstone framework do each of the above topics fall into? · How do they impact the other quadrants? · How can these resources impact our four areas of data collection? |
| 7. Analyze the students’ role in this overall system. | H. Patel | May 23 – Aug 10, 2011 | · Student observations · Student conversations | · Which parts of this plan do the students play a role in? · How can the students play an active role in their own learning? |
| 8. Summarize conclusions from the study. | H. Patel | Jun 6 – Aug 10, 2011 | · Blog · Weekly Campus Content Instructional Specialist logs | · How does each area studied impact the goal? · What are the factors that we can control? |
| 9. Propose an action plan for the math department considering specific campus circumstances. | H. Patel | Aug 10, 2011 – Oct 10, 2011 | · Agenda for opening department meeting of 2011-2012 year · New lesson plan model centered around DI through the Cornerstone model | · What level of support will be provided? · What level of differentiation will be expected? · What resources will be provided? |
| 10. Monitor the progress of each teacher in the implementation of differentiated instruction. Provide feedback and reflect with the teachers during this process. | H. Patel | Oct 10, 2011 – June 3, 2012 | · Blog · Weekly Campus Content Instructional Specialist logs · Video of lessons · Pre & Post conference forms · Teacher action plans · Lesson plans | · Have the math teachers grown in their willingness and ability to implement differentiated instruction lessons? · How often does the team plan lessons with differentiated instruction in mind without prompting? |
Response from LaVaila Williams:
ReplyDeleteDifferentiated Instruction is a "hot ticket" right now. Either teachers love it or hate it. There doesn't seem to be many opinions in- between. It may be difficult for all the math teachers to allow you to see their lesson plans unless trust is built with you and them- teachers are quite protective of them. I do like that you are going to propose an action plan to the Math Department. Also you have good follow through- you are going to monitor each teachers' progress. Way to go. You have definitely put some thought into this plan.
I do wonder how many students you plan to talk to? If it is a larger number do you plan on using any technology in your questioning?
ReplyDeleteHermant, you made some very smart choices with your plan, and topic. It is clear you put a lot of forethought into the plan, and it will pay off with impactful results.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
Dr. Abshire