#ClasskickChat Archive
Classkick is hyper-focused on one goal: increase student learning. To achieve this, they listen to educators to truly understand how technology can assist in the learning process.
Tuesday February 23, 2016
Good afternoon/evening everyone and welcome to this week's
While everyone is joining us, please take a moment to introduce yourself. Your name, where you're from, what you're teaching
Abby here! Former teacher for 7 years in Chicago. Taught 3rd grade and 1st
Laura here, from Chicago, former middle school math teacher and instructional coach for PreK - 8th
Rickie, Chicago, IL former 1st through 6th teacher and principal
Welcome back, Abby! Good to see you again and hear about differentiating for those youngsters!
Hi I'm Guadalupe, I'm from the South Side of Chicago. This year I have 2nd/3rd bilingual :) Excited to be joining
I am Pamela from Waco, TX. I am the math instructional specialist for a 5 /6th grade campus. Also teach math intervention
Welcome Rickie! It will be great to hear about differentiation throughout all the teachers in your school!
Hi Guadalupe! Excited to hear about the differentiation you create for your ELL students!
while we're waiting, ., do you know Chip and Joanna from Fixer Upper?
, can you tell us why you're particularly interested in and what you're hoping for today?
Greetings from balmy Chicago, Thomas (Classkick engineer) here for another !
Yes, I know Chip and Joanna. They are out and about quite frequently in community
I am interested in differentiation because I always looking to support my math teachers with new ideas to reach kids.
Tim here, engineer . Hi everyone!
We'll turn it over to you!
you will have to visit the silos sometime
Q1: How do you balance student collaboration with the differentiation students need?
Kim, 3rd gr MI. Hoping to learn ideas to reach high achievers along with strugglers
A1: I think there's some natural differentiation inherent in collaboration - students are hearing in new ways, from peers
Great question. This was always something I was working towards when I taught
This is true, but I worry that certain students always end up doing all the real work.
A1: And stacking groups heterogeneously ensures that when students are working in groups, they are getting high/low help!
A:1 Ss like to hear how others figure out things. Seeing their peers do something is less intimidating
That is EXACTLY what should be happening! Students NEED to be doing the "real work!"
A1: They go hand in hand - it's not a balance, but an integration
sometimes hard to balance the accountability of all students in a collaborative group
Yes - and they're less "on stage" in front of their peers then if the whole class is waiting for an answer
A1: Creating groups beforehand lets you differentiate the groups that you can collab and differentiate at the same time
A1: I think this is a case when assessment after the collaborative work is done can help hold each student accountable
Exactly. Smaller the group, the better.
Well put; are you able to observe your teachers integrating group work and individual work well?
A1: Collaboration gives more advanced students a way to reinforce their skills, and lower students greater access to help.
A1: if activities are structured to address different needs with scaffolds, then collab is inherently differentiated
love the idea of grouping ahead of time and not on the fly like some try.
A1 Via collaboration, you help level all students.Ss who are gifted are eager to help, Ss who need help are eagar to get help
yes, and giving jobs for students in groups can support different levels of differentiation
Planning seems to be the big key and also the biggest hurdle for teachers in this type of differentiation
Do you plan out certain roles for certain level of students? Or do they rotate through all of them?
Especially because you can plan out an amazing differentiated lesson, but lose it in transition and mgmt
I am very purposeful in my roles assigned students
I always felt like my first and second year teachers "forgot" to plan for motivation/movement/assessment
I tried to rotate through the jobs, but only once I felt like students were ready for certain jobs
The struggle is real https://t.co/I48EbrgtRP
I always felt like my first and second year teachers "forgot" to plan for motivation/movement/assessment
Do you use a set 4 or 5 for each type of activity that needs roles? Timekeeper, etc?
this really depends on activity
Absolutely agree! I always struggled through PD sessions advocating for same roles.
I had a deck of cards that had roles on each of them. They were great!
Then what would your suggestion be?
Q2. Are you planning differentiation in a specific way? Do you start with DI or add to a core lesson?
I like shaking up the roles so that students learn how to cope and manage the different pieces to the group.
A2: once heard from mentor that best way to plan was for the highest expected outcome and differentiated down 2 get thr
A2: I typically added it to a core lesson
A2: Once I realized that "core lesson" only hit a tiny percentage of my kids, I started with the top and added scaffolds
A2 I have the theme for the unit, then I can select my texts. I know what each small group needs.. https://t.co/yl4m6oROdm
Q2. Are you planning differentiation in a specific way? Do you start with DI or add to a core lesson?
A2 based on previous assessments. https://t.co/yl4m6oROdm
Q2. Are you planning differentiation in a specific way? Do you start with DI or add to a core lesson?
And where are you finding your texts? Do you have some go-to locations?
we use the data to drive our decisions many times, especially in math
How do you measure and monitor these assessments?
Agreed - and that that highest expected outcome should have student input to allow for unexpected surprises
we use common assessment test bank items correlated to our Student expectations.
Never want to assume something that a student can do easily. Get their input on how it could be more difficult.
A2: not a teacher and don't have experience, but wonder if occasionally changing DI/core order would be a good thing
two of my favortite resources include and
How do you utilize that data to tell you how "high" to push the next lesson, though?
pre-assessments I create, NWEA scores, EasyCBM...
Its never as simple as "today I'm going to differentiate." But the thoughts swirling when lesson planning are many!
use it as a baseline to see if higher order math concepts can be toggled to it & built to extend
definitely has to be purposeful
yes, sometimes, for me, it took reflecting on the lesson and planning for follow-up differentiation
After I get to know my Ss I start automatically thinking about how I need to modify each lesson
Q3- What types of assessment do you use to drive decisions about differentiation?
Any great tips on getting to know them? Personality quizzes and Pre-Tests?
A3: Formative assessments such sometimes through Google Forms
A3: I asked my kids questions about themselves both personally and academically, but leaned on academic backgrounds mostly
Project based assessments and assignments are differentiated from the get go
I use exit tickets to gain knowledge about direction to head the next day.
District teachers created common formative assessments in math & ELA that drive instruction
A3: Reflecting now, I wish I would have done the opposite. Really tailored my class to their personalities more often.
A3 Pre-assessments I create, standardized scores, post-assessments, informal/formal observations https://t.co/XEltyyWv98
Q3- What types of assessment do you use to drive decisions about differentiation?
How big/long are those formative assessments?
we do the same with common assessments
A3 but also student inventories, what kinds of things do my kids like https://t.co/XEltyyWv98
Q3- What types of assessment do you use to drive decisions about differentiation?
ours are 12 to 14 questions for 6th grade
noo I'm against personality quizzes;they put labels on people (not just Ss) and pigeonhole them
And do you get a say in order, student choice, or scaffolding of those common formative ones?
do you use any specific program to do this or do you create your own rubrics?
You probably backwards design based on them from the beginning, but what if kids aren't ready
Getting to know Ss is an authentic process in elementary. Listening and asking questions works best for me
yes we team together to set sequence and pacing of items
Awesome! can you share that?
this is when we provide intervention classes to fill gaps
Do you set aside that time in the beginning of the year and follow up with a schedule? How ensure you hear shy Ss?
How do you find that transition between the classroom teacher and the intervention teacher?
They could "raise their hand" through the Classkick app!!
they don't necessarily have to be "personality tests" but more of student inventories.
Depending on the project, but I look for demonstartation of the knowledge and concepts we've been learning
Are they giving you a status report on the student so you have a starting place?
Doug from West Michigan HS Chem
what do S inventories look like? (for me as a non-teacher, sorry if ignorant question)
we work together and S knows we are all a team, constant communication between all three
Hi Doug! Welcome Back - fill us in on the assessments you're using to make decisions for your Ss!
Q4: How does technology play a role in differentiation in your classroom?
We do ice breakers, and I integrate "All About Me" writing projects, which help me get to know Ss
important to let Ss be part of the process to decide on their assessment.
I let them decide how to respond but not what to respond to.
I think "All About Me" also helps students introspect/figure out/become comfortable with who they are
A4: Collecting and analyzing student data faster through technology - Google Forms, Spreadsheets, recording exit tickets
A4: There are so many great resources via apps or technology that are adaptive as students do their work
I use edmodo for exit tickets
A4: And presentation of information! Auditory, visual = technology to provide options to students for seeing/hearing
For example, I think eSpark has a lot of good curated ones
Class Kick app is great for assessing as well as giving feedback.
Community building is always important. Just asking students to share how their weekend was can unite a room
I can differentiate how much assistance I give on problems and other students have no idea. No stigma
A4: technology allows my formative assessments to quickly be formative and provides me with what to do next.
A4: It can be really hard to keep track of all the data technology gives us access to!
How do you as an administrator use technology to differentiate for your teachers?
so true! Sometimes feel like I am swimming in a data ocean with no life preserver!
Is "hard to keep track" because too much data, too confusing, too unorganized, too ...something else?
It helps you act as that wizard, crafting exactly what your students need next!
My school used Learnmetrics when I was a principal (full disclosure: liked it so much I now work there)
So important for kids as they're already struggling with forming their identity and asking for help!
Can I also add: how do you pick and choose what to ask teachers to use?
that's a huge reason as Ss are sometimes so shy to ask for help or be seen getting help.
I have discovered they are more comfortable taking risks if they know only myself and they are viewing the work.
Trust teachers - they are professionals and should use me as a resource
Such a delicate process! I often utilized technology to get Ts brainstorming during PD sessions.
Then, if they liked something, I followed up with them personally or in small groups
We have a staff technologist who shares various ideas and apps with teachers. Let's us choose what we are comfortable using
And volunteering to co-teach or lead a lesson with their students with that tool being implemented
Across all content areas? Just a knowledgeable "tech" person? That's impressive!
This is definitely 1 of the best ways to introduce it because we can practice & learn how to use it
So much of it and it doesn't communicate with other data - need to keep it in real time and live info
Yes, but sometimes we all need a little "push" to get out of our comfort zone
yes across all content areas. Each content meets with this person once a month to plan and ask for help.
You have to find a way to ensure they don't feel they're being evaluated as they're getting started
Except that we ask kids to do the same thing and we constantly evaluate them as well!
Technologist will also come co-teach in your class to demonstrate an app or technology strategy.
Q5 Do you feel like state required tests "derail" your differentiation efforts?
signing up for a demo right now!
A5: take some time away from instruction, but give us data to correlate to see if differentiation working
A5: State tests often felt like the thing we were backwards planning from. So not "derailing," but perhaps lowering the bar?
A5 YES! They don't allow students to: edit, go back and check their work, use other resources as help https://t.co/q0hrhZrkIB
Q5 Do you feel like state required tests "derail" your differentiation efforts?
As an intervention teacher, I feel like state tests drive my differentiation. Shows me where to start with every kid
A5: If state tests are "the" thing that students are supposed to work toward, what about if it's too easy/hard?
agreed , not a real world application of knowledge
what if it isn't a true picture, but rather who can take a test and who freaks out?
Do you follow up from your state tests to give students that chance to edit?
have u seen the new ACCESS test, my kids could not go back to any questions, 1 kid finished in 20 min!
they don't let students change or go back to their work? how is that AT ALL helpful?
Give them a similar prompt but with more time added so they CAN consult other resources and craft responses?
yes, they can go back and correct their mistakes :) I figure in real life if i can they should be able to also
I have not seen that, but many of the online tests are like that and Ss just click to be done.
Unfortunately, in education, you have to be good at that skill because you'll keep taking tests
Tests to become a teacher, tests to become an administrator
Makes it more real-world that you have to be good at tests to do what you want
nope. once they clicked they move on to the next question.
I even share with them that an athletic game is a test that you must prepare for.
But do the students you work with have an accurate representation by state tests?
Are the results broken down by standard/skill/actually helpful as your starting point?
yes accuracy is a must in math. Some open ended questions, but most are multiple choice
Just switched from ACT to SAT. Oh boy! Ok pizza here! Thanks for chat.
yes broken down by standards, student expectations
Q6. What is one thing you would suggest to a teacher attempting differentiation for the 1st time?
A6: Think about student choice.
I tell teachers, you can't eat an elephant in one bite, start with small bites!
shouldn't we focus on analytic thinking & not excellent test takers?
that is the ultimate goal for sure
A6: don't be afraid of things being bit messy at first
A6: Overplan. Reach high and low.
Thanks to everyone for all their great thoughts and advice this evening. And thank you to for hosting!
, any final thoughts for us?
A6: start small. You don't have to differentiate for every single student all the time. https://t.co/KqQOQ3TZdZ
Q6. What is one thing you would suggest to a teacher attempting differentiation for the 1st time?
Enjoyed all of the interactions!! Go forth and differentiate!!
Be sure to join us next week for a related discussion on with Classkick Mentor !
Same time, same place! Have a great week, all!
