Differentiation is done through the task analysis and the
pretest. Kids will be grouped by how well they do on the
pretest and then will start at different steps on the task
analysis. The kids that already know how to do it, will be given
work higher on the taxonomy, not just greater difficulty. It
works very well. We've been doing it for 30 years at
least....it's the only way I've ever differentiated. The task
analysis and the preassessment is the piece that directs
differentiation.

On 10/24/09, judy5ca wrote:
> Wow, dc, this is fascinating. I'm sure that the concept of
> teaching to the correct level of difficult is something we all
> think about every time we plan a lesson. What I wonder about
> is differentiation. How many levels of difficulty do you need
> to have within each lesson. I'd need at least 6 if I were
> honest (and that's just math right now). I love the concept,
> but the implementation scares me silly.
> Keep talking,
> Judy
>
>
> On 10/24/09, dc wrote:
>> OK, so I told all of this to Jan already, but I thought
>> that you all might be interested in the thought
>> processes/discussion here. If not, scroll on by or delete
>> or ignore or whatever!
>>
>> I have been assigned to an "alternative evaluation process"
>> this year at my site. Instead of doing the dog/pony show
>> 20 minute observation, I have to do a year-long project on
>> a subject of mutual choosing by my principal and me. We
>> have chosen "Teaching to the Correct Level of Difficulty"---
>> 1) because it is a challenge for me; 2) because she wants
>> me to present this subject to our staff in the spring.
>>
>> I attended a 1-hour training by my district on this subject
>> and it just left me hungry for more information. Here is
>> what I learned at that training.
>>
>> The steps to this process are as follows:
>> First, determine the terminal objective of the lesson or
>> unit.
>> Second, do a task analysis for each step of learning on the
>> way to the terminal objective.
>> Third, design a pre-assessment for each step of the task
>> analysis (can't be a multiple choice, has to be an answer
>> given by child, so you don't get lucky guesses).
>> Fourth, interpret the data. Who understands which part of
>> the task analysis? Who can skip parts of the lesson? Who
>> needs more development in prior fundamentals before even
>> beginning the lesson?
>> Fifth, design lessons for each "group" of children based on
>> the pre-assessment data.
>>
>> Next week, I'm going to start a unit based on the following
>> standard in math. Third Grade Algebra 1.1
>> Represent relationships of quantities in the form of
>> mathematical expressions, equations, or inequalities
>>
>> My terminal objective is: Students will read a word
>> problem and write a mathematical expression and an equation
>> for the word problem.
>>
>> So here is my task analysis:
>>
>> Students have to be able to 1) define a mathematical
>> expression
>> 2) give an example of a mathematical expression
>> 3) read a word problem and write the mathematical expression
>> 4) define a mathematical equation (written as "number
>> sentence" in our text book)
>> 5) give an example of a mathematical equation
>> 6) read a word problem and write the mathematical equation
>>
>> Then I designed a pre-assessment based on those six
>> questions--open-ended, short-answer questions.
>>
>> Am I right so far? I gave the pre-assessment on Friday, so
>> I could analyze the results and interpret the data this
>> weekend and begin the process of planning my lessons for
>> this unit. Can you all read this and give me feedback
>> before I start planning my lessons? Is this something any
>> of you do regularly? They told me in my one-hour inservice
>> that EVENTUALLY you will SAVE time in your classroom
>> because you will be teaching more efficiently, but right
>> now it TAKES a lot of time, because I'm not skilled at it
>> yet. I do believe in it, because I'm a mother of two kinds
>> of kids (GATE kids and struggling kids) and I know that
>> teaching to the correct level of difficulty would be so
>> helpful to them in their classrooms, so I'm really
>> motivated to try this and try it well. I also want to have
>> a good amount of actual experience DOING it in my classroom
>> before I have to present it to staff, so they can see that
>> the time is well-spent too and can learn from my trials and
>> tribulations along the way.
>>
>> GIVE ME HONEST FEEDBACK. I'm in a state of wanting to
>> learn and grow, so nothing will offend me as long as it is
>> given in that mode of helping me to grow!

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