Wed.+July+26

•Gathering/cafe. 8-830

•Meeting/426. 830-1100

Complex Instruction both groups prepare: 900-920 Play Rainbow Logic: 920-935 Process Rainbox Logic: 940-1000 Play 4-Stage Rocket: 1000-1020 Process 4-Stage Rocket: 1020-1035 Work with Bandura's Criteria and Cohen's commentary on same: pp. 48-50. 1035-1100
 * 1) discussion of readings 830-900
 * 2) skillbuilder exercises 900-1100
 * 1) group one: Rainbow Logic. Jan Marie, Mary, Leah
 * 2) group two: 4-Stage Rocket (Is CI, DI?). Patty, Gavin, Roxy

•Work Time/wherever. 1100-1140

•Share TIme/426. 1140-1150

•Next Steps/426. 1150-noon 1. project work in preparation for tomorrow's presentations. 2. Edited discussion on the DI / CI dialogue. Would someone start it off right here?

So let's explore the two worlds of Complex Instruction and Diferentiated Instruction. I believe the question put before us is if CI can be a form of DI. This question came after watching a short clip of a Complex Instruction lesson and then being asked if that lesson we saw was a form of DI. Good question. Here is some description of DI pulled from the web: //"There are generally several students in any classroom who are working below or above grade level and these levels of readiness will vary between different subjects in school. It is important to offer students learning tasks that are appropriate to their learning needs rather than just to the grade and subject being taught. This means providing 3 or 4 different options for students in any given class (not 35 different options). Readiness (ability), learning styles and interest vary between students and even within an individual over time. In a differentiated classroom all students have equally engaging learning tasks.// //In preparation for differentiating, the teacher diagnoses the difference in readiness, interests and learning style of all students in the class, using a variety of performance indicators.// //For the teacher who is beginning to differentiate learning in the classroom, differentiation may begin by varying the content, processes or product for each group in the class. As the teacher becomes more proficient using these techniques, differentiation can occur at all 3 stages of the process for some students. This is especially appropriate for the more able students. The essential curricula concepts may be the same for all students but the complexity of the content, learning activities and/or products will vary so that all students are challenged and no students are frustrated."// //From Charlie's [|website] about Complex Instruction:// //"//CI groupwork looks similar to other forms of cooperative learning. As such, it utilizes classroom norms and groups roles like other forms of cooperative learning. **Where CI differs from other forms of cooperative learning is in the assumptions it makes about why children participate (or don’t participate) in collaborative learning groups. This is important because participation (talking and working together) is key to learning in groups** (Cohen, Lotan, and Holthius, 1995). Children who don’t participate, don’t learn. Children who participate, do. CI posits that children don’t fail to participate because they are too shy or don’t want to participate. They don’t participate because other children in the group see them as having nothing to offer to the group. Their attempts to contribute are ignored or rebuffed. In short, they have low academic status within the group."

My position is that the clip that we saw yesterday was a great clip of CI, but not DI. Although the essential goal of the unit was the same for all students (a greater understanding of opposing views through exploring the Revolution) I would argue that since each student had to complete the same activities that it was not differentiated. Differentiating necessitates having an understanding of each student's abilities and learning styles and then being able to present those students with a variety of options that will allow them to show their learning. Within a DI class students are presented with a variety of options to select from but they need not complete all of them as some of the options may not meet their learning style. In the CI piece we saw students had to complete all 4 stations, even though some of the stations may not meet with their learning style.

Of course, if you dig into the various activities that we saw the other day, you might decide each one is sufficiently rich so there is room for each child to meaningfully participate, particularly if the children know how to work together and use their combined skills and knowledge in such a way as to complete the group task better than any one student could have done it. You might argue that a series of rich tasks are sufficiently differentiated enough so each child has a meaningful shot at doing some part well enough to be recognized as successful although the child's success is one part the group's overall success. In that way, you could say CI is one way to differentiate curriculum. I sometimes think we go way too far with this learning style stuff and use it to excuse students from doing important work. Have we seen any data that says children achieve at higher rates in a differentiated curriculum? Has Tomlinson or any one else put that data out there? I haven't seen it. Doesn't mean it isn't there. I just haven't seen it. Pb goes on to raise a good point. It sounds complicated and I'm not sure what it would look like. cr

I'd go further by saying that you can have one without the other, or you could include components of CI in a DI exercise - (Separate complex instructive exercises, several steps long that groups selected by readiness,interest or learning style complete). You could also include bits of DI in a CI exercise (ie: add another station to the exercise in the clip that was optional - geared by ability, process or interest, and have the students choose which 4 out of 5 to complete.) Both of these methods are great tools to use, of course, and one might fit the content at the time better or the time frame, or even your mood. pb

I have to agree with Gavin. Although the differents tasks may offer the students enough variability so each student is stronger in a group, they are still working to complete the same task, and the activities didn't seem to be differentiated by abilities. I think of DI as having the students all working towards the same basic goal, but using different styles of activities so each student can choose an activity that will best let them show what they've learned. I also think that pb has a good point in that you can include parts of DI in CI, like the idea of adding another part onto the activity that is an option for students, which is a way that the teacher could have differentiated the CI work.lm

I think what is important is that all students take part and everyone is held accountable. This topic seems to come up in Designing Groupwork as well. If there is a struggling learner in one group it won't hurt to cut the task down to fit their needs. The important thing is that the students finish the task given to them, and that they are involved in the whole thought process going on in the group. I also think the whole group should be held accountable for their willingness to listen to everyone and their willingness to involve everyone. These things become part of the group grade. To be honest, I am writing this on Thursday night and I can't really remember the clip about the opposing views of the Revolutionary War, sorry! PM

That's my opinion...what's yours?