Progressions that ordinarily appear faint or unnoticeable to us, perhaps even undetectable, become very obvious through time-lapse photography. The technique, the art, of capturing images, then creating from those images, a smooth impression of motion is likened to a virtual symphony. In a matter of moments, something spectacular unfolds before us -- a budding flower, the motion of traffic, the construction of a high rise building. The process of photographing a subject that changes indiscernibly creates a mosaic of seamless images appearing before our eyes. Each film frame is captured at a much slower rate than it will be played back. At normal speed, time appears to speed up, thus lapsing.  Each series of photographs tells a fascinating story.

Equally fascinating is watching learning unfold in a classroom whether it is student learning or teacher learning. The frustrating part is our inability to sometimes see the subtle, yet integral changes that are occurring right before our eyes. I think that is why some begin the journey through differentiated instruction (DI) but fail to continue it. Quite simply, they quit because they find it difficult to see the fruits of their labor.

Education is about learning and learning is a function of reflection. “Adults do not learn from experience, they learn from processing experience” (York-Barr, etal, 2006, p. 27). I believe wholeheartedly that we must allow ourselves opportunity to hit the pause button, as reflection fosters learning. Through reflection, we recognize the refined changes occurring in a differentiated classroom.

During the past few weeks, I seized the opportunity to visit one particular classroom numerous times. In doing so, I’ve seen something remarkable stretch out before me. Not unlike time-lapse photography, dancing in my mind’s eye is a set of mental snapshots taken in this one classroom over a period of time. Here are a few of the images I captured:

Students seated at individual computers perusing available novel trailers in order to determine the novel to which they want to devote the next few weeks.

 

A student unobtrusively moving towards a “sign out” sheet posted on the inside of the classroom door. She promptly signs out, notes her time of departure, grabs the “bathroom pass” -- a vest hanging nearby, and proceeds to the bathroom without disrupting the flow of the class.

 

A set of response cards nestled in a caddy at each table.  During a game, when a player chooses to “ask the audience,” the students pick up the cards and display their selected answer choices -- A, B, C, or D.

 

One hundred percent of the students, along with the teacher, involved in a silent, sustained period of reading. All reading novels of their choosing.

 

The teacher reminding students, “I want you to do what we always do when we finish working at the computer station. I want you to tap someone new when you have finished at the computer.”

 

With little direction from the teacher, students transitioning to their next task.

 

I’ve been talking to the teacher of that classroom, engaging her in reflective conversations, and it’s been fascinating to watch her progression. About a year and a half ago, she began participating in a program working with an ASCD faculty member. She said, “After my first year working with the ASCD coach, to be honest, I felt like I did not have a good grasp on it all. That has changed during this year. I feel like DI is what works, and I’m willing to do it because of that.” In describing what changed, she shared that her team has begun to use the DI concept of Know-Understand-Do (KUD) in the process of designing lessons. She recalls:

I felt like before we were always concentrating on what cool activity we could do to get the students’ attention. Now, our first step is to make a list of all the things we want them to know about the concepts we are teaching. For example, they need to know the six traits of writing. Then, we focus on the understandings, which are the big ideas we want them to walk away with. Like, writer’s voice can improve my writing by helping me connect with the reader. Lastly, we figure out activities we can do in class that can help us get to the big ideas.

 

However, she admits to being a bit of a perfectionist. She shared:

I want DI to be in every facet of everything in the room, and I just do not feel like it is there. I think we still focus a little too much on activities or strategies versus the whole, but I think that has changed my philosophy in that I see my role in the classroom as more of a facilitator than I do as a teacher.

 

In retrospect, she has come to realize that the workload has shifted. Although she is working harder behind-the-scenes to create promising learning experiences, her students are working harder in the classroom. I have seen daily evidence of the payoff for her and her students. She proclaims, “I hardly use the projector, and I do not stand in front of them as much anymore.” Then, she offers, “Along the way, I have enjoyed reflecting on what we did in the past as we plan for what we are going to do differently in future lessons.” In the second year of her DI journey, she has recognized that she has become much more reflective about her role in the classroom.

As we work our way into a differentiated classroom, we must be certain that we think our way into it as well. When we try something new, we need to take time to reflect before we take the next step (Tomlinson, 1999). We need to remember to capture a few mental snapshots along the way. And, we need to hit the pause button so that we can see the story unfolding before us.

References:

York-Barr, etal. (2006). Reflective practice to improve schools: An action guide for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Glenda Horner is the Coordinator for Staff Development in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, Texas. She will be blogging about her district’s journey in implementing Differentiated Instruction during the 2010-2011 school year.

To learn more about ASCD’s On-Site Capacity Building Services, go to www.ascd.org/oscb .