Megastrategies

Tomlinson has sketched what she refers to as “megastrategies” (p. 31) to help teachers move away from a one-size-fits-all approach:
(Adapted from Tomlinson, 2001, pp. 32-38)

1) Have a strong rationale for differentiating instruction based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile.
• Share your thinking with students and parents–often.

2) Begin differentiating at a pace that is comfortable for you.
• Finding your point of readiness is as important for you as it is for students.

3)Time differentiated activities to support student success.
• Remember to allot slightly less time than student attention spans allow and consider that advanced learners may have longer attention plans.

4) Use “anchor activities” to free you up to focus your attention on your students.
• Start by preparing a range of activities which students can move to if they complete assigned work before others.
• Move toward having half of the class work on the anchor activity while the other half of the class works on a less predictable task as a group that has been differentiated for readiness and is supported/led by you.
• Consider having other ratios (such as a 1/3 and 2/3 ratio) working on anchor or content tasks as you see fit.

5) Create and deliver instructions carefully.
• Consider giving task cards or assignment sheets to individuals or groups, preparing some students for the directions in advance, and tape-recording directions for student reference during the activity.

6) Assign students into groups or seating areas smoothly.
• Use a method that allows groups to see their names (wall charts, overhead transparency) so that minimal disruption occurs in transitioning to groups.

7) Have a “home base” for students.
• Having a beginning/ending seating chart allows for consistency.

8) Be sure students have a plan for getting help when you’re busy with another student or group.
• Prepare students in advance with several strategies for getting “unstuck.” Strategies might include writing out their questions, asking a peer, consulting with an “expert of the day” (if applicable), or using another non-disruptive cue that support is needed.

9) Minimize noise.
• Coach students on ways to minimize noise, pre-teach a signal for times when the noise level is too loud, and help students learn to balance the need for discussion with the need for concentration.

10) Make a plan for students to turn in work.
• Teach students what is expected and consider a method for pre-turn-in review by a peer or an “expert of the day” who is capable of providing quality feedback.

11) Teach students to rearrange the furniture.
• Use transparencies to draw up the most often-used room configurations so students can quickly help to arrange the learning environment.

12) Minimize “stray” movement.
• Consider methods for mitigating student movement. As a general rule, directions on student movement should keep as much structure in place as is needed to stay productive, but no more than is necessary.
  
  
13) Promote on-task behavior.
• Define what “on-task” behavior looks and sounds like. Support students to be successful so that concentration is achieved by all.
• Support students who struggle with concentration and provide feedback to students whose struggles with concentration interfere with the learning environment for others.

14) Have a plan for “quick finishers.”
• For students who finish early and demonstrate competence, regard this as a clue to increase the challenge.
• For students who finish early and the work is not high quality, review the indicators of quality work and support student to use remaining time to increase quality.

15) Make a plan for “calling a halt.”
• Prepare students for success by providing varied cues that closure (e.g., in an activity) is needed, or for projects it may be necessary to provide timeline supports (e.g., due dates and benchmarks for on-time completion).

16) Give your students as much responsibility for their learning as possible.
• Recognize that students who respond well to the various opportunities for self-regulated learning in a DI classroom are likely ready for more. When problems arise, consider asking students how things could be improved.

17) Engage your students in talking about classroom procedures and group processes.
• Teacher “metacognition” or thinking out loud with students will help students develop ownership for the learning environment.
• Have ongoing reflection on how the learning process is going individually and collectively.

 

If you were to observe a classroom in which the teacher exemplified all 17 of Tomlinson’s classroom management suggestions it is very likely that it would resemble organized chaos. However, far from being a chaotic place where students feel disoriented, distracted, or lost, a DI classroom is a place that connects students to the content in meaningful ways, connects them to each other in productive circumstances, and rebuts the misconception that DI is a hodge-podge of activity.  Perhaps most important, the teacher’s level of confidence in his/her selection of instructional approaches for meeting the needs of a diverse learning population will be very high.