1. Teaching to Diversity: It’s All
about Thinking
Crosscurrents
Conference
March
18th,
2011
Faye
Brownlie
www.slideshare.net

2. Frameworks
It’s All about Thinking – Brownlie & Schnellert, 2009

3. Universal Design for Learning
Mul<ple
means:
-­‐to
tap
into
background
knowledge,
to
ac<vate
prior
knowledge,
to
increase
engagement
and
mo<va<on
-­‐to
acquire
the
informa<on
and
knowledge
to
process
new
ideas
and
informa<on
-­‐to
express
what
they
know.
Rose
&
Meyer,
2002

4. Backwards Design
• What
important
ideas
and
enduring
understandings
do
you
want
the
students
to
know?
• What
thinking
strategies
will
students
need
to
demonstrate
these
understandings?
McTighe
&
Wiggins,
2001

5. Model
Guided practice
Independent practice
Independent application
Pearson
&
Gallagher
(1983)

6. Open-Ended Learning Strategies
• Connect
• Process
• Transform
and
personalize

7. Teach Content to All
Learning in Safe Schools - Brownlie, King"

8. Assessment for Learning
• Learning
inten<ons
• Criteria
• Descrip<ve
feedback
• Ques<oning
• Peer
and
self
assessment
• Ownership

9. How can I help my students
develop more depth in their
responses? They are writing
with no voice when I ask them
to imagine themselves as a
demi-god in the novel.

10. Students need:
• to ‘be’ a character
• support in ‘becoming’ that
character
• to use specific detail and precise
vocabulary to support their
interpretation
• choice
• practice
• to develop models of ‘what works’
• a chance to revise their work

11. The Plan
• Review scene from novel
• Review criteria for powerful
journey response
• Brainstorm who you could be in
this scene
• 4 minute write, using ‘I’
• Writers’ mumble
• Stand if you can share…
• What can you change/add/revise?
• Share your writing with a partner

18. Learning Intention: I can write and describe a
small event from my morning.
Gr. 3 Writing:
Model – a small moment
Establish criteria
Kids write
Descriptive feedback on
criteria
Pearson
&
Gallagher
(1983)

19. • Choose a topic
• Write in front of the students
• Students describe ‘what works’ in your writing
• Students choose a ‘morning’ topic
• Students write
• Students self-assess
• Students meet with peers to share and provide
feedback

20. All
alone,
I
stepped
into
my
car.
With
my
map
in
hand,
I
began
to
drive.
At
the
lights
I
turned
leY,
then
the
map
said
to
turn
right.
“Oh,
no!”
The
sign
said,
“Road
closed”.
“Help,”
I
thought.
“What
am
I
going
to
do?”

21. Notices…criteria
• Mystery
• Opening
• Detailed
• Sounds like you (Voice)

25. A
math
sequence
• Ac<vate
background
knowledge
• Demonstrate/model
new
concept
• Prac<ce
in
partners
• ‘Could
you
do
these
ques<ons
with
80%
accuracy
and
confidence?’
• If
‘yes’,
begin
independent
prac<ce.
• If
‘no’,
come
to
this
table
for
more
teaching.

26. How can I help my students learn
the vocabulary they need in
science?
How can I help my students link
what they have learned in one
chapter to the next?

27. Students need:
• Practice using the vocabulary
• To link new vocabulary to what
they already know, then to add
on or refine their
understanding of the words
• To make connections among the
words in order to retain the
vocabulary

28. The Plan
• Choose 2 key words from previous
chapter and have students
brainstorm what they know about
each – 2 min. each – add ideas
from partners
• Class share 10 key ideas and
clarify
• “I used to think…but now…”
• Introduce new chapter words with
3 column notes:
– Before/during/after

29. The Plan
• In ‘before’ column, students write
what they know about each word
• Students read the section of the
text, collecting information to
clarify the vocabulary and
recording this in the ‘during’
column
• Students choose 6-8 words and
make a concept map with them in
the ‘after’ column

30. Human
Op<cs
Vocabulary
Before
During
A-er
pupil
iris
cornea
sclera
re<na
op<c
nerve

37. Learning Intention:
• I can examine a picture and infer what is
happening
• I can provide ‘because’ reasoning (evidence) for
my inference

42. • Peter’s
Poofect
Pet
-­‐
Tina
Powell
• www.bigfatpen.com

43. • Brownlie,
Schnellert
–
It’s
All
about
Thinking,
2009
• Brownlie,
Feniak,
Schnellert
-­‐
Student
Diversity,
2nd
ed.,
Pembroke
Pub.,
2006
• Brownlie,
Jeroski
–
Reading
and
Responding,
grades
4-­‐6,
2nd
edi<on,
Nelson,
2006
• Brownlie
-­‐
Grand
ConversaDons,
Portage
and
Main
Press,
2005
• Brownlie,Feniak,
McCarthy
-­‐
InstrucDon
and
Assessment
of
ESL
Learners,
Portage
and
Main
Press,
2004
• Brownlie,
King
-­‐
Learning
in
Safe
Schools,
Pembroke
Publishers,
2000