My 10 Favorite Differentiation Strategies for the WL Classroom

When I first learned about differentiation, I thought that I would have to make three versions of all assignments.  I have since learned that differentiation is more than just tiered instruction; it is a responsive classroom.  Instruction can be differentiated by content, process, product, and environment, according to a student's readiness, learning styles, or interests.  Here are my ten favorite differentiation strategies for the world language classroom.  

1. Give students choices for products on assignments.  Instead of requiring an essay for an assignment to practice writing, give students the choice of creating a brochure, PowerPoint presentation, timeline, etc.  Keep the content requirements the same but allow the demonstration of learning to vary.  Students will produce better work when they have choices for showing their learning.
2. Expand product choices.  Instead of requiring a PowerPoint presentation, give students options that allow them to demonstrate their strengths in areas besides writing. For grading purposes, I generally recommend that the content be the same.  Ideas:
1. Puppet show
2. Video skit
3. Original song
4. Paper collage
5. Advertisement
6. Timeline
7. Poem
8. Flipbook
9. Interview
10. Super snazzy technology, like Powtoon or Glogster
3. Small-group skits.  Do informal skits where students present to each other in small groups instead of in front of the class.  This sudent-centered activity will ease stress for a variety of learners and lead to better internalization of key skills.  
4. Add self-reflection and goal setting to tasks.  Instead of grading student essay drafts, create a form that students fill in (with quantitative measures) to grade their own essays and set goals for the rewrite. Let's be honest - students often ignore the meticulous feedback we give them on essays.  Give students ownership over rewrites and the final drafts will be better (and you will do less work). 
5. Use stations.  About to teach a unit on a country, like Belgium?  Give seven choices of stations and have students choose four, completing a task at those four stations.  Later students will share their learning in small groups.  Ideas:  Literature selection, comic book characters, a move clip, a song from the country, information about their food, etc. Check out this blog post about stations in the WL classroom.
6. Provide homework choices.  Instead of doing the same workbook pages, let students choose from a variety of options that meet their learning styles and needs.  
7. Exit slips.  To help plan instruction for the next class, give students a formative (non-graded) assessment at the end of the lesson to gauge their learning.  Modify groups, activities, and instruction based on student learning. Some examples here.
8. Let students choose topics based on their interests.  When students are writing an essay to practice a particular grammar skill, such as writing in the past tense, let them choose the topic.  For example:  Write a children's book, describe the weekend of a dog, tell the story of how your favorite musical group started, etc.  Students will complete better work when they like the topic.  If you are really interested in this strategy, check out RAFTs, which give students choices over their role, audience, format, and topic.
9. Group students by learning styles.  Let students choose how they want to practice chapter vocabulary.  Check out this great presentation for teaching vocabulary using multiple intelligences. 
10. Choice boards.  Let students choose which activities to do for homework or classwork. On a grid of nine options, students choose three.  Here is a great page of choice board ideas. 

I have used all of these activities in the classroom and loved all of them.  I would be happy to receive your feedback!  I truly believe that it is our responsibility as educators to teach the individuals in front of us, and that adding these differentiation strategies to our tool kit will improve the performance of our students. 

QR Codes, Speaking & Listening in the Classroom

I recently presented a workshop about QR codes to a group of teachers who were very excited about the possibilities for using this technology.  QR codes, which allow quick access to text, websites, video, images, and more, are a great tool for both empowering and engaging individual learners. (New to QR codes?  Looking for ideas and info about them?  Check out my Diigo links embedded at the end of this post.)

The teachers were particularly interested in students creating audio clips in class which would then be connected to a QR code, thus providing easy access to their content on mobile devices. We played around with this scenario and had some successes and failures. There are many variables for planning to use and create QR codes in class, such as the availability and type of computers in your school (and whether or not they have microphones for recording), the school connectivity to WiFi, the technology skills of students, the school's technology policies (specifically in regards to privacy and mobile devices) and the types of devices that students may (or may not have) in their pockets.

My two favorite tools for QR codes are Vocaroo (for recording voice) and Kaywa (for creating codes.) Vocaroo does not require an account and even creates the QR code for you. Vocaroo recordings will play on all devices but cannot be used for creating recordings on Apple products.  Kaywa is the easiest QR code generator and does not require an account. (Video about Kaywa.)  There are also apps for creating QR codes on various devices, such as Qrafter for iPhone and iPads.

Below is a summary of our learning from the workshop and some info from my own research, organized by device type:

1. PC laptops and computers or Chromebooks.  This process is the easiest when students record their voice with Vocaroo on a PC laptop, computer, or Chromebook.  Vocaroo does not require an account and all students will need is a microphone.  Students can create QR codes on this site, then download and either embed, print or email this code for classroom use.

2.  Mac computers.  Here this process becomes more complicated because users cannot record with Vocaroo on Mac computers (although they can hear Vocaroo recordings, even in web browsers).  I recommend students use GarageBand and then export their content to a file-sharing site such as iCloud.  Please note that audio files from file-sharing sites may not play in the web browsers of mobile devices and may need special apps to play content.  (This is true of my iPhone, which could not play a Google Drive clip in Safari but I could hear it when I opened in my Google Chrome browser which then allowed me to select an app for opening the clip. Yes, that sentence made me dizzy too.)

3.  Mobile devices.   If you want students to use their mobile devices in class to both record their voice and create their QR codes:

• Android users.  There is an unofficial Vocaroo app in the Google Play store that students can download and use in conjunction with the website. Vocaroo should also work for recording through a web browser.  Vocaroo clips will usually play easily on Android devices, including in web browsers.
• Apple - iPhone/iPads.  Users cannot record on Vocaroo through these devices.  I recommend students use a recording app such as Voice Record Pro 7 (free) then upload the file to a cloud-based service, such as Google Drive.  From there, students can create a QR code from the document link.  I tried this out using the Garage Band app for iPhone, but did not have luck connecting  my SoundCloud account and do not yet have an iCloud Drive account set up for my phone.  

I'll be honest and say that both reading and writing this post hurts my brain.  My advice, if you are hoping to use this within the classroom:

1. Ask a few learners to pilot the lesson at home or during a study hall for extra credit. They can help you anticipate problems and be experts when the entire class does the lesson.
2. Give a quick synopsis of creating both sound clips and QR codes and have students figure it out (and support each other in their efforts). Embrace the organized chaos, teacher confusion, furious thumbs on keyboards, and eventual success.
3. Do this together in a computer lab where you all use the same devices at the same time. Recruit a few tech-savvy students to be your TAs for the day.

I embrace the fact that most students know more about technology than I do, and just hope to get the gist of new technology before adding it to my toolbox.  I hope this post helped with providing background knowledge.  Good luck. I would love for you to comment and to share your own experiences and expertise with QR codes or to hear how it went in your classroom.  I still have much to learn and would love to deepen my knowledge of this useful technology.  And lastly - our goal as educators is to harness technology for effective learning and (not just for the sake of fun gadgetry.)  With that in mind, I wholeheartedly support you chucking this idea out the window and instead doing a lesson tomorrow using paper and pencil.  

Voice Record Pro 7 on the App Store on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voice-record-pro-7/id810588885?mt=8

Information about Voice Record Pro. This is a free app for iPhones and iPads, and can be synced with Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, and Box Cloud. From there students could generate QR codes for others to access voice recordings. There are some small issues to handle. For example, with Google Drive, the types of file uploads (MP4 or M4A) cannot be heard on Google Drive.) But there are other apps that can play the file, such as GDrive.

The magic of QR codes in the classroom - Karen Mensing - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRgWRXFXLQs

Great video introducing QR codes and sharing a variety of ideas for all levels. Great for beginners to QR codes.

Cybraryman Internet Catalogue for QR Codes
http://cybraryman.com/qrcodes.html

This is an extensive resource of QR codes; contains many links with ideas.

Twelve Ideas for Teaching with QR Codes | Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

Blogger and PBL specialist Andrew Miller offers an array of creative suggestions for using Quick Response codes in the classroom. (Updated 01/2014)

QR Codes in the Classroom - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything
http://QR Code Resource List with Generators and Lesson Ideas (Useful Resource)

40 QR Codes Ideas for the Classroom (PDF)
http://aftech.pbworks.com/f/40_Interesting_Ways_to_Use_QR_Codes_in_the_Cla(1).pdf

QR Codes In Education - LiveBinder
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/51894

Resources For Getting Started With And Using QR Codes In The Classroom

What is the best QR Code Reader | Visualead
http://www.visualead.com/qr-code-tutorials/what-is-the-best-qr-code-reader

The best QR Code Reader for iPhone, Android, Windows, Blackberry. A list of most recommended Android QR Code Readers. A list of best iPhone QR Code Readers. Best Windows Scanners.

Free QR Code Generator and QR Management with Tracking, Analytics and Support
http://qrcode.kaywa.com

Differentiated Holiday Project

Student Holiday Project

Differentiated by content, product, and learner trait

This is a holiday project that I used in my (French) classroom for a couple of years.  I edited this project from one that I found in a book by Deborah Blaz about differentiation in the world language classroom.  (Click here to access the book)  Students worked alone or in groups to prepare then present the projects to the class.  While presenting, students completed the listening sheets. 

I found this project was a great way to build class culture, meet a number of standards, and also to have fun right before the December break.  It also solved the problem of a "food day."  Instead of requiring all students to bring in food, it was an option, so students who could afford to feed others would. 

What I liked about the project:

• Interesting because they were varied
• High completion rate thanks to the choices
• Many students made food (a crowd pleaser) but it was not required
• A number of students completed multiple projects because of the extra credit
• The project was based on the target culture
• Students were able to choose a variety of holidays from different religions
• The listening sheet made students be active listeners (I graded it for a class participation grade)

 What I would change:

• There needs to be more target language; I would modify the rubric
• In order to encourage the use of the TL, I would include sample vocabulary for presentations and a more in-depth model in the target language
• I would consider having students present in small groups instead of in front of the entire class (in order to increase student engagement)

I hope you can edit this project to fit the needs of your own learners.   And...Happy Thanksgiving!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Holidays in Francophone Countries

The holidays are approaching. Francophone countries have a variety of religions and celebrations.  The project is due ___________________________, whichever day you have class. 

 

The task:  Pick one of the following.  You will present your information to the class.  You may work in groups of 2; however- there must be evidence of SHARED responsibility.  Each additional assignment you do is worth 4 extra credit points, for a maximum of 8.    

 

• Holiday expressions.  Find out how to say words associated with holidays in the target language (including verbs and phrases for a variety of religions, like “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Holidays” or “to celebrate Three Kings Day”). Include at least 15 expressions.

• Holiday celebrations.  How do families celebrate the various holidays in Francophone countries?  What would a typical Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa etc. feast look like in a French speaking country?

• Books, songs, fairy tales, fables?  What sorts of songs, books, fairy tales, and fables have been written about these holidays in French speaking countries?  Find lyrics, fairy tales, etc., to share with the class.  You may find a French holiday song to play for the class; bring it in along with the lyrics.

• Videos.  You may make or find a video about holidays in France or French speaking countries. Share with the class. 

• Holiday food. Prepare a traditional food for the holiday you have chosen to share with the class.  Be sure to bring in a list of ingredients.

• Perform a song.  Perform a song (using a guitar, CD, video tape, MP3 file) for the class, in French, from one of these celebrations

• French Exchange contact.  Contact a student from the French Exchange. Find out how his/her family celebrates the holidays and share the information with the class.

• French experience.  Contact a relative/friend who has spent the holidays in a French-speaking country. Ask him/her what the holiday is like in that country.  Share the information with the class.

• French holiday cards.  Find 20, print them out, and share with the class. 
 
• Your own idea.  Have a better idea?  I would love to know what it is.  I am open to other topics/formats.

 

Be sure to include:

1. Culturally accurate information, the name of the country/region and the holiday
2. A visual component, such as a PowerPoint slide, handout, poster, brochure or student-created website
3. For the presentation – Speak so the entire class can hear you, include some French, and have all members present equal amounts
4. Timeliness – Turn in your project/present by ____________________, whichever day you have class
5. Citations – Include at least 2 – books, websites, or people

 

Sample visual: 

Christmas in France (name/region & holiday)   They celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day on 12/6 – la fête St. Nicholas They celebrate Christmas Eve by doing to midnight mass and having a big feast – Le Réveillon They also celebrate Epiphany, 3 Kings Day, on January 6th – la Fête des Rois Sources: http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm http://www.santas.net/frenchchristmas.htm http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/france.html

 

Topic	Exemplary	Proficient	Partially Proficient	Incomplete	Points/Comments
1. Information	4  points Culturally accurate.  You include the name of the country/region and the holiday.	3 points Mostly culturally accurate, with a few small errors.  You include the name of the country/region and the holiday.	2 points You include either the name of the country/region or the holiday.	0 points You do not include the name of the holiday nor the country/region.
2. Presentation:  Format	4 points You include a visual piece – a PowerPoint, poster, website, brochure, or handout to share your information with the class. The visual is easy to read with a variety of information and is well presented.	3 points You include a visual piece to share your information, but it is not always easy to read/understand.  You have a variety of information.	2 point You include a visual with “bare bones” information.	0 points You include no visuals.
3. Presentation: Presence	4 points You speak so the entire class can hear you.  You include some French in your presentation.  Both group members present equally.	3 points You speak so the entire class can hear you and both group members present equally.	2 points The entire class cannot hear you and one person dominates the presentation.	0 points You do not present your information.
4. Timeliness	4  points Your presentation is turned in by________________ (whichever day you have class.)			0 points Presented after _______________.  Must be presented!
5. Citations	3 points You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 3 sources.  You include specific site names.	2 points You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 2 sources – specific names.	1 point You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 1 source.	0 points No sources.
Your score/19

 

What went well:                                                                        What to improve: 

 

Name of Presenter	Holiday	Country/Region	2 facts in English or French	1 source