RAFT

Role, Audience, Format, Topic

Differentiates process and product by interest and learning profile. Gives students choice.

Type: Core Instruction

Procedure:

1.  Teacher gives students a menu of choices in each attribute of the task

Examples

To differentiate for readiness:

• create different RAFTs for varying levels
• limit the number of choices
• for struggling learners - options are straightforward with little room for ambiguity
• for advanced learners - options are more abstract or diverse combinations, change the "T" to time, not topic (all choices include the same topic, but in differing time periods)

See pages 69 and 70 in Fair Isn't Always Equal for examples of a tiered RAFT.

Compacting

Type: Student Strategy

Procedure: 

1. Assess student mastery
2. Skip content mastered
3. Design alternatives, such as a learning contract

Instructional Match: Ensuring Students Can Do the Work

A frequent trigger for behavior problems is that the student lacks the skills necessary to do the assigned schoolwork.

Type: Core Instruction, Student Strategy

Procedure: 
To verify instructional match, the teacher:
(1) inventories the target student's academic skills and 
(2) adjusts assignments or provides additional academic assistance as needed to ensure that the student is appropriately challenged but not overwhelmed by the work.

Source: http://www.interventioncentral.org/tools/behavior-intervention-planner

Research Citation: Kern, L. & Clemens, N. H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 65-75.

Learning Contracts

Type: Student Strategy

Procedure:

1. Identify what a student should know, understand, and be able to do by the end

2. Identify a final product as a result of “study”

3. List expectations for content, process, and product with room for student input

4. Establish a timeline and materials needed

For more information, see pages 61-63 in Fair Isn't Always Equal.

Flexible Grouping

Type: Core Instruction and/or Student Strategy

Procedure:

• Students are part of many different groups and have opportunities to work alone, based on matching the task to student readiness, interest, and/or learning style

Creativity/Arts Integration

Type: Core Instruction

Procedure:

1-Use art to enrich a unit;

2-Have students create a poem, story, sketch, painting, etc. related to the content

Tiered Activities

Type: Core Instruction

Procedure:

• Establish what students should know, understand, and be able to do
• Develop one activity or product assignment that is engaging for students, focused on learning goal, and requires students to work at a high level of thoguht
• Develop enough versions of the original task or product assignment to challenge the range of learners

See "The Equalizer" on page 137 of Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom.

Tomlinson, C. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Planning a Tiered Activity  (scroll to page 3)

Specific Activities:
Tic-Tac-Toe Board
Learning Menus

Choice

Offer choices in assignments based on students’ interest, readiness, and learning profile.

Type: Core Instruction

Procedure:

1. Create a variety of assignments and offer choice.

2. Struggling and advanced learners need support in choosing appropriately.

• Advanced learners need advanced choices in projects, books, questions.
• Struggling learners need that will meet the learning goal in a simple task. Materials should be on their level.

Feedback

Consistent feedback is given so that students may track their progress towards achieving learning goals.

Type: Core Instruction

Procedure:

Feedback may be provided through:

• comments on assignments
• Edmodo
• Google Drive
• SIS assignment notes
• conferencing