A tiered lesson is a differentiation strategy that addresses a particular standard, key concept, and generalization, but allows several pathways for students to arrive at an understanding of these components based on their interests, readiness, or learning profiles.
Full Answer
What are the different tiers of lessons?
Lessons can be tiered by challenge level, complexity, resources, outcomes, process, and products. Let's take a closer look at these. One way Hazel develops different tiers for instruction is to use Bloom's Taxonomy, a system that uses different levels of thought in instruction and learning.
How do I Tier the content in a lesson?
You may choose to tier the content (what you want the students to learn), the process (the way students make sense out of the content), or the product (the outcome at the end of a lesson, lesson set, or unit—often a project). When beginning to tier, we suggest that you only tier one of these three.
Should a lesson be tiered by readiness level?
A lesson tiered by readiness level implies that the teacher has a good understanding of the students’ ability levels with respect to the lesson and has designed the tiers to meet those needs. Think of a wedding cake with tiers of varying sizes.
What is tiered instruction and how does it work?
Hazel differentiates instruction, or varies what and how she teaches as well as her assessment methods, to meet all learners' needs, using a method called tiered instruction. Tiered instruction is a method that varies the level of assignments, so all students have a chance to find success and make progress.
How do you make a tiered lesson?
What is a Tiered Lesson?First, identify the grade level and subject for which you will write the lesson. ... Second, identify the standard (national, state, district, etc.) ... Third, identify the key concept and generalization. ... Fourth, be sure students have the background necessary to be successful in the lesson.More items...•
What is an example of tiered instruction?
Product. Tiered assignments can also be differentiated based on product. Teachers can use the Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences to form groups that will hone particular skills for particular learning styles. For example, one group would be bodily/kinesthetic, and their task is to create and act out a skit.
What are tiered activities in the classroom?
Tiering is an instructional practice that allows students the opportunity to journey toward grade-level standards. Tiered assignments are parallel tasks provided to small groups of students based on their similar levels of readiness to complete them.
What are tiered lesson plans?
Tiered lessons are lessons which have different tiers of activities based upon the knowledge base of the learner. Once a student's foundational skills level has been determined via pre-assessment, students are given tasks (geared toward mastery of the same objective or standard) requiring various levels of depth.
What are tiered activities?
In a tiered activity, we divide work into levels by complexity so that students with different levels of understanding on a topic can work simultaneously. We sequence work to move students through their zone of proximal development.
What does tiered teaching mean?
Tiered instruction is grouping students for instruction based on their prior background knowledge in a given subject area. In this study, students were either in a control secondary science classroom or a classroom in which instruction was tiered.
What are the benefits of tiered lessons?
Using tiered assignments allows for the following:Blends assessment and instruction,Allows students to begin learning where they are,Allows students to work with appropriately challenging tasks,Allows for reinforcement or extension of concepts and principles based on student readiness,More items...
What is tiered approach?
A way of organising toxicology assessments to maximise efficiency and minimise the use of animals. It involves a hierarchy (tiers) of tests, starting with those that use existing information or simple biological methods before moving onto tests using cells and eventually live animals only as necessary.
What is the purpose of tiered assignments?
Tiered Assignments are one way to differentiate the curriculum for heterogeneous classrooms. The content and objectives are the same, but the levels of tasks are varied according to the students' readiness level their background knowledge and skills related to the learning objective.
What does a tiered mean?
Definition of tiered : having or arranged in tiers, rows, or layers —often used in combination triple-tiered.
How a teacher can determine if a student is a good candidate for tiering and compacting?
Teachers can identify likely candidates by reviewing scores on previous tests, completed assignments, and classroom participation. Standardized achievement tests are a good general screen because they allow teachers to list all students scoring one or more years above grade level in particular subject areas.
What are Tier 1 interventions examples?
Here are five easy-to-implement Tier 1 PBIS intervention strategies educators can use to promote positive behavior in and out of the classroom:Behavior-Specific Praise.Visual Aids.Positive Home Contact.Take a Break.Social Contract.
What is Tier 1 Tier 2 and Tier 3 education?
If students fail to learn a particular concept, or struggle to learn it, they may be moved to Tier 2, which is intense and focused small group instruction. If a student grasps the concept, they can return to the general Tier 1 learning environment, but students who continue to fail to make progress are moved to Tier 3.
What are some Tier 3 interventions?
Examples of Tier 3 interventions might include: individual counseling, family counseling; or administration of a Functional Behavioral Assessment to provide concrete data to create an individual Behavior Support Plan.
What are Tier 2 academic interventions examples?
Examples of Tier 2 PracticesAcademic Interventions. Interventions in which students are provided instruction on missing academic skills. ... Check-In/Check-Out. ... Check and Connect. ... Check, Connect, and Expect. ... Classwide Interventions. ... Mentoring. ... Service Learning Programs. ... Setting-based Interventions.More items...
What is a low group?
Students who are grouped into the “low” group are students who don’t quite have the concept mastered or are below-grade level. Students who are in the “medium” group are students who are exactly where they should be: on-grade level. Finally, students who are in the “high” group are students who have already grasped the concept and are ready for a challenge, or above-grade level.
Is there a one size fits all lesson plan?
Honestly, we have all heard that there is no “one-size fits all” lesson plan, but when it comes to planning out lessons for each student where they are– at their individual level –it can become daunting and very time-consuming. Here is how I do it.
What Is Tiered Instruction?
How does she make sure all students are appropriately challenged? Hazel differentiates instruction, or varies what and how she teaches as well as her assessment methods, to meet all learners' needs, using a method called tiered instruction.
How does Hazel develop different tiers for instruction?
One way Hazel develops different tiers for instruction is to use Bloom's Taxonomy, a system that uses different levels of thought in instruction and learning. Tasks that require lower levels of understanding, like remembering, are assigned to lower tiers. Higher levels, like analyzing and synthesizing, are given to higher tiers. In our dinosaur example above, lower tier levels simply listed theories, while higher levels applied their research, analyzing, and synthesizing.
How does Hazel use tiered instruction?
When Hazel uses tiered instruction in her classroom, she develops curriculum that has differing levels, then places students in the appropriate group. She uses several resources to determine student grouping, including data from observations, classwork, interest levels, and work habits. After groups have had a chance to work on their own level, they come back together to share what they learned and to listen to what other groups have experienced.
What is the difference between Hazel and Lower Levels?
All tiers have work that is interesting, engaging, and motivating. Lower levels don't simply get less work or higher levels more; rather, Hazel focuses on adjust ing the types of assignments to match learners' needs, not simply lessening the workload.
What does Hazel do with tiered assignments?
When Hazel creates tiered assignments, she makes sure they are: On different levels with adjusted challenges. Focused on quality of work, not quantity. Active learning for all students. Engaging for all levels. Aligned to objectives and goals. Focused on the same skills.
How do teachers differentiate instruction?
Teachers these days need to differentiate instruction, adjusting what they teach, how they teach it, and how they assess it, to meet all learners' needs. One method teachers can use to differentiate is tiered instruction. In this model, teachers divide students according to different criteria such as cognitive or interest level and create assignments to support their specific style and learning needs. They can tier according to challenge level, complexity, resources, outcomes, process, and products. This way, all students have a chance to be successful learners.
What does it mean to enroll in a course?
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
How many students are in a tier 1 lesson?
No matter how you choose to differentiate the lesson—readiness, interest, or learning profile—the number of groups per tier will vary, as will the number of students per tier. You are not looking to form groups of equal size. When you form groups based on the readiness needs of individual students, Tier I may have two groups of three students, Tier II five groups of four students, and Tier III may have one group of two students. When the lesson is tiered by interest or learning profile, the same guidelines apply for forming groups: Different tiers may have varying numbers of students. Even when students are already homogeneously grouped in classes by ability, there is still variance in their ability levels that must be addressed.
How many tiers are there in a lesson?
There is no rule that states there may only be three tiers, however. The number of tiers we use will depend on the range of ability levels in your own classroom since you are forming tiers based on your assessment of your students’ abilities to handle the material particular to this lesson.
What is the second sample lesson?
The second sample lesson (see Figure 2) is tiered in process according to learning style. In this case, students are grouped heterogeneously based on one of two learning preferences: kinesthetic or visual. The same eight steps for tiering a lesson apply in this case. In the second lesson, notice that the activities are at relatively the same level of complexity. This would be the “layer cake” model as opposed to the “wedding cake” model used when tiering according to readiness.
What is differentiated instruction?
Instruction may be differentiated in content/input, process/sense-making, or product/output according to the students’ readiness, interest, or learning style. By content, we mean the material that is being presented. Process activities help students practice or make sense out of the content, while product refers to the outcome of the lesson or unit, such as a test, project, or paper. Readiness refers to prior knowledge and a student’s current skill and proficiency with the material presented in the lesson. A student’s interest may be assessed with an interest inventory for the particular topic being studied or by an individual conversation with the student. Many teachers use the theory of multiple intelligences to characterize learning styles (Armstrong, 1994; Gardner, 1993; Martin, 1996).
How has inclusion impacted classrooms?
The movement toward inclusion has impacted classrooms by requiring teachers to respond to a broader range of academic needs. How can we possibly reach all the students in our classrooms when they are academically diverse, have special needs, are ESL learners, or have some combination of any or all of these factors? An answer to this question lies in differentiating instruction. Working in the Burris Laboratory School, an inclusion school using a resource consultation model to serve the needs of all its students, we have found that using tiered lessons is a viable method for differentiating instruction.
What are the elements of differentiation?
Essential elements for successful differentiation include specific classroom management techniques addressing the special needs of a differentiated classroom, planned use of anchoring activities, and flexible use of time, space, and student groups. In a differentiated classroom, the management plan must include rules for working in a variety of configurations. You can only work with one group or individual at a time. Therefore, we have developed two critical rules that thwart chaos and preserve sanity. The first is “Use six-inch voices,” meaning that students should modulate their speaking level so that their voices can only be heard six inches away. The second rule is “Ask three before me.” If students need assistance completing a task or come to a stumbling block in a lesson and you are not available, they should find three other students to ask before they may interrupt you. If their three peers cannot answer the question, the student has permission to interrupt you. Adding the caveat that the student should also bring along the three students who were asked will nearly eliminate the chance that you will be interrupted except in extreme cases. Anchoring or “sponge” activities are provided for students to use when they are waiting for you to assist them before they can go any further or at the beginning of the class period to get them ready to work. A wide variety of materials and resources can serve as anchoring activities (see our website for a listing of books that have great activities for anchoring). Flexible grouping arrangements such as pairs, triads, or quads, as well as whole-group and small-group instruction, create opportunities to meet individual needs. A flexible use of time allows lessons to proceed to their natural conclusion, rather than being carried out in set blocks of time. The desks or tables should be arranged in such a way as to facilitate group work, as well as wholeclass groupings that encourage sharing of ideas.
Who is the author of The Differentiated Classroom?
Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wahl, M. (1997). Math for humans.
What is a tiered approach to classroom tasks and classroom assessment?
The tiered approach to classroom tasks and classroom assessment enables the teacher to provide differentiated instruction (DI) within the individual classroom, by offering opportunities for students to work at varying levels on tasks (and the associated assessment) drawn from the curriculum. This approach conforms to many of the common aspects of universal design for learning (UDL) as well as many of the goals set out in Growing Success (2008).
How does a tiered approach to intervention help students?
Whether a tiered approach to intervention decreases identification of LDs or not, these studies suggest that an increasing intensity of instruction based on student needs creates a positive learning environment where students can continue to learn in their regular classroom environment. While the studies above focused mainly on interventions related to reading fluency and comprehension, the tiered approach can be used in many classes when teaching any concepts or skills with which students struggle. Several studies (e.g., Fuchs, Fuchs, & Prentice, 2004; Fuchs et. Al., 2005) have shown that RTI and, by extension, the tiered approach to intervention, has been useful in teaching number sense, word problems, and mathematical operations.
What is the tier approach to early identification?
First, the Ontario Ministry of Education has advocated the use of what it calls the Tiered Approach to Early Identification and Intervention in both Education for All (2005) and Learning for All (2013) as a method of instruction and early identification of students with exceptionalities. Specifically, the Ministry defines it as “a systematic approach to providing high-quality, evidence-based assessment and instruction and appropriate interventions that respond to students’ individual needs” (2005, p. 22). The Ministry has devised a three-tier system, as shown in Figure 1. This is often referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI) outside of Ontario, a process whereby sound, evidence-based, differentiated teaching is used to instruct all students, but students who do not respond to this instruction, or who need further help, are moved up through a series of increasingly intensive interventions.
How to identify LDs?
The typical method of identifying students with LDs is often referred to as a “wait to fail” model – where referrals for additional instruction or educational support are only provided after a student has failed to learn. This method is prone to several disadvantages, which include “relatively late identification for students who have special needs; imprecise screening through teacher observation; false negatives (i.e., unidentified students) who are not provided necessary services or provided services too late; and the use of identification measures that are not linked to instruction” (Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003, p. 139). Through the Tiered Approach to Intervention, students are assessed based on risk, rather than deficit, meaning that intervention is proactive rather than reactive. Vaughn and Fuchs (2003) discuss several other benefits to this proactive approach, including early identification of students with LDs, a reduction in identification bias, and a strong focus on student outcomes.
What is tier intervention?
The most common form of the Tiered Approach to Intervention is called Response to Intervention (RTI), and is a process whereby all students are taught using sound, evidence-based teaching practices designed to allow all students to succeed. If students fail to learn a particular concept, or struggle to learn it, they may be moved to Tier 2, which is intense and focused small group instruction. If a student grasps the concept, they can return to the general Tier 1 learning environment, but students who continue to fail to make progress are moved to Tier 3. This last Tier is typically comprised of individual instruction, “which may be special education in some areas” (Mastroppieri, Scruggs, Hauth, & Allen-Bronaugh, 2012, p. 231).
What is tiered approach?
The expression “tiered approaches” has been used in two distinct but related ways with reference to the education of students with learning disabilities (LDs). Each of these approaches is described below.
What is a classroom teacher?
Throughout this process, the classroom teacher monitors the progress of students and notes students who are struggling and falling behind their peers.
Why is it important to have tiered assignments?
Also, it’s important to make each tiered assignment equally interesting, engaging, and fair in terms of student expectations. The more flexible groups and materials you use, the more students will accept that this is the norm. Tiering assignments is a fair way to differentiate learning.
What is tiering resources?
Tiering resources means that you are matching project materials to student groups based on readiness or instructional need. One flexible group may use a magazine while another may use a traditional textbook. As a tip, you should assign resources based on knowledge and readiness, but also consider the group’s reading level and comprehension.
What is differentiated assignment?
Tiering assignments by differentiated outcome is vaguely similar to complexity—all of your students will use the same materials, but depending on their readiness levels will actually have a different outcome. It may sound strange at first, but this strategy is quite beneficial to help advanced students work on more progressive applications of their student learning.
What is differentiated instruction?
Many teachers use differentiated instruction strategies as a way to reach all learners and accommodate each student’s learning style. One very helpful tactic to employ differentiated instruction is called tiered assignments—a technique often used within flexible groups.
How to use Bloom's taxonomy?
Tiering can be based on challenge level where student groups will tackle different assignments. Teachers can use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide to help them develop tasks of structure or questions at various levels. For example: 1 Group 1: Students who need content reinforcement or practice will complete one activity that helps build understanding. 2 Group 2: Students who have a firm understanding will complete another activity that extends what they already know.
What is complexity tier assignment?
When you tier assignments by complexity, you are addressing the needs of students who are at different levels using the same assignment. The trick here is to vary the focus of the assignment based upon whether each group is ready for more advanced work or simply trying to wrap their head around the concept for the first time. You can direct your students to create a poster on a specific issue—recycling and environmental care, for instance—but one group will focus on a singular perspective, while the other will consider several points of view and present an argument for or against each angle.
Why is differentiated learning important?
If done properly, it can be a very effective method to differentiate learning because it challenges all students.