Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom

Tools and Strategies

Barbara R. Blackburn

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351185899
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Learn how to differentiate instruction while maintaining a rigorous learning environment. In this practical book, rigor expert Barbara R. Blackburn shows that the differentiated classroom doesn't mean extra work for top students and easy work for others; instead, you can have high expectations for all students and provide scaffolding so that everyone can reach success. She also addresses many of the greatest concerns teachers have about implementing differentiated instruction, including:

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• How to manage your time so that you can create lessons, find resources, and grade assignments for students working at different levels;
• How to balance differentiated instruction and teaching standards;
• How to ensure rigor at all tiers of instruction;
• How to collaborate with teachers and other faculty members;
• How to differentiate homework and other out-of-class assignments;
• How to explain differentiated instruction to parents and families;
• And more...

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Each chapter includes practical tools and activities that you can use immediately to bring all students to higher levels of achievement. Many of these tools are available as eResources and can be downloaded for free from the book's product page: www.routledge.com/9780815394471.

1
Rigor and Differentiation

There have been calls for increasing rigor dating back as far as Sputnik in 1957 and continuing with the release of A Nation at Risk in 1983. However, in recent years, there has been a renewed emphasis. In 2010, the Common Core State Standards (www.corestandards.org) were created to increase the level of rigor in schools. Other recently revised state standards and newly created national standards similarly reinforced the need. Rigor is at the center of these standards, and much of the push for new standards came from a concern about the lack of rigor in many schools, as well as the need to prepare students for college and careers. There has also been data from sources such as the Programme for International Studies of Assessment (PISA) that have shown us we need to re-evaluate what we are doing in terms of rigor.

Differentiation also has a long history, from as far back as the one-room schoolhouse. However, it gained mainstream popularity with the publication of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners by Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson in 1999. Based on concerns that the changing needs of a diverse student population were not being met, a model for modifying content, instruction, and assessment for different students led to positive reactions by educators. Although there had been earlier efforts to individualize instruction, differentiated instruction focused on adjusting for small groups of students, rather than creating individual lesson plans for each student. During the last 20 years, teachers have continued to use differentiated instruction to help all students succeed, no matter where they are on the learning spectrum.

However, there have been concerns about differentiated instruction. The most common complaint about differentiation is that, by meeting the needs of students at their level, especially struggling students, teachers lower their expectations and decrease the level of rigor. As one principal shared with me, “I don’t think we meant for it to happen, but we are ‘dumbing down’ instruction for our struggling students and those with special needs.”

That is why we need to address the role of rigor in the differentiated classroom. If the goal of differentiation is to help students learn and grow, then we cannot lower the bar just because it is easier for them. Throughout this book, we will look at specific strategies for ensuring that all students, from your most struggling learner to your most advanced one, learn and achieve at high levels that prepare them for life after high school.

In this chapter, we will discuss the myths of rigor, the basic concepts of rigor, beliefs related to rigor, and the role of student motivation in a rigorous classroom. Next, we will turn our attention to differentiation following a similar pattern, addressing myths, concepts, and beliefs. Then we’ll finish by looking at a combined model for ensuring rigor in a differentiated classroom.

Rigor

Essentially, rigor is holding each student in your classroom to high expectations and supporting them so they can learn at high levels. In a rigorous classroom, a teacher may begin instruction at a less complicated level, but the goal is always to move students to a deep understanding of complex material.

Myths of Rigor

One of the challenges related to rigor involves the misconceptions about the concept. There are ten commonly held beliefs about rigor that are not true.

Ten Myths About Rigor

• Myth 1: Lots of homework is a sign of rigor.
• Myth 2: Rigor means doing more.
• Myth 3: Rigor is not for younger students.
• Myth 4: Rigor is not for struggling students or those with special needs.
• Myth 5: When you increase rigor, student motivation decreases.
• Myth 6: Providing support means lessening rigor.
• Myth 7: Resources equal rigor.
• Myth 8: Standards alone take care of rigor.
• Myth 9: Rigor means you have to quit doing everything you do now and start over.
• Myth 10: Rigor is just one more thing to do.

As you will see in the differentiation section, several of the rigor myths relate to the myths of differentiation.

Concepts of Rigor

In Rigor Is NOT a Four-Letter Word, I define rigor as creating an environment in which …

• each student is expected to learn at high levels,
• each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and
• each student demonstrates learning at high levels.

Notice we are looking at the environment you create. The tri-fold approach to rigor is not limited to the curriculum students are expected to learn. It is more than a specific lesson or instructional strategy. It is deeper than what a student says or does in response to a lesson. True rigor is the result of weaving together all elements of schooling to raise students to higher levels of learning. Let’s take a deeper look at the three aspects of the definition.

Expecting Students to Learn at High Levels

The first component of rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels. Having high expectations starts with the recognition that every student possesses the potential to succeed at his or her individual level.

Almost every teacher or leader I talk with says, “We have high expectations for our students.” Sometimes that is evidenced by the behaviors in the school; other times, however, faculty actions don’t match the words. There are concrete ways to implement and assess rigor in classrooms.

As you design lessons that incorporate more rigorous opportunities for learning, you will want to consider the questions that are embedded in the instruction. Complex, higher level questioning is an integral part of a rigorous classroom.

It is also important to pay attention to how you respond to student questions. When we visit schools, it is not uncommon to see teachers who ask higher level questions. But for whatever reason, we then see some of the same teachers accept low level responses from students. In rigorous classrooms, teachers push students to respond at high levels. They ask extending questions. Extending questions are questions that encourage a student to explain their reasoning and think through ideas. When a student does not know the immediate answer but has sufficient background information to provide a response to the question, the teacher continues to probe and guide the student’s thinking rather than moving on to the next student. Insist on thinking and problem-solving.

Supporting Students to Learn at High Levels

High expectations are important, but the most rigorous schools ensure that each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, which is the second part of our definition. It is essential that teachers design lessons that move students to more challenging work while simultaneously providing ongoing scaffolding to support students’ learning as they move to those higher levels.

Providing additional scaffolding throughout lessons is one of the most important ways to support your students. Oftentimes students have the ability or knowledge to accomplish a task, but are overwhelmed at the complexity of it, therefore getting lost in the process. This can occur in a variety of ways, but it requires that teachers ask themselves during every step of their lessons, “What extra support might my students need?”

Ensuring Students Demonstrate Learning at High Levels

The third component of a rigorous classroom is providing each student with opportunities to demonstrate learning at high levels. There are two aspects to consider. First, each student demonstrates learning. When we lead a discussion, ask a question, and call on a student to respond, only one student demonstrates understanding. In a rigorous lesson, all students show what they have learned, whether through pair-shares, small group discussions, response cards, clickers, exit slips, projects, or other formats.

Additionally, students need to demonstrate that learning at a rigorous level. We’ll be looking at this in more depth in later chapters, but for now let’s just note that we must expect students to learn at levels of depth and complexity. Not some students, not only the ones who want to learn, not just honors students, but all students.

Beliefs That Support Rigor

Teachers who infuse rigor into their classrooms share similar beliefs.

Beliefs That Support Rigorous Instruction

• Rigor is not a negative concept. It is about meeting students where they are in their learning process and helping them move to a higher level of learning.
• Every student should be given the opportunity to learn at high levels.
• Students are more likely to succeed if they are held to high expectations and provided appropriate encouragement and support.
• Rigor may “look” different for different students, but all students master complex, higher order skills and concepts.
• Students need varying levels of support as they move to more rigorous work.
• A classroom environment that promotes student motivation, student ownership and empowerment, and a growth mindset is critical.

Rigor and Student Motivation

When I talk with teachers in my workshops, they regularly ask me, “My stu...