The Differentiated Instruction and Response to Intervention Connection

About This Course

Today’s teachers are using two powerful approaches—Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Response to Intervention (RTI)—to help every child succeed academically. In this course, you’ll learn how to put this “dynamic duo” to work in your own classroom teaching and lesson plans.

You’ll start by exploring different learning styles and delving into a concept called multiple intelligences. In addition, you’ll look at the factors that motivate students to learn in a child-centered classroom.

After that, you’ll master the basics of both DI and RTI and learn how these two approaches work hand-in-hand to enhance children’s learning. You’ll find out how to perform different types of assessments, monitor your students’ progress, select research-based teaching materials, address learners’ diverse needs, and move students up or down the RTI tiers so they’re getting just the right help they need.

In addition, you’ll find out why collaboration is crucial when you’re implementing RTI and DI. You’ll discover how you and your colleagues will work together as a team to identify at-risk students, plan solutions, and address problems quickly and efficiently. And finally, you’ll learn how to get parents involved as active partners in the education process.

Case studies and examples will help you see how DI and RTI strategies work in the real world, and you’ll get lots of ideas for hands-on activities you can start using right away in your own classroom. Throughout this course, you’ll have opportunities to practice new techniques and exchange ideas with fellow educators and your instructor. You’ll come away armed with powerful and easy-to-implement strategies that will benefit every student you teach.

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Marsha Spears.

A veteran educator who has taught every grade but third, Marsha Spears has spent 35 years teaching students and training teachers. Spears earned a bachelor's and master's degree in educational administration with a specialty in curriculum and literacy development, training that would prepare her to take on the toughest of classrooms. And tough classrooms are where she made her mark, helping a wide variety of at-risk learners read with renewed confidence. Over the years, thousands of students and teachers have learned how easily they can incorporate Spears' reading techniques and activities into their daily routines.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Marcus struggles with math, Caryn can’t sit still, and Brianne is reading two years below grade level. Does this sound like your classroom? If so, you need help—and you’ll find it here! In this course, we’ll explore practical, easy-to-use strategies for implementing RTI (Response to Intervention) and DI (Differentiated Instruction)—two new and powerful educational frameworks. In our first lesson, you’ll see how these two approaches came into being and discover how you can prepare yourself and your students to use them successfully.

Friday - Lesson 02

One crucial concept is central to both RTI and DI. What is it? That every child can learn. To transform that concept into a reality, we need to tailor our strategies to meet the needs of each student—and that’s what we’ll begin talking about today. First, we’ll look at three different learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Next, we’ll explore eight—yes, eight—different intelligences. And finally, we’ll look at one thing that all of your very diverse students need: a motivation to learn.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

In this lesson, you’ll explore the first of our two powerful instructional frameworks: Response to Intervention, or RTI. We’ll examine how the RTI model differs from the traditional IQ Discrepancy Model and look at how you’ll decide which tier is just right for each of your students. In addition, we’ll identify the five core elements of every successful RTI program.

Friday - Lesson 04

Today, you’ll meet the second member of our dynamic duo: Differentiated Instruction (DI). First, you’ll learn how to create a DI classroom by adapting three elements of your lessons: content, process, and product. Next, you’ll discover how flexible groupings and a technique called compacting allow you to teach to every skill level. And finally, we’ll talk about anchor activities, including journaling and RAFT assignments.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

RTI and DI work hand-in-hand, and it’s time to discover why they make such a great team. In this lesson, we’ll look at ways to interweave the two approaches when you’re assessing students, creating standards-based and child-centered instruction, and finding a way to help every learner succeed. In addition, we’ll talk a little about preparing for the transition to an RTI/DI classroom.

Friday - Lesson 06

Teachers are happiest when we’re teaching, not when we’re testing. So why do we need to spend so much time assessing kids in RTI and DI? In this lesson, you’ll discover the answer as we delve into the benefits of all that data you’ll be collecting. In addition, we’ll look at different types of assessments and talk a little about the important topic of fidelity.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

We’ll continue our look at assessments today by looking at three types of tools you’ll use in a DI classroom: pre-assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessments. And here’s great news: You’ll discover that these assessments, in addition to providing you with valuable data, can be fun and effective learning tools.

Friday - Lesson 08

Collaboration is the key to a successful RTI program, so today we’ll talk about teamwork. You’ll learn all about your school’s RTI intervention team and find out how to refer students to this team. In addition, you’ll discover the benefits of volunteering to serve on this team yourself—and you’ll get some great tips for holding effective team meetings.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Research-based interventions are a foundation of RTI and DI. But you’re a teacher, not a researcher—so how can you know if an intervention qualifies as research-based? In this lesson, I’ll tell you how to evaluate interventions yourself—and better yet, I’ll steer you to resources that will do the work for you. In addition, we’ll explore nine research-based strategies that can benefit all of your students, whether they’re struggling or not.

Friday - Lesson 10

A great lesson starts with a strong lesson plan, and that’s where we’ll begin today. First, we’ll look at ways to meet your state and district standards as you develop lesson plans that satisfy the needs of every student. After that, we’ll discuss ways to enhance your students’ classroom experience. And finally, we’ll visit a virtual campus and begin exploring how you’ll implement RTI and DI on a daily basis.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Today, we’ll visit the classroom of Mrs. Green and see how she implements RTI and DI in her lesson plans. We’ll watch as she integrates principles of both educational frameworks into her math, science, reading, writing, and literature arts lessons.

Friday - Lesson 12

In our final lesson, we’ll explore some fun and effective ways to foster your students’ comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary skills. In addition, we’ll talk about two groups of kids who need extra attention in an RTI/DI classroom: gifted students and kids who may need special education placements. After that, we’ll take a closer look at the role of parents in today’s learner-centered classrooms.

Requirements

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).