This July 13, 2011 presentation by Brad Witzel, PhD, at the AYP Conference addresses Algebra Instruction and Intervention. He addresses teaching beyond grade and course by discussing three main points: • Your responsibility for what students learn in your course implies that you are responsible for what they learned before your course. • Students have been introduced and presented a lot of math information. However, every year teachers blame teachers from the year before for not preparing  [Video]
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One page graphic of the Cycle of Effective Instruction.  [Other]
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This recorded webinar presentation from PaTTAN discusses Effective Elementary Reading Instruction and Assessment Practices for English Language Learners in Response to Instruction and Intervention.  [Video]
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This February 14, 2013 webinar handout addresses Engaging Students in Learning: A Focus of Differentiation of Instruction for ELLs by Ana Sainz de la Peña, Connie Cochran, Paula Zucker. Webinar outcomes include: Modify and scaffold lessons for ELLs with attention to individual language and learning needs of the student and Implement a planning template for ELLs to facilitate differentiation of instruction.  [PowerPoint]
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In this graphic organizing of essential workplace skills lesson plan, students are given a graphic organizer for their group’s key skill (commitment, communication, dependability, team building, etc.), identify aspects of that skill, how the key skill pertained to working in their group, and how that skill may be used in a real job setting with 77 percent accuracy on the rubric.  []
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In this lesson, students focus on how groups influence the behavior of their members. They learn how groups have certain expectations and rules that promote a desired type of behavior and that members who do not behave accordingly can face certain consequences, including exclusion from the group.  []
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This guided freewriting example asks for volunteers to share any other ideas or perspectives they developed in the freewriting and concludes with a discussion of the efficacy of this prewriting--the use of unfocused and focused freewriting, questioning, and talking.  []
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This July 13, 2011 presentation by Mimi Staulters, Ph. D. at the AYP Conference addresses Universal Designs for Math Word Problem Solving.  [Video]
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This Special Education Paraprofessional After-School Training Series captures the webinar slides of Frank Irzyk and Monica Maiese’s presentation of What Universal Design (ULD) Means to You.  [PowerPoint]
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This August 9, 2011 presentation by Mimi Staulters, Ph. D. at the AYP Conference addresses Planning Universally Designed Lessons. Objectives of presentation include: • Identify and describe at least 3 key ideas of Universal Design for Learning. • Discuss at least four significant barriers to learner success. • Discuss four significant factors to ensure student success. • Relate elements of UDL and differentiated instruction to current practice by planning a UDL lesson.  [Video]
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Random Reporter is a flexible strategy that introduces the expectation that all students will be prepared to answer every question with the support and assistance of their team. At the same time, because you select students at random to respond to a question, it eliminates the need for raised hands and keeps you from inadvertently calling on the same students over and over again.  [Other]
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This one page document addresses ten researched-based effective teaching principles for all educators.  [Other]
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This fact sheet lists research-validated, effective teaching principles.  [Article]
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This four page Teacher’s Desk Reference: Practical Information for Pennsylvania’s Teachers describes Universal Design for Learning.  [Other]
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This issue of Teachers’ Desk Reference focuses on instructional practices that will support teachers in providing effective mathematics instruction.  [Article]
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This fact sheet provides strategies for teaching literacy in all content areas.  [Article]
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This simple questioning technique keeps all the students involved in class discussions and provides an opportunity for every child to share an answer to every question. It takes the fear out of class discussion by allowing the students to think carefully about their answers and talk about them with a partner before they are called on to respond.  [Other]
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This document is to provide supplementary information and guidance to Pennsylvania secondary educators on the definition of the development and implementation of Tier 1 core instruction.  [Other]
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Committees of Pennsylvania educators review each Keystone Exam item, not only to determine whether the item measures what it is intended to measure, but also to determine whether the item aligns with the cognitive level or depth of knowledge of the Assessment Anchor as defined by the Eligible Content. The information provides a definition of the four depth-of-knowledge levels. A sample Keystone item is also provided as appropriate for depth-of-knowledge levels 1, 2, and 3.  [Article]
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This presentation expands career options through Universal Design for Learning (ECO-UDL) from the Pennsylvania Community on Transition Conference – July 21, 2011.  [Video]
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This digest summarizes the conclusions of Robert E. Slavin's 1986 comprehensive review of research on the different types of ability grouping in elementary schools. The purpose of his review is to identify grouping practices that promote student achievement.  [Article]
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This video explores the history, practice, perils and alternatives to grouping students for classroom instruction according to their perceived abilities.  [Video]
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The “fishbowl” is a teaching strategy that helps students practice being contributors and listeners in a discussion. The steps for conducting this strategy are clearly described and variations are offered.  [Other]
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In this video, Robert Slavin describes the characteristics of productive cooperative learning, including the goal that every member of the group achieves success.  [Video]
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In this video, John O’Flahavan emphasizes flexible grouping as a way to allow children to learn from each other and to move among groups based on their learning needs.  [Video]
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In this video, John O’Flahavan explains the importance of allowing students to participate in a variety of groups, especially heterogeneous groups based on their interests.  [Video]
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This interactive display of Bloom's Taxonomy Wheel, associated activities, and the four dimensions of knowledge offers clear examples and definitions of each segmented facet.  [Other]
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Guiding questions and possible responses to facilitate further discussions in cohort groups.  [CFG]
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This bibliography provides links to articles about best practices of cooperative learning in the following areas: Concepts, Principles, and Techniques; Forming Groups; Group Dynamics; Grading Issues; and Use of Small Groups in Large Classes.  [Other]
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This article outlines a number of grouping strategies for cooperative learning in the classroom. It also emphasizes the importance of assessing the learning styles of students.  [Article]
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This infographic explains what differentiated instruction is-- and isn't.  [Article]
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Gibson (n.d.) provides both an overview and step-by-step details on implementing differentiated instruction.  [Other]
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Tips for enhancing engagement in lessons. Unless teachers manage to capture and keep students' focus, whether at the beginning of or midway through class, the engine of student learning simply isn't in gear.  [Article]
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This article guides grouping decisions based on organizing students for learning, creating opportunities for students to work effectively, and meeting the needs of all students. Factors and structures include whole class, half class, teams, small groups, partners, triads, quads, one-on-one mentoring, learning centers, online wiki groups, readiness, interest, and learner profiles.  [Article]
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In addition to offering tips and tricks for flexible grouping, this site provides links to two student inventories and several sample communications to parents explaining flexible grouping.  [Other]
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Common characteristics of successful grouping practices are offered in this article along with a link (at the bottom) to additional flexible grouping tips and tricks.  [Article]
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This digest discusses attitudes toward tracking and prevalent practices, summarizes recent research on ability grouping and tracking, and provides suggestions for further research.  [Article]
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This website offers a variety of resources related to meeting the needs of the gifted learner. Definitions of common terms, academic resources, and links are provided.  [Other]
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This article details the basics of differentiation and provides a clear table showing what it is and isn't as well as strategies and tips for implementation.  [Article]
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This blog lists some examples of how graphic organizers scaffold instruction in literature based on narrative text, expository text, and poetry.  [Other]
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This free eBook outlines how small group discussion fulfils several important goals of higher education.  [Other]
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Reference this document detailing the best strategies and tools to use when grouping students.  [Other]
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Factors to consider whether to group students homogeneously or heterogeneously as well as four essential elements of effective grouping are identified in this article.  [Other]
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This 1992 article remains a sound synthesis of the research related to ability grouping, concluding with a four-point summary.  [Article]
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Downloadable resources to promote classroom engagement.  [Other]
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This website provides a project that is working to design and develop well-engineered assessment tools to support US schools in implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).  [Lesson]
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This particular training, The Paideia Socratic Seminar: A strategy for Increasing Understanding in Text, Ideas and Values, and the Self and Others is designed for any special education and/or regular education teachers, at any grade level and in any content area, who have an interest in using the Socratic Seminar as a means to improve thinking, reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the classrooms of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  [Video]
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In this article the idea of Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.  [Article]
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