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Differentiated Instruction

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JAY-AR ANDRES
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31 views37 pages

Differentiated Instruction

handout

Uploaded by

JAY-AR ANDRES
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DIFFERENTIATED

INSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES
What is differentiated instruction?

• the process of identifying students’ individual learning strengths,


needs, and interests and adapting lessons to match them
Differentiating instruction may
mean teaching the same material
to all students using a variety of
instructional strategies, or it may
require the teacher to deliver
lessons at varying levels of
difficulty based on the ability of
each student.
Why to differentiate instruction?
Why to differentiate instruction?
How to differentiate instruction?
Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:
• Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.
• Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
• Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
• Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.
Four ways to differentiate instruction

• According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate instruction


through four ways:
1. content
2. process
3. product
4. learning environment.
Content

• differentiate the content by designing activities for groups of students that cover various levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy (a classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order
thinking skills to higher-order thinking skills). The six levels are: remembering, understanding,
applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be required to complete tasks on the lower levels:
remembering and understanding. Students with some mastery could be asked to apply and
analyze the content, and students who have high levels of mastery could be asked to complete
tasks in the areas of evaluating and creating.
Process

• Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful


differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual,
auditory and kinesthetic, and through words. This process-related
method also addresses the fact that not all students require the same
amount of support from the teacher, and students could choose to work
in pairs, small groups, or individually. And while some students may
benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide,
others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can enhance
student learning by offering support based on individual needs.
Product

• The product is what the student creates at the end of the lesson to
demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in the form of tests,
projects, reports, or other activities. You could assign students to complete
activities that show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student
prefers, based on learning style.
Learning Environment

• The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and


psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key,
incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to
support both individual and group work. Psychologically speaking,
teachers should use classroom management techniques that
support a safe and supportive learning environment.
Pros and cons of differentiated instruction

Pros
• Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability
students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.
• When students are given more options on how they can learn
material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning.
• Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are
reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers
provide differentiated lessons.
Pros and cons of differentiated instruction

Cons
• Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning,
and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule.
• The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional
development resources.
• Critics argue there isn’t enough research to support the benefits of
differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time.

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