Differentiating Instruction Dee Sturgill. Differentiated Instruction People learn differently We have various learning styles, learning strengths, abilities,

Differentiating InstructionDee Sturgill

Differentiated Instruction • People learn differently • We have various learning styles, learning

strengths, abilities, and interests. We also learn alike in that we need to find meaning and make sense of what we study. We learn best from work that demands we stretch ourselves, but does not intimidate us.

Differentiated Instruction is Proactive

• The teacher begins with the assumption that different learners have different needs.

• . She proactively plans a variety of ways to “get at” and express learning

• She organizes materials and resources so learning will be purposeful and not chaotic

Expect BETTER work, not MORE work!!!

• The teacher does not simply give more work to learners who are more capable; instead, he adjusts the nature of the assignment to meet student needs

• The level of complexity, steps in a task, and levels of questioning

Begin With Assessment

• Students’ pre- readiness level is determined through standardized test results, pre-

testing, conversations with the student, interest surveys, and/ or instruments

indicating preferred learning styles and/ or multiple intelligences.

Provide Several Routes to Content, Process, and Product

• Content—what students learn • Process— how students go about making

sense of ideas and information• Product—how students demonstrate what

they have learned

Differentiation Blends Several Types of Instruction

• Whole-class instruction • Individual instruction • Flexible grouping • Cooperative/ collaborative learning

Differentiation is Fluid

• Teachers participate in ongoing collaboration with students

• Lessons and assignments are adjusted as

needed• There is no one “right” way to

differentiate as long as the basic principles

of differentiated learning are followed.

Some Principles • Students are pre-assessed to determine learning needs.• The teacher plans proactively to provide several learning

options.• Students work alone, in pairs, and in small groups.• Students sometimes receive whole-class instruction.• The teacher gives clear directions and shares responsibility

with students.• The teacher provides organization to the degree that

learning is purposeful and not chaotic.• The teacher provides support as needed.• The student takes responsibility for his/her own learning

and demonstrates understanding through a student-designed product.

Tiering Instruction • Change the nature of the task, not the

workload• Change the sophistication of the prompt

and/or the student’s response to it• Remember to keep all students “above

water” by adjusting challenge levels so all

students can make sense of their learning

Learning Contracts

• Students enter into independent study with an agreed-upon set of tasks supporting adjusted goals.

Learning Menus

• Students are given choices of tasks in a unit or for an assessment. They must do

one

“entrée task”, may select from two side dish tasks, and may choose to do one of the dessert tasks for extra enrichment

Cubing • Students receive foam or poster board

cubes with a different task written on each face; each task has a different complexity level than the others. Given a topic, students: Describe it, Compare it, Associate it, Analyze it, Apply it, Argue for it or against it.

Strategies for Differentiating Content

• Curriculum Compacting • Learning Contracts • Mini-lessons

Ways to Support Students

• Reading partners or audio/ video recorders • Note-taking organizers • Highlighted print materials • Digests of key ideas • Peer and adult mentors

Processing: Making Sense of the Content

• Present activities that are interesting to the student

• Provide opportunities for students to think at a higher level

• Cause students to use key skills to understand key ideas

Strategies for Differentiated Processing

• Learning logs or journals• Graphic organizers• Centers or interest groups• Role playing• Choice boards• Jigsaw• Think-pair-share• Model-making• Labs

Creating Product Assignments • What students must know, understand, be

able to do as a result of the study. • Identify the format of the project. Determine

expectations for quality (content, process, product). Decide on scaffolding (brainstorming, rubrics, time lines, planning/ goal setting, storyboarding, critiquing, revising/ grading).

• Differentiate based on readiness, student interest, student learning profile.

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