1.
18 Teacher-Tested Strategies
for Differentiated Instruction
from the Edutopia Community

2.
Introduction
Most educators agree that differentiated instruction helps students, but the
reality is that implementation can be a challenge when faced with students
with diverse needs and abilities.
In this presentation, you’ll find 18 helpful tips and strategies for
differentiating instruction contributed by the educators of Edutopia’s
community through various discussions and blogs.
You can join Edutopia’s community at edutopia.org/community.

3.
They Own It
Tip: Use inquiry to encourage student ownership
“I find that inquiry activities and open-ended projects allow for maximum
creativity and differentiation. I allow my students to collaborate on and evaluate
our rubrics to give them ownership. Project-based learning allows my students
to go at their own pace and helps them push themselves at their own level.
When the student owns the learning process differentiation naturally occurs.”
—Chad Brannon

4.
Interest Surveys
Tip: Survey and tie student interests into content
“Interest surveys are a great tool. For example, students can compute football
scores for math (data analysis, etc.). According to brain researchers, relating
math and other subjects to personal experience, jumpstarts the brain.”
—Diane Van Dyke, Middle School Special Education Teacher (NJ)

5.
The Five Senses
Tip: Stimulate the students’ senses
“I differentiate by incorporating visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic
components in my lessons as much as possible. I use graphic organizers
frequently to aid in comprehension and to map out ideas as we cover key skills.
I use picture cards to correspond with the vocabulary words, so that the
students have a visual support to picture the word's meaning in their mind. I
use manipulative objects in math class quite frequently. Of course, I also have
to modify assignments and assessments for some of my students, but they are
still focusing on the same skills and concepts that their peers are working on.”
—Johnna, 3th/4th Special Education Teacher, Chester, WV

6.
Cross-Training
Tip: Think about the whole child, use multiple approaches
“Placing learners into a single learning style container ignores the reality of the
whole person. Teachers need to cross-train students by using two or more
approaches to thinking styles profiles when planning differentiation...This is
where learning profile cards, student profile surveys, and student learning
perceptual quick surveys can provide detailed insight about students that spans
across multiple thinker processing categories.”
—John McCarthy, Education Consultant & Blogger, “How Learning Profiles Can Strengthen Your Teaching”

7.
Variety is the Spice of DI
Tip: Give students choice, vary your assessments
“Differentiation comes from giving students choices in how they complete a
targeted goal. Each format hits the essential question, but scaffolds it in a way
that will allow the student to express their knowledge in a way best suited to
them. I equate it to the variety cereal pack. Would you want to do the same
type of assessment day in and day out? You still want to eat cereal right? Just
not the same kind everyday.”
—Sarah Minnick, Online High School Social Studies Teacher, Pennsylvania

8.
Do Your Homework
Tip: Gather background information on your students prior to the
start of the class/year
“Generally, within the first couple of weeks I can get an idea of what prior
knowledge my children have retained and what direction I need to begin with
them. However, my first action is reviewing student's files and finding out as
much information as I can prior to their arrival into my class.”
—Deborah, Pre-K Teacher, North Carolina

9.
Feedback
Tip: Offer individualized feedback for each student
“I work with students who experience some difficulty with executive function --
the ability to self-monitor and self-prioritize tasks. I try to provide personalized,
flexible work plans and individualized feedback that students can use to track
the completion and mastery of their own work and learning to help them
organize themselves rather than depending on adults in the classroom to do
that for them.”
—Chad Sansing, Middle School Humanities Teacher, Charlottesville, VA

10.
Shoo Away the Monster
Tip: Remember you are probably already differentiating
“I hear in professional development meetings all the time that no one ever has
time for X or Y. It’s in part about priorities, and it's in part giving people easy
ideas so that "differentiation" is not come scary monster -- it may be something
they are already doing already, but just don't realize it.”
—Whitney Hoffman, Producer LD Podcast

11.
That’s Not Fair!
Tip: Explain fairness to avoid competition/ostracizing
“I co-teach in a 4th grade inclusive classroom. We always like to remind our
students that fair is not everyone getting the same thing, but rather everyone
getting what they need to be successful...Going over this concept has helped
eliminate a competitive mindset in our students, where they are overly
concerned about their assignment or project in comparison with their peers.”
—Jon Wopat, Special Education Teacher

12.
Peer to Peer
Tip: Assign peer helpers during group work to help with
accountability
“We have a hard time finding ways to help our sixth graders learn different
concepts and stay focused. We assigned each student a peer helper and they
responded well to that. They assist each other in the work. The peer helper
makes sure that the student got all the notes copied and completed their work
for that day...”
—bjames, Special Education Teacher

13.
Unique Strengths
Tip: Share your own struggles/strengths with students
“With the students I teach, I often find that their confidence and self-esteem is
pretty damaged...Much of what I do to differentiate is to find what they are good
at and help them begin to be successful. EVERYONE is good at something and
EVERYONE has difficulty in something...I share with students that I'm a really
bad speller...I share my shortcomings with them and how I overcame them.”
—Erika Saunders, Middle School Teacher

14.
Mini-Lessons
Tip: Use mini-lessons to reinforce goals
“In addition to being a great management strategy to prevent ‘time sucks’ in
class, mini-lessons are a great way to differentiate. Perhaps you ‘offer’ mini-
lessons to support your students' learning. After reflection and goal setting, this
is a great way to have them connect their goals to specific mini-lessons. Not all
students may need the mini-lesson, so you can offer or demand it for the
students who will really benefit.”
—Andrew Miller, Blogger, “Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning”

15.
Let Your Questions Be Open
Tip: Ask open-ended questions
“Some kids will give elaborate sentences, and others more to the point. Some
won't answer the question or prompt at all, but will write something completely
different. Some will surprise you with their understanding and depth of
knowledge. This sort of prompt or question will let every kid, regardless of their
ability, approach the problem and give you a better sense of what they know
than a multiple choice test ever will.”
—Whitney Hoffman, Producer LD Podcast

16.
The Core Material
Tip: Figure out what’s essential
“My answer is to not try to cover it all...Choose the essential standards for your
course and hit them very hard from multiple perspectives and with engaging
activities and appropriate practice...Expect mastery of the core material from all
students but be reasonable...This to me is the heart of differentiation: challenge
each student appropriately and engagingly.”
—Scott Gunderson

17.
Mix ‘n Match
Tip: Group students with their strengths and interests in mind
“Knowing how to group students is key. If you can find students with similar
interests and existing friendships, these groups can be powerful. Also, just
because the students have different learning abilities doesn't make them less
valuable to the group. For example, a dyslexic student might excel in
leadership qualities whereas a gifted & talented student might be an introvert.
Both can help each other by working together.”
—Melissa Hanson, High School English Teacher

18.
Aim High
Tip: Set high expectations and support growth
“I swing for the fences...by that I mean I teach to the top of the class and figure
a way to get the rest to get up there. If you do that, they learn to expect more
from themselves and they learn to be a team...helping each other do more than
they thought they could and finding ways to compensate.”
—Marsha Ratzel, Middle School Math/Science Teacher, Leawood, KS

19.
By the Clock
Tip: Consider a time limit for homework
“I differentiate homework, giving a base assignment and requiring 20 minutes
of honest work, rather than completion of the problems. My experience is that
the majority of the students will complete the assignment, while those with real
difficulty will work 20 minutes and have a parent sign off to that effect (not my
requirement, but one self-imposed by students and/or parents).”
—JM, Middle School Math Teacher

20.
Goals, Not Labels
Tip: Group based on goals, not labels
“Defining student potential based upon the labels they've been given is a
mistake. I often find students that have been labeled as underachievers provide
unique and resourceful perspectives to the classroom. Gifted students get
bored if not challenged. The key for me has been to keep goals attainable and
provide suitable, varied resources.”
—DC the Coteacher, 7th/8th Grade Language Arts Teacher

21.
Additional Resources
More tips from Edutopia and around the web:
● Edutopia’s Differentiated Instruction: Resource Roundup includes articles, videos, links, and
other resources that offer advice for differentiating for diverse groups of learners and needs.
● John McCarthy’s Two-Part “DI Myths” Blog Series:
o Part 1: Myth-Busting Differentiated Instruction: 3 Myths and 3 Truths
o Part 2: There's No Time to Differentiate: Myth-Busting DI, Part 2
● TeachThought: What Differentiated Instruction Is–And Is Not
● Schools That Work: What Works for Differentiating Instruction in Elementary School
● Cult of Pedagogy: A Starter Kit for Differentiation

22.
Reading Suggestions
Book recommendations from Edutopia’s community:
● Wormeli, Rick: “Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom”
(2006)
● Diller, Debbie: “Practice with Purpose” (2005)
● Fox, Jenifer & Hoffman, Whitney: “The Differentiated Instruction Book of Lists” (2011)

23.
Special thanks go to the educators
who contributed to this presentation.
For more tips and tactics, visit edutopia.org.