Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom

1. Differentiating
Instruction in the Regular
Classroom
By
Dr. Paul A. Rodríguez
How Do You Teach?
Planning for Challenge and Variety

2. Challenge does not mean simply more work, especially not
more work of the same kind.
Educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives presents a useful and time-tested
model for examining and differentiating the challenge level
of activities.
Bloom’s higher levels of thinking re-teach or reinforce basic
content.
All students need opportunities to work at all levels.
Some students need more time than others to develop
their content knowledge.
Instruction Through a Lens of Challenge

3. Levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Synthesis
Evaluation
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
Refer to page 69

4. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences claims
that every student has strengths in thinking and learning
(p.70)
Students learn and produce with greater ease when they’re
using an area of strength.
Asking students to work in ways in which they’re less able
helps them strengthen those intelligences and widen their
learning repertoire.
Not every concept must be taught in all eight ways.
The more variety you offer students in the ways you ask
them to learn and show what they have learned, the
greater the likelihood of reaching more students.
Instruction Through a Lens of Variety

5. Refer to your Curriculum Map from Chapter 3 (pages 64-65)
1. On your map, review your list of skills. Code each skill by the
relevant levels in Bloom’s taxonomy.
2. Review your projects and products column. Code each using both
Bloom’s taxonomy and Gardner’s categories.
3. Determine what levels are represented and which are missing. “Do
you have enough rigor and challenge?”
4. Which multiple intelligences are well represented? Which are
missing? Do you have enough variety?
5. Design or redesign instructional activities to add greater variety or
increase the challenge level of your activities.
Coding Your Map for Differentiation
Curriculum Map Sample page 71

6. Analyzing, modifying, and designing learning will be easier if you
phrase each learning description as succinctly as possible.
Here is the formula:
content+process+product=the learning experience
content: What are the students learning about?
process: What level of thinking is required?
product: How will the results of learning be represented
and addressed?
Writing Differentiated Activities: Short
and Sweet

7. Sample wording for learning activity:
Compare and contrast a scene in a novel with the movie version
of the same scene by presenting your ideas in a story board of
words and pictures.
content = written and film version of a scene from a novel
process = compare and contrast (analysis level of challenge)
product = storyboard of words and pictures
(verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial product)
Writing a Learning Activity

8. Matrix Plan The Integration Matrix

9. Matrix Uses
Use a matrix to:
Provide a slate of activities to select from as you build
your unit.
Plan activities to be used with all students in your
classroom.
Design tiered activities for flexible instructional
groups.
Develop “project menus” that offer students a choice.
Design challenging questions.