Understanding Differentiated Instruc

1. Differentiated Instruction
The Basic Steps Towards
Differentiating
Brian Evans, Peter McDermott, Jennifer Pankowski

2. One Size Doesn’t Fit All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loPxwQ4yUro

3. Let’s Define Differentiated
Instruction
Differentiating instruction is doing what’s fair for
students. It means creating multiple paths so that
students of different abilities, interests, or learning
needs experience equally appropriate ways to learn.

4. Product
Through a variety of instructional strategies
Carol Ann
Tomlinson (2006)
Differentiation
Is a teacher's response to learner’s
needs
Respectful tasks Continual
assessment
Flexible grouping
Teachers can differentiate through
Content Process
According to students’
Readiness Interests Learning Profile Environment

5. The Rationale for
Differentiated Instruction
Different Ability Levels
Different
Cognitive Needs

6. Culturally Responsive
Teaching
 Technology advancement
 Family structure
 Economical influences
 Societal expectations

7. What do we want
students to know and
be able to do?
Curriculum
How will we know
each student has
acquired the
intended knowledge
and skills?
Assessment
How will
we respond
when students are
or are not
achieving the
objectives?
Instruction
Responsive Teaching

8. Howard Gardner’s MI

9. Teachers can differentiate
according to ….
The content
The process
The product

10. Tiering
Key Concept
Or
Understanding
Those who do not
know the concept
Those with some
understanding
Those who
understand the
concept

11. What Can Be Tiered?
 Processes,
content and
products
 Assignments
 Homework
 Assessments
 Writing prompts

12. What Can We Adjust?
 Amount of structure of an assignment
 Concrete to abstract
 Options based on student interests
 Options based on learning styles

13. Tiering Instruction
1. Identify the standards, concepts, or generalizations
you want the students to learn.
2. Decide if students have the background necessary to
be successful with the lesson.
3. Assess the students’ readiness, interests, and learning
profiles.

14. Tiering Instructions
4. Create an activity or project that is
clearly focused on the standard,
concept or generalization of the
lesson.
5. Adjust the activity to provide
different levels or tiers of difficulty
that will lead all students to an
understanding.
6. Develop an assessment component
for the lesson. Remember, it is on-
going!

15. Ebb and Flow of Experiences
(Tomlinson)
Back and forth over time or course of unit
Individual Small Group Whole Group Small Group Individual

16. Flexible Grouping
Homogenous/Ability
-Clusters students of
similar abilities, level,
learning style, or interest.
-Usually based on some
type of pre-assessment
Heterogeneous
Groups
-Different abilities, levels
or interest
- Good for promoting
creative thinking.
Individualized or
Independent Study
-Self paced learning
-Teaches time
management and
responsibility
-Good for remediation or
extensions
Whole Class
-Efficient way to present
new content
-Use for initial instruction

17. Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work
Compacting Curriculum
Compacting the curriculum means
assessing a student’s knowledge and
skills, and providing alternative
activities for the student who has
already mastered curriculum content.
This can be achieved by pre-testing basic
concepts or using performance
assessment methods. Students
demonstrating they do not require
instruction move on to tiered problem
solving activities while others receive
instruction.

18. Strategies
 Informal and formative as opposed to summative
 Classroom assessment is ongoing through personal
communications:
 Questioning: try to question all students – level the
question to ability and aim at higher order thinking
 Observation: move around the room, have a room
chart and make notes
 Observation II (class management): you should know
when you have lost “them”
 Discussion: with the whole class, group, or individual

19. Classroom Assessments
 You have their attention – (They have a pulse)
 One-minute paper (what did the students lean)
 Note-check – teacher and or peer
 Three (???) questions you still have or would like
clarified (collect and answer the next day)
 The Muddiest Point
 One-sentence Summary
 What’s the Principle/Process
 Clickers -- eLearning
 Questioning

20. Interest Centers or Interest
Groups
 Interest centers are set up so that learning experiences
are directed toward a specific learner interest.
Allowing students to choose a topic can be motivating to
them. The teacher may select a variety of topics or
areas that students or groups can select.

21. Choice Boards
 Organizers that contain a variety of activities
 Students choose activities to complete as they learn a
skill or develop a product
 These may contain small groups, pairs, or individual
assignments

22. What Differentiation Is …
 Student
Centered
 Best practices
 Different
approaches
 Multiple
approaches to
content,
process, and
product
 A way of thinking
and planning