PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

UNIT 2

EDUC 5771: TEACHING FOR DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

INSTRUCTOR: ABHISHEK MAHAJAN

Introduction

Differentiated instruction allows the teaching and learning philosophy to emphasize

students at the core. The educator when applying differentiated instructions, considers each

student to be different and stresses that one style of teaching cannot accommodate every

student and that the teacher`s style should match the students` style (Levine, 2002). The

teacher chooses the options to deliver the learning process by varying learning activities,

modes of assessment and classroom environment to meet the needs of the students and

support every child in the classroom. Teachers then vary the content, process and product

for every learner that further results in the successful learning of all students regardless of

their differences (Stanford, B., & Reeves, S. 2009).

(Wikipedia, 2021)
Differentiation instructions is tailoring lessons to meet the individual interest, needs and

strengths. It gives students choice and flexibility in the way they learn and aid teachers in

personalizing their instructions. I believe that differentiated instruction helps educators to

connect with the different learning styles. I as a teacher know that a class lecture, a game,

or a video may work for one student but not for all. Every student is different coming from

different backgrounds and having different level of learning capacities. Differentiated

instructions covers all the preferences for students in the learning process allowing students

to have choices of how they want to learn and meet the learning objectives. Furthermore,

differentiated instructions has helped me to equally provide learning opportunities for the

students who have disabilities where they keep pace with the learning objectives as it

allows the students to learn the material in a way that is conducive to their own learning

styles and interests.

How differentiated instructions be applied to planning content and/or organizing

lessons for diverse students in an inclusive setting?

Differentiation can be done in three ways: content-the `what` of instructions; process-the

`how` of instructions; and product-the `evidence` of instructions (Taylor, 2015). After

gathering the information about the students, the next thing an educator needs to do is

differentiate learning strategies according to the needs of the students. Via differentiated

instructions, educator cam incorporate instructional strategies to address the interests,

learning styles and needs of the students.

Students come from varying backgrounds bringing diversity into the classroom. They are

different in terms of race, culture, spoken languages, religion and the way they learn.

Creating inclusive environment is a must these days since every student has different needs

and learning is for all. Therefore, planning content and organizing lessons should focus on

the needs of the students. Schools must provide impaired children with accommodations as

compared to those provided to their peers hence differentiated strategies and its application

becomes important in this regard (Becker & Palladino, 2016).

In my class, I apply differentiated instructions by using bloom`s taxonomy. I group my

students and assign them work depending on their ability levels. To do so, the first and

foremost step is to know the students so that it becomes clear what strategies should be

applied to meet the learning needs. Knowing their interests, strengths, weaknesses, dislikes

and their background allows me to effectively create differentiated instructions.

Differentiation in Content

Differentiation in content requires the educators to consider the objective of the lesson and

then provide the opportunity to the students with options to choose about the content they

study to meet the objective from topic to approach. When one differentiates content, the

level of complexity varies. Planning content from simple to complex or known to unknown

makes it easier for the learners to follow what is being learned.

I differentiate the content by giving choices to the students of how they want to cover the

topic. Sometimes, we stay on lectures, other times we move on to playing games and doing
hands on activities depending on the needs of the students. I address the content through

jigsaw groups or graphic organizers. Furthermore, during the whole term I have got to

know that most of my students like videos to cover the content. So, we see videos first and

then make podcast of what we have learned that the students enjoy a lot. I also add flip

technique where the students come forward and teach me rather than me teaching them.

Students love learning when they are given the authority to conduct the lesson.

In cases where I think that the content delivery I chose would work, and in real time it does

not, I switch to what they like the most as plan B and build the learning process from there.

I also create learning stations where all the preferences of students are one station each and

the students choose their learning stations every time and build the knowledge of the

content. Flexible seating helps me in this a lot. Students rotate between creating artwork,

making presentations, watching videos, doing experiments, completing puzzles, playing

games and listening to my lecture. This helps me to cater to the needs of the students in a

very effective way. Engaging students actively in the learning the content allows them to

see patterns developing and to see learning as cumulative whole (Coleman, 2001).

Differentiation in Product

The most common form of differentiation is the product differentiation (McCarthy, 2015).

The teachers give choices to students to pick formats and the students propose their own

designs. The core of product differentiations lies in understanding the academic criteria that

requires the understanding of the students. If the product aligns with the learning targets,

significant content is addressed where the students voice and choice flourishes.
I always provide two to three choices to my students in product. I make sure that the

instructions are clear and create a task that relates the content with the context. I offer them

visual, auditory, analytical, creative and practical tasks. I also give the choice to complete

the task as group or alone depending on the interests of the students.

I usually ask the student to explain a concept and the product they create is their own

choice. For example, it can be a written report, a speech, an art project, a model or a

presentation. My students come up with products such as knowledge mapping or

presentations. If the students create a product that is not aligning with the learning

objectives or targets, I usually ask the student to either revise the product and or go back to

clearing the concepts and start over. The students either have the choice to propose what

they would like to show as their learning or the teacher offers them two choice with the

notion that they can make a deal with is to do the third one (Tomlinson, 2015). For the tests

that I create are always differentiated. I vary the tests according to the learning ability of the

student where I change the success criteria if the student is an advanced learner as

compared to the success criteria for a student who has a disability or is a struggling learner.

Conclusion:

Differentiation instruction is beneficial and a must in every classroom environment that is

aimed to be positive and safe for the students. The sense of belonging in the student can

only be developed when they feel that they are part of the classroom environment and the

learning process. Learning is only fair when everyone gets what they need rather than
everyone getting the same thing. And to believe in this every teacher needs to bring

differentiation in the classroom.

 References:

Becker, S. & Palladino, J. (2016). Assessing faculty perspectives about teaching and working with

students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Coleman, M. R. (2001). Curriculum differentiation: Sophistication. Gifted Child Today, 24(2),

2426.

Levine, M. (2002). A Mind at a Yime. New York: Simon & Schuster.

McCarthy. J. (2015). 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do. Edutopia. Retrieved

from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-

mccarthy#:~:text=Differentiating%20Content,readings%2C%20lectures%2C%20or

%20audio.

Stanford, B., & Reeves, S. (2009). Making it happen: Using differentiated instruction, retrofit

framework, and universal design for learning. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 5(6),

1-9

Taylor, B.K. (2015) Content, Process and Product: Modelling Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved

from https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1019606/mod_book/chapter/257084/5711

U2RA-ContentModeling.pdf
Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding

by design: Connecting content and kids. Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Development. https://chca-oh.instructure.com/files/3649/download?download_frd=1

Wikipedia, 2021. [jpg].Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiated_instruction#/media/File:Four_areas_of_differe

ntiation.jpg