DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR MORE MEANINGFUL LEARNING

Facilitator: Marla C. Papango

Faculty of Arts and Languages
Philippine Normal University
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DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

 The idea of differentiating instruction is an approach to teaching that advocates active planning
for and attention to student differences in classrooms, in the context of high quality
curriculums (Tomlinson, 2013).

 Differentiation is classroom practice that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ,
and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning
(Tomlinson, 2001)

 Differentiated Instruction is an instructional concept that maximizes learning for ALL

students—regardless of skill level or background. It is based on the fact that in a typical
classroom, students vary in their academic abilities, learning styles, personalities, interests,
background knowledge and experiences, and levels of motivation for learning. When a teacher
differentiates instruction, he or she uses the best teaching practices and strategies to create
different pathways that respond to the needs of diverse learners.

 Differentiation relates primarily to structuring classes so that all students are working at ―+1‖ from
where they start, such that all can have maximal opportunities to attain the success criteria of the
lessons (Hatie, 2012).

 Note that differentiation relates more to addressing students’ different phases of learning from
novice to capable to proficient rather than merely providing different activities to different groups
or students (Hatie, 2012).

 Differentiation is not a set of strategies, but rather a way of thinking about teaching & learning
(Tomlinson & Murphy, 2014).

ACTIVITY 1. How Different Are Your Students?

Directions: Think about your students. In what aspects do they differ from one another? List the areas of
diversity in the mind map below. Add boxes as needed.

STUDENT
DIVERSITY

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Academically Diverse Students

Today’s classrooms are typified by academic diversity (Darling Hammond, Wise, & Klein, 1999; Meier,
1995).Seated side-by-side in classrooms are:
 students with learning disabilities and reading difficulties
 highly advanced learners
 English language learners
 students who chronically underachieve
 students from broadly diverse cultures
 students from highly diverse economic backgrounds
 students of both genders
 students displaying varying degrees of motivation, interests, skills, etc.

Importance of Differentiated Instruction

 Enables teachers to open up learning opportunities for all students by offering varied learning
experiences.
 Allows teachers to put research-based best practices into a meaningful context for learning.
 Helps teachers to understand and use assessment as a critical tool to drive instruction.
 Adds new instructional strategies to teachers' "toolboxes" — introducing or reinforcing
techniques to help teachers focus on essentials of curriculum.
 Gives administrators, teachers, and students an instructional management system to more
efficiently meet the demands of high stakes testing.
 Meets curriculum requirements in a meaningful way for achieving students' success.

Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or
learning profile:

 Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information;
 Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;
 Products– culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she
has learned in a unit; and
 Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.

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 What Teachers MUST Learn in order to Differentiate Effectively

KNOW UNDERSTAND
 5 Key Elements of differentiation  Differentiation is a
 Mindset philosophy(more than a set of
 Know-Understand-Do (KUD) strategies)
 Engagement  Differentiation is designed to
 Understanding maximize the capacity of
 Alignment each learner.
 On-going assessment (pre-  Mindset shapes teaching
assessment, formative, andlearning.
summative)  Teacher connection with kids
 Flexible Grouping opens them up to the risk
 Respectful Tasks oflearning.
 Readiness, Interest,  Community multiplies
LearningProfile supportfor students & the
 Cultural Responsiveness teacher.
 Teaching Up  On-going assessment
 Instructional strategies for guidesquality differentiation.
differentiation  The quality of what we teach
 Equity/Excellence contributes to the impact of
how we teach-- & vice versa.
 Flexible classroom routines
balance group and individual
needs
DO
 Reflect on philosophy and
practice.
 Create and maintain an
invitational learning
environment
 Develop KUD frameworks,
drawing on standards
 Develop formative
assessments aligned
withKUDs
 Interpret assessment results to
determine students’ learning
needs
 Develop differentiated tasks
based on assessment
information in response
tostudent readiness, interest,
learning profile
 Work with students to
understand differentiationand
establish flexible learning

Strategies in Differentiating Instruction

Readiness/Ability – determine a student's ability or readiness using various diagnostic and survey
instruments. After which, adjust instruction according to the level and interests of the students.
 Adjusting Questions –Duringlarge group discussion activities, teachers direct the higher level
questions to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for student with
greater needs. All students are answering important questions that require them to think but the
questions are targeted towards the student’s ability or readiness level.
 Compacting Curriculum–Compactingthe curriculum means assessing a student’s knowledge,
skills and attitudes 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. For instance, students who demonstrate that they do not require instruction
move on to tiered problem solving activities while others receive instruction.
 Tiered Assignments –Tieredactivities are a series of related tasks of varying complexity. All of
these activities relate to essential understanding and key skills that students need to acquire.
Teachers assign the activities as alternative ways of reaching the same goals taking into account
individual student needs.
 Acceleration/Deceleration–Acceleratingor decelerating the pace that students move through
curriculum is another method of differentiating instruction. Students demonstrating a high level of
competence can work through the curriculum at a faster pace. Students experiencing difficulties
may need adjusted activities that allow for a slower pace in order to experience success.
 Flexible Grouping –Asstudent performance will vary it is important to permit movement between
groups. Student’s readiness varies depending on personal talents and interests, so we must
remain open to the concept that a student may be below grade level in one subject at the
same time as being above grade level in another subject.
 Peer Teaching–Occasionallya student may have personal needs that require one-on-one
instruction that go beyond the needs of his or her peers. After receiving this extra instruction the
student could be designated as the "resident expert" for that concept or skill and can get valuable
practice by being given the opportunity to re-teach the concept to peers. In these circumstances
both students benefit.
 Learning Profiles/Styles – Another filter for assigning students to tasks is by learning style, such
as adjusting preferred environment (quiet, lower lighting, formal/casual seating etc.) or learning
modality: auditory (learns best by hearing information), visual (learns best through seeing
information in charts or pictures), or kinesthetic preferences (learns best by using concrete
examples, or may need to move around while learning) or through personal interests. Since
student motivation is also a unique element in learning, understanding individual learning styles

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 and interests will permit teachers to apply appropriate strategies for developing intrinsic
motivational techniques.
 Student Interest–Interestsurveys are often used for determining students’ likes and dislikes.
Students may be asked about their preferences in reading materials, movies, songs, artists, etc.
so teachers can make use of those as examples or topics of discussion.
 Reading Buddies –Thisstrategy is particularly useful for younger students and/or students with
reading difficulties. Children get additional practice and experience reading away from the teacher
as they develop fluency and comprehension.
 Independent Study Projects–This entails research projects where students learn how to
develop the skills for independent learning. The degree of help and structure vary between
students and depend on their ability to manage ideas, time and productivity.
 Buddy-Studies–This permits two or three students to work together on a project. The
expectation is that all may share the research and analysis/organization of information but each
student must complete an individual product to demonstrate learning that has taken place and be
accountable for their own planning, time management and individual accomplishment.
 Learning Contracts –A contract isa written agreement between teacher and student that will
result in students working independently. The contract helps students to set daily and weekly
work goals and develop management skills. It also helps the teacher to keep track of each
student’s progress.
 Learning Centers–Learning stations may contain both differentiated and compulsory activities. A
learning center is not necessarily differentiated unless the activities are varied by complexity
taking in to account different student ability and readiness.
Source: Enhance Learning with Technology. Accessed on 28 September 2008, Retrieved at
http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/ differentiatingstrategies.html

LEARNING CORNER

DIFFERENTIATION BASED ON LEARNER INTERESTS and LEARNING PROFILE

―The goals of learning profile differentiation are to help individual learners understand
modes of learning that work best for them, and to offer those options so that each
learner finds a good learning fit in the classroom.‖ -
Tomlinson (2001)

Some students may prefer to work in groups; others may prefer to work alone. Some students may
prefer or be more successful learning a concept through text, while others may learn best through video.
 Group investigation
 Guided inquiry
 Collaborative problem-based learning
 Choice boards
 Multiple Intelligence options
 Internet mentors
 Create an environment with flexible learning spaces and options
 Allow working alone or working with peers
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  Use part-to-whole and whole-to-part approaches
 Vary teacher mode of presentation (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, concrete, abstract)

SCIENCE (Tomlinson, 2015)

Meteorologist:
You are a meteorologist working for Channel 29
News. The show will ―air‖ in 10 minutes with the
weekend’s forecast, but all the equipment is
failing. Look out your ―windows‖ and use the
clouds to predict the weather forecast for the
local community. You can either write your
script for the news show explaining your
prediction and your reasons for the prediction,
create a poster or prop for the news show that
shows the audience what you think the weather will do and why, or role-
play the part of the meteorologist and verbally present your forecast
predictions to the audience.

English (Writing Paragraphs of Description)

Your new friend Ravenka wrote to you from Slovakia. He is asking about beaches in the Philippines
because there are no beaches in Slovakia. How would you describe the beaches in the Philippines
through one of the following outputs?
 a post card showing beaches in
the country
 a simple flyer about beaches in
the Philippines
 a letter describing beaches in the
Philippines
 a collage showing different
images of beaches in the
Philippines (add a description)
 a print advertisement inviting
foreigners to come to the
Philippines and enjoy our
beaches

English (Would/Could in giving suggestions)

How would the following Troubleshooters solve the problem on kids not going to
school?

Spiderman

Ironman

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 Elsa (Frozen)
Merida

(Brave)

OTHERS

Note: You can also substitute the figures with real people like the President, the Lawmakers, the
Governor, popular showbiz personalities or talk show hosts like Oprah, Ellen, Korina or Mel.

LEARNING MODALITIES

Look and Listen (Time for Kids)

Imagine yourself out in a vacation! Look and listen around and experience a new adventure!
Then, complete the table below with things you smell, see, hear, touch/feel and taste.

Things you… Descriptions

Smell at Summertime

See

Hear outdoors

Feel/touch

Taste/eat

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SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
RAFT(Tomlinson, 2014)

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