Differentiated

Instruction
The Basic Steps Towards
Differentiating
New Teacher Training
 Super Sleuth

Directions: Walk around the room and find someone

to respond to the questions on your Super Sleuth
paper. After a verbal answer the person will initial
the square.
Rules:
- A person can only answer and initial one square.

- The goal is to activate prior knowledge.

 Super Sleuth

What is your definition of Give an example of when you have What is something you would like
differentiated instruction? used DI? to learn about DI?

When do you use small group Differentiation means as many How do you discover how your
instruction? lesson plans as you have students. students learn?
Agree?

What is one way you can form What are some quick on-going Are DI and assessment related?
groups in your classroom? assessments
in your class?
Let’s Define Differentiated Instruction

Differentiating instruction means creating multiple

paths so that students of different abilities, interests, or
learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to
learn.
 The Rationale for Differentiated
Instruction

Different levels

of readiness

Different Interests
 The Rationale for Differentiated
Instruction

Different Ability Levels

Different Cognitive Needs

 Teachers can differentiate according to
….

The content

The process

The product
 Differentiating Content

 Resource materials at varying readability levels

 Audio and video recordings

 Highlighted vocabulary

 Charts and models

 Interest centers

 Varied manipulatives and resources

 Peer and adult mentors

 Differentiating Process
(making sense and meaning of content)

 Use leveled or tiered activities

 Interest centers
 Hands-on materials
 Vary pacing according to readiness
 Allow for working alone, in partners, triads, and small
groups
 Allow choice in strategies for processing and for
expressing results of processing
 Differentiating Products
(showing what is know and able to be done)

 Tiered product choices

 Model, use and encourage student use of technology

within products and presentations
 Provide product choices that range in choices from all
multiple intelligences, options for gender, culture, and
race
 Use related arts teachers to help with student products
Strategies to Make Differentiation Work

1. Tiered Instruction

Changing the level of complexity or required readiness of

a task or unit of study in order to meet the
developmental needs of the students involved.
 Tiering
Key Concept
Or
Understanding

Those who do not Those who

Those with some
know the concept understand the
understanding
concept
 What Can Be Tiered?

 Processes, content and  Assessments

products
 Writing prompts
 Assignments
 Anchor activities
 Homework
 Materials
 Learning stations
 What Can We Adjust?

 Level of complexity

 Amount of structure

 Pacing

 Materials

 Concrete to abstract

 Options based on student interests

 Options based on learning styles

 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.
 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!
 Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work

2. Anchoring Activities

These are activities that a student may do at any time

when they have completed their present assignment or
when the teacher is busy with other students. They may
relate to specific needs or enrichment opportunities,
including problems to solve or journals to write. They
could also be part of a long term project.
 Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work

3. Flexible Grouping

This allows students to be appropriately challenged

and avoids labeling a student’s readiness as a static
state. It is important to permit movement between
groups because interest changes as we move from one
subject to another
Ebb and Flow of Experiences
(Tomlinson)

Back and forth over time or course of unit

Individual Small Group Whole Group Small Group Individual

 Flexible Grouping

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

4. 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.
 What Differentiation Is …

 Student Centered  Multiple approaches to

content, process, and product
 Best practices
 A way of thinking and planning
 Different approaches
 Flexible grouping
 3 or 4 different activities
 What Differentiation Isn’t

 One Thing  35 different plans for one

classroom
 A Program
 A chaotic classroom
 The Goal
 Just homogenous grouping
 Hard questions for some and
easy for others
 In Summary…..

What is fair isn’t always equal…

and

Differentiation gets us away from “one size fits all”

approach to curriculum and instruction that doesn’t fit
anyone
 Bibliography
Campbell, Bruce. The Multiple Intelligences Handbook: Lesson Plans and More. Stanwood, WA. 1996.

Daniels, Harvey and Bizar. (2005). Teaching The Best Practice Way:

Methods that Matter, K-12. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Gregory, Gayle. Differentiated Instructional Strategies in Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA. 2003.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann. The Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 1995.

Wormeli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom, Stenhouse Publishers, 2006.