Differentiated

Instruction

MIGULLAS, MICA M.
REPORTER
 Learner Objectives:
Participants will …

• Become familiar with vocabulary related to

differentiated instruction.

• Understand basic principles of differentiating

content, process, and product in an
academically diverse classroom.

• Be able to implement one or more

instructional strategies that support
differentiation.
As you know, students come to our classrooms
with a variety of:

Prior
Educational
Experiences

Motivators

Personal Readin
Experience ess
Unfortunately, some classroom structures
do not address this student diversity. In
fact
…

The biggest mistake of past centuries

in
teaching has been to treat all children as
if
they were variants of the same
individual
and thus to feel justified in teaching
 Let ’s take a look at the instructional
strategies we typically use in our
classrooms and see how they effect our
students ’ memory retention rates.

You might want to get a piece of paper and a

pencil to see ifyou can guess the correct answers.
 Effective Instructional Strategies
Rank the strateg ies
on
the rig ht of the Least practice by
pyramid from least Effective doing
effective （totop
pyramid) of
most Demonstration
effective （ bottom
Teach
). another
Try to g uess the Audio/visuals
percentage of
information a Discussion
“typical” Reading
student
may retain for each.
Lecture

Most Effective
 Effective Instructional Strategies

How ’d you do?

5%
Lecture
Reading 1 0
%
Audio/visuals 2 0
%
Demonstration 3 0
%
Discussion 5 0
% 75
practice by doing
%
Teach others/immediate use of learning 9 5
%
So now you have a classroom of
diverse learners … and you know that
some of our past teaching strategies
are not
going to be effective with them … So,
the million dollar question is …

How do you successfully

meet the needs of the

diverse learners in your

Differentiating
Instruction
 Differentiated Instruction is …
A set of unique decisions that
the
educator makes to bring
learning within the grasp of all
students.
Remember, this includes
students
who are working on grade level,
below grade level, and for those
students working above grade
level!
 Differentiation is …
providing avenues to acquire
content ， process ideas and
develop
roduct
And …
s
A means to provide multiple options
for
taking in
informatioand making sense of
n As well as …

A means of expressing
learning
 Principles of a Differentiated
Classroom
• All students participate in respectful work.
• Teacher and students work together to ensure
continual engagement & challenge for each
learner.
• The teacher coordinates use of time, space, and
activities.
• Flexible grouping, which includes whole class
learning, pairs, student-selected groups, teacher-
selected groups, and random groups.
 Principles of a Differentiated
Classroom
• Time use is flexible in response to student needs.
• A variety of management strategies, such as
learning centers, interest centers, learning
buddies, etc. is used to help target instruction to
student needs.
• Clearly established individual and group
criteria provide guidance toward success.
• Students are assessed in a variety of ways to
demonstrate their own thought and growth.
Traditional Classroom vs. Differentiated
Classroom
TRADITIONAL DIFFERENTIATED
when problematic. for planning.
• Differences are acted upon • Differences are studied as a basis
• Assessment is most common • Assessment is on-going and
at the end of learning to see diagnostic to to make instruction
“who got it” more responsive to learner
• A relatively narrow sense of needs
intelligence prevails • Focus on multiple forms of
• Coverage of curriculum intelligences is evident
guides drives instruction • Student readiness, interest, and
• Whole class instruction learning profile shape instruction
• Many instructional arrangements
dominates
are used
• A single text prevails
• Multiple materials are provided
Adapted from “The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners,” by
Carol Ann Tomlinson, 1999, p.16
 Differentiation of Instruction
is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs

guided by general principles of

differentiation such as:
respectful tasks flexible grouping ongoing
assessment
and adjustment
ways to differentiate:

Content Process Product

according to students’

Readiness Interests Learning Profile

“The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners,” by
Carol Ann Tomlinson, 1999, p. 15
Ways to Differentiate:

Content:
W hat is taug
ht

Process:
How it is taug
ht

Product:
How learning is
assessed
 According to students’
Readiness-
Refers to readiness for a g iven skill ，
concept ， or way of thinking .

Interests and Attitudes-

Have to do with those things that learners
find relevant ， fascinating ， or worthy of their
time .
Learning Profile & Need-
Refer to things such as learning style ，
intelligence preferences ， how the student
processes information ， and how the learner sees
himself in
relation to the rest of the world .
 Strategies for Differentiation
Confused? Let ’s break it down. Differentiation can include
complex strategies, like writing tiered lesson plans, or it can
take a more simplistic form, such as using reading buddies
or think-pair-share strategies. Here is a condensed list of the
continuum of differentiated strategies.
Higher Prep Strategies Lower Prep Strategies
Tiered Lessons Reading & Study Buddies
Flexible Grouping Anchor Activities
Think-Tac-Toe Think-Pair-Share
Multiple Intelligence Choices of books
Options Interest Surveys
Graphic Organizers Multiple Levels of
Response/Exit Cards Questioning
Multiple Texts
 Tiered Instruction
. Provides teachers with a means of assigning
different tasks within the same lesson or unit.

. The tasks will vary according to the students

’:
> Readiness
> Interest
> Learning Profile
 What can be Tiered?

Content • ASSIGNMENTS
• ACTIVITIES
Process • HOMEWORK
Product • CENTERS
• EXPERIMENTS
• MATERIALS
• ASSESSMENTS
• WRITING PROMPTS
 Planning Tiered Activities
A Four Step Method
Step 1. Identify key concepts or skills （ i. e . , sss)
W hat should students know ,
understand , or be able to do?

Step 2. Think about students and/or use

assessment
to determine:
Readiness Levels
Interests
Learning profiles
 Step 3. create an activity for“on-level”learners
that is:
. Interesting
. challeng ing
. causes students to use key skill （ s) to
understand the major idea or concept .
Step 4. Adjust the activity according ly . Remember
…
you may not need to adjust the activity if you are
differentiating by interest or by learning prof e .
However, if you are differentiating by readiness,
you
will need to adjust for“strugg ling learners ”and
“highly -able ”learners.
Learners Learners Learners
Struggling On-Level Highly-Able
 Flexible Grouping
Flexible grouping is an opportunity for students to
work with a variety of students, through whole group
or in many different forms of small groups. The key
to flexible grouping is in the name …FLEXIBLE.
Students have an opportunity to be in different
groups depending on the activity.
• Initially use whole group for instruction
• Divide group for practice or enrichment
• Not used as a permanent arrangement
• Use groups for one activity, a day, a week, etc.
Flexible grouping is the cornerstone of successful d ferentiated
instruction – Carol Ann Tomlinson
How does flexible grouping benefit students?

• Gives students and teachers a voice in

work arrangements.
• Allows students to work with a variety
of peers.
• Keeps students from being “ pegged”
as advanced or struggling.
Group Membership

Can be determined by:

. Readiness
. Interest
. Reading Level
. skill Level
. Background
knowledge
. social skills
Anchor Activities

Anchor activities are

ongoing assignments
that students can
work on
independently
throughout a unit ， a
grading period ，
or longer.
 Some Anchor Activities
“Brain Busters ”
Learning packets
Activity Box
Learning /Interest Centers
Vocabulary W ork
Accelerated Reader
Investigations
FCAT practice Activities
Magazine Articles with Generic Questions or
Activities
Listening stations
Research Questions or projects
Commercial kits and Materials
Journals or Learning Logs
silent Reading
The Purpose of an Anchor Activity

Provide meaningful work for

students when they finish an assignment or
project, when they first enter the class, or
when they are “stumped.”

Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content

and instruction

Free up the classroom teacher to work with

other groups of students or individuals
 Exit Cards
Exit Cards (AKA “Tickets Out The Door”) are used
to gather information on student readiness levels,
interests, and/or learning profiles. They can be used as
quick assessments to see if the students are “getting
it.”

The teacher hands out index cards to students at the

end of an instructional sequence or class period. The
teacher asks the students to respond to a pre-
determined prompt on their index cards and then turn
themin as they leave the classroom or transition to
another subject.

The teacher reviews the student responses and

separates the cards into instructional groups based on
 Exit Cards Groupings
Group 2
Group 1 students with
students who some
understanding
are
of concept or skill
strugg ling
with
the Group 3
concept or
skill students who
understand
the concept or
skill
Readiness Groups
 Expla
differein the “Happ
y as
betn ce a clam
metap ween simi an ex
am pl ” is
hor le e of
. and （
rescp
iro
clnes a:
GiVe ) orrec ethe
c
s
oa
e f ch ome exam t
as pa ples Simile
y
eo u
xprlana rt of Metap
tion hor
.

Exit Card Samples

Notice how these exit cards have been differentiated by readiness.
Each student is still expected to know about similes and
metaphors, but their individual questions are based on their skill
level and their degree of knowledge.
 Exit Card 3 – 2 – 1 Summarizer

After reading over my rough draft …

3 revisions I Can make to improve
my
draft .
2 resourCes I Can use to help
improve my draft .
1 thing I realy like about my f ri st draft
.
 Response Cards
Response cards are another form of quick assessment. Each
student has a card and indicates their understanding of a
topic by holding up the appropriate response. Response
cards:
.Increase participation level of all students
.Increase on-task behavior
.Provide immediate feedback
.Are highly motivating and fun!

If response cards were used instead of hand raising

JUST THINK for just 30 minutes per day, each student would
… make more than 3,700 additional academic
responses during the school year.
 Types of Response Cards …
Preprinted Student made Write-on boards
EXAMPLES

VERB NOUN LAND SEA

? TRUE FALSE
“
!
 Think-Tac-Toe
Think-Tac-Toe boards give students a choice in how they
demonstrate their understanding of a given topic.
Complete a Complete a Name & draw a
character analysis character report person who is like
for the main card . one of the
character of your characters from
story. the book.

Build a miniature Draw a picture Make up a

stage setting for describing at least limerick or
c inquain poem
your story. 3 settings from about the setting
the story. of your story
Use a sequence Write a new Make a game
chart or timeline to beginning or board about your
 Cubing
.
A cube consists of 6 commands 一 one
on each of its 6 faces 一 followed by a
prom pt that describes the task the
student should do .
.
can be used to differentiate activities on
the basis of students ， readiness. For
exam ple , using 2 or more cubes with
the
same commands, modify the prom pts or
tasks so that they are at different levels
. of diff ci ulty .
can be used to differentiate activities
based on students ， interests or learning
prof es.
 Cubing

• Designed to help • Satisfies hunger to

students think about a do something
topic from different different
angles • Eliminates boredom
and lethargy
• Game-like— resulting from
motivates children unnecessary drill
• Recognizes large and practice.
reservoir of knowledge • Often used to
and skills of some reinforce, extend or
learners demonstrate
learning
 Graphic Organizers

• Aides comprehension, concept

development and learning
• Highlights key vocabulary
• Provides an organized, visual display of
knowledge
• Focuses attention on key elements
• Helps integrate prior knowledge with new
knowledge
 Graphic Organizers

Cause-Effect
Planning Organizer

Venn Diagram
 Mind Mapping
Colorful Brain-Based
Arrows Fu
n
Key Co
Words ns ionale
tru
cti Rat
Symb
ols on M Creative
In ulti
tel pl
lig e
en
ce

ion
cat
pli
p

St
A

ep
Teachers Students

s
Add Details

Teaching
Main Ideas
Planning
Prewriting
Reviewing
Notes
Assessing Reflecting Central Image
 What else can I do?
Here are some more specific strategies you can do as a teacher
that will help meet the needs of ALL the students in your class.
Use cassette recorders as a means for students to receive
information or as a means for students to demonstrate knowledge
Use graphic organizers such as flowcharts, Venn diagrams,
semantic mapping, mind mapping, etc.
Have students underline or highlight keywords or phrases
Use texts that are tailored to the students ’ reading levels
Use questions that are tailored to the students ’ comprehension
level (Bloom)
Collect topic related supplementary materials such as comic
books, newspaper articles, magazines, etc.
 Continued …

Provide word walls for students to reference while reading/writing

Encourage different forms of expressing learning such as
drawing, acting, poetry, etc.
Use flexible grouping, peer tutoring, learning buddies, etc.
Use ongoing assessment of students progress so that intervention
can occur quickly (exit cards, response cards …)
Use student diaries, learning logs, journals, prediction logs
Shorten or lengthen assignments while still maintaining the
objective of the lesson
Rewrite problems using less/more complex language
• Examine Your Philosophy About Individual
Student Needs
• Start Small
• Grow Slowly - But Grow
• Envision How an Activity Will Look
• Step Back and Reflect
• Talk with Students Early and Often
• Continue to Empower Students
• Continue to be Analytical
In My Differentiated Classroom …

Everyone will feel welcomed

Mutual respect will be nonnegotiable
Students will feel physical, mental & emotional safety
There will be a pervasive expectation of growth
I will teach for success
A new sort of fairness will be evident and accepted
We will collaborate for mutual growth and success
 We are for difference,
for respecting
difference,
for valuing
difference,

until difference no
longer makes a
 Websites

• [Link]
• [Link]/exceptional/gt/tiered_curriculum/
[Link]
• [Link]/departments/eii/eiimanage
[Link]
• [Link]

• [Link]
• [Link]
 Websites

• [Link]/inc/[Link]

• [Link]

• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]/kids/1998-99/march99/[Link]
 Resources

> How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability

Classrooms 2nd Edition By Carol Ann Tomlinson University of
Virginia

>The Differentiated Classroom Responding to the Needs of

All Learners By Carol Ann Tomlinson

ordering Info:
ASCD in Alexandria ， virg inia
phone: 1 -8 0 0 -9 3 3 -2 7 2 3 Fax: （ 7 0 3 ) 2 9 9
-8 6 3 1
www .ascd. org
 Resources

> Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn’t

Fit All By Gayle H. Gregory and Carolyn Chapman

> Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning

Disabilities By William Bender

ordering Info:
Corwin press ， InC.
phone: 1 -8 0 0 -8 1 8 -7 2 4 3 Fax: （ 8 0 0 ) 4 1
7 -2 4 6 6
www . Corwinpress. Com
THANK
YOU
^_^
MIGULLAS, MICA M.