Differentiated Instruction

SIOP | Marzano | Differentiated Instruction

 

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Differentiated Instruction. We've all heard of it. We all know we need to do it. It seems that I hear the mantra in almost every workshop that I attend. What I don't hear a lot of is HOW do we actually do it? I also don't hear a lot of agreement on exactly what differentiated instruction is. Is it grouping students by ability? by interest? by learning styles? Actually, it's all of that.

Most definitions seem to agree that differentiated instruction means creating multiple ways for students of different abilities, interests or learning needs to experience appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process.  Materials, lessons, and instruction can be differentiated based on student interest, student readiness, the content of the material, the process used to access the material or the product the student creates as a part of their interaction with the lesson or material.

Carol Ann Tomlinson,EdD, states that.."differentiated instruction is that a teacher proactively plans varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they can express what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can as efficiently as possible. (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 151)

A rationale for differentiated instruction comes from theory, research, and educational common sense. Consider the following:

1. Today's classrooms are becoming more academically diverse in most regions of the United States (and elsewhere, for that matter). Many, if not most, classrooms contain students representing both genders and multiple cultures, frequently include students who do not speak English as a first language, and generally contain students with a range of exceptionalities and markedly different experiential backgrounds. These students almost certainly work at differing readiness levels, have varying interests, and learn in a variety of ways.

2. Psychologists tell us that a student learns only when a task is a little too hard for that student. When a student can do work with little effort, and virtually independently, that student is not learning, but rather rehearsing the known. When a student finds a task beyond his or her reach, frustration, not learning, is the result. Only when a task is a bit beyond the student's comfort level, and the student finds a support system to bridge the gap, does learning occur. This optimum degree of difficulty for learning is referred to as a student's zone of proximal development. Considering today's diverse classrooms, it is unlikely that a teacher will be consistently able to develop one-size-fits-all learning experiences that are in the zones of proximal development of all students in a particular class.

3. Brain research suggests that when tasks are too hard for a learner, the brain "downshifts" to the limbic area of the brain that does not "think," but rather is designed to protect an individual from harm. Also, when tasks are too easy for learners, those learners do not show thoughtful brain activity, but rather display patterns that look more like the early stages of sleep. Only when tasks are moderately challenging for an individual does the brain "think" in a way that prompts learning. Once again, teachers will find it difficult to consistently find single tasks that are moderately challenging for all learners in a class that includes a range of readiness and experiential levels.

It is likely that male and female learning patterns and preferences vary. The variance probably has biological, cultural, and environmental origins. There is also, of course, great variety among both male and female populations in regard to learning. Nonetheless, it is likely counterproductive to assume that gender is an irrelevant factor in what individuals learn and how they learn.

4. Culture has an important bearing on how individuals learn. While it is clearly not the case that all members of a given culture learn in similar ways, it is the case that learning environments and procedures that are comfortable for many members of one cultural group may not be so to many members of other cultural groups. Students whose classrooms are a cultural misfit often do poorly in school In classrooms where varied cultural groups are represented, a single approach to teaching and learning is unlikely to serve all students well. In fact, because students in any cultural group also vary, even classrooms that are more culturally homogeneous would benefit from multiple approaches to teaching and learning.

5. Student motivation and task persistence increase when students can work with topics that are of personal interest. Modifying instruction to draw on student interests is likely to result in greater student engagement, higher levels of intrinsic motivation, higher student productivity, greater student autonomy, increased achievement, and an improved sense of self-competence. Encouraging students to link required learning to that which is personally interesting to them seems an important modification for teachers in most classrooms.

6. The opportunity to learn in ways that make learning more efficient is also likely to make learning more effective. Attention to a student's preferred mode of learning or thinking promotes improved achievement.

From Tomlinson, C. A. (2003) pp. 153-4

These classroom-proven strategies empower the teacher to target instructional modifications to the content, process, and products for students with learning disabilities or language concerns in both self-contained and general education classrooms. These best practices are the most up-to-date tactics available and specify numerous ways to differentiate instruction for students with special needs. The following list shows numerous ideas and examples to help:

1. Stress the brain-compatible teaching guidelines for varied instruction.
2. Create practical, flexible lessons by varied instructional tactics, including webbing, cubing, scaffolded instruction, metacognitive tactics, and many more strategies.
3. Foster the attention of diverse learners via self-monitoring, self-management, and responsibility strategies.
4. Institute various peer tutoring systems that are practical and manageable in the inclusive class.
5. Implement performance assessment and portfolios to diversity evaluation.
6. Enhance social skills through group projects, role-play, and sharing tutoring responsibilities.

How does it work?
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	Challenged	Average	Gifted
Content What	Three crucial points Three concepts	All aspects of the topic	In-depth study
Process How	Direct instruction of each step in the research process	Modeling independent work Review and practice	Minimal instruction with probing questions for independent study
Product Evaluation	Group paper of one page	Five page paper	Power Point presentation with computer generated graphics and tables

When first starting to design differentiated instruction, it is important to that all teachers and support staff are willing to devote the time, energy, and resources to design and implement a successful program. Roles need to be clearly defined, schedules need to be made in advance and adhered to as much as possible, and collaboration/cooperation needs to replace competition at all levels.

In the beginning, redesigning curriculum and teacher roles for differentiated instruction is very labor intensive. However, using technology, future planning can be streamlined, teachers can use what was successful in the past and adjust activities that may need more clarity, and spend more time on the instruction of each student according to her/his needs.

In a classroom where teachers use differentiated instruction, the responsibility for learning is shared by all. It becomes a community of learners, characterized by

• complex, challenging learning environments and authentic tasks;

• social negotiation and shared responsibility as a part of learning;

• multiple representations of content;

• understanding that knowledge is constructed; and student-centered instruction (Driscol, 1994; Marshall, 1992 in Woolfolk, 347).

The use of these research-proven practices will result in academic enhancement in your classroom. Whether your challenging students are identified as learning disabled or low-achieving, these strategies and tactics can lead to significant gains for you in reading comprehension, language arts, and math.

How to Plan For Differentiated Instruction

After having read what the research has to offer on differentiated instruction, specifically, brain-based research on learning, learning styles and multiple intelligences, and authentic assessment, you are now ready to plan.

Step 1- Know Your Students

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Determine the ability level of your students.

This can be done by surveying past records of student performance to determine capabilities, prior learning, past experiences with learning, etc.

Survey student interests.

It is also important to get to know your students informally. This can be done by an interest inventory, an interview/conference, or asking students to respond to an open-ended questionnaire with key questions about their learning preferences (depending on the age group).

Is behavior management a problem?

This is key when planning for activities that require less structure. However, it is still important to determine learning styles and preferences for students who may have a hard time controlling their behaviors. Sometimes knowing preferences can help to motivate students to attend to any tasks that are presented.

Step 2- Have a Repertoire of Teaching Strategies

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Because "one size does not fit all," it is imperative that a variety of teaching strategies be used in a differentiated classroom. Among many teaching strategies that can be considered, there are four worth mentioning: direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and information processing models.

Direct Instruction

This is the most widely used and most traditional teaching strategy. It is teacher centered and can be used to cover a great amount of material in the amount of time teachers have to cover what students need to learn. It is structured and is based on mastery learning. More information can be found on:

Take a look at these sites for examples and ideas:

1. Project Approach- A great site for learning the ins-and-outs of project-based learning.
2. Publishing or Programming? Framework for WWW Sites for Kids- Discusses the effective use of world wide web in the classroom.
3. The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling- Discusses questioning, the key to effective learning.
4. Tips for Rapid Instructional Design- Some tips, tricks, and techniques for rapid instructional design.

Inquiry-based Learning

Inquiry-based learning has become very popular in teaching today. It is based on the scientific method and works very well in developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. It is student centered and requires students to conduct investigations independent of the teacher, unless otherwise directed or guided through the process of discovery.

These sites provide great information on inquiry-based learning:

1. Inquiry-based Learning- The benefits of inquiry-based learning include the development of critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving.
2. Inquiry and Problem Solving - A special issue of Focus: A Magazine for Classroom Innovators from the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics & Science Education.
3. Learning Strategies Database Home Page- Computerized version of information on learning strategies compiled by personnel of the PLUS Program and Center for Advancement of Learning(CAL) at Muskingum College over a ten-year period. The strategies information derives from a number of sources, including books, professional journals, and presentations from professional meetings.
4. Problem Based Learning (Maricopa Community College) - An overview, a collection of reviewed web sites and print material, lesson ideas and original publications. Includes a mathematics lesson that involves using the Internet to research the problem underlying an automobile purchase.
5. Problem-Based Learning - A method in which learners are progressively given more responsibility for their own education. PBL uses real world problems to stimulate learning, and to integrate and organize learned information in ways that will ensure its recall and application to future problems.
6. Problem-posing, Problem-solving, Persuasion - The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium emphasizes the 3 P's of science education: Problem-posing, Problem-solving and Peer Persuasion.
7. Project Approach - A comprehensive site on the theory and methodology; contains interactive spaces as well as examples (Sylvia Chard).
8. The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling - An explanation of the Socratic method of teaching by guided questioning.

Cooperative Learning

Probably one of the most misunderstood strategies for teaching is "cooperative learning." Yet, if employed properly, cooperative learning can produce extraordinary results in learning outcomes. It is based on grouping small teams of students heterogeneously according to ability, interest, background, etc. However, one of the most important features of cooperative learning is to pick the best strategy that will be used to assign the task for students to accomplish. The more popular strategies include JigsawII, STAD-Student Teams, or Group Investigation.

Check out these sites for more information on how to implement cooperative learning in your classroom:

1. 10 Tips for Cooperative Learning- In essence, each member is responsible for learning, as well as helping teammates learn, too. Students are to keep practicing concepts until the entire team understands and completes the assignment given. Here are some tips for utilizing cooperative learning in your classroom.
2. Cooperative Learning in Technical Courses: Procedures, Pitfalls, and Payoffs- ERIC Document
3. Cooperative Learning: Increasing College Faculty Instructional Productivity- How to use cooperative learning in a higher education setting.
4. Cooperative Learning Strategies- A major benefit of cooperative learning includes the nurturance and development of social interaction skills.
5. How About a Quick One?- Formats for small-group in-class exercises and the one-minute paper.
6. From Rowdy Crowd to Effective Team- Behavior research that can help make your classroom more effective.
7. Jigsaw Classroom- "The official web site of the jigsaw classroom, a cooperative learning technique that reduces racial conflict among school children, promotes better learning, improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the learning experience."
8. Navigating The Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction- The origins and patterns of student resistance to active and cooperative learning, and suggested ways to deal with the resistance.
9. Teaching Concerns: Cooperative Learning/Cooperative Grading- Features an example evaluation form.

Information Processing Strategies

Teaching students "how to" process information is a key factor in teaching students how to strategically organize, store, retrieve, and apply information presented. Such strategies include, but are not limited to, memorization, KWL, reciprocal teaching, graphic organizing, scaffolding, or webbing.

More information on this topic can be found at:

1. Body-Mind Mini-Lessons for Learning Academic Concepts - Mini-lessons to teach academic concepts somatically for preschool through lower elementary grades.
2. Brains.org - Classroom Application of Brain Research - Serves as a link between current psychological and neurological research and education. Site offers information on current research, articles and a free newsletter.
3. Handedness and Brain Lateralization - Brain lateralization and functional specializations.
4. Information Processing- Reviews the physiology aspects of information processing.
5. Information Processing Disorders- From the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
6. Sigmund Freud and the Freud Archives- A collection of links to Internet resources related to Sigmund Freud and his works.
7. Structure of the Brain - Brief summary.
8. TIP: Theories- Discusses Sternberg's Triarchic Theory.

Step 3- Identify a Variety of Instructional Activities

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Engaging students in the learning process using activities that motivate and challenge students to remain on task is probably one of the most frustrating events in the teaching learning process. But if you know your students' profiles, you have a better chance at keeping them on task to completion of any given assignment or activity. In a differentiated classroom, activities are suited to the needs of students according to the mixed ability levels, interests, backgrounds, etc. For example, if you have English language learners in your class, you need to provide activities that are bilingual in nature or that provide the necessary resources for students to complete the activity with success. Good activities require students to develop and apply knowledge in ways that make sense to them and that they find meaningful and relevant.

Ideas for activities can be found at:

http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/

Step 4- Identify Ways to Assess or Evaluate Student Progress

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Once again, we cannot assume that "one size fits all." As a result, varying means of student assessment is necessary if students are to be given every opportunity to demonstrate authentic learning. Authentic assessment has been around for a long time and is now taking the limelight as we attempt to measure students' progress in a fair and equitable way. A variety of assessment techniques can include portfolios, rubrics, performance-based assessment, and knowledge mapping.

For more information on this topic check out these sites:

A Long Overview of Authentic Assessment- Prepared by Lawrence Rudner, ERIC/AE and Carol Boston, ACCESS ERIC.
Assessment & Accountability Program- Translates "best practice" research to educators by providing useful resources.
Designing Performance Assessments: Challenges for the Three-Story Intellect- Literature review and introduction written by Thai educator Jo Anne Wangsatorntanakhun.
Helping Your Students with Homework- U.S. Department of Education guide to fine tuning assignments.
Journal Writing In the Classroom- Keeping a Journal is a great learning tool. It is a way to get students to write down what they think, see, or hear and to promote both learning and thinking about a subject.
Lifelong Learning, Teaching, and Assessment- From the Massachusetts Board of Education Frameworks document--"Charting the Course: The Common Chapters."
StarNET- A network for managing digitized multimedia performance assessment data.
Student Self-Assessment- From Houghton-Mifflin's Education Place.
The Daily Report Card- A daily report of what education issues are getting coverage by the media.
What the Research Says About Student Assessment- What assessment work and which don't?

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