Which differentiation strategies work best with your students? Students, Structures and Strategies 7. In a science unit on insects, a third-grade teacher encourages some of her students to explore how different insects adapt to environmental factors. Reaching and teaching all of your students can feel like an overwhelming task. Each week, students initial with a different color pen. Discover tips on differentiating instruction for multiple intelligences in this popular blog post. Another student uses a software program that provides a list of descriptive terms and then creates a web of categories. �ޞU�_TVHS��|�s��S��&b�|��U5qFO���9`���)��=J�ҡDkb�������m�� Her plans for other students involve identifying familiar insects and investigating their characteristics. In preparing for the unit, she gathers a tub of varied resources that include grade-level reading material, resources rich with photographs and light on words, several audiotapes, a list of websites, and several 3D models of insects. A written paper-and-pencil assessment doesn’t work for everyone! ���Expand your repertoire of instructional strategies that support differentiated instruction. A second-grade teacher asks students to reflect on their progress toward important benchmark skills and establish a goal to assist them in making progress toward mastery. Elementary students might be taught to follow a learning contract, in which tasks are specified but each student selects the order in which he or she completes the tasks. When teachers provide many guided opportunities for students to build competence and confidence, students develop the skills they need to be productive and responsible learners. Using Differentiated Instruction 5 It was decided that the attitudes and skills of all students would be affected by work in the other three areas. Differentiated Instruction gives students choices about how to learn and how to demonstrate their learning. A fourth-grade student might select three activities from a menu of nine activities in order to increase his understanding of the Underground Railroad. The teacher strives for all students to reach mastery in understanding the element of setting. Middle school students might develop a list of resources necessary to complete a multi-faceted assignment. ��� A variety of management strategies, such as learning centers, interest centers, learning buddies, etc. This does not mean that teachers individually tailor instruction. Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. Not the ones we would like to have. A differentiated approach to instruction considers the individual learning needs of students and creates learning opportunities that match students��� current abilities, interests, learning preferences and specific needs. Page 2: General Principles Differentiated instruction is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but instead should be shaped to meet the needs of students. ���Examine teaching practices that differentiate content, process, and/or product according to students��� needs. For this reason, the content was divided into facts, principles, and concepts. Teachers who create “working-with” learning environments encourage students to build responsibility for monitoring their work habits, making choices to enhance their learning, self-assessing their quality of work, and helping make decisions about how the overall classroom is functioning. stream The indicators of effective differentiation outlined in the self-assessment are based on four general principles, or guidelines, of differentiated instruction found in 1. <> Students indicate green if they are “good to go,” yellow means “I need more practice,” and red indicates, “I just don’t get it.”. learning profile. Principles of Differentiated Instruction B. This student also has access to a picture dictionary to assist with the language demands of the task. During a fifth-grade class meeting, a teacher asks her students to discuss how different tasks might be assigned in order to complete a cooperative group project. In differentiated classrooms, students are active participants in the learning process. A first-grade teacher checks in with her students throughout instruction using the colors of a stop light. Instruction is concept focused and principle driven. Key Elements of Differentiated Instruction. Key Features of Differentiated Instruction 5. In a first-grade class, students identify four to five classroom expectations. For example, one group paints a picture titled “This is a picture of us taking turns.” The pictures are displayed in the classroom and visually remind the students to follow their expectations. Assessment informs both the teacher and the student of the current level of understanding, progress, effectiveness of teaching and learning, and areas in need of improvement or enrichment. %�쏢 Creating a “working-with” classroom environment means that teachers and students share decisions about instructional activities, routines for accomplishing classroom tasks, ways in which students might work together, and how students can demonstrate their learning. Key Principles A fifth-grade teacher establishes expectations in context of teaching about the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. A learning outcome in language arts might involve knowing specific literary elements. All students have the opportunity to explore and apply the key concepts of the subject being studied. A few students will spend several days in the library doing research. 1. Formative assessment, done at the beginning of instruction, informs a teacher as to the range of “starting points” for each student. Regardless of whether the differentiation of instruction is based upon student readiness, interests, or needs, the dynamic flow of grouping and regrouping is one of the foundations of differentiated instruction. ��� Time use is flexible in response to student needs. Differentiated instruction is a process to teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. At the end of each week, students initial the timeline, indicating where they are in the task sequence. A lecture A high school government teacher asks each of her students to select two peers who will provide feedback on the student’s semester project. After all the students have had opportunities to understand setting, the teacher facilitates a large group activity in which students share their understanding of the role of setting in literature. While different definitions exist, many scholars and practitioners agree that differentiated instruction embodies both a set of principles and a repertoire of instructional practices that are proactively implemented for the purpose of meeting the varied needs of all students. A fifth grader might be asked for input about a classroom seating arrangement. O���Brien & Guiney (2001) clearly enumerated these as major principles of differentiated instruction: 1) Every child can learn and every Teachers can create differentiated, personalized, or responsive classrooms in a number of ways. At the beginning of a science unit, a middle school teacher asks her students to write a best-guess definition of the word “catalyst.” Based on their responses, the teacher designs a differentiated activity at the beginning of the unit that allows each student to work from his or her starting point. Don’t forget to use your specific students as resources; they can share responsibility in suggesting various routes to a common destination. As we continue to learn more about the learner, we respond by differentiating instruction with increased precision and effectiveness. Here is a list of some key principles that form the foundation of differentiating instruction. Both visual and linguistic options are offered. Differentiated instruction also stretches students��� ��� Using her knowledge of her students, the teacher creates multiple instructional options: Assessment and differentiation are integrally linked, and both should occur throughout instruction. Adapted from the book Quick-Guides to Inclusion, edited by Michael Giangreco & Mary Beth Doyle, today’s post lays out 7 principles of differentiated instruction and provides classroom examples for each one. Assessment and differentiation are integrally linked, and both should occur throughout instruction. * Differentiated Instruction: 7 Key Principles & How-Tos: https://t.co/npZhFnCXkf #inclusion #iechat https://t.…  […], […] Brookes Publishing Co. Differentiated Instruction: 7 Key Principles and How-Tos. is used to help target instruction to student needs. Tell us in the comments below (and if you try any of the ideas in this post, let us know how it goes!). The students then work in small groups, with each group painting a picture of classmates following the expectation successfully. Principles of Differentiated Instruction Learning experiences are based on student readiness, interest or learning profile. In the spirit of differentiation, summative assessment should also allow for individual differences and strengths. Two other students work together to create an alternative setting and then analyze how the new setting would alter the story. 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