Differentiated Instruction is. . .

1
Differentiated Instruction is. . .

• . . . a process and a philosophy

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It happens in many different ways, and

• Responds to the needs of the students
• Is most often invisible to parents and students
• Is embedded in instructional planning
• Includes several different types of
  differentiation.

3
Four different types of differentiation

• Differentiation of goals and learning objectives
• Differentiation for different learning styles
• Differentiation of supports provided
• Differentiation of learning activities and
  assignments

4
Differentiation of Goals and Learning Objectives

• A most important strategy
• Embedded in planning process
• Invisible to students and parents
• Results in all students achieving certain
  essential learning goals, most students achieving
  more, and some students developing a very
  sophisticated understanding

5
Differentiation of Goals and Learning Objectives
(cont.)

• Work structured around essential learnings,
  important knowledge, and enrichment
• Tiered or individualized accountability
• Examples
• Lecture variation (science class)
• Unit variation
• Open-ended project

6
Differentiation for different learning styles

• Again, embedded in planning process
• Most of these strategies are invisible to
  students and parents
• Learning style theory based on brain processing
  styles
• Approaches
• Variation during single lesson
• Variation during course of unit
• Choice of end products to demonstrate learning

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Differentiation of supports provided for learning

• This is the most visible strategy
• Includes a variety of strategies
• Preteaching/reteaching in directed studies
• Extra material provided (notes, study guides)
• Additional reading or reading at a different
  level
• Extra help from teachers
• Opportunities for teaching/presentation to deepen
  understanding

8
Differentiation of learning activities and
assignments

• The form most often demonstrated
• Not necessarily the most important method
• Students are engaged in different learning
  activities or have different homework
  assignments, based on their ability to accomplish
  those assignments

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Differentiation of learning activities and
assignments (cont.)

• Sometimes visible to students and parents
• Examples
• Enrichment activities provided to students
• Modification of assignments
• Different instructions for projects
• Literature circles (based on choice, with teacher
  advice)
• Differentiated packets of work (essay
  organization lesson)

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Differentiation of learning activities and
assignments (cont.)

• Examples (cont.)
• Workshop style instruction (e.g., writing
  workshop, individualized grammar instruction)
• Different problems assigned to groups within
  classes (e.g., math groups)
• Flexible groupings for different activities

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To summarize. . .

• Differentiated instruction is a process and a
  philosophy
• It is embedded in instruction, and intended to be
  invisible to students as much as possible
• Its goal is to enable all students to reach the
  highest possible achievement of which they are
  capable

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Reaching all students in this manner is an
essential goal in our school and our district