Members Only
New Teachers
New Teacher Resources
Be willing to be a beginner every single morning. 
-- Meister Eckhart
New Teachers
Class Notes
Diff'rent strokes - 5/2/2008
by DeAnna Sheets and Kim Good
We all hear the term "differentiated instruction" at some time during our preparation for the classroom, but with so many other things to learn, we may not have time to really grasp the importance of the concept.
What does it mean to differentiate instruction?
No two students look alike, dress alike, act alike or learn alike. Based on this fact, teachers should not try to teach them all in the same way. A learner's unique personality and preferences contribute to their own unique style of learning.
There are basically three main ways to address these unique learning styles. Educators can vary the content being taught, adjust the process in which material is taught, or allow students to create different products to demonstrate understanding.
How do I vary the content being taught?
In order to vary the content, we must assess our students to check their knowledge or reading levels before we prepare a unit or lesson.
You can give a pre-test, have students write everything they know about a certain topic, observe a performance task or provide other pre-assessments.
Once you have this baseline for each student, you can find materials to extend the lesson for the students who show understanding of the topic; further the students who have the required knowledge but still need the current materials; and supplement the students who may not have some of the prior knowledge needed to proceed with the grade-level lesson.
For example, if you are teaching a lesson on landforms, students who show understanding of the expectations of the GLEs can work on deepening their knowledge in that area with extension activities. Students who have the required prior knowledge, but still need to be led through the instruction, will be given the grade-level materials to learn from. Students who don't know the vocabulary necessary to proceed with learning the GLEs or who can't read the grade-level text being used to instruct the others can be given work to provide the required prior knowledge or can be given text on their reading level on the relevant topic.
How do I adjust the process in which I teach learners?
When we adjust the process in which the material is taught, we are providing different ways for students to obtain the same information. This can be done in a variety of ways, including:
This sounds like a lot of work for a lesson; however, by using a variety of these processes, you will reach more students than if you stick only to the same few methods. Throughout a unit, you can, at some point, try to address each learner's need.
One time-management trick is to allow the students to teach other students. This allows them to teach in the way that they learn best and allows you to check for understanding.
How do I allow students to create different products to show understanding?
The best way to differentiate by product is to let the students choose their product. You can set up a rubric or checklist that allows the students to know their expectations from the beginning but gives them the freedom to show their understanding of the skill or concept in a multitude of ways.
Allowing students to choose their product will invest them in the project and raise their level of motivation. If the project is on landforms, some students may choose to write a paper, while others may choose to create a 3-D model showing the various landforms.
So many students, so little time. Where do I start?
Differentiating instruction in the classroom starts with getting to know how your students learn. There are a number of things to consider when evaluating your students’ learning styles. Reading level will determine their ability to read the grade-level content. Another key component of knowing your students is finding out their likes and dislikes. What makes them tick? A multiple-intelligence assessment or a learning-styles inventory (see resource page of WebQuest for examples) can assist in getting to know your students.
And as always in education, when things don't go as planned, evaluate, adjust and try, try, try again.
DeAnna Sheets and Kim Good teach third-grade eMINTS and fourth-grade eMINTS, respectively, at Branson R-4. Both have presented to a variety of audiences on a variety of topics. Their goals are to help fellow teachers, enhance learning for every student and grow as professionals.
Resources
There are many places to look for resources, and it can be confusing. We have tried to make it easier by creating a WebQuest on differentiated instruction. This will help you get started differentiating in the classroom using technology as well as provide more background knowledge on differentiated instruction.
Our WebQuest:
www.branson.k12.mo.us/school_links/elementary/sheets/diverseavenues/diverseavenuesindex.htm