Differentiated
Instruction
Brain research confirms
what experienced teachers have always known:
.
- No
two children are alike.
- No
two children learn in the identical way.
- An enriched
environment for one student is not necessarily enriched for
another.
- In
the classroom we should teach children to think for themselves.
Marian
Diamond
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Consequently,
it necessarily follows that although essential curricula goals may be similar
for all students, methodologies employed in a classroom must be varied to suit
to the individual needs of all children: ie. learning must be differentiated to
be effective.
Differentiating
instruction means creating multiple paths so that students of different
abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to
absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning
process. It allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for
their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and
cooperative learning.
Differentiating
is not new, the concept has been around for at least 2 decades for gifted and talented students.
(Also see Instructional strategies for G&T) However, it is now recognized to be an important tool for
engaging students and addressing the individual needs of all students.
Differentiating instruction is also an essential tool for integrating
technology into classroom activities. The most difficult and least effective
way to integrate technology is to consistently take all students in to the
computer lab to work on the same activities at the same time, and this may well
be true for many other subjects. This is not to say that some activities are
not appropriate for all students at some times. In the interest of expediency,
it is sometimes most appropriate to conduct some whole group instruction. What
is important is to recognize that this is just one of many strategies and it is
most effective when used at the appropriate time for common needs such as the
introduction to a new learning unit.
There are
generally several students in any classroom who are working below or above
grade level and these levels of readiness will vary between different subjects
in school. It is important to offer students learning tasks that are
appropriate to their learning needs rather than just to the grade and subject
being taught. This means providing 3 or 4 different options for students in any
given class (not 35 different options). Readiness (ability), learning styles
and interest vary between students and even within an individual over time. In
a differentiated classroom all students have equally engaging learning tasks.
In
preparation for differentiating, the teacher diagnoses the difference in
readiness, interests and learning style of all students in the class, using a
variety of performance indicators.
For the
teacher who is beginning to differentiate learning in the classroom,
differentiation may begin by varying the content, processes or product for each
group in the class. As the teacher becomes more proficient using these
techniques, differentiation can occur at all 3 stages of the process for some
students. This is especially appropriate for the more able students. The
essential curricula concepts may be the same for all students but the
complexity of the content, learning activities and/or products will vary so
that all students are challenged and no students are frustrated.
Students
with specific needs/weaknesses should be presented with learning activities
that offer opportunities for developing needed skills as well as opportunities
to display individual strengths. More advanced students may work on activities
with inherently higher level thinking requirements and greater complexity.
Four
Ways to Differentiate Instruction:
Differentiation
can occur in the content, process, product or environment in the classroom.
1.
Differentiating the Content/Topic
Content can
be described as the knowledge, skills and attitudes we want children to learn.
Differentiating content requires that students are pre-tested so the teacher
can identify the students who do not require direct instruction. Students
demonstrating understanding of the concept can skip the instruction step and
proceed to apply the concepts to the task of solving a problem. This strategy
is often referred to as compacting the curriculum. Another way to differentiate
content is simply to permit the apt student to accelerate their rate of
progress. They can work ahead independently on some projects, i.e. they cover
the content faster than their peers.
2.
Differentiating the Process/Activities
Differentiating
the processes means varying learning activities or strategies to provide
appropriate methods for students to explore the concepts. It is important to
give students alternative paths to manipulate the ideas embedded within the
concept. For example students may use graphic organizers, maps, diagrams or
charts to display their comprehension of concepts covered. Varying the complexity
of the graphic organizer can very effectively facilitate differing levels of
cognitive processing for students of differing ability.
3.
Differentiating the Product
Differentiating
the product means varying the complexity of the product that
students create to demonstrate mastery of the concepts. Students working below
grade level may have reduced performance expectations, while students above
grade level may be asked to produce work that requires more complex or more
advanced thinking. There are many sources of alternative product ideas
available to teachers. However sometimes it is motivating for students to
be offered choice of product.
4.
Diffferentiating By Manipulating The Environment or Through Accommodating
Individual Learning Styles
Even though
these approaches look at learning
styles in vastly different ways they
all have merit for some children. However, an amalgamation or blending of these
concepts is probably more effective than any one approach. The Dunn and
Dunn approach would be most effectively applied in a building designed to
accommodate environmental changes. Many classrooms offer limited opportunities
to change the lighting or sound levels, to eliminate visual distracters, or to
provide a more casual seating arrangement for students. Varying teaching
strategies makes sure that students will occasionally learn in a manner
compatible with their own learning preference but also expands their repertoire
of alternative learning strategies in turn. The Multiple Intelligences
Theory is very helpful for helping teachers recognize that students have
differing aptitude in different subject areas, but it still requires the
application of the kinds of learning strategies listed here to be
effective. The MBTI and Gregorc's Style Delineator help teachers recognize how
personality differences can either enhance or distract from communication
between individuals.
The most
significant issue relating to learning styles is the paradigm shift in
education in recent years. This paradigm shift is illustrated in the way that
curriculum is presently defined in the most recent programs of studies.
Curriculum is no longer defined in terms of what a teacher will teach but
rather in terms of what a student will be able to demonstrate. If we are to be
responsible for what a child learns then it is essential that we understand
what (s)he knew at the beginning and how to move him/her forward from that
point in a successful manner. This means we need to understanding how each
student learns best. It also means that we need to build on what they
already know.
Within these
four ways for differentiating there are embedded many learning strategies which
are used in conjunction with each other.
Teachers
new to differentiating instruction may initially choose to use individual
strategies and begin by differentiating either content, process or product
.
It is also
important to recognize that there is a considerable overlap between the
strategies listed below. As teachers become comfortable with these strategies
several may be very effectively employed simultaneously.
For
example: students may be grouped by interest but may also have activities set at different
levels of complexity (questioning levels/abstract thinking processes)
resulting in varying products that employ students' preferred learning
modality (auditory, visual or kinesthetic). Thus the content is being
differentiated by interest, the process is being differentiated by readiness
(complexity of thinking skills required) and the product is being
differentiated by student learning modality preferences. This
multiple differentiation has the added advantage of making presentations much
more interesting than it would be if all groups do everything in the same way
and each presentation is simply a repetition of the former one.
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NOTE:
- All
differentiation of learning begins with student assessment http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/assessing.html
- Since
differentiating requires a considerable degree of self direction and
intrinsic motivation, it is necessary to focus on developing
intrinsic motivation skills. http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/motivation.html
- It is
necessary to clarify the concept of fairness. Students often get hung up on the
idea that it isn't fair for the teacher to have different expectations
for different students. They often feel that all students should be
doing the same thing or "it isn't fair." It is important
for the teacher to establish the fact that each student is a unique
individual and has different learning needs. Consequently they will be
working at different tasks much of the time.
The
Strategies:
Readiness
and Ability
Teachers
can use a variety of assessments to determine a student's readiness. also, to
learn new concepts students may be generally working below or above grade
level or they may simply be missing necessary prerequisite skills.
However,
readiness is constantly changing and as readiness changes it is important
that students be permitted to move between different groups (see flexible
grouping). Activities for each group are often differentiated by
complexity. Students whose understanding is below grade level will work at
tasks inherently less complex than those attempted by more advanced students.
Those students whose reading level is below grade level will benefit by
reading with a buddy or listening to stories/instructions using a tape
recorder so that they receive information verbally.
Varying
the level of questioning (and consequent thinking skills) and compacting the
curriculum and are useful strategies for accommodating differences in
ability or readiness.
Adjusting
Questions
During
large group discussion activities, teachers direct the higher level questions
to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for
student with greater needs. All students are answering important questions that
require them to think but the questions are targeted towards the student’s
ability or readiness level.
An easy
tool for accomplishing this is to put posters on the classroom walls with key
words that identify the varying levels of thinking. For example I used to put
6 posters on my walls (based on Bloom's taxonomy) one for Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation. These were
useful cues for me when conducting class discussions and useful for my
students when they were required to develop their own research questions.
Different students may be referred to different posters at certain times
depending on ability, readiness or assignment requirements.
With
written quizzes the teacher may assign specific questions for each group of
students. They all answer the same number of questions but the complexity
required varies from group to group. However, the option to go beyond minimal
requirements can be available for students who require an additional
challenge for their level.
Compacting
Curriculum
Compacting
the curriculum means assessing a students knowledge, skills and attitudes and
providing alternative activities for the student who has already mastered
curriculum content. This can be achieved by pre-testing basic concepts
or using performance assessment methods. Students who demonstrate that they
do not require instruction move on to tiered problem solving activities while
others receive instruction.
Tiered
Assignments
Tiered
activities are a series of related tasks of varying complexity. All of these
activities relate to essential understanding and key skills that
students need to acquire. Teachers assign the activities as alternative
ways of reaching the same goals taking into account individual student needs.
Acceleration/Deceleration
Accelerating
or decelerating the pace that students move
through curriculum is another method of differentiating instruction.
Students demonstrating a high level of competence can work through the
curriculum at a faster pace. Students experiencing difficulties may need
adjusted activities that allow for a slower pace in order to experience
success.
Flexible
Grouping
As student
performance will vary it is important to permit movement between
groups. Student’s readiness varies depending on personal talents and
interests, so we must remain open to the concept that a student may be
below grade level in one subject at the same time as being above grade level
in another subject.
Flexible
grouping allows students to be appropriately challenged and avoids labeling a
student's readiness as static. Neither should students be kept in a static
group for particular subjects as their learning may accelerate from time to
time.
Even
highly talented students can benefit from flexible grouping. Often they
benefit from work with intellectual peers, while occasionally in another
group they can experience being a leader. In either case peer-teaching is a
valuable strategy for group-work.
Peer
Teaching
Occasionally
a student may have personal needs that require one-on-one instruction that go
beyond the needs of his or her peers. After receiving this extra instruction
the student could be designated as the "resident expert" for that
concept or skill and can get valuable practice by being given the opportunity
to re-teach the concept to peers. In these circumstances both students
benefit.
Learning
Profiles/Styles
Another
filter for assigning students to tasks is by learning style, such as adjusting preferred environment (quiet, lower lighting,
formal/casual seating etc.) or learning modality: auditory (learns best by
hearing information) visual (learns best through seeing information in charts
or pictures) or kinesthetic preferences (learns best by using concrete
examples, or may need to move around while learning) or through personal
interests. Since student motivation is also a unique element in learning,
understanding individual learning styles and interests will permit teachers
to apply appropriate strategies for developing intrinsic motivational techniques.
Student
Interest
Interest
surveys are often used for determining student interest. Brainstorming for
subtopics within a curriculum concept and using semantic webbing to explore
interesting facets of the concept is another effective tool. This is also an
effective way of teaching students how to focus on a manageable subtopic.
Brainstorming using the blackboard or better still, using Graphic Organizers
such as Mindmanager and Inspiration
can be a highly effective way for teaching
students how to explore a concept and focus on manageable and personally
interesting subtopics.
Reading
Buddies
This
strategy is more useful for younger students. Children get additional
practice and experience reading away from the teacher as they develop fluency
and comprehension. It is important that students read with a
specific purpose in mind and then have an opportunity to discuss what was
read. It is not necessary for students to always be at the same reading
level. Students with varying word recognition, word analysis and
comprehension skills can help each other be more successful. Adjusted follow
up tasks are also assigned based on readiness level.
Independent
Study Projects
Independent
Study is a research project where students learn how to develop the skills for
independent learning. The degree of help and structure will vary between
students and depend on their ability to manage ideas, time and productivity.
A modification of the independent study is the buddy-study.
Buddy-Studies
A
buddy-study permits two or three students to work together on a project. The
expectation is that all may share the research and analysis/organization of
information but each student must complete an individual product to
demonstrate learning that has taken place and be accountable for their own
planning, time management and individual accomplishment
Learning
Contracts
A learning
contract is a written agreement between teacher and student that will result
in students working independently. The contract helps students to set daily and
weekly work goals and develop management skills. It also helps the teacher to
keep track of each student’s progress. The actual assignments will vary
according to specific student needs.
Learning
Centres
Learning
Centres have been used by teachers for a long time and may contain both
differentiated and compulsory activities. However a learning centre is not
necessarily differentiated unless the activities are varied by complexity
taking in to account different student ability and readiness. It is important
that students understand what is expected of them at the learning centre and
are encouraged to manage their use of time. The degree of structure that is
provided will vary according to student independent work habits. At the end
of each week students should be able to account for their use of time.
Carol
Anne Tomlinson’s book The Differentiated Classroom and ASCD’s video tape kit Differentiating
Instruction (VT 7600) list the following additional strategy for
differentiating learning in a mixed ability classroom.
Anchoring
Activities
This may
be a list of activities that a student can do to at any time when they have
completed present assignments or it can be assigned for a short period at the
beginning of each class as students organize themselves and prepare for work.
These activities may relate to specific needs or enrichment opportunities,
including problems to solve or journals to write. They could also be part of
a long-term project that a student is working on. These activities may
provide the teacher with time to provide specific help and small group
instruction to students requiring additional help to get started.
Students can work at different paces but always have productive work they can
do. Some time ago these activities may have been called seat-work, and should
not be confused with busy-work. These activities must be worthy of a
student’s time and appropriate to their learning needs.
Tomlinson
also recommends tiered activities, adjusting questions, learning
centres, flexible grouping, independent study and curriculum compacting
as defined above.
The
teacher becomes a facilitator, assessor of students and planner of activities
rather than an instructor. This is what Roger Taylor called the Guide on the Side rather than the Sage on the
Stage approach in the early 80s. It
is less structured, more busy and often less quiet than older teaching
methods. However, differentiation engages students more deeply in their
learning, provides for constant growth and development, and provides for a
stimulating and exciting classroom.
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