Differentiated Instructions

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Differentiated Instructions as a way of Embracing Classroom Diversity

Alexis Lowe

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GRST 501: Graduate Success Strategies

Professor Jared Mink

August 1, 2021

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Introduction

Differentiated instructions are where the educator resorts to different teaching techniques

based on students’ needs. The learning landscape is increasingly changing with time. Chalkboards

have changed to whiteboards and instead of textbooks, learners use smartphones, iPads, and

Laptops. In terms of education policies, the Supreme Court banned racial separation adding to

school diversity. Educators need to embrace different instructional strategies in the teaching and

learning process. A classroom consists of learners from different races, backgrounds, and different

learning potentials. Some students are gifted but others struggle to retain classroom concepts. In

addition, a class may contain traumatized and English learning students. All the learners are hard to

excel on the same instructions due to their varying learning capabilities. Educators using one

teaching method disadvantage some groups leading to a large gap in academic attainment among

students in the same classroom. Therefore, educators need to conceptualize adaptive learning

strategies to unleash every student’s potential.

Thesis Statement

Due to the changing academic settings that lead to increased diversity, educators need to

embrace differentiated learning instructions allowing every student’s consideration in the teaching

and learning process.

Body

The gifted students' group is one of the learner categories in classrooms. Talented students

have exceptional learning abilities and easily grasp concepts in the class. They perform better than

the rest in almost every academic standard at schools. Traditionally, educators and curriculum

developers directed efforts towards slow-learning students. However, in the contemporary

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education setting, instructors need to develop strategies to address the academic needs of gifted

students. In an article published by ( Ngiamsunthorn, 2020), the author discusses how educators

can promote creativity among skillful students undertaking Mathematics classes. In the study, the

author shows that the use of challenge-based learning, problem-solving processes, project-based

learning, and in-depth questions foster creativity among gifted students.

In developing instructions for the teaching and learning process, the educators need to

consider students with gifted abilities. As noted (Ngiamsunthorn,2020), the student with

exceptional learning capabilities need challenge based-learning. Therefore, when teaching or

giving out tasks, such students need to be allocated complex tasks to develop their abilities and

utilize their potential. Further, such students need to participate in problem solving-processes. The

educators need to provide real problems for the gifted students and let them find solutions.

Problem-solving sharpens them by utilizing their knowledge. Conclusively, the instructors need to

raise the bars for the talented students by giving them complex classwork tasks.

Apart from the remarkable students, a classroom consists of slow learners. Slow learners

take time to grasp class concepts and have weaknesses in solving complex class tasks. Educators

need to regard such students and treat them differently from gifted students when developing

teaching strategies. As (Mansor, 2019) notes in his study; educating slow learners challenges

educators. The instructors spend most of their time trying to help such learners grasp concepts in

the classroom. Also, topics have to be taught repetitively for the learners to understand the

concepts. Unlike the gifted groups; (Mansor, 2019) notes that; slow learners need instructors’

human touch to excel in their academics. Indeed, educators need to constantly encourage the

learners to perform better in their classwork because they can easily give up. Personal touch in

teaching helps such students excel in their academics gradually. Besides personalization touch, the

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educators have to provide easy-to-solve questions to such learners to motivate them to develop

their academic capabilities persistently. Complex tasks for such students may force some to drop

out of school

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Unlike gifted students; when fashioning instructions for slow learners; educators need to

include simple tasks and easy-to-understand instructions. Positive attitudes towards the slow

learners as they struggle to grasp class concepts motivate them in the learning process. A harsh

character in the learning process disorients the slow learners and many ends up feeling

discouraged. Educators need differentiated instructions when dealing with both gifted and slow

learners. While the top performers need testing with complex questions, poor performers need

simple tasks to build their academic confidence at school.

The third group of students is those from different cultures and who speak different

languages like Spanish. Instructors have to embrace diversities by accepting to teaching children

from different cultures and those who speak other languages as their mother tongue. Non-English

speaking students find difficulties in grasping concepts in the English language. In addition,

children from non-White cultures get difficulties mixing with the whites due to the pervasive racial

discrimination in the USA. In an article by (Wood et al., 2018), the authors discussed teachers'

beliefs, strategies and self-efficacy, and innovative practices for accommodating learners from

diverse linguistic backgrounds. From the study, the teachers proposed individualized learning as

one technique for accommodating students learning English (Wood et al., 2018). Individualized

learning is where the teachers meet the respective students in a separate setting to train for teaching

purposes. Another approach is fashion communication between the teacher and the student. From

the study, educators highlighted that establishing a communication method between the students

and the learners enhanced their situations while in the schools. Consequently, as part of embracing

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diversity, schools need to come up with various modalities to support communication between

English learners and their instructors.

Lastly, a class may consist of traumatized students. Troubled students get exposed to

disheartening conditions that impact their wellness in academic settings. The role of educators is to

make such students feel secure in their classrooms. (Jennings, 2019) notes that, teaching

traumatized students prove difficult at times. The learners' manifest aggressiveness, is defiant,

interrupt class sessions, and have difficulties trusting their peers and educators (Jennings, 2019).

The role of educators is to build a caring and supportive environment for such learners. They must

feel confident while with their educators and peers. Giving such students difficult tasks

demotivates them and some may drop out of school. Failure to create friendly teaching and

learning instructions for the students dismantles the learner-student relations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, teachers need to embrace differentiated instructional strategies to enhance

the teaching and learning process. Each student has unique needs and the use of uniform

instructions across all learners risks the academic progress of others. For gifted students, the

instructors should provide difficult questions and hard-to-solve problems. On the other hand, for

students with slow learning attributes, the teachers need to continuously encourage them. For

English learners, the educators need to pursue individualized learning while for traumatized

students, a supportive and caring environment will drive them to excel. Differentiated instruction is

a way to go for teachers intending to embrace diversity.

References

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Jennings P. A. (2019). Teaching in a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom: What Educators Can Do to

Support Students? American Educator, 43(2), 12-17

Mansor, M. (2019). A step-by-step process in designing personalized reading content for slow

learner children. International Journal of Humanities, Management, and Social Science,

2(2), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.36079/lamintang.ij-humass-0202.38

Ngiamsunthorn, P. S. (2020). Promoting creative thinking for gifted students in undergraduate

mathematics. JRAMathEdu (Journal of Research and Advances in Mathematics

Education), 5(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.23917/jramathedu.v5i1.9675

Wood, C., Wofford, M. C., & Hassinger, A. (2018). Acknowledging challenges and embracing

innovative instructional practices in response to cultural and linguistic diversity. SAGE

Open, 8(2), 215824401877111. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018771110

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