Nathaniel Jones
IRIS: Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students
What is differentiated instruction?
Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching in which educators actively plan for
students' differences so that all students can best learn. In a differentiated classroom, teachers
divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively teach students who have various
backgrounds, readiness and skill levels, and interests.
How do teachers differentiate instruction?
A teacher can differentiate content. Content consists of facts, concepts, generalizations or
principles, attitudes, and skills related to the subject, as well as materials that represent those
elements. Content includes both what the teacher plans for students to learn and how the student
gains access to the desired knowledge, understanding, and skills. In many instances in a
differentiated classroom, essential facts, material to be understood, and skills remain constant for
all learners.
How do teachers prepare their students and their classrooms for differentiated instruction?
Teachers are successful at differentiating instruction for ELLs when they:
Get to know as much as possible about each student — ELLs represent a wide range of academic
skills, interests, languages, English language proficiency levels, and cultures. The more a teacher
can learn about each student's background, the better prepared s/he is to provide appropriate
instruction for that student.
Have high expectations for all students — Content should not be "watered down" for students
who are still developing English language skills. Creative teachers think of ways to help students
understand key material and "show what they know" in ways that match their language
proficiency levels.
Have a variety of research-based instructional strategies at hand — Experienced teachers know
that "one-size-fits-all" instruction is rarely successful. There are many different learning profiles
in any given classroom, and students learn best when instruction matches their needs and
learning styles.
Use ongoing assessment to guide instruction — Ongoing, informal assessment is vitally
important to matching instruction to students' changing needs.
Provide multiple types of assessment — matching assessment to students' learning profiles and
language proficiency ensures that every student has an opportunity to demonstrate what he/she
knows.
Differentiate homework — If all students have the same homework assignments, some are doing
busy work while others are struggling with work that they cannot possibly complete successfully
(Tomlinson, 2005).
Collaborate — Instruction is most successful when all of the professionals who work with ELLs
work together
Use flexible grouping — Small group instruction is a very effective way of making sure that all
students can access important content, and keeping groups flexible allows teachers to match
students with different peers for different types of activities.
Make content comprehensible for all students (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008) — Providing
ELLs with alternative ways of accessing key content (e.g., charts, books written in their first
language, simplified text written by the teacher, discussion, etc.) allows them to learn the same
material as other students as they continue to develop their English language skills.
What does differentiated instruction look like in the classroom?
It’s every educator’s dream to differentiate learning for every student in their classroom,
providing that extra layer of individualization, but for many the task can seem impossible. In the
ELA classroom, educators strive to search for text customized for a variety of reading levels, as
well as complimentary projects and assignments to showcase every student’s strengths. It’s
seems a big ask, especially when teachers need to switch between a variety of print, digital, and
interactive resources. But differentiation doesn’t need to be too time-consuming or difficult. By
using a variety of instructional strategies, including whole class, small group, and one-on-one,
the task of differentiating lessons can become easier for educators, allowing them to create
lessons fit for each students’ needs.
1. What is differentiated instruction?
Differentiated instruction is a way of teaching that allows the teacher to adjust the curriculum
and instruction based on the needs of the students. This approach is used to meet the maximum
number of students in a single classroom. Grouping students for instruction and using assessment
results to guide instruction are two key features of differentiated instruction. Instruction and
curriculum are adjusted to fit the various groups of students, not each individual student.
2. Describe at least 3 significant ways in which differentiate instruction differs from
traditional classroom instruction.
- Students are allowed to demonstrate their knowledge through various ways. Traditionally,
students may have to write a paper to show what they have learned the Civil War. With
differentiated instruction, though, students can write a paper, prepare an oral/visual presentation,
or another form of assessment.
- Information is presented in a variety of different ways to meet the needs of all the students. In a
traditional classroom, instruction may consist mostly of lecture and some sort of visual. In a
classroom with differentiated instruction, instruction may consist of lecture, video clips, readings
from books/articles, guest speakers, and more.
- Learning activities are another way differentiated instruction differs from the traditional
classroom. With differentiated instruction, teachers can use various activities to help their
students learn. Not all students have to do the same activities if it does not reflect how they learn
best. Also, teachers can let students engage in these activities for different amounts of time based
on their level of understanding over the material. In a traditional classroom, activities and time
allowed would typically be the same for all students across the board.
3. List the 2 general principles or strategies of differentiated instruction.
- Ongoing Assessment: testing students throughout a unit of study (rather than just beginning and
end) & with a variety of types of assessments
- Flexible Grouping: teachers can use homogenous (similar levels of learning or interests) or
heterogeneous grouping (different levels of learning or interests) when placing their students into
small groups or pairs. Homogenous grouping allows teachers to tailor the instruction to the needs
of that group. Heterogeneous grouping allows students to learn from each others’ strengths and
interests.
4. How can teachers get to know their students? List the 3 characteristics of students that are
important for differentiating instruction and define each.
- Readiness: student’s knowledge and skill level regarding given content. Readiness can vary
across subject areas.
- Interest: topics, skills, activities, hobbies students enjoy engaging and learning about
- Learning Profile: how students prefer to learn (visually, hands-on, lecture, etc.) and
environmental factors that influence their learning
5. Give at least 2 examples each of how teachers can learn about each of the 3 characteristics.
- Readiness: results of standardized tests and student work samples
- Interests: talking with the students and students writing about themselves
- Learning Profiles: observing students during class and giving them a questionnaire
6. List and define the 3 main instructional elements that teachers can adjust to meet the needs
of their learners.
- Content: knowledge and skills students need to master – students are expected to learn the same
skill or knowledge, but the curriculum used to teach the content is what differs for the students
- Process: activities students use to master the content – teachers teach the same content, but how
students make sense of it (the activities) differ for students
- Product: methods students use to demonstrate learning – students are assessed on the same
content, but how they are assessed differs
7. Why is there no prescribed way to differentiate instruction?
There is no one way to differentiate instruction because every classroom is different and all
students have unique needs. Differentiated instruction is merely a framework for teachers to
implement various strategies that work for their students.
Ms. Hasbro has taught high-school Spanish for 10 years. She would like to start differentiating
instruction and needs to make some changes. Explain why each of Ms. Hasbro’s classroom
practices listed below is not a differentiated practice and what she can do differently with each of
them:
8. Delivers instruction primarily by lecturing
There is only one method of instruction. This does not take into account the various needs of the
students. In order to differentiate, Ms. Hasbro needs to incorporate other forms of instruction.
9. Groups students at the beginning of the year based on the previous year’s achievement test
scores.
The students are being grouped based on how they needed their pervious academic year, not
where they are starting the current school year. By doing this, Ms. Hasbro does not know if any
of her students have made improvements or fallen behind. These will not be true groupings
because they are not based on current assessment results.
10. List 3 ways in which a teacher might get started in differentiating instruction.
- Start by differentiating only one of the instructional elements (content, process, product).
Trying to do more than one will simply overwhelm a teacher
- Pick one subject to differentiate
- Begin differentiating work through homework. Differentiate homework assignments based on
how you grouped your students.
References
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English
learners: The SIOP model (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Fairbain, S., & Jones-Vo, S. (2010). Differentiating instruction and Assessment for English
language learners: A guide for K-12 teachers. Philadelphia: Caslon.
Irujo, S. (2004, September/October). Differentiated instruction: We can no longer just aim down
the middle. ELL Outlook. Retrieved from http://coursecrafters.com/ELL-Outlook/index.html
Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Differentiating instruction: Why bother? Middle Ground, 9, 12-14.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
