IRIS MODULE: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 2
IRIS Module: Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students
1. What is differentiated instruction? (1 – 2 paragraphs)
Differentiated instruction according to Tomlinson, “at its most basic level means
shaking up what goes on in a classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in
information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn” (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 1).
This means that students have a chance to explore learning through different scopes that
challenge them enough, but does not defeat them. Each student has the opportunity to explore
learning through guidance but how the student and teacher feels they will understand the
material the best. Some students may learn best through expression while others may learn
best through exploration. The idea of differentiation is for all students to learn and grow while
being challenged at their current level of understanding. Students should be pushed just
enough out of their comfort zone but must also know that they are being supported and not just
turned out on their own. We as educators do this through grouping of students.
2. Describe at least four significant ways differentiated instruction differs from
traditional classroom instruction. (1 – 2 paragraphs for each difference)
According to the website What is differentiated instruction? by the IRIS Center the
four significant ways differentiated instruction differs from traditional classroom instruction is
lessons are student centered not teacher centered, teachers no longer teach to the middle but
instead they teach to all learners, instruction is no longer provided just one way instead the
instruction is provided in multiple ways, and teachers in a differentiated classroom no longer
assign all students the same homework instead teachers offer a variety of options for students
to complete. When lessons are student centered and not teacher centered the learning shifts
from the teacher “being the keepers or dispensers of knowledge to collaborators and
organizers of learning opportunities” (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 34). This allows for students to take
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control of their own learning in a sense and be partially responsible for their learning. When
teachers no longer teach to the middle but teach to all needs of students every student is being
challenged in their current learning which is rewarding for all involved. Teachers can help
reach all learners through offering instruction in multiple ways. Instead of just lecturing
students, differentiated teachers can allow students to learn through small groups, modeling,
illustrating, offering material in students first or native language, or through expression.
Lastly, teachers can offer multiple ways for a student to show they have gained knowledge for
the area being taught. Teachers can allow for students to pick from a menu board or bingo card
to show that the student has grasped the knowledge being shared.
3. How can teachers get to know their students? (1 – 2 paragraphs)
There are lots of ways for teachers to get to know their students. One major way to get
to know your students is to learn about their interests. Almost all of us educators at some point
have partaken in an interest survey. Interest surveys allow educators to get to know what their
students like/do not like, not just in the classroom but in general. Another way you could get to
know your students interest is through having them write an all about me letter. According to
the article “Using students’ interests in general music (part 1): Getting to know learners and
conducting research” (Culp & Davis, 2023), a truly important way to learn about your
students’ interest is to build a relationship with them. Although this does not have an
immediate answer it will have a long lasting understanding of your students and their interest.
A second way to get to know your students is to understand their readiness over a
specific area. We can assess the students' readiness by offering pre pre-test to see where a
student scores before any of the information is shared with them about the specific learning
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standard. One of the last ways a teacher can get to know their student is by helping build their
learning profile. According to the website What is differentiated instruction? by the IRIS
Center, students and teachers create and build their learning profiles where they record their
preferred learning methods, their preferred learning environment, and any cultural information
that may be helpful to their learning.
4. List the three characteristics of students important for differentiating instruction and
give at least two examples of how teachers can learn about each. (1 – 2 paragraphs
for each characteristic and accompanying examples)
Three characteristics of students that are important for differentiating instruction is
content, process, and product (IRIS Center, n.d.). There are multiple ways teachers can learn
about these three characteristics. First let’s look at the content. According to IRIS Center,
content is the knowledge and skills students need to master (IRIS Center, n.d.). One way a
teacher can make this attainable in a differentiated classroom is to use tiered content. When a
teacher uses tiered content students will complete the same type of work assignment but the
assignment itself is geared towards where the student is at in terms of difficulty (Tomlinson,
2017, p. 53) A second way a teacher can differentiate content is by using a variety of
materials to teach the skill that is needing to be mastered. Teachers may use supplemental
resources along with the textbook inorder to provide the content at a varying range of grade
levels.
The second element is the process or activities students complete to master the content
(IRIS Center, n.d.). One way a teacher can differentiate the process is the idea of learning
centers. Each learning center is a designated area in the classroom that is centered around a
topic, theme, or activity helping the students reach mastery on the task or skill at hand (IRIS
Center, n.d.). A second approach to differentiating the process is the use of graphic organizers.
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Graphic organizers allow students a way to organize their thoughts. There are many different
types of graphic organizers such as, Fishbone, Venn Diagrams, and mind mapping
(Tureniyazova, 2019). Each graphic organizer has a specific reason for use but all of them
should be simple in nature (IRIS Center, n.d.). The last characteristic is product. One way
products can be differentiated is by using the tic tac toe method (IRIS Center, n.d.). The tic tac
toe method allows students to have options to demonstrate their knowledge (IRIS Center,
n.d.). There are lots of different ways you can use a tic tac toe board as an educator to allow
students the opportunity to share their knowledge. A second way an educator can differentiate
products is by using learning menus (IRIS Center, n.d.). Sometimes learning menus are
referred to as choice boards and allow students the freedom of selecting a way to show their
knowledge on a skill.
5. Ms. Hasbro has taught high-school Spanish for ten years. She would like to start
differentiating instruction and needs to make some changes. Currently, Ms. Hasbro
practices the following:
●Delivers instruction primarily by lecturing
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●Does not permit students to retake tests they have failed
●Records zeros for missing assignments
●Groups students at the beginning of the year based on the previous year’s
achievement test scores
●Gives bonus points for classroom participation
●Gives a test every Friday
Explain why each of Ms. Hasbro’s current classroom practices listed above is not a
differentiated practice and, for each practice, what she can do differently instead.
(Minimum two pages)
Delivering instruction primarily by lecturing is not differentiated instruction because
for some students it may not be challenging enough, other students it is just right, but the other
third it is too hard and does not make any sense. Instead of using lecturing she could use small
group settings to cover the content at the small groups instructional needs. Not permitting
students to take retakes in tests they have failed is not differentiated instruction because all
students learn at different rates. One thing Ms. Hasbro could do differently is allow students a
second chance at taking the test and not punish or deduct points from the student just because
they mastered the skill on the second try (IRIS Center, n.d.). Giving a zero to a student who
has a missing assignment can hurt the “good” student and the struggling student. “Instead of
giving zeros the teacher could put a grade in that shows the student is not proficient in the
topic so the students overall grade isn’t skewed” (IRIS Center, n.d.). Grouping students based
on their previous years test scores can be detrimental to student growth, instead the teacher
should get to know his/her students and place them in groups based off of the information
he/she has gathered.
Teachers should not give bonus points for participating in class as a form of
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differentiation, some students may be uncomfortable with speaking in front of the whole class
setting but maybe the student is thinking deeper than what the question is asking, Instead if a
teacher wants to offer bonus points it should be based on the same content that is being taught
(IRIS Center, n.d.). Giving a test every Friday is mundane and routine, along with not
providing any means of differentiation. Instead the teacher could rotate throughout learning
groups each day to understand where their students are at in relation to mastering the content
or skill that is being assessed.
6. Think back to a class you took in high school. Describe both the class and how the
teacher typically conducted it. (2 paragraphs)
There were not a lot of choices happening in my high school English classroom. We
sat in rows, not partners, but rows. Every student did the exact same assignments. Those
assignments consisted of all students reading the same reading each week, no exceptions. We
all had the exact same vocabulary words. Every Friday was a vocabulary assessment and after
reading a few chapters we would assess over those chapters as well. At the end of each novel
students would show mastery by completing a vocabulary unit test as well as a novel test.
Most of the time the teacher used a tape player to play the chapters with limited
discussion taking place. Students were required to follow along in the book as the teacher or
cassette tape read allowed. A lot of the questions the teacher asked were rhetorical and usually
did not spark any form of discussion. Most tests administered were multiple choice style.
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7. If you could change the high school class you described above, list five elements you
would change to make it more differentiated. Of the five elements, include one for
content, process, and product. (2 paragraphs for each of the five elements)
The first thing I would change in my old high school setting would be the ideas of
rows. Allow students to sit in partners or groups. When students are allowed to think-pair-
share or even collaborate with each other their understanding of the content becomes deeper
and more meaningful. Next I would change the fact that students had to have the exact same
vocabulary words. I agree that students need to have a basic understanding about words but
why could the teacher not take the idea the word was based on and give students who excel
more challenging words to foster their growth as well as making the words basic for the
students who were struggling. Better yet have the students use a thesaurus to look up words
that would stick with them for each week. This allows students to enrich their vocabulary and
stretch their brain.
I would change that everyday the teacher would play the chapter(s) that needed to be
covered on a cassette player. Instead of playing it students could partner read, read to
themselves, read to the teacher, or other options. Having each chapter presented the same way
allows for students to not truly pay attention and takes away from the learning environment.
I would also change the idea of multiple choice tests. This only shows what a student
has mastered at a surface level. I love the idea of allowing students to respond to open-ended
questions that shows what the student has mastered throughout their learning.
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References
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse
Classrooms, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2017. ProQuest
Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=4829767
What is differentiated instruction?. IRIS Center. (n.d.).
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/di/cresource/q1/p01/#content
Culp, M. E., & Davis, V. W. (2023). Using students’ interests in general music (part 1):
Getting to know learners and conducting research. Journal of General Music Education,
36(3), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/27527646231157675
Tureniyazova, A. I. (2019). Using graphical organizers in the teaching process of ICT.
Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 4(2), 31–40.
https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.04.02.3
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