Running Head: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 1

Differentiated Instruction
Andrew Smit
EDU !"1
Instructor Ewing
Differentiated Instruction #
Se$tem%er #&' #(1&Differentiated Instruction
Differentiation is a%out meeting te needs of a c)ass fu)) of di*erse )earners+ Students do
not a)) )earn te same' and tere a num%er of different )earning st,)es students ma, $refer' *isua)'
auditor,' read-write' and .inestetic+ /isua) )earning is )earning %, watcing' auditor, )earning
is )earning %, )istening' read-write )earning is )earning troug reading and writing' and
.inestetic )earning is )earning troug doing and and0on e1$erience+ Not a)) )essons can %e
ade2uate), ada$ted to meet mu)ti$)e )earning st,)es' %ut wen it is' it is %est to tr, to teac to
mu)ti$)e )earning st,)es using *arious a$$roaces and materia)s' tat wa, more students wi)) %e
a%)e to gras$ and understand te )esson+
3Differentiation is an um%re))a conce$t tat incor$orates man, effecti*e traditiona)
metods and strategies as we)) as merging man, as$ects of critica) tin.ing' %rain researc'
interdisci$)inar, instruction' and constructi*ism'4 5A))an' n+d+' 6ar+ 17+ Teacers wo
differentiate teir instruction t,$ica)), a*e te most in*o)*ed and interested students' %ecause
te instruction is ada$ted for teir a%i)ities' )earning st,)es' interests' and e*en teir readiness to
)earn new materia)+ To %e successfu) in differentiating instruction' teacers must get to .now
teir students' understand teir a%i)ities' teir interests' teir $referred )earning st,)e' and find
wa,s to ada$t te materia) so tat it wi)) meet te needs of a)) students and teir indi*idua) needs+
E*en toug te differentiated instruction mode) )ac.s em$irica) *a)idation' tere is a )ot
of su$$orting e*idence from 3te $)etora of testimonia)s' anecdotes and c)assroom e1am$)es
a*ai)a%)e troug a mu)titude of we%sites and $u%)ications dea)ing wit differentiation'4
5Su%%an' #((8' 6+ 9!8' 6ar+ #7+ :it te growing di*ersit, in te scoo)s and c)assrooms' it is
%ecoming increasing), im$ortant to wor. wit new mode)s of instruction' so tat teacers ma,
e)$ a)) of teir students to %e successfu) in c)ass+ Troug o%ser*ation and researc' it as %een
Differentiated Instruction !
$ro*en tat not a)) students wi)) )earn te same wa,+ Tis means tat teacers need to %e a%)e to
teac to teir different )earning st,)es' a%i)ities' and strengts+
;an, areas of researc contri%ute to te de*e)o$ment of te differentiated instruction
mode)+ Researc into cognition and ow $eo$)e )earn' <ardner=s teor, of mu)ti$)e
inte))igences' Stern%erg=s teor, of tin.ing st,)es' Hert>%erg=s wor. on moti*ation' and te >one
of $ro1ima) de*e)o$ment teor, a)) )in. togeter to su$$ort tis mode)+ 3?)oom=s 5199&7 Si1
@e*e)s of Higer Tin.ing 5.now)edge' com$reension' a$$)ication' ana),sis' e*a)uation' and
s,ntesis7 are a)so em%edded to ideas of differentiating instruction as te, encourage greater
rigor for some students and *aria%i)it, among a))'4 5Serman' #(("' 6+ !' 6ar+ !7+ A)) tis
researc su$$orts te im$)ementation of tis mode) in te c)assroom to e)$ a)) students %e
successfu)+
Differentiated instruction wor.s %, tr,ing to meet te )earning needs of a)) students' te
)ow acie*ing' te a*erage' and te ig acie*ing students+ A)) tese students a*e different
)earning needs tat must %e ta.en into consideration+ Teacers do tis %, $ro*iding se*era)
)earning o$tions for te same unit+ Te, can do tis %, differentiating te materia)s or te t,$es
of assessments tat wi)) %e used+ Some students wi)) need more of a ca))enge' wi)e oters wi))
need more assistance+ Howe*er' it does not mean de*e)o$ing a se$arate )esson $)an for eac
student+ Instead' ,ou can differentiate instruction %, te four common )earning st,)es 5/ARA7
5:i))oug%,' n+d+7' and design ,our c)assroom into se$arate )earning areas were students wit
te same a%i)ities and )earning st,)es can wor. togeter+
Tere are man, wa,s tat a teacer cou)d differentiate instruction in te c)ass+ One wa,
is to set u$ different )earning areas in te c)assroom+ Eac of tese areas wou)d focus on a
different )earning st,)e' wit one area using %oo.s and internet to conduct researc 5read-write7'
Differentiated Instruction &
anoter area dedicated to *isua) )earning' anoter to auditor, )earning' and te )ast area for
.inestetic )earning+ Tis cou)d a)) %e done %, switcing u$ te materia)s used to $resent te
information' and wou)d a))ow te students to use teir $referred metod of )earning+
Oter wa,s to differentiate instruction wou)d %e to modif, te content' modif, te
$rocess' or modif, te $roduct+ Te content can %e modified %, its com$)e1it,' a%stractness' and
*ariet, of resources+ To modif, of te $rocess' teacers can de*e)o$ 2uestions and materia)s tat
contri%ute to iger )e*e)s of tin.ing' use )essons wit more o$en0ended 2uestions and )earning
tat wi)) encourage te students to use teir creati*e tin.ing' and a)so a))owing *aria%)e $acing
for te t,$es of acti*ities+ Te $roduct can %e modified' so tat wat te students wi)) %e graded
on wi)) ref)ect teir $otentia)+ Some students are artistic' wi)e oters are %etter are writing
$a$ers' so te end $roduct cou)d %e switced u$ to %e a $resentation' a $oster' or an essa,
co*ering wat te students a*e )earned+
I do not reca)) using tis metod muc wi)e I was in scoo)+ ;ost of m, c)asses were
%ased on te one si>e fits a)) mode)' so a)) te students were e1$ected to use te same materia)s'
and come u$ wit te same end $roduct+ Tere were times wen we used different materia)s for
different )essons and sometimes mu)ti$)e t,$es of resources for te same units' %ut not at te
same time' and not focusing on student strengts and a%i)ities+ Some of m, c)asses a*e used
tis metod' %ut it was not unti) ig scoo)+ Te first c)ear memor, I a*e of differentiated
instruction in $ractice was for a c)ass istor,-socia) studies c)ass' in wic I was a teacer=s
assistant+ :e set u$ different )earning areas in te c)assroom so tat we cou)d get more of te
students to %ecome acti*e), engaged in te )earning $rocess+
From m, )imited use of te differentiated instruction mode)' and te researc and reading
regarding tis mode)' I wou)d conc)ude tat tis is a great too) to e)$ meet te needs of a grou$
Differentiated Instruction B
of di*erse )earners+ 3To differentiate instruction is to recogni>e students= *ar,ing %ac.ground
.now)edge' readiness' )anguage' $references in )earning' interests' and to react res$onsi*e),'4
5Ha))' as cited in Serman' #(("' 6+ !' 6ar+ 17+ :en a teacer %egins $re$aring er )essons'
tese as$ects sou)d %e ta.en into account+ Tat wa, te students wi)) fee) ca))enged' wit te
wor. not %eing o*erwe)ming' fo))owing a)ong te )ines of te >one of $ro1ima) de*e)o$ment+
:en we differentiate our )essons and materia)s' we can teac to te different )earning st,)es'
wic wi)) increase o*era)) )earning for a)) students+

Differentiated Instruction 8
References
A))an' S+ 5n+d+7+ Differentiated instruction' curricu)um' assessment+ Retrie*ed Cu), 8' #(1!' from
tt$:--www+differentiatedinstruction+net-
Estes' T+H+' ;int>' S+@+' D <unter' ;+A+ 5#(117+ Instruction: A models approach+
?oston: 6earson+ IS?N 9E"(1!1!"1!B!
Serman' :+ 5#(("' ;arc7+ Differentiated instruction: A review of the literature 5Re$ort No+
#"7+ Retrie*ed from tt$:--merc+soe+*cu+edu-?riefs-SermanF#(fina)F#(re$ort+doc
Su%%an' 6+ 5#((87+ Differentiated instruction: A researc %asis+ International Education Journal'
75E7' 9!B09&E+
:i))oug%,' C+ 5n+d+7+ Differentiating instruction: ;eeting students were te, are+ Retrie*ed
Cu), E' #(1!' from
tt$:--www+g)encoe+com-sec-teacingtoda,-su%Gect-diHmeeting+$tm)