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RUNNING HEAD: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ARTICLE REVIEW

Differentiated Instruction Article Review

Mariane Mitchell

October 29, 2010

TPA 002

Mj Gilio
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The author is this article is a fifth-grade teacher at Veterans Park Elementary School and

a doctoral student in the International Leadership doctoral program at Western Connecticut State

University. The focus of this article review is to summarize the author’s viewpoints and

recommendations of the use of differentiated instruction to help students reach and exceed

standards based on their individual learning needs. I will identify the various types of

differentiated instruction, the appropriate usage of differentiated instruction and the authors

theories related to differentiated instruction.

Types of Differentiated Instruction

Levy states that students enter the classroom with a variety of abilities, personalities, and

learning styles that are different from each other (p. 161). Differentiated instruction is the way

for teachers to meet these differences and help the students meet and exceed the established

content standards. Levy points about that every teacher who has entered a classroom has

differentiated his or her instruction in some way (p. 162). They do this when they give a student

more time to complete an assignment, allow a choice in what the students want to read or give

different types of assessments (p. 162). By making the classrooms responsive to the students

needs, teachers are able to develop a systematic approach to differentiation.

Appropriate Usage

Levy points out that the core of differentiated instruction is flexibility in content, process,

and product based on student strengths, needs, and learning styles (p.162). Content is what we

teach and the author believes that differentiated instruction allows for variation in content

without losing sight of the content curriculum to which ass children are entitled. Levy offers the
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suggestion to help students who are below grade level by providing smaller amounts of content

or providing the students with appropriates levels of content for the learner.

Levy defines process as how teachers teach and how students learn. It is important that

teachers understand that not all students learn the same way and, therefore, teachers cannot teach

them all the same way (p.162). Levy states that teachers need to find out where their students are

when they come into the process and they must build of the students’ prior knowledge. This will

provide the support that each student needs in order to gain knowledge from the instruction.

Levy defines product as the way students demonstrate what they have learned (p. 162). This is a

form of assessment completed by the teacher, whether is it is through pre-assessment, formative

assessment, or summative assessment.

Theories Related to Differentiated Instruction

Levy points out that the days of grouping students randomly are gone and that grouping

should be based on the needs of the students and the short-term goals of the teacher (p.163). The

author’s article states that some of the theories related to differentiated instruction are related to

ability levels, learning styles, and interest. By grouping students within one of these criteria’s,

the teacher is able to use ongoing, formative assessments to gauge the student’s learning

opportunities.

Levy presented some very solid reasoning about the importance of differentiated

instruction and its effectiveness in meeting the needs of all students. By presenting the

importance of proper grouping and effective assessments, the author shows that teachers will be

able to help their students move forward in their educational path by addressing and teaching

according to their individual needs (p.162).

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Reference

Levy, H. (2008, March/April). Meeting the Needs of All Students through Differentiated

Instruction: Helping Every Child Read and Exceed Standards. The Clearing

House, 81(4), 161-164.