Differentiation Ideas Education

Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each student.

Research on the effectiveness of differentiation shows this method benefits a wide range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

• Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.
• Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
• Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
• Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.

History of differentiated instruction

The roots of differentiated instruction go all the way back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher had students of all ages in one classroom. As the educational system transitioned to grading schools, it was assumed that children of the same age learned similarly. However in 1912, achievement tests were introduced, and the scores revealed the gaps in student’s abilities within grade levels.

Four ways to differentiate instruction

According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate instruction through four ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment.

1. Content

As you already know, fundamental lesson content should cover the standards of learning set by the school district or state educational standards. But some students in your class may be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in a lesson, some students may have partial mastery, and some students may already be familiar with the content before the lesson begins.
What you could do is differentiate the content by designing activities for groups of students that cover various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (a classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order thinking skills to higher-order thinking skills). The six levels are: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
Students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be required to complete tasks on the lower levels: remembering and understanding. Students with some mastery could be asked to apply and analyze the content, and students who have high levels of mastery could be asked to complete tasks in the areas of evaluating and creating.
Examples of differentiating activities:

• Match vocabulary words to definitions.
• Read a passage of text and answer related questions.
• Think of a situation that happened to a character in the story and a different outcome.
• Differentiate fact from opinion in the story.
• Identify an author’s position and provide evidence to support this viewpoint.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson.

2. Process

Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and through words. This process-related method also addresses the fact that not all students require the same amount of support from the teacher, and students could choose to work in pairs, small groups, or individually. And while some students may benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide, others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can enhance student learning by offering support based on individual needs.
Examples of differentiating the process:

• Provide textbooks for visual and word learners.
• Allow auditory learners to listen to audio books.
• Give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive assignment online.

3. Product

The product is what the student creates at the end of the lesson to demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in the form of tests, projects, reports, or other activities. You could assign students to complete activities that show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student prefers, based on learning style.
Examples of differentiating the end product:

• Read and write learners write a book report.
• Visual learners create a graphic organizer of the story.
• Auditory learners give an oral report.
• Kinesthetic learners build a diorama illustrating the story.

4. Learning environment

The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key, incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to support both individual and group work. Psychologically speaking, teachers should use classroom management techniques that support a safe and supportive learning environment.
Examples of differentiating the environment:

• Break some students into reading groups to discuss the assignment.
• Allow students to read individually if preferred.
• Create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.

Pros and cons of differentiated instruction

The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied by the drawback of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Pros

• Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.
• When students are given more options on how they can learn material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning.
• Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated lessons.

Cons

• Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning, and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule.
• The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional development resources.
• Critics argue there isn’t enough research to support the benefits of differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time.

Teachers who regularly use formative assessment know its value for capturing an accurate, on-the-fly picture of how and what students are learning. And once teachers understand whether their lessons have landed as intended, they can begin to differentiate instruction in an attempt to engage all learners.
Over the years, educators from across the country have shared with Edutopia a wealth of creative strategies for formative assessment and differentiation. To build on that base, we hosted a Twitter chat on these topics—participants considered several questions over the course of a few hundred comments, giving us a sense of why they think differentiation is important and how to achieve it in the classroom.


#smartstudenterp #educationideas #differenteducation #smartideas #smartwork #1 erp software #1 erp solutions #5 college risk management #business management #campus asset management #campus management #campus management 2018 #campus management Chennai #campus management development #campus management india #campus management international #campus management pricing #campus management products #campus management reviews #campus management software india #campus management solution #campus management support #campus management system #campus management system software #campus management tool #campus traffic management #campus travel management #campus view management #campus waste management #category in erp #college attendance management system #college bus management system #college estate management #college facilities management #college faculty management system #college fee management software free download #college for management #college for management and business #college health management #college hospitality management #college hotel management #college leave management system #college library management software free download #college library management system #college management #college management accounts #college management app #college management committee #college management database system #college management definition #college management erp #college management erp software #college management free software #college management information system #college management report #college management rules #college management software #college management structure #college management system #college of management and technology #college quality management system #college result management system #college risk management #college sports management group #college sports management jobs #college time management #college time management app #define a school management #e school management system #erp #erp 2018 #erp accounting systems #erp administrator #erp analysts #erp applications #erp business analyst #erp calculator #erp certificate #erp consultant #erp consultant salary #erp dashboard #erp databases #erp definition #erp design #erp exam #erp examples #erp for small business #erp full form #erp home #erp industry #erp jobs #erp keywords #erp knowledge #erp login #erp logo #erp market #erp meaning #erp modules #erp names #erp operating systems #erp options #erp packages #erp sap #erp software #erp solutions #erp specialist #erp system #erp system definition #erp systems #erp systems examples #erp technologies #erp test #erp tools #erp university #erp website #e-school management software #e-school management system #e-school management system documentation #free school management system #k-12 erp systems #k-12 school management software #k-12 school management system #levels of school management #primary school management #primary school management system #private school management #problems with school management #relationship with school management #sap vs erp #school based management 2018 #school library management #school library management software #school management #school management and administration #school management and daily operations #school management and operational systems #school management apps #school management books #school management brochure #school management committee #school management companies #school management dashboard #school management database #school management definition #school management demo #school management development committee #school management features #school management for teachers #school management free download #school management free software #school management free software downloads #school management functions #school management icon #school management images #school management in education #school management information system #school management information system india #school management issues #school management letter #school management login #school management logo #school management manual #school management mobile app #school management mobile application #school management modules #school management notes #school management portal #school management problems and solutions #school management program #school management question paper #school management questionnaire #school management quotations #school management record #school management records #school management report #school management requirements #school management software india #school management software price list #school management system #tally erp #tally erp 7 #tally erp 7.2 free download #the school management #the school management structure #the school management team #top 5 management college