Differentiated Instruction [A Complete Guide]

Differentiated Instruction: a Definition

According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, “a teacher who differentiates instruction proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs”.

Basically, in a differentiating classroom the teacher creates different ways to learn the content and make sense of it. The teacher also designs multiple ways students can create products to prove they have learned the content. Many times, in a traditional classroom the same content is taught through only one process, ending with the same product for everyone in the class. For example, in many classrooms today students walk in through the door, sit in the chair, and listen to the teacher lecture endlessly. After the lecture the students take a quiz and then leave. The next day the same thing happens.

In a differentiated classroom, the teacher knows that students learn differently. He also realizes that students don’t know exactly all the same things, so he assesses their knowledge. He now has an understanding of what his students know. So, he will now use a variety of instructional strategies to match the readiness, talents, and interests of his students to the content, process, and product of the lesson.

In the end, this teacher has differentiated instruction to meet the varied needs and levels of his students. All of his students learned.

Differentiating instruction is not easy to do, but it’s also imperative. It’s important to remember that there’s so much more to differentiated instruction than just a definition. It’s a way of student achievement.  

Why Use Differentiated Instruction

We use differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of our students. There are several reasons differentiated instruction is used in a classroom setting:

First off, research has shown us that individuals are better at learning information through different modalities. Differentiated instruction allows educators to cater to all learning styles.

Next, you must differentiate the rigor of the content, because students differ on performance and readiness level. We also recognize that some students will find certain material engaging, all others will not. Let’s just say a teacher is giving a lesson on equations; some students will get it automatically while others will feel lost.

Teachers need to differentiate because not all students learn the same material in the same time period.

Also, consider some of the specific types of students in the classroom. There are students with disabilities that require differentiation through modification.  

How to Use Differentiated Instruction

There are many different paths to differentiating instruction:

• First off instruction must be standards-based. Differentiated instruction begins with the selection of standards.
• The teacher must determine readiness and student interests through diagnostic testing and learning style inventories.
• The teacher then delivers varied content to students, depending on their learning styles interest and content readiness.
• Follow that up with having students work on varied activities.
• After students complete the varied activities, take questions and review the standards with the entire class.
• Next up, provide students with various assessments and projects aligned to the differentiated activities and contents.
• And finally, after assessments again review the standard with the entire class.

It is up to the teacher to come up with their own ways to differentiate instruction.  

Examples of Differentiated Instruction

Instruction can be differentiated through content, process, and product.

1. Differentiated content is related to what the students learn. The standard must be the same for all students. The content delivery can be varied based on student interest. For example, some students read stories based on music while others read stories based on sports.
2. Differentiation by process means that, for example, you can differentiate an activity by creating activity tables, next you can differentiate students through various groupings, you may differentiate students based on their levels of readiness or differentiate the learning process through a various number of learning styles. Have some tasks designed for visual students like creating diagrams and other tests for auditory learners.
3. Finally, you can differentiate the instruction as a product. Some assessment types might be in the best interests of one group of students but not in the best interest of another group. Offer different types of assessments and also try to incorporate projects and product assessments to allow for class creativity as students come up with their own ideas.

If you want to know what a differentiated classroom looks like, here is what school administrators look for when evaluating a differentiated classroom:

The first thing they look for is choice in student assignments. This should be reflected in lesson plans. Next, administrators want to see more than one text being used in the classroom, therefore offer multiple reading texts for students. When differentiating instruction, there should be an overall feel of students having their needs met and that is through personalized learning. Administrators like to monitor students and teachers through assessment, and they will look to see if students are being assessed in a variety of ways. Lastly, administrators will look to take notice if there is an acknowledgement of student learning styles; there should be teaching to multiple forms of intelligence.

How to Plan Your Lessons

Differentiation doesn’t have to be hard, but it also doesn’t happen magically. Teachers need to have a fair number of differentiation strategies in their back pocket, so they can pull them out when the occasions arise.

A common concern that a lot of teachers share is what do you do when you have students you know finish something faster. A quick solution is to have some extension strategies, some extension ideas that those students can do, some more complex tasks. For example, when studying a particular topic, and some students are done early, ask them to pull out their phones and research more information on that topic that they could share with the class. Another thing that you can ask students to do is, if they’re done early, to think about helping others.

On the other hand is what you do for students who take a little longer to complete assignments. What you can do is modify the student output. Instead of answering three questions, they can do one. Researchers have found that if you can just help someone get started on something, they’re much more likely to finish. So, sometimes just providing that first sentence in a writing response that they’re doing can just help those students get started.

A final point is what resources you can use to help ensure successful differentiation

that also don’t require a ton of time. If you’re serious about differentiation, you must consider carefully your materials. The challenge is to have materials that can be both challenging to your most proficient students and your least proficient students.

There are many fairly easy materials that you can create that can be helpful to both groups. One is graphic organizers. Graphic organizers are great for everybody. They don’t have to be used by everybody, but they can be made available for everybody. The other thing to keep in mind is this concept of engineering the text. You can make complex text more accessible without changing the words. You can create more white space. You can create headings. You can add definitions to key vocabulary at the bottom of the sheet that can be helpful to everybody. It doesn’t require necessarily simplifying the text; it’s more amplifying it.

Supporting All Learners

Diversity has become a defining feature of modern classrooms. Students come to

school with a wide range of interests and abilities, and diverse learning strengths and needs. Differentiated instruction is a philosophy that acknowledges that students learn at different rates and in many different ways.

Differentiated instruction benefits students because it promotes an environment in which learning differences are not just tolerated, they are valued. Carol Ann Tomlinson, one of the early advocates of this approach, describes differentiation as shaking up what goes on in the classroom, so that students have multiple opportunities to explore concepts, make sense of ideas, and demonstrate what they know and understand.

Differentiated instruction can take many forms. For example, teachers can provide materials and learning tasks at different levels of challenge or provide different levels of support in the classroom depending on student needs. When done effectively, differentiated instruction is a seamless part of everyday instructional planning and classroom practice. It is woven throughout the school day and informs how physical space at the classroom is organized, what learning resources are used, how instruction is planned and delivered, how student learning is assessed. The very nature of differentiated instruction means that it will look very different in every learning environment depending on the students, teachers, and learning contacts.

Effective differentiation also depends on knowing how and when to use multiple instruction strategies, so that students have opportunities to learn in multiple ways. Ongoing classroom assessment is also key to differentiated instruction. Assessment informs instructional planning and provides snapshots of what students understand and can do.

Another hallmark of differentiated instruction is the use of flexible groupings. With flexible groupings, students are grouped and regrouped over the course of the school day and throughout the school year. Typical groupings include whole class instruction, small group instruction, one-to-one instruction, peer teaching, pairs, partner learning, and independent learning activities. This flexible way of organizing groups allows for targeted small group instruction with students who share similar learning needs, interests or learning preferences.

It is essential that group membership is flexible and ever-changing to allow students to work with different peers in a variety of situations. Students need opportunities to work in group settings that they are comfortable with, as well as those that challenge them to learn and grow.

Differentiated instruction can enhance a teacher’s ability to reach all learners. Research shows that differentiated instruction can particularly benefit students with disabilities, English language learners, students who are gifted, students considered at risk for not completing school. A differentiated approach builds on evidence-based practices in an intentional and systematic manner, and differentiated instruction allows teachers to provide the best learning experience for all students in their classroom.

13 Differentiated Instruction Strategies

1. Create learning stations. Provide different types of content by setting up learning stations. For example, students can rotate between stations; that involves watching a video, creating artwork, and completing puzzles.
2. Use task cards. Like learning stations, task cards allow you to give students a range of content. Answering task cards can also be a small group activity, adding variety to classes that normally focus on solo or large group learning.
3. Interview students. Asking questions about learning and studying styles can help you pinpoint the kinds of content that will meet the needs of your class. Track your results to identify students with uncommon preferences, helping you determine which methods of instruction best suits their abilities.
4. Target different senses within lessons. A lesson should resonate with students if it targets visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic senses instead of only one. These tactics help more students grasp the core concept of lessons.
5. Share your own strengths and weaknesses. To familiarize students with the idea of differentiated learning, you may find it beneficial to explain that not everyone builds skills and processes information the same way.
6. Use the think-pair-share strategy. The think-pair-share strategy exposes students to three lesson experiences within one activity. As the strategies name implies, start by asking students to individually think about a given topic or answer a specific question. Next, pair students together to discuss their results and findings. Finally, have each pair share their ideas with the rest of the class and open the floor for further discussion.
7. Make time for journaling. A journal can be a tool for students to reflect on the lessons we’ve taught helping them process new information.
8. Run literature circles. Organizing students into literature circles not only encourages students to shape and inform each other’s understanding of reading, but helps auditory and participatory learners retain more information.
9. Group students with similar learning styles. Heterogeneous grouping is a common practice for grouping students. It can encourage collaboration through common work and thinking practices. This practice links like-minded students to support each other’s learning while giving you time to spend with each group.
10. Assign open-ended projects. Give your students a list of projects to find one that lets them effectively demonstrate their knowledge. Include a clear rubric for each type of project which clearly defines expectations.
11. Teach up. Teaching at a level that’s too easily accessible to each student can harm your differentiated instruction efforts. Teaching up however allows you to focus your differentiated teaching strategy and bring each student up to high end curriculum and expectations.
12. Play a math focused version of tic-tac-toe. Prepare by dividing a sheet into squares, three vertical by three horizontal. Then fill the boxes with questions that test different abilities. You can hand out sheets to students for solo practice or divide them into pairs and encourage friendly competition. The first one to link three Xs or Os by correctly completing questions wins.
13. Analyze your differentiated instruction strategy on a regular basis. Carol Tomlinson recommends analyzing your strategy frequently. Reflect on the match between your classroom and the philosophy of teaching and learning you want to practice. Look for matches and mismatches and use both to guide you.  

Differentiating Instruction Is Not as Hard as You Think

To some educators, differentiating instruction conjures visions of having to create a different lesson for every student in the room and long nights of planning and grading.

This is not what differentiation is all about. Differentiating instruction is really a way of thinking, not a preplanned list of strategies.

Many times, it is making decisions in the moment based on this mindset. It’s recognizing that fair doesn’t always mean treating everyone equally. It’s recognizing that all of our students bring different gifts and challenges and that as educators we need to recognize those differences and use our professional judgment to flexibly respond to them in our teaching.

Carol Tomlinson talks about the ability to differentiate in three areas, content, process and product. For content, student choice is one way we might differentiate, like allowing students to choose their research topics or essay prompts. As teachers, we need to keep asking ourselves what the main learning objectives are.

To differentiate by process, teachers can change up how they group students. Sometimes a mixed ability group might work best, while sometimes it might be appropriate to have same ability groups.

Teachers can also differentiate by the type of product students create. The major demonstration of learning doesn’t always have to be an essay or a multiple-choice test.

None of these differentiating strategies create any extra work for the teacher. They require that you have relationships with your students to know their strengths, challenges and interests. And you needed to demonstrate flexibility in your thinking.

Making these strategies successful also requires building a strong class culture, so that some of the students are being treated differently and they understand why.