Differentiated Instruction Exploration

In my exploration of differentiated instruction, I found it most useful to visit teacher blogs. It is easy for me to relate and understand what they have to say versus reading about differentiated instruction in a scholarly journal. I found a few website that helped me to better understand what it means to differentiate what we teach.

The first website I found is located below this post, it is for elementary education, but the terms and examples were very simple and easy to understand. It explains differentiated instructions as tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. As teachers we can differentiate four areas of our classroom: content, process, product, and learning environment. I had never looked at differentiated instruction in this way before. When we apply different instruction tactics to these four areas, the instruction looks very different. Content involves how students can access what they need to learn. Some examples would be to convey content through visuals or audio. Process deals with activities teachers use while teaching content such as group work, games, contests etc. Product is the type of assignment we want students to have an option of doing, projects, small assignments, skits or speeches. The last area is learning environment, some students may work better alone and in silence, while others with groups and more active atmosphere. This is a tricky one to accommodate to everybody’s needs, but a big part of teachers job is to experiment!

The other two websites are linked to one another. One is an article on five strategies to set up a classroom for differentiated instruction and five things teachers can do everyday. The other website discusses different ways to differentiate!

I have found that effective differentiating instruction begins with knowing your students. It is okay to ask for their opinions on what they want to do.  Teachers also need to discuss how a classroom should work, if it should be a classroom of students or a community of learners. When you work as a community, each person comes together to support one another. After relationships, and classroom environment are established, teachers are ready to differentiate instruction.  I have learned that this is a trial and error process. It can be scary because not all students will be assessed the same.

We also need to remember that there is no “correct” way to teach. Teaching can look different but still be effective. Teachers may feel uneasy of students want to sit on top of their desks to read instead of in their seats. I say to heck with it, if that is what will help a student to stay on task and learn, lets do it!

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/263/

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/01/response_ways_to_differentiate_instruction.html

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/01/17/tln_ferlazzo_hull-sypnieski.html