Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction is the adjustment of materials and resources, the learning process and the assessment products or performances in response to students needs, interests and learning styles. Learning targets determine what can be differentiated and when.

What can be differentiated?

Materials/Resources
Students can use a wide range of resources, materials and to gather and understand information. This includes: reading appropriately leveled books gathering information from magazines, videos, books or pictures choosing sub-topics from a larger organizing center

Process
Students can use different strategies or tools to make sense of information or complete a task. This includes: using different graphic organizers based on ease of use using a variety of notetaking strategies include pictures, charts, graphs and bulleted lists exploring different research techniques

Product
Students can share what they have learned or what they can do in a variety of different ways. This includes: using varied assessments; information recall, product, and performance expressing knowledge through different modalities representing multiple intelligences choosing a way to share what was learned

Why can it be differentiated?

Need refers to a students readiness and includes their current skills and understanding. Learning Style refers to the way in which a student best learns and demonstrates his/her knowledge. Interest refers to student curiosity and choice.

Copyright 2010, Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd.

Using Learning Targets to Differentiate Instruction

Learning Target What can be differentiated

Possible Ways to Differentiate Students will use research using a variety of resources including books, magazines and film. Students can use a variety of strategies for note-taking including generating questions, using text-features, and identifying headings. Students can record their notes on post-its, lists, graphic organizer, and note-cards.

Materials/Resources Students will gather, interpret and select information Process appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate Product ideas from one text to another using strategies they have been taught for note-taking, organizing and categorizing information

Students will become competent writers by writing for a variety of purposes and audiences, applying proper use of writers craft and proper mechanics

Process Product

Students can engage in the writing process in a number of different ways that incorporate generating ideas, receiving feedback, revising and editing. Students can generate their own ideas for writing. Students can write using different genres.

Students read a variety of nonfiction across the content areas in order to synthesize information for research, and to make real-world connections

Materials/Resources Process

Students can read non-fiction text at their appropriate reading level. Students can choose a topic to read about. Students can choose a strategy for synthesizing and making connections. These can include recording thoughts while reading or after reading.

Copyright 2010, Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd.

Examples of Differentiate Instruction

The following are examples of differentiated instruction. What has been differentiated has been underlined in each and explained in italicized print. 1. Students choose three American leaders to research. The leaders can be current or historical. Students use a variety of resources, books, and articles to conduct their research. Students create a visual representation or graphic organizer to compare the leaders and contribute to class criteria on what makes a good leader. Students use these criteria to evaluate a current political leader. Students present their evaluation through an editorial, political advertisement, or TV commercial. Explanation of differentiation for Example 1: Students are given a choice of which America leaders to study based on their interests. They can access the curriculum through the use of different resources at their individual reading level. Students are able to choose the process for taking notes based on the system that best works with their learning style. They are able to choose the way they will present what they have learned to the class depending on both their interest and learning style. 2. Students keep an on-going log of poetry they have read throughout the semester. In their log they record the name and author of the poem, a summary of the poem and their reactions. Their reactions can range from artistic, musical, to written. At the end of the semester the students create a poem anthology of at least eight poems. They write the introduction to the anthology discussing the similarities and differences of the poems, as well as why these poems were assembled in the collection. Explanation of differentiation for Example 2: Students are able to access the curriculum by reading a variety of poems of varying degrees of difficulty and reading level, meeting the needs of individual students. Students can respond to the poems using a vehicle representative of their learning style. 3. After completing a pre-assessment on inertia, the teacher realizes that four of his students have mastered the general concepts to be studied in the unit. The teacher meets with the students and designs an investigation for the students to engage in while others are working on a structured unit that involves conducting experiments related to the principles of inertia. Together the teacher and students decide that the students will apply what they have learned to a rocketry project they can complete in class. Explanation of differentiation for Example 3: Students are able to design the process in which to deepen their understanding of inertia, responding to their individual needs.

Copyright 2010, Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd.

Differentiated Design Process

Step One: What do students need to know and be able to do? Identify key standards, concepts and/or skills to be taught in this learning experience. NYS Science Major Understandings Observe objects and events and record observations Use appropriate inquiry and process skills to collect data Record observations accurately and concisely Accurately transfer data from science journal or notes to graphic organizer State any inferences or generalizations indicated by the data Explain findings to others Plants require air, water, nutrients, and light in order to live and thrive. Each plant has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction Plants adapt to their environment Plants have life cycles Each kind of plant goes through its own stages of growth and development Plants adapt to meet the needs of the plant Plants adapt to their environment when conditions change Step Two: Design an engaging and meaningful task that can measure the learning targets. Students will work in small groups to study the plant life cycle. Each group will create a terrarium and document growth and development under different conditions. Students will share their findings in small groups. Step Three: Differentiate the materials/resources, process or product based on student need, interest and learning style. Content: Differentiation will be based on the amount of prior knowledge the students have about the plant life cycle (differentiation based on need). One group will observe the growth of plants. They will document growth, exposure to light, and intake of water. One group will observe the growth of plants in different environments. They will compare conditions in these environments and the effect the environment had on the plants growth and development. One group will observe the growth and development of plants when specific conditions are altered, i.e., the color of the water, the type of light and amount to exposure. They will draw conclusions Process: Differentiation will be based on need and learning style. Students will make their observations in a journal using pictures, descriptions, prepared plant outlines or graphic organizers. Product: Differentiation will be based on interest. Students may choose to work in a small group to create a childrens book, write an article for a science journal, or create a teaching tool and lesson plan.

Copyright 2010, Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd.