Differentiated Instruction–Literature Review.By Teri Daniel.

In response to the varied student learning needs, differentiation will be a key component of this classroom. It is “designed to improve access to the general education curriculum by adapting instruction to each student’s diverse learning needs” (Smith, 2007). “Differentiation instruction means changing the pace, level, or kind of instruction you provide in response to individual learners’ needs, styles, or interest” (Heacox, 2012). Because each student comes to this 6th grade classroom with unique needs, differentiation will implemented frequently to ensure that each student receives the rigor needed to master the 6th grade curriculum. It will be relevant to your student and his/her needs. It will provide an appropriate level of challenge. It will be engaging and at times, it will offer choices. Delivery of differentiated instruction will frequently involve centered based learning activities and small group instruction. A list and description of some of the centers will be distributed to parents and is attached as Appendix

Differentiating instruction is a valuable instructional management and delivery tool, which can be used to assist teachers in meeting the needs of the diverse populations of students which they now find in their classrooms. In using these strategies, a teacher may use pre-assessments to determine the learning styles, interests and readiness of the students, prior to the introduction of a lesson or unit. After developing a learner profile, the teacher may then differentiate according to the readiness of the student, by process of delivery, and by the product which the student may produce to

All students deserve a rewarding learning experience regardless of race, gender, economic status, or physical disability, for this reason Walnut Ridge Elementary school implements researched based practices such as differentiated instruction to help meet the individual needs of our students. Teachers are being made aware of the fact that diversity can have a detrimental impact on learning. Through the implementation of differentiation, we are able to expand the learning experiences for all diverse populations, thereby expanding educational opportunities for our students.

In the “Study of the Child: Theories of Development I” (Learning Seed, 1997), according to Vygotsky, the cognitive development in children is in direct relationship, and dependent on interaction with others. (Feldman 2010, pg. 20). Vygotsky believed to truly understand cognitive development; a child’s social and cultural experiences must be considered.

Differentiation of instruction is the process of teaching in a way to meet the needs of students with differing abilities in the same class, including those with special learning needs. One way to do this is by providing several different avenues by which all students can learn the same material. In differentiating instruction, teachers plan out and implement a variety of approaches to content, process, product, and environment. Differentiated instruction is used to meet the needs of student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs. Many people in the education field believe differentiation has the potential to transform teaching and learning in a way that raises expectations for all students.

Differentiated instruction is different from traditional classroom instruction in several ways. In differentiated instruction, teachers use on-going assessments instead of on assessment at the end of the unit. Differentiated instruction also uses flexible grouping, such as small groups or peer pairs, rather than simply whole-group instructions. Additionally, differentiated instruction uses an array of teaching methods based on the students learning style. Finally, differentiated instruction uses a variety of learning materials.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

Prior taking this RETELL class I thought differentiating meant “dummying down” work. I struggled with the concept of differentiating strategies because I thought it help students to be all they can be. Taking the class have given a clear understanding the meaning and the usage of differentiating teaching, matter of fact, some the strategies I use in class are similar to some of the strategies taught in the RETELL class. I realized that Differentiated instruction is about using teaching strategies that connect with individual student's learning strategies. The ultimate goal is to provide a learning environment that will maximize the potential for student success. The important thing to remember is to hold on to the effective teaching strategies that lead students to positive learning outcomes and to make adjustments when necessary. It's about being flexible and open to change. It's also about taking risks and trying teaching and learning strategies that you would have otherwise ignored. It's about managing instructional time in a way that meets the standards and also provides motivating, challenging, and meaningful experiences for school age

Readingrockets.org defines differentiation as tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Differentiated instruction is a broad framework for supporting student differences by varying content, process, products, and learning environments based upon students strengths and weaknesses (Tomlinson, 2000).

A final way differentiated instruction prepares students from the 21st century workplace is through direct instruction. Whether students go to college or enter the workforce, students will be required to receive information directly from one, or many, people and think critically about it. Whether it is sitting through a lecture in college, or a meeting at work, students will need to have the ability to take in information verbally and apply it to their area of study or expertise. In my classroom, I try to begin a lesson and end a lesson with some form of short discussion or lecture. I believe that it helps to either set up, or bring closure to, the information we are covering. For example, at the beginning a lesson this week I spoke for about fifteen minutes introducing the struggle for equality that African-Americans faced in the early 1900s. This short lecture helped lay the groundwork for the next two days and assisted in giving my students context for the upcoming hybrid stations.

All in all, differentiated instruction is a method used by teachers to accommodate all the different learning modalities, levels of learning, cultural and language barriers and special needs often integrated in one classroom with one lesson plan.

When teachers develop differentiated instruction strategies for students they provide several different avenues for the student to achieve the same learning goal regardless of which path they choose. Student choice in which avenue they ultimately select creates a sense of ownership with the students and actively engages them in the lesson. The different avenues all lead to the same learning goal just as many roads might lead to one destination. Differentiated thinking empowers teachers to be responsive rather than reactive to the unique and individual personalities,

“Differentiation provides a framework for responding to differences in students’ current and developing levels of readiness, their learning profiles and their interests, to optimize the match between students and learning opportunities” (Tomlinson and Jarvis, 2009, p. 599). Research has supported that adjusting content, environments, processes and final products addresses students’ differences. By incorporating differentiation in the classroom and school, students’ needs are addressed more fully and opportunities to excel are given.

Differentiating the content involves how the teacher presents new concepts and skills (Tomlinson & ERIC, 2000; Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). Students with disabilities can struggle with learning content in the typical pace of the general education classroom (Friend & Bursack, 2015). In differentiated instruction, teachers introduce new skills at an appropriate rate

Lev Vygotsky was an educator and a theorist known primarily for his sociocultural theory. Vygotsky developed the sociocultural theory, which is the theory of human development through social and cultural influences (Aimin, 2013), during the 1920’s-30’s. One of Vygotsky’s focuses was the concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is the idea of a child being appropriately challenged, this will be discussed further on. His theory stemmed from how children’s learning is impacted greatly through guidance of peers, cultural relations (language), social interactions, teachers and any other adult figure in their environment. In the last 10-15 years, teachers, caregivers, and educators have been attending more to Vygotsky’s theory and his concept of the zone of proximal development, because his work impacts how children learn in their optimal environment (Trawick-Smith, 2015). Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory will be discussed through historical insight, explanation of the theory itself, how sociocultural and society relate to each other, and how the theory is applied in the educational society.