Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction

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

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.

Describe at least four significant ways in which differentiated instruction differs from traditional classroom instruction.

These two elements of classroom are intrinsically linked, as differentiated instruction is well suited to the three principles in UDL. By focusing on CAST’s three systems and appropriate teaching methods, particularly recognition, strategic and affective, the guide aims to identify ways in which differentiated instruction coordinates UDL theory. Varying theories have been proven to be affective in supporting different skills as students learn, from gifted and talented to those providing more support in special education programs.

In the past, I have been somewhat successful with differentiating instruction. I can’t say I have been 100% successful.

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.

The title of my lesson is Environmental Barometer. This lesson will take approximately 45-60 minutes of preparation time and a 45-minute session to conduct a field investigation. The lesson is in groups of 3 to 4 students. The materials for the lesson include clipboards, one copy per group of Biotic and Abiotic Features Data Sheet, reference materials (tree, bird, amphibian, insect guides), a selection of instruments to study abiotic features of an ecosystem (anemometer, thermometer, and soil pH tester). The students will compare and contrast abiotic and biotic components inventoried at two outdoor study locations in an effort to explore wildlife as indicators of ecosystem health. The teacher will choose

Differentiated instruction is personalized for students of different levels of achievement, which allows students to choose what kind of teaching they want to use to learn. It lets students grow at their own pace through new material. For a differentiated classroom, teachers use assessments to determine student readiness. Assessments such as pre-tests are effective in determining what a student needs to learn or what level the student is. It lets teachers teach students based off of the common core standards but they do it also based on each child’s learning style and what level of knowledge they are at, at the same

curriculum. The teacher will achieve this by providing learning tasks, and outcomes tailored to meet the needs of students. The teachers are the ones who would provide quality instructions to meet the varying needs of the students. Ongoing assessment is crucial as it points out the weaknesses and strengths of the students and it informs them as to where they are at and where they need to be. This assessment also guides the teacher’s planning and choice of effective strategies to ensure that at the end of the lesson all and if not all the majority of the students have learned the lesson’s content and

In utilizing differentiated instruction, teachers can prepare materials for student variation in readiness levels, benefits and learning profiles. This is in a classroom where all learners are incorporated and can be effective. In completing this task, a teacher arranges different expectancies of achievement for students when completing assignments daily and is centered on their specific needs. In order to understand the framework in preparation for differentiated instruction, identifying with how our students learn and what they recognize, (pre-assessment and continuing assessment) are important. This offers response for both the educator and the student with the definitive goal of enhancing student learning (Tomlinson, 2011).

What does differentiated instruction look like in a classroom? Making an assignment, task, or target distinctive for one student than the rest of the class is meeting that child where they are in their learning journey. Differentiated instruction for struggling students, may mean giving a sentence starters or a graphic organizer to help them with understanding of a topic.. It may mean giving additional time to finish an assignment, giving directions once more, diminishing the length of an assignment, or offering alternative assignments or projects altogether. Struggling students can be given leveled content - less difficult text for your child that contains the same information.

Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for students with differing abilities in the same class. The intent of differentiating instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is assisting in the learning process (Polloway, Patton, and Serna, 2005). It’s an individualized instructional method. It is used to help students with diverse needs learn using a general curriculum.

Research on differentiation emphasizes that including a variation of instruction can meet the needs of students with different learning needs in this classroom. This is echoed in Carol Tomlinson's research, she states the benefits of differentiation instruction in the following statement, "It promotes high-level and powerful curriculum for all students, but varies the level of teacher support, task complexity, pacing, and avenues to learning based on student readiness, interests, and learning profile." (Tomlinson, 2000, pg. 25) The use of differentiated instruction will allow me to reach the needs of the different learners in my classroom, which include students who need to a further challenged, struggling readers, 504 students, and students with multiple learning styles. For the students who need an additional challenge, they may need differentiated questioning that promotes higher orders of thinking, challenging texts or documents, or assignments that allow them to demonstrate multiple skills. Students who struggle with reading comprehension may need simplified texts, additional time on reading assignments, or tools such as graphic organizers or guided notes to assist them during reading assignments. For the 504 students in my class may benefit from additional supports in the form of graphic organizers and assignments that incorporate technology. For the students who have multiple learning styles, it is important for me to use different supports and tasks to meet the needs of these students. Howard Gardner's theory on multiple intelligences supports my incorporation of various learning styles in my instruction. The theory emphasizes eight different intelligences in which students learn and that teachers should incorporate many of the intelligences in instruction. According to research, “Teachers should structure the presentation of material in a

Differentiated instruction is the way the teacher techniques to learn. Every child learns differently and will not learn on the same pace this is when differentiated instruction takes place. Teachers should enhance their materials and lesson plans so that all children are able to learn successfully. By teachers using differentiated instruction with her students when they are tested it will show rather or not the student comprehended the lesson. It shows if the teacher accommodate her students the proper way.