Differentiated Instruction
Differentiation in the classroom is one strategies for pushing all students, including TAG students, to their achieve their greatest capacity of learning. Carol Ann Tomlinson stated, “At its most basic level, differentiated instruction means ‘shaking up’ what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they have learned.”
Oftentimes different content is confused with differentiated content. Different content is giving students the same content at their level. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs and is a way of teaching. It means you observe and understand the differences and similarities among students and use this information to thoughtfully plan instruction. Following is a summary of what differentiation is and is not.
Differentiation is….
Providing students with different materials, tasks, and activities than their age peers - tasks that lead to authentic learning for them
Is an organized, yet flexible way of proactively adjusting content, process, product, and environment to meet students where they are at in the learning process.
Achieves maximum growth (and depth) in learning
For all students
Specific to their assessed rate and level of learning.
Differentiation is not…
A goal; it is the result of actions taken to ensure student needs and readiness are considered.
More or less work (i.e., just giving high students more and low students less).
About making things easier; it is about challenging a student appropriately.
A one-time event; it is an ongoing, flexible process.
Another way to provide homogeneous grouping (like fixed "ability groups").
A pre-planned list of strategies, but a way of thinking and making decisions in the moment based on student needs.
If you would like to learn a little more please check out my November Newsletter.
