What: Differentiated instruction is responsive teaching that meets the learning needs of students by understanding and planning for student differences. Teachers can differentiate through content, process, product, or learning environment.
Who: Teachers should differentiation instruction according to student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile. Since individual differences in student exist at a variety of levels and in different areas, differentiation is necessary through all grade levels and content areas.
Why: Research on differentiation proves what common sense would lead one to believe. Research shows that students learn best when the instruction matches their readiness level (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2010), are more engaged when they are able to choose what they are working on (Collins & Amabile, 1999), and benefit greatly from instruction that matches their learning profile (Gardner, 1983).
How: There are a variety of instructional strategies teachers can use to differentiate. These strategies include leveled readings, RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic), graphic organizers, scaffolded reading, instructional or extension menus, learning or interests centers, intelligence preferences, stations, independent projects or studies, and many more.
Where: You can find specific guidance on how to differentiate your classroom in the ACPS Curriculum located on Blackboard. Differentiation strategies can be found in Stage 3 of the curriculum guides and differentiated Transfer Tasks can be found in stage 2.