Differentiation of Instruction is all about the HOW!
Educating All Students in a Mixed Ability Classroom
PART ONE: The Basics
By Jeri Asaro
For educators, Differentiation of Instruction can be one of those buzz word phrases that wreaks havoc on your lesson planning and your classroom management style. But, it does not have to be that way! Most school administrators ask teachers to differentiate instruction, and they look for it during the evaluation/observation process. However, few schools offer enough professional development on the subject -- making it hard for teachers to succeed. It is not a strategy you can learn overnight and apply to your planning for the next day. It is a philosophy that requires preliminary work in order for it to be carried out successfully. For my next three columns, I will explain this topic, so you can jump on board to try these timely ideas. Maybe this set of articles will give you some food for thought, as you prepare to approach next year's learners with a new focus. For right now, in this first section, let's begin with the basics. What is Differentiation of Instruction?
Differentiation of instruction (DI) is the process that a teacher uses to respond differently and individually to each student in a mixed ability classroom. DI allows teachers to meet the needs of all the learners in the classroom. The philosophy comes from the basic belief that all students can learn. It is teaching towards each student's strengths, and allowing their weaknesses to develop into future strong points. We all know, not everyone learns the same way. In the 1980's, learning style and multiple intelligence research opened the door for a whole new way to view our students. Each student's affinity for learning can be affected by how we teach, and the aforementioned theories can aid teachers in planning lessons to reach more students. These visions for learning are just the beginning. The definition of DI given by Hall, Strangman, Meyer (2009) “is to recognize students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning and interests; and to react responsively. Differentiated instruction is a process to teaching and learning for students of 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 and assisting in the learning process.”
Differentiating your instructional practices is not something you can necessarily begin on the first day of school with a classroom of new students. Quite frankly, the course of action begins with the very basics of how you run your classroom. Begin the year by getting a grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of your students through the use of the available data, like benchmark testing results, standardized test scores, pre-tests, student inventories, portfolios, guidance folders, and/or classroom grades from the previous year; although those important items are just the beginning of your learning process. They give results and information, but they do not tell you how the student got there.
Differentiation of instruction is all about the HOW!
In my opinion, and that of many others, the foremost expert in the area of DI is Carol Ann Tomlinson. If my article this month leaves you wanting more, and you do not want to wait until next month, I have included a few resources and references at the end of the article which may help you to research on your own. According to Tomlinson, some of the important aspects of a responsive classroom that differentiates is one where the teacher prides him or herself on getting to know the students as individuals. From my own experience, once you tap into that resource, you can more easily find ways to connect with everyone in the classroom.
There are many ways to learn about your students, but one of the best ways is to allow them to write for you. Whether it be math class, English class, or health class, students should be writing across the curriculum, so use the idea of getting to know your students as a place to incorporate writing. When given a topic they can personally relate to, students usually write much more than they would ever tell you verbally. Sentence starters work well. Journal prompts are a terrific asset. To infuse technology, try setting up a blog with interesting questions or discussion points. Responding to famous, yet simple-to-understand quotations about topics in your discipline lends itself to writing in all classrooms. When you ask students to tell you what they think the quotation means and how it relates to them and their lives, you have opened the door to learning about the individual. It is also great writing practice for high stakes tests. A teacher who makes an effort to value and learn about students on a more personal level, will gain the respect of the students and will begin on the journey of lesson planning for the whole group. It is not a "waste of time" to spend important moments on this "getting-to-know-you" task. The better you understand your students, the easier it is to get them to learn. Preparing the classroom environment for optimal learning is part of the DI course of action.
Tomlinson also believes that another key element of a differentiated classroom is one that works as a team. I could not agree more. As you already know, there is no "I" in TEAM which takes the focus away from individuals who are not achieving as well as others, or highlighting the star of the class. If students work together toward a common goal, then communication and organization improves. Plus, students feel supported, and they know they can go to other members of the class for guidance. Classroom management skills come into play here as well. Simply put, a welcoming classroom community, whether it is a kindergarten classroom or a group of eleventh-grade students, provides an atmosphere where students are not fearful. Facilitating an environment where a struggling student can approach a gifted student to request assistance, provides students with the chance to succeed in safe surroundings and at their own pace.
One last penchant of Tomlinson's which I have followed, and I believe is very important in a DI classroom, is frequent assessments of various types. It helps to see where students stand on learning the benchmark/standard, and it supports the students as they get to know the areas of needed improvement. Although some teachers would disagree with me, I use self-assessment often. There is a whole procedure in my class for self-assessment, and students really enjoy it. Better yet, they are incredibly honest! Do I provide the students with grade expectations on the self-assessments? Yes. Do I use the assessment grades in my grade-book? Not necessarily. Do I collect the papers and review them? Absolutely. Sometimes I use self-assessments as pre-tests, and give an additional self-assessment a few days later as the unit unfolds. Then, I keep the sets of collected papers, and closely monitor individual progress. Trust me; students are self-monitoring as well, and more often than not, they are pleased with their progress. Beginning the testing prior to teaching the meat of the required material gives students a starting point for their own level of understanding. They feel good about themselves because they can see the learning in concrete form.
Students need to engage in their learning. To allow them to achieve to their highest level, they cannot be passive participants (see my article on Active Learning Strategies). All students, from resource to gifted, need to "work up." Set the expectations high, and make them clear to everyone. Using rubrics, checklists, and clearly written instructions, which are provided in advance, are a way to begin in helping all students learn to desire achievement. When success is clearly spelled out, students often work to be champions. No student likes or wants to fail. When you are clear with expectations and anticipated learning outcomes, it makes it easier for everyone, including you. The ideal situation is to teach each student at a level where they can comfortably work, but still find it challenging. Will every student be successful every time? No. Will every student want to be successful every time? Probably not. But, the reason for that success rate is not entirely in your hands.
When students enter your classroom at different academic levels, it is often not of their own doing. Sometimes it is because students filter to one school from different smaller schools. Occasionally, there is a specific weakness in a district's curriculum which causes the issue, and a group of students suffer from that flaw. Family life also plays a big role in the energy and enthusiasm that children bring to our classrooms. Some students receive wonderful support from the adults in their homes, while others are virtually surviving on their own. As educators, we cannot make any assumptions, nor can we show any unfairness. We need to level the playing field. Diversity in the classroom is a given; our job is to figure out how to get students to want to learn the material on their own, at a pace that is good for them. Our classrooms are not "one size fits all." Making student expectations clear and attainable will increase the level of achievement in your classroom.
Once you learn about student interests and academic levels, and you have created a comfortable learning environment, the final piece of the puzzle is the HOW. How does the individual student learn? DI is a practice that takes time to master, and usually with some trial and error. If you use the Tomlinson model for Differentiation of Instruction, there are a few key words and phrases of which you should be familiar. Teachers differentiate through their CONTENT. This content is what the teacher wants to the students to learn, using the district or school materials which make the learning possible. Content is the essential group of ideas that are required in the state standards and the school's curriculum. As an educator, you should have a love of your content and know it well, plus be willing to continue to learn about it. When you stop learning, you stop being a strong educator. The next step includes the activities and lesson procedures that are designed to ensure that students learn the content information. What are the procedures/activities/steps which are followed so that students create their final outcome? This middle part is called the PROCESS. The final outcome is the PRODUCT. The product is most often the assessment vehicle by which students demonstrate what they have learned. The content drives the process. The process creates the product.
Now you can begin to differentiate your instruction and lesson planning using content, process, and product. When students are offered choices in the process area, you enable them to discover different skills and competencies. Plus, it is a great way to mix things up. Offering students a set of tasks of which they can choose, share, or take turns doing, is engaging on all levels. Not only that; it is equally interesting and important to the learning outcome. This idea does not mean three different lesson plans; it means one plan with three options or sections. Activities related to the same learning outcome are prepared with different stages of difficulty, each stage addressing higher levels of thinking and/or different learning styles. Using this approach in lesson planning lets students understand and apply their learning in more than one way.
In all honesty, planning the PROCESS in this way takes more upfront preparation, but during your classroom time, you can articulate, circulate, and facilitate without remaining the center of attention for the entire lesson. Many times, these types of lessons are created for small groups to complete together. Essential skills are taught through a group of activities at different levels of challenge. Students could take part in a variety of tasks with the Blooms Taxonomy Pyramid as a focus, and the difficulty and time requirement for each task could be different. For example, the PROCESS could include graphic organizers, technology tasks, and journal responses all geared to the same learning outcome. Stations do not have to be an elementary school instructional strategy. They can be prepared and enjoyed in any classroom, for students at any age level.
The No Child Left Behind laws rely heavily on the philosophy of DI. It is our responsibility as educators, to reach all of our students and make sure "no student is left behind." When we teach a concept and it is not learned, we need to teach it again in a different way. Or, another option is to guide students in a few different ways, all at once. When they make the connections between the tasks, they often learn the lesson. Some students catch on quickly and learn to be self-sufficient --craving enrichment activities. There are other students that need a more hands-on approach and practice. Both levels of students could be addressed with a DI lesson plan. I am not suggesting that the concept of reaching all students is not hard work, but it is work worth doing. A better understanding of DI will help you to be a better educator for your students.
In my upcoming two articles, I will provide more specifics on the topic, like groupings and different approaches you can take when choosing groups. An explanation of specific DI instructional strategies including tiered instruction, scaffolding, effective questions, inquiry circles, technology-infusion, and conferencing will be explained. We will also look at a few formal and informal assessment ideas. DI looks different at various grade levels, so examples will be offered for elementary, middle, and high school. In the meantime, walk around and observe your colleagues in the classroom; you will see that there are likely as many ways to teach as there are to learn. Your research will eventually benefit your students. Making a big difference in the quality of their learning experiences will have students coming back for more. Investigating the HOW sometimes requires that you look outside of your own classroom door, and collaborate with other teachers to find out HOW they achieve their learning objectives. As educators, our goal is to teach students to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. If students enjoy your class, and they are challenged and learning -- what could be better?
Resources and references:
The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners
by Carol Ann Tomlinson 1999
How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-ability Classrooms
by Carol Ann Tomlinson 2001
