Differentiating Instruction

Differentiated instruction responds to the variations in levels of readiness, interest, and learning profiles among all students in the classroom. It is inclusive, addressing the differences among learners. Effective differentiated instruction is based on the needs of the individual students in the class, not “…just about having different students do different things. Differentiated instruction is based on students’ needs” (Leipzig, 2000).

In literacy instruction, differentiated instruction in reading and writing does not change the goal of helping a student learn to read and write proficiently. Rather, it employs varying educational practices according to each learner’s unique needs, strengths and preferred learning styles. The intent is to help all students achieve reading and writing proficiency while allowing for individually differentiated paths toward that end result.

When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time, chances are, one-third of the kids already know it, one-third of the kids will get it, and the remaining third won’t. So, two-thirds of the children are wasting their time.”
(Lilian Katz, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois)

In the differentiated classroom, the teacher adjusts the curriculum to maximize the learning of “average” students, “exceptional” students, gifted and talented students, English language learners (ELL), struggling students, and students with learning disabilities. As with all instruction, in the literacy classroom there are three primary elements that teachers can differentiate to meet the needs of learners:

1. Content: the knowledge and skills that students need to master.
2. Process: the activities that students engage in to master content.
3. Product: the method that students implement to demonstrate learning.

(Tomlinson, 2001)

When teachers differentiate content, they typically teach the same concept or skill to all students, but use a variety of materials and adjust the level of difficulty in activities that students must complete. Teachers can also differentiate the presentation styles used to cover content. Various multiple media and formats allow teachers to say, show, and/or model content to address different learners’ needs and learning styles.

Scaffolding, or building on a student’s current knowledge, is a key strategy to help students who have difficulty in reading and understanding text. Teachers can scaffold content through three distinct stages with strategies to enhance learning for the students.

1. Before reading:
   1. Activating prior knowledge (e.g., using KWL charts)
   2. Pre-teaching new vocabulary (e.g., using cards or webs)
   3. Making predictions (e.g., using cue cards with titles or illustrations to make predictions about word meanings)
2. During reading:
   1. Addressing unfamiliar words (e.g., looking up words and recording definitions)
   2. Monitoring comprehension (e.g., encouraging students to think aloud about word meanings)
   3. Using mental imagery (e.g., drawing pictures or role playing to illustrate or demonstrate word meanings)
   4. Using graphic organizers (e.g., Frayer model, KWL chart, word web, etc.)
3. After reading:
   1. Retelling or summarizing a story
   2. Students pair up to share their understanding of the story
   3. Students make posters, collages, or other visual representations of the story

In the differentiated classroom, the teacher will help students move from dependence to independence in what Pearson and Gallagher (1983) termed a “Gradual Release of Responsibility” (I, We, You) process:

1. “I”—the teacher models the desired reading and writing skills they want students to develop. This stage is teacher-focused, providing explicit instruction and modeling literacy skills through thinking aloud.
2. “We”—the teacher leads and guides students to accomplish steps toward acquiring literacy skills. Students eventually take over and practice new skills, while the teacher provides encouragement and confirms their efforts.
3. “You”—this stage is student directed. Students initiate the tasks and work independently on them while the teacher provides affirmation and coaching as needed.

(Adapted from Sedita, 2015)

Teachers can best promote differentiation of the learning process by assessing one or more of the following factors:

• Readiness—the skill level and background knowledge of each student
• Interests—topics of interest to explore inside and outside the content area
• Learning profile—unique to each student, including:
  • Learning style:
    • auditory
    • kinesthetic
    • tactile
    • visual
  • Grouping preferences:
    • individual
    • small group
    • large group
  • Environmental preferences:
    • lighting
    • furniture grouping
    • quiet or busy
    • small or spacious
    • rules and processes

There are many strategies that can help students develop literacy skills in phonics, comprehension, fluency, word prediction, and story prediction. Two common examples of these strategies are graphic organizers and learning centers.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are one of the simplest, yet most effective strategies to help students improve their acquisition and comprehension of words, language, and relationships between ideas. Below are five common types of graphic organizers teachers can use in the classroom with their students to differentiate process.

 

Learning Centers

Learning centers strategically focus on themes of interest to different students and on literacy skills including phonics, reading, and/or vocabulary. These centers are appealing because students can choose among topics most interesting to them, which motivates them to learn.

Learning centers typically include materials differentiated by reading levels to facilitate various students’ most appropriate literacy development.

Tiered activities or assignments may also be included in learning centers according to each student’s level of readiness, as well as each student’s learning style (The Access Center, USDOE, 2004; Tomlinson, 2001).

Differentiating Product

When teachers differentiate product, it simply means they allow students to create a product that demonstrates they have mastered a concept or the content of a lesson. The choice of product depends on the student’s learning style.

For example, if students were assigned a specific text or unit to read, differentiation of the product—demonstration of mastery of the theme of the book—might look like this for different learners:

• Learners who learn best by reading and writing might write a detailed book report.
• Visual learners might create a graphic organizer or another type of visual representation of the story.
• Auditory learners might give an oral book report.
• Kinesthetic learners might create a poster or diorama to illustrate the story.

(Weselby, 2021)

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Assignment:

Using the resources provided, complete the assignment as directed. Be sure to include proper citations for the resources you use, including those provided.

For this assignment, you will create an outline explaining how you would differentiate instruction to support struggling readers in your classroom:

1. Choose from one of the three types of differentiation: content, process, or product.
2. For your selected differentiation type, choose one of the strategies for that type as presented within the content on this topic. For example:
   1. Differentiation type: differentiating product
   2. Differentiating product strategy: graphic organizer
3. After selecting your type and strategy, create an outline of how you would differentiate a lesson and describe it in detail. Include images, charts, or other visual aids to clearly illustrate your lesson. Model it after the examples provided in this topic or use your own research and creativity.

Once you have completed the assignment, save a copy in a document in MS Word format (.doc or .docx) and use the tool below to upload a copy of your work.