DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Meeting the diverse needs of students

Differentiated instruction • Begins when teachers recognize that variations are needed to engage and

Use a Variety of Strategies • Differentiated instruction is doing whatever it takes to

Benefits students at all levels • Differentiated instruction helps students learn for themselves how

Use self-reflection to design, implement, and assess your lessons • You may decide to

Primary sources offer excellent opportunities for differentiation • Differentiate through content – have students

Sample lesson • Slavery In the Antebellum South: Varying the Learning Process with Primary

Differentiation, cont. • Assessment – should inform our practice at every turn • For

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DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Meeting the diverse needs of students through a variety of instructional techniques

Differentiated instruction • Begins when teachers recognize that variations are needed to engage and challenge all learners in a particular lesson. • LRE = least restrictive environment for students with special needs. • Reality = You will almost certainly have a wide range of ability, cultural backgrounds, interests, etc. in your classroom

Use a Variety of Strategies • Differentiated instruction is doing whatever it takes to help students learn by providing individual accommodations and making adjustments to lesson plans • “High-quality differentiation is really just good teaching!” – Carol Ann Tomlinson • It is based on a responsive mind-set

Benefits students at all levels • Differentiated instruction helps students learn for themselves how they learn best. • They learn to “self-differentiate” in the world! • Helps them choose their own career goals

Use self-reflection to design, implement, and assess your lessons • You may decide to use a variety of teaching methods, such as: • Tiered assignments • Flexible grouping • Re-teaching activities • Independent studies v. All meet the same curriculum goal v. Change the nature of the work, not its quantity!

Primary sources offer excellent opportunities for differentiation • Differentiate through content – have students examine different primary sources to reach conclusions • Differentiate through process – all students use the same primary source but perform different learning processes • Differentiate through responses (product) – students get to choose their method of response

Sample lesson • Slavery In the Antebellum South: Varying the Learning Process with Primary Sources

Differentiation, cont. • Assessment – should inform our practice at every turn • For ex. , differentiate formatively with exit cards; you can provide different prompts to meet students at their level of learning • Learning environment matters • How can classrooms be arranged as “student centered” rather than “teacher centered”?